EVENTS

September 17, 2014

Introducing the Official Munzee Virtual Garden!

Inspired by the beautiful virtual gardens our players have grown across the map, Team Munzee is proud to announce the first official Munzee Virtual Garden! Located approximately 5 miles from MHQ, we hope for this to be a highlight when players visit us in McKinney, Texas. Like all of the other gardens out there we want our players to be a part of this monument, so Munzee is offering a very limited amount of pins in the store until supplies last.

For $10 you can be a part of this virtual garden, which will spell the word “Munzee” on the map. No work is necessary on your part to deploy this virtual pin, it will be assigned coordinates and deployed at time of purchase. You may edit the name and notes if you choose. LIMITED TO ONE PER PLAYER ACCOUNT.

When you purchase the Munzee Virtual Pin you get:

Limited Edition badge, only available to those who purchase a pin.
Points: 10 to owner on deploy. 10 to owner as residual on each cap. 10 to capper.
A limited edition pin permanently deployed automatically by Munzee on your account.

These pins will be very popular especially with the Garden’s proximity to MHQ and the upcoming Oktoberfest, so what if they all sell out? No worries, Munzee has plans for additional official gardens to be deployed all over the world in the coming months. More details soon. Team Munzee was so impressed with the unofficial virtual gardens built by players that we simply wanted one of our own. Unofficial gardens are greatly appreciated and will continue to be an integral part of the overall game. This is intended as a nod to the creativity of our players in an official manner.

Oh and before we forget, this garden will also serve as the introduction of a new shimmering pin you’ll only find somewhere over the rainbow. Remember, you’re not in Kansas anymore…

–

GemVirtEmerald128

September 16, 2014

Podcast Episode 29: Greenie Schmidt Apple

In this episode of the podcast we revel in the glory of the greenie, update the upcoming German-esque MHQ Bash, and take a bite out of Apple’s NFC announcement.

This week’s topics:

1. The New iPhones: What they mean for Munzee

2. MHQ Bash, again: Updates for the event next week

3. Clan Wars: Clans hitting 1+ Million points, and hints for next month

4. We get off topic and talk about food and the good ol’ days

September 15, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: Project A.L.S.

Team Munzee is proud to announce that our players have banded together to make a splash in support of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research. Two weeks after Team Munzee doused themselves in ice cold water and our players virtually froze the map, we’re happy to present Project A.L.S. with a donation of $54,000. For this week’s Meet Munzee Munday we wanted to put the spotlight on Project A.L.S. so our players can see what a difference their donations can make. This great organization was happy to sit down with us to talk about their story, how they’re fighting ALS and what this donation means to their cause.

Name and Title:
Project A.L.S. President Meredith Estess

Director of Research Valerie Estess.

Where are you from?
Project A.L.S. is located out of New York City, but we work with scientists all over the world.

How did Project A.L.S. start?

We were founded in 1998, as a non-profit 501(c)3, when our sister Jenifer Estess, a 35-year-old New York theater and film producer, was diagnosed with ALS. The diagnosis kind of came from nowhere, Jenifer was a committed, single, New York working woman, no one saw this coming. We were told at the time of diagnosis to “max out her credit cards and eat junk food,” Jenifer instead committed her efforts to making a difference for people with ALS—and producing treatments and a cure.

We were a family that had a lot of love and we were desperate for an answer. Each of us came from a different business perspective, Meredith worked for fashion retail merchandising and manufacturing, Valerie was in book publishing and copy writing, and Jenifer worked in theatre and was beginning to work in film. We brought a diversity of talent and skills together for Project A.L.S. and we’re an example that each individual person can make a difference.

What is ALS?
ALS is a neuro-degenerative disease very closely related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. With ALS a particular brain cell called the motor neuron is targeted. These motor neurons are located in the brain and throughout the spinal chord and regulate every voluntary movement within our bodies, from walking and talking to sleeping and breathing. So as these motor neurons are infected by ALS, so are our abilities to function.

