Help: Recent Additions & Changes

What are LTCs?
how do I upload photos?
I am planting a series of boxes and put it on reserve...is there any way I can edit it? I so how can I find it again?
Why can't I set all of the attributes for my box?
Ships in the Night? What is that?
What is an ''other'' type of box?
I tried to enter my E-mail address when I registered, but it said it was already taken. It must have been ME when I tried to enter or record a find about 6 months ago. But I am candyroaster@hotmail.com. How do I put my LBNA boxes here on y
Why can I only favorite certain message boards?
What are preferences for the Stamp Exchange?
What is Pulling the Cyclonic Card?
What are the different types of letterboxes?
We should have a new attribute for [fill in the blank].
What do the icons stand for in a traditional letterbox?
Why can I no longer adopt abandoned boxes?
What is the hug count?
After meeting a fellow letterboxer, how do you add their personal/traveler stamp to your logbook?
How is the Box of the Week selected?
How to list the event at AQ
What are Treasure Hikers?
How do I delete an album?
How do I know if the place I am planting my letterbox is to public?
Why was my account deleted?!
How do I narrow down the hundreds of boxes available?
Is there a clue guide available for downtown Charlotte, NC?
How do I create a new message board?
Do new box notifications go out after a conversion?
What is a reserved box?
How can I help prevent my stamp from being traded out for a trinket?
How do I create a virtual letterbox?
What carving material is recommended?
Florida Wildlife Management Areas (WMA)
What are whitelist and blacklist restrictions?
What is the Stamp Image for in virtual solutions?
What is a whitelist and blacklist?
What can I use as a password?
What can I use as a trail name?
What is a password hint?
What is a Captcha?
What is the "rude" button?
What's the Billboard widget do?
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, NY
How do I trade LTCs?
Could we have an iPhone or iPod Touch app to search for nearby letterboxes?
What's the difference between the carver, author, planter, and owner of a letterbox?
What is a SPOR?
How are clue hits counted?
When my postal returns from a ring, how do I list it as a single?
How do I change my stamp?
How do you add a photo as a clue?
When I click on a clue, a page comes up saying this domain is no longer here. What's up?

What are LTCs?
Last Updated: March 10, 2010 08:49:42 AM

LTCs are Letterboxer Trading Cards.

They are a variant of ATCs or Artist Trading Cards. ATCs are small pieces of artwork created for the sole purpose of trading with other artists. So, LTCs are created with the intention of trading with other letterboxers. The difference is that a LTC must include a stamped image. Most do prefer a hand carved stamp just as they do in the hobby of letterboxing and this is the general consensus. Nothing compares to the authenticity and uniqueness of hand carved. Other embellishments can be used but a LTC as part of the art on the front of the card.

LTCs were suggested on AQ (Atlas Quest) by a letterboxer and became a reality when Mama Cache hosted the first swap. She wrote up the first guidelines and they are still in effect today. You can read about how they came to be and the guidelines on her Letterbox Trading Card page.

LTCs are usually made of card stock or similar heavyweight paper. They measure 2.5" by 3.5" (the size of a baseball card), and can use any medium or combination of media.
Construction paper is a poor choice because of the acid content which will shorten the life of your work. Seek out acid free options to come closer to archival quality (long lasting) art work. Scrapbooking papers and card stocks offer a wide variety of acid free choices. Watercolor papers and some art canvases are also good bases. Cards have been made from a wide variety of base materials such as fabric, fused beads, very thin wood, etc.

LTC Examples

Terminology

Trade: An exchange of one or more cards between individual LTCers. Geometry Junkie posted information about trading cards individually in this blog entry.
Swap: A group exchange hosted by one person. The host will determine if there is a theme, on which you must base your cards, and the number of participants. You will make the specified number of cards (making more to trade outside of the swap is up to you) and mail these to the host by the deadline with sufficient return postage. They will sort the cards and return a full set to you. Geometry Junkie has great tips for swaps in another of her blog entries.
Auto-Send List: Sometimes LTCers find themselves trading with the same person again and again. They agree to send everything they make to the each other. That way, no trades need to be arranged. Generally, they have an envelope that they put the cards into until they have a few or more to mail. This is a private arrangement and is not tracked on Atlas Quest.

