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UER Forum > UE Main > This is happening way too often... I have to vent! (Viewed 9342 times)
Benched_it 


Location: Central NC
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This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< on 11/11/2018 10:47 PM >
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Hello all! This is not directed at anyone on here, but rather a general statement FWIW. While I may not post on here as much as I used to, I still explore when I get the chance. I was uploading a video to Youtube recently and was shocked to see how many urbex videos not only showed the outside of the buildings, but also the POE and even worse they had the names and locations in the title! This is unacceptable and not cool at all.

This is why some of the best explores we've enjoyed are now trashed and destroyed to the point they can't be enjoyed by others. When people do an urbex video, showing the outside isn't necessary I don't think. It can be done but take the time to be careful what you show. They sure don't need to show the POE and damn sure don't need to be naming it AND telling where it's at!

What IF a place you explored suddenly burned down after you were there? The cops start looking around Youtube, Flickr, etc and what do they see? You were there recently? Granted you didn't do it but it could lead to a big hassle that could have been prevented by not giving out so much information.

Speaking of Flickr, I have found many locations just by looking at someone's pics and their EXIF data. I'll look at the pic I'm interested in, then start looking at their other pics with the same date and by checking their EXIF data and looking at the times they were taken I can trace their route everywhere they went. My Flickr urbex albums usually have a three letter title that only I know what it means. The EXIF data is hidden and I always change the date. It may say "taken sometime in 2018" but in reality it could have been back in 2013. I take the time to clone out anything that could reveal what it is or where it was in my pics.

There was a great explore in South Carolina that everyone knows about. Thanks to all the info given out, not only is it being watched by the cops now, it's totally trashed to the point I'll never waste my time there again. Thankfully I got it back in the day when it was a great explore and nice photographs came out of it.

I love watching a good urbex video, I just want people to start using their heads and THINK about the info they might be giving out. It's not that hard. Thanks for your time...



[last edit 11/11/2018 10:49 PM by Benched_it - edited 1 times]

https://www.flickr...otos/97792661@N03/
jonrev 


Location: Lake Wazzapamani
Gender: Male
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Observer of obsolesence

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 1 on 11/12/2018 2:36 AM >
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Tell me about it.

Here's a look at an abandoned mall in the midwest that got blown up on YouTube this year. First flick is February, second is last month. They have since cleaned some of the debris but the damage is done. The floor looks faded because they've found and discharged nearly every fire extinguisher in the building.





Not seen in these is that every other pane of glass throughout the mall has been smashed, three fires have been set, and the extensive damage caused by the illegal scrappers who were hitting it on a near-daily basis throughout July (I got run out of there a few times because it got too dangerous). This place was in a near-pristine state for 15 years until this all went down.




If this story sounds familiar... here's the now-demolished Lincoln Mall: a few days after the Cleveland toilet scrubber whored it out to YouTube and every news outlet in Chicago; and a few months later, after every goddamn YouTuber and their mother had been through it.






[last edit 11/12/2018 2:42 AM by jonrev - edited 1 times]

[jonrevProjects] | Flickr flicks
Founder: Belvidere Cinema Gallery - Waukegan, IL
NotQuiteHuman 


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 2 on 11/12/2018 6:20 AM >
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I like to use exiftool to remove all metadata before I upload photos anywhere. You can just change dates after uploading to flickr, but I'd rather not even let them have any more data than they need. I also steer away from making location albums because grouping photos together just gives people more clues to figure out where a place might be. I also try to never post too much from just one city. Changing things up keeps people guessing. I basically look at the methods I've used to figure out locations and make sure I don't make those same mistakes.

Also, if I think there's even a small chance someone can figure out a location from a photo based on it's uniqueness even without the name/region/exterior/etc, I'll most likely just never post it unless something drastic changes (demo, renovation, arson, etc).

And here's another before and after photo for good measure. Closed in 2004. Made it until sometime between 2014-17 when this place's internet presence really started to explode.





Steed 


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 3 on 11/12/2018 7:13 AM >
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You guys probably don't want to direct your attention to the UE Videos forum right now.




rob.i.am 


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Carpe noctum

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 4 on 11/12/2018 1:49 PM >
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Posted by Steed
You guys probably don't want to direct your attention to the UE Videos forum right now.


Oh yes they do!




http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob666/
Gravemind 


Location: New Jersey
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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 5 on 11/12/2018 2:05 PM >
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I agree with this and see it a lot first hand as well. In my area of the Northeast, Instagram tends to be the largest problem. We have people who have never had an interest in exploring realize that they can use it for attention and fame. Now we have 50+ people flooding to one spot in a couple days time span until it's destroyed, sealed, or watched. These people even take it upon themselves to buy locks and seal the places so that other Instagram users don't get "the feature". Thankfully, those of us who know what we are doing tend to get there before the flood of attention-seeking kids.




I am a monument to all your sins
blackhawk 

This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 6 on 11/12/2018 2:58 PM >
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Posted by Steed
You guys probably don't want to direct your attention to the UE Videos forum right now.


