ANNOUNCEMENTS

July 23, 2015

Ms. Wheelchair USA Victory Garden

We’re very proud to have supported Skylar in her quest to claim the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA and congratulate her on her victory! We’ve created a Victory Garden above the University of North Texas (Skylar’s alma mater) in Denton, Texas. This garden consists of 1645 green virtual pins. These pins, which will be deployed by MHQ after purchase, go on sale today, July 23rd, at 10am. They are $3 USD each, and the proceeds will go towards supporting Skylar as she fulfills her duties as Ms. Wheelchair USA. There is NO PURCHASE LIMIT on this garden.

Accessibilty Map

For more information, and to purchase a pin, go to http://store.munzee.com/Victory-Garden.html before they run out!

July 20, 2015

Runzee Beta Testing

We are spreading our Munzee wings and truly taking our 2015 theme, “New Year, New Perspective”, to a new level. We’ve created a game that doesn’t rely on geolocation or the use of a camera. Runzee is a “Runner” game for mobile that you will allow you to collect Munzee pins in a whole new way.

You can watch a preview of gameplay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLaDJ8JkW-A

Sign up for beta can be done for iOS and Android at their respective links:

If you want to follow the development process, you can like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. The Runzee website will also be updated as more information becomes available.

Thanks!

(CZeeO Note: From 3pm MHQ time Monday, July 20th until 3pm MHQ time Tuesday, July 21st, prizes will be randomly awarded for captures (EXCLUDING socials) and deploys. We can’t thank the Munzee community enough for all of their support!)

July 16, 2015

Goodbye Mystery, Hello Mini!

We love all of our different types of Munzees, but sometimes, you just have to let go and make changes. In that spirit, we say out with the old and in with the new! It’s time for the mystery sticker to retire. Welcome the new and improved mini mystery sticker!

retiredmysteryEach sticker is a generic code to be used/shared by the purchaser. On deploy, the owner receives 25 points. Each capture will yield 10 cap on points for the owner while the player who captures will receive a mystery number of points from 5-50 in multiples of 5. The icon remains the same as the original mystery, and only the points and the size of the sticker have changed. Mystery fields will now include mini mystery stickers as well.

(Note: Rob wanted to help out the media team and designed an image for the event.)

July 8, 2015

Birthday Surprise From Eventzee!

It’s always fun to celebrate your birthday with family. This year, Munzee is lucky enough to be able to do that. Our sibling app, Eventzee, has surprised us and our players. Instead of their EventzeeBirthdayBadgeusual Weekend Warriors Photo Hunt, they’ll be hosting a Munzee Birthday-themed photo hunt. Not only will participants have the opportunity to win Munzee prize packs for placing first, second, or third in the hunt, they’ll also be able to earn a prize pack for having the most pictures submitted to the photo gallery. All participants will also earn the Birthday Badge from Eventzee.

For more information about the hunt and it’s prizes, check out Eventzee’s blog post and get ready! Also, keep an eye out for more birthday surprises during the month.

July 1, 2015

Munzee 3.0 Beta Testing

We are excited to start the process of publicly testing Munzee 3.0. It has been a long road so far, but we are very excited to be at the point for our players to start testing it out. It is a complete rewrite of the app for both iOS and Android, and it should be great for new users along with seasoned veterans of the Munzee game.

We are going to use HockeyApp to ensure that distribution of the app is handled properly. To apply to be a beta tester, please click the link below to start the process. You MUST create a HockeyApp account (which is different than your Munzee account).

iOS – https://rink.hockeyapp.net/recruit/792cfa88924249b4b9370b8546d6097b
Android – https://rink.hockeyapp.net/recruit/03dae26b83e64eda89b7d1123c8412d4

The goal is to have the first beta sent to the approved beta testers on July 9th. You will have until July 14th to use Munzee 3.0. Once that period is over, the app will no longer work, and we are going to take ALL of your Feedback to make the app even better. We will have a second and maybe third round of tests to ensure that we make the best possible Munzee app.

On July 9th, we will also launch a way to handle all the feedback. There will be more information about that date. PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK! THIS IS THE POINT OF BEING A BETA TESTER!

Thank you for playing Munzee and we can’t wait for you to start trying out Munzee 3.0!

June 30, 2015

4th Birthday Month Specials

The time to celebrate Munzee’s birthday has come again! As we mark our 4th birthday, we want to reward our players for all of their support in helping this game grow and become so much more than we thought it could be when we started. If you thought #FiestaThree was big, we can’t wait for you to see what we’ve got planned. Also, keep in mind that we like to celebrate on relevant numbered days, so watch out for days with 4 in them. Now on to the details.4thBday_720

What’s a birthday party without cake? Starting tomorrow, there will be 444 birthday cakes on the map at any time. They can be seen at www.munzee.com/birthday during the month. These cakes will only land on greenies not in maintenance mode (if a Munzee goes into maintenance mode while a cake is on it, it will bounce to another Munzee), and bounce every 12 hours.

