Munzee – Scavenger Hunt

August 14, 2014

Munzee Player(s) of the Week: Dale and Barb Swinehart (DalenBarb)

Munzee may be a business, but our employees and our business partners are still players too. It’s this love of Munzee that brings us together and helps us do great things to make the game better for all. One such partnership is with Dale and Barb (DalenBarb) from Space Coast Geo Store, one of our authorized resellers. Dale and Barb help spread the Munzee word as well as expand our business, not to mention they’re dedicated players too! Take a look at our Player(s) of the Week DalenBarb!

Who are you?
We are a husband and wife team known as DalenBarb (yes our Munzee name is our real names as well). Barb plays under this account and Dale plays under the account known as SpaceCoastGeoStore.

Where in the world do you live?
We live in Merritt Island, Florida (The Space Coast)

How long have you played Munzee?
Since August of 2011.

How did you find Munzee?
A friend and fellow cacher was visiting our store and asked if they could place a Munzee in our window. We asked what it was and downloaded the app so we could “cap” our first Munzee. That was in August of 2011, only 1 month after Munzee started.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
We really enjoy meeting new people that play the game. It has given us the opportunity to spend time with each other after working all day. Getting outside and capping/deploying has become a favorite pastime for us in the evenings and weekends. Our grandkids (8 and 3) also enjoy Munzee and ask if they can go to the park to cap some Munzees. We also love how Team Munzee is always keeping the game fresh and adding new ways to score points. The badges have been a lot of fun working toward as well.

What is on your wish list?
We would love to see the ability to search for a specific Munzee or player in the app. Also the ability to filter a single players Munzees (allowing us to only search for that players deployments). One other thing I would LOVE to see is a vehicle Munzee. Oh and a visit to MHQ (which we plan to do in September).

Tell us about yourself!
Barb and I met over the internet 16 years ago. We were married on Sanibel Island, FL a year later. She has two kids from a previous marriage and I have one. We have two grandkids (8 and 3) who love to Munzee. We opened up an Automotive Air Conditioning Parts store when the company Dale worked for closed 10 years ago. Two years later we opened the first walk in caching store in the United States. We have since closed the Automotive Air Conditioning business due to the economy once they let everyone go at the Kennedy Space Center. We then focused on the caching store and becoming an Authorized Munzee Reseller. We started playing Munzee in 2011, but it never really clicked with us. We tried it again a year later and thought it was fun until our iPhone had an issue with the app which caused us to give up again. Then we introduced it to our grandkids and they loved it which prompted us to give it another shot. *Third time’s a charm!* Man have we been hooked ever since. We had the opportunity to meet Trish and Rob at an event in Texas back in April (thanks Trish for hunting down Rob and sending him over to our booth). Since then we have reached level 100 in a few months and watched our home town of Merritt Island explode in Munzee activity. Our local community has really taken off and many new players have started playing. We are now hosting Munzee events with a big one planned in November. Munzee has become a very big part of our life now and we are enjoying every minute of it. We have really enjoyed having impromptu meet & greets when fellow Munzee players show up at our store, sometimes as many as 10-12 different Munzee players standing around talking Munzee. This is what we love about owning our own business…where else can you work and do what you love all day long? (Editors Note: The same is said about MHQ!)

Other hobbies include:
Caching, hiking, biking, kayaking and taking pictures anything that will get us outside doing things together. Munzee has really given us a new way to enjoy most of these activities all at once.

Dale and Barb were kind enough to share her social, so cap away!

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com and let us know just why this person is outstanding in the global Munzee community!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

August 12, 2014

Podcast Episode 25: Back to the West Coast, Marketplace Opening Anticipation, and MHQ Bash

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about Rob’s travel plans, updates on the Marketplace and hint at some things to come.