Bring napalm and popcorn...




Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
Lola AB 


Location: YEG
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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 7 on 11/12/2018 4:10 PM >
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Posted by Gravemind
I agree with this and see it a lot first hand as well. In my area of the Northeast, Instagram tends to be the largest problem. We have people who have never had an interest in exploring realize that they can use it for attention and fame. Now we have 50+ people flooding to one spot in a couple days time span until it's destroyed, sealed, or watched. These people even take it upon themselves to buy locks and seal the places so that other Instagram users don't get "the feature". Thankfully, those of us who know what we are doing tend to get there before the flood of attention-seeking kids.


It's similar where I'm at although we've had a few youtubers too. IG explorers just to build content and be "heroes" with no regard for the code. I called a guy out on one of his pics and he went to the trouble to make a full video of one of my fav spots, which I no longer go to because every last "photographer" in town is going. He told me he didn't have to follow anyone's rules and basically go f myself. So that went well...lol




mookster 


Location: Oxford, UK
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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 8 on 11/12/2018 4:58 PM >
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It's a huge issue in the UK as well, even more so as Instagram isn't so big over here.

There are so many fucking morons running around with smartphones or video cameras nowadays blowing up and ruining spots faster than others can get to them that it's a pathetic joke. Add to that the utter bullshit they sometimes make up about locations and ridiculous clickbait titles, it's gone so far down the toilet it's almost unrecoverable.

As well as blowing up the new tourbus spots they also turn their attention to ruining spots people like myself explored almost a decade ago and then try to claim they've discovered something new and epic.

These idiots have no idea how much damage they are doing to the exploring 'community' (if you believe there is such a thing).




Explorer Zero 


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 9 on 11/12/2018 7:51 PM >
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If you had been doing this a while, and seen the direction this was going, you might have predicted worse. UER was just the first major outlet lesser websites and even "PHOTO" blogs have been around since forever.


Time to find a new hobby. Soon there will be "Exploring Peeling Paint" at Home Depot DIY Saturday clinics, and, virtual exploration by Internet connection to drone footage in the pre-K classroom. What an exhilarating hobby. Waiting for someone to "identify" as an urban explorer that never explored anything but their computer screen. Buy a ticket and explore Disney Land!




Lola AB 


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 10 on 11/13/2018 1:28 AM >
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Apparently, there was some type of an urban exploration "convention" in France this past weekend. I follow a guy named freed_o_gram who was posting stories about being a guest speaker.

2x..I think you're right. It's becoming more main stream all the time.




Cato Black 


Location: Georgia
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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 11 on 11/13/2018 1:44 AM >
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Does it really happen this often?




RescueMe1060 


Location: San Francisco
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Radioactivity, its in the air for you & me

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 12 on 11/13/2018 6:17 AM >
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Posted by Steed
You guys probably don't want to direct your attention to the UE Videos forum right now.


This post Immediately directed all my attention to the UE Videos section




http://www.flickr....rescueme1060/sets/
Steed 


Location: Edmonton/Seoul
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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 13 on 11/13/2018 8:38 AM >
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Posted by RescueMe1060


This post Immediately directed all my attention to the UE Videos section


Next, don't think of an elephant.




Aran 


Location: Kansas City
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Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 14 on 11/13/2018 9:51 AM >
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Posted by Lola AB
Apparently, there was some type of an urban exploration "convention" in France this past weekend. I follow a guy named freed_o_gram who was posting stories about being a guest speaker.

2x..I think you're right. It's becoming more main stream all the time.


I think it's mostly because of just how easily information is disseminated online these days. Back when urbex as we know now it first gained momentum, the internet wasn't near as ubiquitous as it is today, and both information and urbex communities were harder to find.

Simply put, technology lowered the barrier of entry to urban exploration. Before, you needed to invest in a good camera, a flashlight, and some basic gear at the very least. Nowadays cameras and flashlights are standard features on smartphones, meaning everyone has the basic gear to start exploring- and since the internet is more ubiquitous than ever before, it's easier to learn about urbex too. All you got to do is join a local urbex group next time you're on Facebook, or follow a few accounts on Instagram and suddenly you're part of a "community" with no vetting process, no established rules, and no enforcement.

Of course the more serious explorers (like the ones that tend to frequent UER) still invest in actual equipment (cameras, actual flashlights, respirators, etc), and as such are more willing to have the patience to go through UER's three month long vetting process. For your average person who saw an abandoned building on their way to work and wants some quick upvotes, however, that vetting period scares them off.

Lower the barrier of entry and increase the public exposure, and of course more people who don't take urbex seriously will join. And when they find the vetting period of UER too burdensome (even though it's what keeps this site good) they make their own communities with fewer rules and no enforcement. That's what's at the heart of this influx.