Each cake starts with 4 candles. After each cap, it will lose a candle. After the 4th cap, the cake is gone and another will show up somewhere else. Capture points will be 100, 50, 25, and 20 for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cap, respectively. Cap on points will be 4 points each, i.e. 16 total if all are capped. Regardless of capture number, the special icon will be the full cake.

After the first capture of a cake, 4 “pieces of cake” will explode within 44444 feet. Each will provide a special capture and icon. Capture points are 44 and cap on points are 4.

We couldn’t just stop there. July 4th will be a 4x day on greenies and regular/colored virtuals ONLY (not MVM or anything other than regular greenies). This 4x day will include capture, deploy, and cap on points. This will be in effect from 00:01-23:59 MHQ on July 4th.

We’ll have more information about other events throughout the month, so make sure to keep an eye out on the blog and other social media!

June 24, 2015

Introducing New Accessibility Munzees and Crown Garden

Munzee is a community that spans continents and cultures, and we try to make our game available to as many people as possible. With that being said, we’re proud to introduce that along with our sponsorship of Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015, Skylar Conover, in her pursuit of the Ms. Wheelchair USA 2015 title, we are introducing a new type of Munzee — the Accessibility Munzee.

accessibleBluesquare_128

The Accessibility Munzee will be marked on the map with the above marker. It is a credit item and can applied to ANY greenie, including those deployed in the past. Players will be given unlimited credits for conversion, and they will be a FREE Munzee type. Points are exactly the same as greenies. Capturing an Accessibility Munzee will award a special capture and icon.

Preferred Deployment Limitations
We want to allow players to enjoy this new Munzee without having to strictly monitor and police them ourselves. That being said, these Munzees need to be deployed with people with limited mobility in mind. That means:

  • Not under an object
  • Not down a trail in the bushes or trees
  • Not above/below a reasonable height (2 – 5 feet, or .5 – 1.5 meters)

Please use common sense and have respect for those with accessibility needs.

Violations
If you find an Accessibility Munzee that violates the preferred deployment limitations, please report them via journal entry in app as “Needs Repair” then send Munzee URL to support@munzee.com.

Crown Garden
In addition to the Accessibility Munzees, we have launched a Crown virtual garden above the Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA (at site of http://calendar.munzee.com/MWUSA15/) where Skylar’s final competition will be taking place. These Munzees will be $10, and there will be a very limited amount with 100% of funds going to sponsor Skylar’s campaign and selected charity. These Munzees will award a special capture and icon. Purchasers will earn a “Supporter Badge”.

Point Structure:

  • Capture Points: 20
  • Deploy Points: 100
  • Cap on Points: 10

A Virtual Deployment Exclusion Zone (Ring of Fire) will be enforced for ~1/2 mile around the crown to protect the integrity of the design.

These can be purchased at http://store.munzee.com/mwtxusapin.html.

June 24, 2015

Munzee Sponsorship of Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015, Skylar Conover

Team Munzee is always looking for new ways to help the community and raise awareness for causes that hit close to home. In that spirit, we’ve agreed to sponsor Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015, Skylar Conover, as she continues on her journey to help others and bring home the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA 2015.

Name and Title:
Skylar Conover, Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015

Where are you from?
Allen, Texas

Tell us about yourself:
Skylar Conover, from Allen, Texas, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015 in February by impressing the judges with her outstanding advocacy for the disability community and her positive attitude in life. At the age of 15, she was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumera/Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. She went from a stellar athlete in many areas ranging from cheerleading and any sport that involved a ball to a wheelchair that she refused to let define her life.

Skylar graduated with honors at the University of North Texas, double majoring in Rehabilitation Studies and Substance Abuse and Addictions. She also holds an Associates of Arts in Sign Language. She is continuing her education there to receive her Masters os Science in Rehabilitation Counseling in order to pursue her dream of helping others with disabilities adjust to life and accepting themselves. She continues to be involved in many adaptive sports such as water skiing, hockey, rugby, soccer, etc. Her passion is to educate those around her to empower those that are different.

Ms. Wheelchair USA’s mission is to promote glamour, self-confidence, and community service while celebrating the achievements of women with disabilities. This pageant is unique in a way that beauty is judged from within the contestants and how they perceive themselves as well as their public speaking and the platform they promote. Skylar will travel to Ohio in July to compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA. Munzee and United Access are honored to be her sponsors. Her platform is education among communities regarding visible and invisible disabilities to develop acceptance. Skylar’s motto has always been “Alter Attitudes to Conquer Change.”
Ms. Wheelchair USA program is proud to have Skylar Conover as Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015.

What is Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy?
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetic muscle disorder in which the muscles of the face, shoulder blades and upper arms are among the most affected. FSHD is widely stated to be the third most common genetic disease. Symptoms may develop in early childhood and are usually noticeable in the teenage years with 95% of affected individuals manifesting disease by age 20 years. A progressive skeletal muscle weakness usually develops in other areas of the body as well; often the weakness is asymmetrical. Life expectancy is normal, but up to 20% of affected individuals become severely disabled and eventually must use a wheelchair.