Rules

Stamp: Cards must utilize a stamped image as part of the card's front art.
Size: The finished card must measure 2.5 X 3.5

That's it. These are the only steadfast rules. The size rule is "..more what you'd call [a] "guideline" than [an] actual rule". Let me explain. You can fold your card a thousand different ways, it can pop up, out, have flaps.. etc. So you see, you are not limited to this size, you just need to compress to this size. *wink*

The Back of the Card

Name of the card: Required
Your trail name: Helpful
Numbering your limited edition cards: Optional
Signature Stamps: Optional -- Many people ask if they need to stamp the back of the card. This is not required, but many LTCers do. Some have carved special stamps for LTCs.
The joy of sharing and collecting these treasures: Priceless

Protecting the Card

Many folks like to give their art a little added protection for mailing and/or up the polish of the presentation a little bit with a little envelope. For a template, go here: http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/mirkwooddesigns/atcenvelope.htmm

Help Home > Letterboxes > LTC

how do I upload photos?
Last Updated: March 9, 2010 06:18:22 PM

Help Home > Photo Gallery

I am planting a series of boxes and put it on reserve...is there any way I can edit it? I so how can I find it again?
Last Updated: March 2, 2010 06:49:00 PM

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Help

Why can't I set all of the attributes for my box?
Last Updated: February 27, 2010 10:00:20 AM

The reserved type is just a place holder for a real letterbox, but the type of letterbox it really is is not yet specified. Until the box is converted into a real listing and a type selected, you will not be able to set any type-specific attributes or other information. You will have a chance to edit the type-specific information after the box has been converted. Here are some of the type-specific information that cannot be entered while the box is listed as a 'reserved' box:

Traditional: location, subtype, attributes, hike type
Postal: attributes
Virtual: stamp type (except the three standard hand-carved, custom-made, and store-bought options), attributes, solutions
Traveler: attributes
Cootie: attributes
LTC: attributes, edition
Event Box: attributes

Help Home > Letterboxes > Reserved

Ships in the Night? What is that?
Last Updated: February 24, 2010 07:57:34 PM

This part of the profile shows the last ten events that both you and the person's profile who you are viewing both attended, according to the signup lists for events. Just in case you were trying to remember where you might have met someone. If you two have no events in common, you won't see this section.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Profiles

What is an ''other'' type of box?
Last Updated: February 22, 2010 06:39:53 PM

Anything that doesn't fit into an established box category on Atlas Quest. Some of the things it has been used for include:

quisps
Extra stamps included in an already existing box. A "series" is for multiple boxes, not multiple stamps within a box, and for those who feel the need to list every single stamp in the box, this gives them an outlet for them.
Sometimes postcards from Webfoot, Green Tortuga, the Mystery Mailer, and others may be listed as "others."
And anything else that involves a rubber stamp but does not fit into the already-existing categories.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Others

I tried to enter my E-mail address when I registered, but it said it was already taken. It must have been ME when I tried to enter or record a find about 6 months ago. But I am candyroaster@hotmail.com. How do I put my LBNA boxes here on y
Last Updated: February 21, 2010 03:19:41 PM

Help Home > Message Boards

Why can I only favorite certain message boards?
Last Updated: February 21, 2010 10:21:37 AM

You can mark any board as a favorite, however, it might require two steps to do so. Each board is assigned to a specific Member Group. If you are not part of the group, Atlas Quest assumes you have no interest in reading any of the boards on it, so it doesn't make any sense to be able to mark it as a favorite. It's like saying you hate cheese, but then you want the cheese board to be your favorite. Make up your mind!

So before marking boards as favorites or not, check that you are a member of the group it's a part of. At that point, you can add individual boards from the groups as favorites or to be ignored.

In theory, if you find a board and mark it as a favorite, Atlas Quest is supposed to automatically make you a member of the associated group if you aren't already. BUT! It is possible there are bugs. If you find an instance of this happening, please inform the Green Tortuga. Additionally, if you later choose to remove yourself from that member group, it will no longer save any of your favorite board from that group. If you leave the group, you essentially walk away from the boards that are a part of it as well.