This week in the Munzee Podcast, we talk about:

Rob’s trip to Seattle, where Matt just got back from.
The Munzee Marketplace is finishing up, and it’s looking good.
The MHQ Bash is the weekend of September 26th. It will coincide with McKinney’s Oktoberfest and we’ve got a ton planned.
We’ve got big plans for the Podcast and we hope to start videocasting and answering live-tweets when we record.
Finally, we’re working on the servers on Wednesday, So DO NOT FREAK OUT if something seems off. Hopefully it will be seamless and you guys won’t even notice.

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

August 11, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: Rob Vardeman

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. It may have taken him all day to finish his questionnaire, but he’s a pretty busy guy. It’s Munzee President Rob Vardeman!

Name and Title:
Rob Vardeman, President of Munzee Inc.

Where are you from?
Born in West Texas (Odessa) but jumped around the state several times, and a 4-year stay in California, before finally landing in Allen Texas. I’ve lived in Allen for 22 years, about 5 miles from our amazing location for Munzee HeadQuarters.

How did you find Munzee?
August 13th 2011, just over a month after Munzee launched I was out playing two other location games. I was headed for a long trail, but stopped at a windmill to find a container. As I approached GZ I noticed a tag zip tied to the structure flapping in the breeze. Odd but unimportant in my current search. I found the container a few feet away, took care of business, and turned to leave. Then I noticed the tag had a QR code on it and said “Scan for points”. Being a gamer, and having just installed a QR code reader on my phone a few weeks earlier I scanned it and was taken to the Munzee website. I found out I needed to create an account to play this game, so I did. It was love at first cap. I spent the next 5 hours, and over 100 miles driving to all the nearby Munzees collecting my 5 points. Over the next few weeks I started to interact with “snicker” via email because I was unable to find some of his daughter’s deployments. He basically made fun of me (sarcastically) and said I needed to improve my “geo-senses” if I couldn’t find something hidden by his little daughter. LOL. It kicked my Munzee hunting into high gear when I figured out I was interacting with a co-founder and the president. Eventually capping Munzees in his neighborhood lead to meeting him so I took my shot and told him I would work for Munzee one day. I had a vision for what it could be used for and where it could go! I became addicted to chasing special icons and points. I was a fanatical player and made it all the way to #7 on the global leaderboard before I finally got added to the team. The rest of the story is history. 🙂

How long have you worked for Munzee?
After 9 months of bugging Aaron and Scott to let me help, I began volunteering for Munzee in June of 2012 as my summer started for my teaching job. My title was Business Development, Community Support, and Player Interaction (or something like that). Over the next 6 months I worked hard to prove my worth and earn my spot, while working full time as a 5th grade Math teacher. In December 2012 I presented a plan to Aaron that would move me to full time contractor status with Munzee due to increasing needs for work to be done during “normal business hours”. While the plan was risky, I had faith and knew it was the right move for Munzee, and Aaron agreed. In January 2013, things really started to take off, after finally finding a supplier for vinyl stickers. It was 9 months later when Aaron and I talked through the future path for Munzee and he handed off the reins of Munzee Inc to me. October 4th 2013 was a life changing day for me and a game changer for Munzee. Since that time we’ve grown by leaps and bounds, increasing to 8 full time employees, 3 part time, and a fast growing worldwide community of players! Every day I’m amazed at our growth as a company and a game. I’m proud to lead our team as we venture out into new arenas and press on as THE 21st century scavenger hunt.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Munzee is family. I truly see it that way. From hanging out with players at events, to interacting via email or Facebook groups I have always enjoyed spending time with my Munzee family. Hearing stories of need and how Munzee has made a difference, like in the case of my buddy David Reed, I believe in giving back to the players and their communities. It’s part of the reason I love to travel to events so much. Without the players, and their love for Munzee, we would be nothing. That’s something at the forefront of every choice we make at MHQ. The theme of 2014 is “Expect the Unexpected” and I think we’ve lived up to it at this point. The addition of new Munzee types, special contests, new badges, special events, and the marketplace show we aren’t afraid to keep things fresh. Munzee is home of the “Play it your way” special, and we will absolutely continue to innovate and give players new experiences in the years to come.