[last edit 11/13/2018 10:03 AM by Aran - edited 5 times]

"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

stealthwraith 


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 15 on 11/13/2018 1:52 PM >
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There's money in popularity. Get up votes/likes/views/whatever the fuck and eventually money needs to flow in order to continue delivering "content" (used loosely) to your "followers". So appeals are made to said followers and payment systems are adopted (gofundme, patreon, idk Venmo?) and then this cash is a direct path to doing more. Then they "collab" with other "content creators" increasing their popularity and further justifying their actions and increasing their exposure. It's capitalism at its finest destroying my solo escapism hobby to document cool buildings




Stealth: adj. designed in accordance with technology that makes detection difficult. Wraith: n. A wisp or faint trace of something
NotBatman 


Location: MSP
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Secret Cult Member

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 16 on 11/13/2018 2:01 PM >
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Posted by Aran

Simply put, technology lowered the barrier of entry to urban exploration. Before, you needed to invest in a good camera, a flashlight, and some basic gear at the very least.


Alright, I'm gonna be That Guy: No one needs a camera to explore. When we were kids, in the 80's, we just had shitty flashlights (and candy bars) and a bike to travel, and we'd spend hours in the storm drains and caves, once we found them. Occasionally we'd come back with cheap 550 cord to do something sketchy. It wasn't until I found UER that it even ocurred to me that bringing a camera could be fun. I know tons of people that actively explore and don't bother with the photography side of it at all.

But yeah, in the end it's people sharing things online and driving the exposure that's killing the preservation of good sites for recreational trespassing. Somebody shows a cool thing, something that's usually free and usually out of the way enough that you can hang out and get drunk/stoned with your friends, and yeah... others will want to do that too.

Some people are worse at obfuscating location information, some people just don't care, but it's not just Instafame McGee that's causing the problem, it's everyone who shares things with anyone they don't know as well as they think, online especially, but even in person sometimes.

The bottom line is every location is ephemeral. Enjoy it while it's there, but don't count on it to stay. Go find the next thing and stop going back to the same places all the time.




I'm a "Leave only footprints, take only pornography" kind of guy, myself.
Explorer Zero 


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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 17 on 11/13/2018 2:44 PM >
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Posted by NotBatman


Alright, I'm gonna be That Guy: No one needs a camera to explore. When we were kids, in the 80's, we just had shitty flashlights (and candy bars) and a bike to travel, and we'd spend hours in the storm drains and caves, once we found them. Occasionally we'd come back with cheap 550 cord to do something sketchy. It wasn't until I found UER that it even ocurred to me that bringing a camera could be fun. I know tons of people that actively explore and don't bother with the photography side of it at all.

But yeah, in the end it's people sharing things online and driving the exposure that's killing the preservation of good sites for recreational trespassing. Somebody shows a cool thing, something that's usually free and usually out of the way enough that you can hang out and get drunk/stoned with your friends, and yeah... others will want to do that too.

Some people are worse at obfuscating location information, some people just don't care, but it's not just Instafame McGee that's causing the problem, it's everyone who shares things with anyone they don't know as well as they think, online especially, but even in person sometimes.

The bottom line is every location is ephemeral. Enjoy it while it's there, but don't count on it to stay. Go find the next thing and stop going back to the same places all the time.



So true.

We all saw it changing and many bemoaned the sharing of information years ago. But UER Full Member system used to provide some margin of security. Not any more. Its getting worse. We have Full Members now that don't explore anything but the forums or only explore with Mommy or Daddy along.

I guess my similar disappointment is the direction some have tried to take this hobby, ghost buster paranormal bullshit. Wannabe Spec-Ops little fantasy tough guys playing Rambo and having paramilitary treehouse clubs. Everyone is free to get out of it what they want. And most want the notoriety that social media provides as you have said, getting Likes and followers. It separates them from the rest of the All signing All dancing crap of the world.

It is what it is.




blackhawk 

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 18 on 11/13/2018 3:01 PM >
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Posted by 2Xplorations



So true.

We all saw it changing and many bemoaned the sharing of information years ago. But UER Full Member system used to provide some margin of security. Not any more. Its getting worse. We have Full Members now that don't explore anything but the forums or only explore with Mommy or Daddy along.

I guess my similar disappointment is the direction some have tried to take this hobby, ghost buster paranormal bullshit. Wannabe Spec-Ops little fantasy tough guys playing Rambo and having paramilitary treehouse clubs. Everyone is free to get out of it what they want. And most want the notoriety that social media provides as you have said, getting Likes and followers. It separates them from the rest of the All signing All dancing crap of the world.

It is what it is.



Any member that vandalizes sites, steal$ images and so on anywhere on the web should be Xed from UER permanently.





Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
TheGamingCave 


Location: Chilliwack, BC
Gender: Male
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The Gaming Cave

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Re: This is happening way too often... I have to vent!
< Reply # 19 on 11/13/2018 4:48 PM >
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i think its ok to show the outside of the building just don't give dead giveaways to were it is like street names/addresses or anything that looks recognizable like a tree that spells "we are number one" or something like that




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