What makes Project A.L.S. stand out from other organizations?
What we have found is that organizations like the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the ALS Association are primarily focused on patient services, which are absolutely crucial, but my sisters and I were thinking on different lines. We wanted to know who was doing the research and identify the most promising scientific research that will lead to the first effective treatments and a cure for ALS.

Historically, ALS research was conducted by researchers working separately on various aspects of the disease. Project A.L.S. changed that approach dramatically by requiring researchers and doctors to work together, share data openly, and meet shared research milestones. Project A.L.S. recruits the world’s best scientists and doctors to work together—rationally and aggressively—toward a better understanding of the ALS disease process and, in parallel, better therapeutic strategies.

What are some of Project A.L.S.’ achievements?
There have been so many significant breakthroughs. For example, when we first started in 1998 there was one gene identified in connection to ALS and now there are 27 genes identified in playing a role. Without genetic clues, we’re just shooting in the dark, so this is tremendous. We have also developed new technology with stem cell research. We can now take a small skin sample from anyone with ALS and turn that skin cell into a motor neuron that features the specific person’s DNA. So this gives scientists the ability to look at a patient’s individual disease, understand much more about ALS and screen drugs to help prevent further harm. It may sound like something out of Star Trek, but this discovery was a very hard-won, rational scientific progression.

Where can we see some of our donation go towards?
Your money can go to a number of projects that are ongoing. Every project needs equipment and personnel and this donation will go to the needs of our ongoing research. We’re currently supporting a drive to silence mutated ALS genes, which is being pioneered by Bob Brown at the University of Massachusetts. This would be one example of a project this donation will help fund. Some of the genes we find in ALS are known as diseases of inflammation, which are also active in cancer and diabetes. Through donations like this and by investigating the process ALS goes through we can also begin to understand other diseases as well.

Team Munzee thanks all of our players for their help in raising money for an organization we think is making a difference. We’re constantly humbled by the individuals who give so much, so we in turn use our opportunities to give back as well. Munzee is nothing without its players. On behalf of Project A.L.S. and Team Munzee we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

September 4, 2014

Podcast Episode 27: Ice, Ice Baby, Broken Records and Upcoming Events

In this episode of the podcast, we hear some new voices, try to keep warm in a frozen McKinney and talk about how excited we are for the MHQ Bash.

This week on the Munzee podcast we talk about:

The continued success of the Ice Virtuals and ALS Challenge
We announce a new Addition to the MHQ family
Broken records for both clan and players
A look at upcoming events
A reminder to sign up for the MHQ Oktoberfest Bash

To check past, present and future Munzee Podcasts, visit www.munzeepodcast.com.

August 29, 2014

September Clan War Requirements

As Labor Day weekend approaches you should all take advantage of the long weekend to prepare mentally for this month’s Clan Wars. Although the battle won’t begin until September 3rd, the map continues to freeze over as the ALS Ice Cubes cover the map. Below you’ll find next month’s requirements, so get your clans together and prepare for war.

Level 1 Mace — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least ten Munzees of any type. All 10 members of your clan must also reach a minimum of 500 points. Rewards: 1 Mace, 3 ALS Virtual Ice

Level 2 Longsword — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least 25 Munzees of any type. In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 75 munzees (socials excluded). All 10 members of your clan must also reach a minimum of 2000 points. Rewards: 1 Longsword, 2 Mystery Virtuals, 2 Virtual Colors, 2 ALS Virtual Ice, & 1 Blast Cap

Level 3 Battle Axe — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least 40 Munzees of any type. In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 150 munzees (socials excluded). All 10 members of your clan must also reach a minimum of 4500 points. Rewards: 1 Battle Axe, 2 Mystery Virtuals, 2 Virtual Colors, 1 ruby, & 1 Blast Cap

Level 4 The Chuck — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least 60 Munzees of any type. In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 500 munzees (socials excluded). All 10 members of your clan must also reach a minimum of 9000 points. Rewards: 1 Mace, 1 Longsword, 1 Battle Axe, 3 Mystery Virtuals, 3 Virtual Colors, 1 ruby, 1 diamond, & 1 blast cap