Famous last words?
When we moved into our first MHQ in January the three of us had quotes on the board. Mine is “I’ll be excited with one”. Sometimes we get carried away with bigger, faster, better, and the things that could be. But I’m excited with one. One person at an event, one deploy in a small town, one event in a new location, one shipment to a new country, one new player. It takes one to get the ball rolling. We’re seeing amazing growth in so many new places all around the world and it all started from one person in that area. Thanks also to the One who protects and guides me daily through this life I’m blessed to live and to my supportive family for allowing me to chase this dream. #MunzeeOn

August 7, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: Louise Gibson (geoibsons)

Munzee has become so much more than a scavenger hunt. It’s become a collection race, a reason to get outside and each month it even becomes war. For those that participate in Clan Wars, you devote hours and days to capping, deploying and doing whatever else CoachV demands. Munzee’s third Birthday this July was no different and after a long month of activity the Plankers Clan came out on top. A clan is only as good as their leader though, so read on to learn a bit about Louise Gibson (geoibsons) who helped lead her clan to victory.

Who are you?
I am geoibsons, real name Louise Gibson. A 36 year old Londoner, I’m married and Mummy to 2 little boys.

Where in the world do you live?
I live in a town called Marlow, west of London, England where I moved from last year. If you look at the Munzee Map I think it’s pretty obvious a Munzer lives there!

How long have you played Munzee?
I discovered Munzee when it was a 2 month old baby – my account is about 1080 days old. I managed to keep the obsession at bay until the Clan Wars though. My best Munzee chum Rodz asked me to be a member of the London Clan and that was it. I was in. All his Munzees started getting capped by a nutcase wielding a baby in a buggy, this proved handy for a bit of extra height at times (standing on the buggy or lifting the baby and asking him to grab stuff, not standing on the baby obvs). Unfortunately we struggled to keep the London Clan going due to lack of local Munzers, so we went nuts for a couple of months, then sailed off as Pirates for another couple of months. A few of us then jumped ship to plan some world domination. We were briefly another chiming clan, but then became a bunch of Plankers. Turned out we were good at Planking, we won the war didn’t we?! I’d like to give a big shout out to my fellow Plankers!

How did you find Munzee?
I heard about it through my caching chums. The first Munzee I found was called Dorset’s First, I was with my Uncle Griff and it was pretty much the only one on the South Coast of England, which is now saturated! I’m from a serious Munzee family, we pretty much all do it! My parents (Geogarley), my Aunts and Uncles (Georiffles and Baconybits), my sister (geosian) and my cousins (DarthXrisFaerieDee). Family parties are awesome, deploy a munzee and boom, instant caps! My non Munzeeing brother thinks I’m a massive douche bag and I test my husband’s patience fairly regularly though!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Munzee taps into my competitive and geeky side. I like getting outdoors, finding treasure and I feel like I’m a member of a secret club haha. I love the social side that has developed over the last year or so too since I’ve started hosting events in London and love the banter on Facebook. It does sometimes bring out the worst in me though… I think POTW might also stand for Pest Of The Week. I must admit to emailing the whole list of Cologne Event attendees to see if any who didn’t have a clan wanted to join my world domination clan! I also push my virtual field spreadsheets on anyone who’ll listen. It’s worth it though, London is a serious hot spot now and I love my other baby, the virtual Union Jack arrow pointing down at Regent’s Park, Rodz helped me create it and it looks awesome. Relentless doesn’t cover it either – even with over a 300k lead on Cologne with less than 12 hours to go til the end of the clan war I went down to the South Coast of England and stayed up all night, poised to cap to ensure GOLD!

What is on your wish list?
Well I wish every month was as amazing at July 2014! The European Event in Cologne was fantastic. I doubled my score and got over 200k for the Plankers! I met wonderful players and loved hanging out with Rob and Daniel from MHQ. Very nice, very heiß.