I am currently one of ten FSH Society Ambassadors. FSH Society is an organization that raises funds that directly goes to Raising Awareness, Research/Treatment for FSHD. As an FSH Society Ambassador it is my job to continue to spread awareness, talk to social media and educate others about FSHD.

How did you get involved with Ms. Wheelchair USA?
I have always been an advocate for people with disabilities and I was looking for ways to further educate my community about visible and invisible disabilities to develop acceptance and understanding that people with disabilities are just like everyone else. We may do things a little different but still can be productive citizens. Ms. Wheelchair USA is an organization that allowed me to get my foot into doors to branch out further in advocating as well as show the world that women with disabilities are just as beautiful as able bodied women.

How does Ms. Wheelchair USA stand out from other organizations?
This organization empowers women with disabilities to be involved with community service, public speaking, and promotes self confidence. The pageant world boasts more than 3,800 pageant competitions when there is only 2 organizations for women with disabilities in the pageant world. In this organization the requirements are that contestant must be women ages 18 and older, should utilize a wheelchair or other mobility devices as their main source of mobility, however does not exclude women who may be able to utilize their legs, must be a resident or student in their states for two months, and can be married, single, or divorced.

How did you get involved with Munzee?
I have known Rob (Munzee President) for 8 years and he has watched my disease progress and seen me grow into the young woman I am today. Once crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA in late February I was looking for sponsors. Rob and I met to talk about the opportunity and Munzee chose to fully back my platform to “Alter Attitudes to Conquer Change.” Rob saw how it fit perfectly with the Munzee 2015 theme of “New Perspective”. Excitement spread all over the Munzee Marketplace and I started playing the game. Quickly I found out that it was difficult for a wheelchair user to fully take advantage of the game. I wasn’t able to play 100% due to not being able to access all Munzees. That’s where the idea for the accessibility Munzee started! This is an opportunity for players worldwide to look at the game from a New Perspective!

Where can we see our donation go towards?
Your donations will be going to the FSH Society that directly affects Skylar Conover, Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA, to help spread awareness and reacher/treatment for a cure. It will also go to Ms. Wheelchair USA/The Dane Foundation in supporting women nation wide with disabilities so education and advocacy can continue growing.

We’re very proud to be supporting Skylar on this journey, and we wish her the best of luck!

June 5, 2015

Munzee Birthday Whirlwind Tours!

Munzee’s birthday is a big deal. Each year we get to celebrate not only the anniversary of the launch of Munzee in July 2011, but another year of getting to do what we love. This year, the support for our birthday events has been tremendous, and Team Munzee wants to get out there and celebrate with our players. Members of Team Munzee will be involved in Munzee Birthday Whirlwind Tours in North America and Europe to visit players and attend birthday events that have been scheduled on the Munzee Calendar. The events that will be attended are as follows:

Pre-Birthday Kick Off (Rob and Matt)

Munzee Birthday European Whirlwind Tour

Rob

Daniel Fischer

Louise

Munzee Birthday American Road Trip (Matt)

Both Rob and Matt will have the standard “Meet the Makers” badge as well as special Tour badges reflecting their tour and special personal badges. They may also have special birthday packages to give away.

For those areas and countries that aren’t on this list, fret not! We realize that we have players all over the world, but we still only have a relatively small staff. We have plans in the works to visit players to show our support and grow the game in other parts of the world (*cough cough, Australia and New Zealand*).

We look forward to seeing and meeting players all over the world and kicking off year 5 with a bang!

 

June 4, 2015

Changes in Team Munzee

Much like our player community, Team Munzee is very close. In just over a year, we’ve expanded from three people in the office to almost 10, plus our remote employees. We are all very supportive of each other and constantly push one another to become better at what we do. With that being said, there have been some changes within MHQ that we would like to notify our players of.

First, our UX/UI Designer, Peter, has left Munzee to further his career and broaden his experiences. He did amazing work for Munzee while he was here and helped the company transition to cutting edge designs and ideas. We are extremely happy for him and wish him nothing but the best in his future.

Second, it’s time to bring our Munzee Events Manager out of the shadows. Louise Gibson has been working behind the scenes as “Team Munzee” for the last 5 weeks on all of your player events. She’s done an amazing job and taken care of each event from the time it’s added to the calendar until the prizes have been awarded and the event archived. You will have a chance to get to know her more in depth on an upcoming Meet Munzee Monday post.

Third, Dylan has transitioned from Master of Media Management to Director of Operations for Eventzee. He rose to the challenge and took charge of Eventzee when asked and has done a great job. Though he will still be involved with the game of Munzee, his focus is now on growing and overseeing Eventzee as is expands.

And finally, Matt has moved into the position left by Dylan’s transition and is now the Director of Media and Player Relations. Among other things, he will plan and publish media for Munzee Inc and interact with players to help grow the game.

As Munzee Inc grows and expands, our staff does, too. We’re excited for what’s to come, and know that none of what we do would be possible without you, the players. Thank you for all of your support, and grow the game!