Level 5 #SuperChuck — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least 150 Munzees of any type. In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 1350 munzees (socials excluded). All 10 members of your clan must also reach a minimum of 15000 points. Rewards: 2 Battle Axes, 5 Mystery Virtuals, 5 Virtual Colors, 5 Virtuals, 2 motel, 2 ruby, 2 diamond, & 2 blast caps

August 26, 2014

Announcing the ALS Ice Cube Special Virtual

The Texas heat may be sweltering, but Team Munzee has caught the cold! This morning at the Munzee Marketplace Team Munzee took part in the ever growing ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and we’re happy to announce we’re taking it a step further. Based on our previous charity fundraisers (See: RMH) we know the impact that our players can make and now we want to help the ALS Association. New special virtual icons featuring ice cubes are now for sale in the Munzee store and proceeds will be donated to ALS research.

Packs of 4 ALS virtual ice cube munzees are for sale until the early September. The owner of the ice cube virtual gets 32 points when they deploy and 32 points will be split between owner and capper when it is captured. An in-game badge will also be earned for any player who captures or deploys an ALS ice virtual. These virtual munzees are available for purchase through early September with no limit in quantity. Although we’re proud to be a part of such a big movement, be warned that this ice will melt. The ALS virtual ice will melt into your archived list at the end of September.

Team Munzee is proud of the impact our players can make and we look forward to all the good we can do.Below you can watch Team Munzee participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. We challenge our players to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge as well as the Gurus of Geocaching and fellow Downtown McKinney businesses. #StrikeOutALS

To learn more about ALS and how you can help please visit www.alsa.org.

July 29, 2014

Podcast Episode 23: What’s next? We miss Matt, and a final birthday announcement

It’s been a long month of piñatas and prizes, but sadly Munzee’s third birthday is nearing its end. Worry not though, like every great birthday party, we’ve got one last surprise. This week on the podcast we announce a few big things including physical prize days to end the month. We’ve got more details below, but make sure to check out the podcast to hear about a variety of different Munzee happenings.

This week’s topics:

1. In-app deploy for Mystery Virtual Munzees and future plans to offer more in-app features.

2. Happy Birthday, Munzee Players! Here are your Clan requirements!

“August Deploy Days”

Level 1 Mace — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least one Munzee of any type for 3 days in the month (not in a row). Rewards: 1 Mace

Level 2 Longsword — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least one Munzee of any type for 7 days in the month (not in a row). In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 50 munzees of any type. Rewards: 1 Longsword, 2 Mystery Virtuals, & 2 Virtual Colors

Level 3 Battle Axe — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least one Munzee of any type for 14 days in the month (not in a row). In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 350 munzees of any type. Rewards: 1 Battle Axe, 2 Mystery Virtuals, 2 Virtual Colors, & 1 ruby

Level 4 The Chuck — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least one Munzee of any type for 21 days in the month (not in a row). In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 550 munzees of any type. Rewards: 1 Mace, 1 Longsword, 1 Battle Axe, 3 Mystery Virtuals, 3 Virtual Colors, 1 ruby & 1 diamond

Level 5 #SuperChuck — All 10 members of your clan must deploy at least one Munzee of any type for 29 days in a row. In addition to the deploy requirement each member must capture at least 1350 munzees of any type. Rewards: 2 Battle Axes, 5 Mystery Virtuals, 5 Virtual Colors, 5 Virtuals, 2 motel, 2 ruby, & 2 diamond

3. A “shocking” Munzee Marketplace update. Don’t worry folks, Dylan and Matt are okay!

4. Final days and prizes for Munzee’s #FiestaThree Birthday.

5. We wonder why #ScottThoughts isn’t trending on Twitter and Instagram like #MunzeeFound is. Keep posting folks, your random #ScottThoughts might just end up on the podcast!