I’d like the ability to make in-app purchases (even if you have to pre-load credit or something), I’d like FitBit badges, awards for Clan Winners – especially 3rd Birthday Clan Winners! Once my POTW Munzee Store discount and unlimited blast caps kicks in I’ll be a happy girl haha. I also wish there were more London players.

Tell us about yourself!
So as I’ve said, I’m competitive, a bit geeky and social. I love my family and my friends. I’m as happy drinking cocktails with the girls as I am sinking 10 beers with the boys. I’m a messer, a selfie poser and I’m quite girly. I love shopping, shoes, bags and nail polish, but I’m no easy touch, I like going out on my bike and the Mum’s race at Sports Day very, very seriously hahaha.

Other hobbies include;
I’m pretty sporty. I am into road cycling in a big way. I took it up last year after constant injuries from marathon running. Turns out I’m ok at it. I’m proud to hold 6 Queen of the Mountain titles from various hills around UK and I’m competing in RideLondon next weekend, which is a 100 mile race along the London 2012 Olympic Road Race route. I also love snowboarding. I think Chamonix in France is my spiritual home. The mountains are beautiful and La Vallée Blanche is the most exhilarating day you’ll ever have on a snowboard. Anyway, I’ve cycled 80 miles today, I need some chocolate and a glass or 2 of red wine….Thank you so much to those who nominated me and thank you MHQ for recognizing me. I love you all and I love Munzee xxxxx

Louise was kind enough to share her social, so cap away!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

August 5, 2014

Podcast Episode 24: Matt’s back, the post-birthday blues, and Clan warfare

In this episode of the podcast, we share some #ScottThoughts, discuss this month’s clan wars and praise the higher powers that Matt is back to save the podcast. We also say goodbye to a huge part of Munzee, but look forward to the great things ahead.

This week’s topics:

1. Weekend Munzee activity: How did Munzee make it’s way into your weekend?

2. Keep contributing to #ScottThoughts, #Munzee and #MunzeeFound, they really brighten our day!

3. Winners from the Final FiestaThree celebration! This might just help your post-birthday blues, here’s the winners from the final cap/deploy celebration. Rob will contact everyone over the next week or so. You can also message us at podcast@munzee.com

CAPTURES:

polkajen
Mooreule
Vlaju
jratzlaf
Cherrypi
ralphloewe
Jigge
Minerva123
mutti
Muaddib

DEPLOYS:

huggyd1
geeijo
Rongylab2
RuneMorgan
richspeer
Pardlerum
Baggio
Dixzon
mueckenfett
schmitzfam4

4. The Munzee Marketplace is coming along swimmingly, Dylan and TJ put up some of the final walls within the structure, and Dylan’s carpentry skills have been put to great use with our reclaimed wood and rustic look within the marketplace. Omi’s painting the town with color…Okay, actually she’s staining and sealing some of the final touches for the place, and TJ’s receiving some of the awesome speciality teas, coffees, and treats we’ll be serving at the marketplace.

5. Clans! We’ve covered clans during the “early podcast” days, but we provide a refresher to all our new players and players that want to enter the arena of clan competition. Premium perks include the ability to start your own clan, another reason to go sign up for premium membership!

6. We’re sending Rob off to another event! This time Rob will be at World’s Collide in Seattle on August 15th. Check it out here: http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZGEOSEATTLE/ -Supposedly this is a pre-mega deal here, folks. Show up and represent with Team Munzee!

7. LeftOvers4Dinner signs off! Omi has taken a media position in the Southwest, and we all wish her well! Don’t be sad folks, #omigiggles and #Munzeefound are always within the hearts of the Munzee community. It’s sad to see the podcaster go, but it’s great to see her grow! Keep an eye on #wheresOmi, we’re sure there’s a Munzee deployed with every one of her adventures.

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

August 4, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: Scott Foster

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. This week we take a peak behind the veil at co-founder Scott Foster!

Name and Title:
Scott Foster, Co-Founder/VP of Technology

Where are you from?
I am from San Rafael, California, USA which is on the North side of the Golden Gate Bridge, south being the beautiful city of San Francisco. I lived there until I was 15 and then moved to Texas with my mom and step-dad. We moved in the middle of July and I would call my friends back in California and say “You wouldn’t believe this place. It’s 2am and it’s still 102F outside.” I still hate the heat. HATE IT.

Tell us about yourself:
About me? Let’s step back a bit …

I have always been interested in programming. I remember being fascinated with computers as a child. I feel like this is very cliché, but I loved being able to type something into the keyboard and things would appear. My dad bought me a C++ book when I was 7 and I didn’t understand a single word of it, but I felt much smarter that I had that book. “Look at me, I’m a REAL programmer!” I remember my house had two phone lines and two computers. So one day I played Warcraft 2 with my friend in the other room via dialup (56k baud modem) and was so amazed how that worked. I lost the game, but it was amazing how it was possible that I could play a game with somebody in the other room. It almost felt like Bell talking into the phone to Watson for the first time, “Mr. Watson – Come here – I want to see you.” … ah, something that is so taken for granted nowadays.

In middle school, I learned Hypercard and would make the teachers impressed that I could make a button on the screen that when you click it, a sound would play on the computer. The girls in my class were not as impressed as my teachers (surprising, I know). My school also had a website that they had no idea what to do with, so I asked if I could play with it – and I thought it was so cool that I could make changes to a file called index.html and people all over the world would see it. Things like that were always a delight.

Once I moved to Texas at 15, it was time to grow up. I just wanted to learn programming and make my 7 year old self proud. Once I graduated from high school and tried a few attempts at college, I decided to join the United States Air Force because they were willing to teach me programming, or so I thought. Basic training was “fun” as was technical training school. I kept asking when I was going to go learn real programming. I got stationed at RAF Lakenheath, England and was excited to learn … which I never did. I bought a PHP book which, like when I was young, I thought that it made me a real programmer. I learned the basics, created a website, and just had fun. As the great historian band Bone Thugs-n-Harmony once said, “You know nothing come easy, you gotta try real, real hard, I tried hard…but I guess I gotta try harder.”

I got out of the USAF after 2.5 years because the military was done relying on people to do programming and switched to using companies. I then moved back to Texas where I married my high school sweetheart, got my college degree at University of Texas at Dallas in Management Information Systems, and my wife and I moved to Philadelphia, PA to start our lives. I worked for a few companies, learned a lot about real programming, and then one day got a Facebook message from Aaron talking about this game he thought about called Munzee which has all lead to this.

Now, my life is not completely boring. I love all kinds of things. I have a Barry Bonds jersey in my closet. I will fight to the death at the notion that he ever did steroids. I also still love playing video games – Final Fantasy and Counterstrike: Global Offensive are the two that I play the most. I also enjoy nature, bike riding, 90’s west coast rap music, and hanging out with my family. A wife and 3 kids keep me very busy outside of work, but I love it.

How long have you worked for Munzee?
I have been around since the almost beginning of Munzee, but have only been working on it full time for about 1.5 years. Most people don’t know, but the first year when we created Munzee… nobody got paid. Everybody thought the idea was stupid, but we wanted to prove them wrong. All the money we earned, which wasn’t much, went back towards the servers or things to grow the game. Myself, along with the three other founders, would sit on Skype from about 8pm – midnight every night coming up with what Munzee was. We all had families and full time jobs so it was all done on the side because players, like you, kept playing. There were many debates on things like what it’s called when you scan a munzee. Everybody now knows it’s called capturing, but back then we had to come up with the terminology.