Tomorrow and Thursday we’ll be awarding physical prizes to random captures and deploys made over the two final days of the month. These premium prizes will be tough to get, but it will take your Munzee experience to the next level. So those who *cap or deploy from 12 AM (MHQ time) Wednesday July 30th until 11:59 PM Thursday July 31st will have a chance to win a prize. *social caps not included

The physical prizes include:

Hoodie Pillows

Fitbit Flex Devices

A Pebble Smartwatch

Along with the physical prizes, random captures and deploys will be awarded various in-game prizes as well, so you never know what you might get. Winners will be chosen and notified after August 1st, so be sure to check your inboxes after the two days of play. We’re really pushing for real world play, so social captures will not have a chance of winning a prize. Remember the more you cap and deploy the better chance you have at winning, so finish this birthday month strong!

Send all feedback and suggestions to podcast@munzee.com! Thanks for listening!

To check past, present and future Munzee Podcasts, visit www.munzeepodcast.com.

July 28, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: Omi Salavea

Here at Munzee we’re constantly encouraging our players to meet and greet and build the personal relationships that make this game so great. Over the next few weeks we’ll be showcasing members of Team Munzee so our players can get to know us a bit better. So each Munday (see what we did there?) check in to see a new member of Team Munzee and you decide if you trust the game in our hands. You know her voice, you probably know her instagrammed face, it’s social media director and podcast host extraordinaire Omi Salavea!

Name and Title:
Omi Salavea, Social Media Director for Munzee

Where are you from?
Everywhere, USA! But I hung my hat in Virginia for the longest time.

Tell us about yourself:
Almost everything people could learn about me can be found online, 🙂 . Well, almost everything.

I spent most of my childhood as a Navy brat in Virginia. I grew up loving sci-fi, fine arts, and the great outdoors. I come from creative artists, but to this day, can barely scratch out a simple stick figure. Being surrounded by creativity, I had to find my own niche. Back in my day, the web and communicating globally was still a very new thing. So I made a decision to attend quite a few technical colleges, majoring in anything from web design (hey, that’s creative) to general IT/Networking studies (pays the bills).

With a whirlwind of half-completed studies, creative endeavors, and general craziness that happens in your 20’s, I landed a very awesome job at a pretty large company. I spent several years working up the ranks from the bottom level, technical support. Working in technical support gave me two things: appreciation and compassion for the customers that sign my paychecks, and time to work on what I wanted to do career-wise.

By now the internet was in the infant stages of global communication and interaction. The ability to enjoy a photo of the Sahara desert taken ten minutes ago, and then turn around and watch a DIY repair video recorded in Seattle intrigued me. This sense of sharing experiences, art, etc… to millions of people planted the seeds in my heart to delve into the world of Social Media.

I officially started in 2008 running several blogs and social campaigns with limited success, until I settled on my old blog and Youtube channels (poor, poor, neglected media outlets). In late 2010, Canon USA & Canon ITS grabbed me out of my current Fraud/Investigations position (at the time), and placed me as lead/senior technical consult for developing and launching Canon’s first ever involvement within Social Media. I assisted in rolling out Canon USA’s presence on all major Social Outlets. In 2011, I shifted to the role of senior Social Media Moderator/Advocate for Canon CITS.

Once this happened, well, I officially designated myself a Social Media Maven :). People have seen my face (or heard my voice) all over Youtube, re-pin ANYTHING any of my Pinterest presences post, deal with my terrible blogs, and “heart” my ridiculous tweets.

How long have you worked for Munzee?
Scott, Rob and the original president of Munzee, Aaron, took quick notice of me online and how pro-active I was in promoting some of my outdoor hobbies. In late July, 2013 Aaron asked me to join the team. Basic stuff first, answering support tickets, providing suggestions/feedback about Social Media. The role has grown from there. Everyone at Munzee wears different hats, currently I’m wearing a painter’s mask and a sailor hat constructed out of 120 grit sandpaper.