How did you come up with Munzee?
I actually did not come up with Munzee. Aaron approached me with some ideas he had along with mockups of the website. When I moved back to Texas, the 4 founders met on a cold February 2011 evening at a Mexican restaurant where we all agreed to start Munzee. The rest is history.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
The two things I love most are the abilities to prove to myself that I am a real programmer, that my 7 year old self would be proud of, and talking to people all over the world. Most people just go to work, do their job, think the work that they do doesn’t matter to anyone, and go home. Not me. My job is to make sure there is enough coal in the Munzee engine so that people can use it and Rob can steer where the boat needs to go. I have met a lot of interesting people via Munzee and realize that people from all over the world have the same hopes, fears, doubts, inspirations, and goals.

Famous last words?

I got 3 quotes. Dylan is mad that I couldn’t just pick one.

“I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs
“Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth. ” – Mike Tyson
“When my time on earth is gone, and my activities here are passed, I want them to bury me upside down, and my critics can kiss my…” – Bobby Knight

July 31, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: Greg Dryer (GAD64)

What makes Munzee stand out among the sea of smartphone apps is its close ties to healthy activity. While the Munzee community is deeply devoted to ever-evolving technology, we also encourage our players to continue to get out into the world and adventure. Whether it’s the urban landscapes or countryside, Munzee takes its players all over. Greg Dryer (GAD64) is this week’s Player of the Week and his love of the wilderness is fueled even more by his love of finding greenies. Recommended by several former players of the week, player Boogirs (Rachel W.) had the following to say about GAD64:

Greg welcomed myself and my husband to the area thru Munzee when we started deploying in his area and became a great friend. He has taken it on himself to welcome new players and has started up his own “Munzee 101” class for new and old players alike. He shares all the tips and tricks he’s learned with players of all experience levels! He’s always available to help everyone with questions while they learn the game. He even shares a birthday with Munzee! I think he embodies everything that is good about Munzee and is a wonderful player to go cap and deploy with, or even to just talk about Munzee. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the title “Player of the Week”…

Who are you?
GAD64 A.K.A. Greg Dryer or one of my FAVORITES… Pappi

Where in the world do you live?
I currently reside in Republic, MO USA

How long have you played Munzee?
I have been playing Munzee just shy of two years.

How did you find Munzee?
Like most people I started playing that “other” GPS game first. I was reading a log on one of my caches OOPS should I say that word HEHE?… and they stated that they were out looking for some weird QR thingies called Muncee or something like that and I scanned my first one that afternoon and have been addicted, obsessed, call it what you will, every since!!!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I like the ease of it versus the other game. I also enjoy making people smile by watching their faces as they hear that wonderful DING when they find one of my Munzees! And there is always the joy of getting people up off the couch and getting active! I deploy on a lot of walking trails so people get a chance to get out of the car and cap!!

What is on your wish list?
My Wish List? Where to begin? How about 6 points for First To Capture? AT LEAST ten points on Mysteries. Just the stats that are required on the clan war page such as captures, points, deploys (not Deploy Points) and the like and updating every half hour. Oh and world peace???

Tell us about yourself!
I could spend all day with that one but I will keep it short as possible. When I found Munzee I knew it was the game for me!! I basically quit doing the “other” to concentrate on Munzee. At first I wanted to see how well a player could do without being a Premium Member and I almost got into the top 100, like 102 or close. But then here comes the overseas wave and that went by the wayside. I became Premium and would, and do, encourage every SERIOUS player to do so as well!! It has A LOT of perks!! I have given classes on Munzee in my home town and attended several events at which I have met several GOOD people who I consider to be good friends!! After a while being in the game you sort of grow into a community. Not to get too mushy but I feel as if some of my Munzee friends are closer than family!! Can you tell I REALLY LIKE Munzee??

Other hobbies include:
Other Hobbies…. WHAT? are hobbies????? LOL Spending time with the grandkids, like going Munzee hunting, maybe fishing every once in a great while, as long as there’s a Munzee nearby to cap. And lastly going to the dirt track races.
Thank you friends and MUNZEE ON!!!

Greg was kind enough to share his social, so cap away!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

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!