How did you find Munzee?
Probably the only normal answer I have for this interview! I found Munzee the same way many of our players did. I went out for a ‘caching break at a rest area during a very cold, bitter December. After rooting around in a tangle of dead branches and snow, I found a very neglected cache. No swag, no travel bugs, but a very large, home-printed Munzee with very vague instructions on the back. When I got to my vacation destination, I looked up Munzee and was instantly intrigued, and confused! It took a better smartphone, and a lot of time out in parking lots to get familiar with the game, as well as time spent in the forums, Facebook, and Youtube.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Unlike some of my other hobbies, Munzee doesn’t have me circling the same area for 20 minutes scratching my head because I can’t locate it. Then someone else finds it 2 hours later and says I didn’t look hard enough. I don’t spend 4 hours carving an elaborate stamp of a heron flying through reeds, weeks planning the special place to plant it, and then days being depressed when someone takes the stamp out of it’s hidden spot because they thought it was a prize (Letterboxers feel my pain right now).

Munzee helps so many people stay active. That makes me super proud of Munzee. Even if I didn’t run almost every evening, I get my daily walk and Fitbit steps in by playing Munzee almost every night. It’s the same for many of our players out there.

What are some of your other hobbies?
Live, Eat, Breathe Social Media (drops mic, walks off-stage). Actually, in my spare time I love hiking, making videos for Youtube, and photography. I’m not that great at any of those, but I still love them. I have taken up running, and hope to take part in my first Color Me Rad later on this year. I love spontaneous road trips and with the amount of road trips I’ve taken this year, I’m sure we can list those as a hobby. Oh, does weight loss count as a hobby? If so, then that too.

Famous last words?
Will be available via podcast, you just need to download a better audio player to hear them.

July 28, 2014

Mystery Virtuals ON SALE NOW!

jjMhAWlg2-so5__wEKNhYcKcbw1SYRGW5PfCarZOb70 After a bit of a low key third day of the birthday month yesterday, Munzee is happy to announce a few things today. We said to expect the unexpected right? Players will now have the ability to deploy Mystery Virtual Munzees from within the app. In addition to using a computer to deploy the MVMs, you’ll be able to do it all from your phone, on location. Hopefully this will make the process a bit easier on players. But what are you going to deploy to test this new addition to Munzee?

Well we’re also happy to announce that Mystery Virtual Munzees are on sale NOW in the birthday section of the store. The MVMs have been knocked down to $5, but premium users will also get an additional 33% off all birthday items when they check out. There will also be a number of other items on sale in the birthday section. Mystery Virtuals will go fast though so get to buying quickly, because this sale won’t go on for long. CoachV will end the sale when he sees fit, so get to the store now.

PinataBadge_720 There has also been another influx of piñatas, so there’s no excuse not to get the mint, drop and lollipop before they disappear at the end of the birthday month. If there still aren’t any in your area, worry not. I’m sure CoachV will decide to throw a few more out by month’s end.

Also, be sure to check out the Munzee 3rd Birthday Video starring our players! After a weekend of Munzee Birthday celebrations, we’ve complied as many social media contributions as possible to show the world just how awesome Munzee is. If you stick it through you might also get a behind the scenes look at how some members of Team Munzee celebrated the birthday!

July 24, 2014

Birthday Reseller Sale!

While most of our birthday has been about giving back to our players, we want to take some time to acknowledge (and reward) those who further the Munzee business across the world. Today our birthday celebration includes a group of people we’ve come to appreciate over the past 18 months, our authorized resellers! They will receive a 33% discount for the next 72 hours on orders for next month’s product.

We’re sure players will see a portion of that discount passed on by the resellers during the next month on some items as a continued celebration of the 3rd birthday. We appreciate what the resellers do to grow the game of Munzee and provide quick regional and worldwide shipping options. Check them out at www.munzee.com/retail. Players, don’t forget that if you actually go to an authorized Munzee reseller’s physical location you’ll receive a special badge as well. Online orders won’t get you the badge though so find a reseller location near you!

We’d also like to thank the resellers for working through a minor issue that has come up over the last 4 weeks with some duplicate minizees that were printed by our supplier. The issue has been worked out, but any player effected by this problem should reach out to their reseller or MHQ via support@munzee.com.