So to have a board marked as a favorite, you must be a member of the group it is a part of.

Help Home > Message Boards

What are preferences for the Stamp Exchange?
Last Updated: February 21, 2010 12:49:45 AM

Checking the Stamp Exchange every day for new listings can be exhausting, so you have the option of having Atlas Quest send you an AQ mail, once per day, with any new listings from the day before. You can opt to receive notifications of new stamp requests or stamp offers—or both. The notifications will usually go out around midnight, Pacific time, and include all new entries from the day.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Account Info & Preferences

What is Pulling the Cyclonic Card?
Last Updated: February 20, 2010 05:52:53 PM

Pulling the Cyclonic Card is when, for some reason, you find yourself in total agreement with Cyclonic on a particular subject, an exceedingly rare occurrence. You then find yourself vocalizing said agreement as the final word on a given subject.

Help Home > Message Boards

What are the different types of letterboxes?
Last Updated: February 19, 2010 11:45:50 AM

Traditional Letterboxes: Traditional boxes are the real, honest-to-goodness boxes with a rubber stamp and a logbook planted outdoors with clues that can be followed to their location. It's the heart of letterboxing, and the main reason we exist as a group. There are, however, various subtype of traditional boxes:

Normal	A 'normal' box is the standard, run-of-the-mill letterbox. The clues have a specific starting place, and are listed online and readily accessible.
Mystery	A mystery box, for Atlas Quest purposes, has a vague starting location with no starting city listed. The box could be anywhere in the state, country, or the world, and you're expected to figure out where it is.
Bonus Box	A bonus box's clue is hidden in another letterbox. You won't necessarily know which box the clue will be in, or even what area the clue might be found. Typically, clues for a bonus box are supposed to be a nice, unexpected surprise. Remember, it's supposed to be a surprise! If you tell people what box to look in for the clue, it's not really a bonus box anymore. It's just a normal box.
Word of Mouth	A word-of-mouth box (or WOM for short) is a box whose clue is not available online. They're distributed from one person to another, but despite the term, the clue does not have to actually be vocal. It might be mailed as a postcard or provided by e-mail.

Non-Traditional Letterboxes: Over the years, various spinoffs from the original hobby of letterboxing have occurred. These aren't "real" boxes by the traditional sense of the word and don't count as such. None of them are required, and in fact almost nobody actively participates in all of these various spinoffs.

Hitchhiker	The original spinoff, hitchhikers have a rubber stamp and a logbook and travel from box to box, hitching rides between boxes from the letterboxers who find it. It is okay to leave a hitchhiker behind if you do not feel like carrying the hitchhiker to a different letterbox.
Postal	A postal is a rubber stamp and the logbook that's mailed from one letterboxer to another, usually through the USPS.
Virtual	A virtual hunt should require a hunt through the Internet to find various answers to fill out a passkey. Originally, finding the solution would bring you a virtual image of a stamp. More recently, photos stolen off the web have taken their place. (Which is not a good thing.)
Personal Traveler	A stamp that a letterboxer carries that can be 'found' by answering questions or doing something for that person. The clues will state what the requirements are to get the traveler.
Cootie	A cootie is a rubber stamp (and sometimes a logbook) that is stealthily planted on other people or their belongings without them knowing it.
LTC	Short for Letterboxer Trading Cards, an LTC are like baseball cards that can be swapped and traded. They are handmade by letterboxers and should include some sort of stamp in the image.
Event Box	A box whose sole purpose is to be present at an event or gathering for other people to stamp into. Typically, they're readily available on tabletops, in ice chests, and otherwise hanging around waiting for your observant eye to stumble onto them.
Other	For anything else that doesn't quite fit into any other category, it can be labeled as an 'other' box. Usually it involves a rubber stamp, but in a context that none of the other terms conveys.

Reserved Letterboxes: This is a special category of boxes that do not yet exist. Some people have an uncontrollable urge to list boxes before they've been planted. They'll carve a stamp with the intention of planting, but want to list the "plant" before it's even been planted in order to "keep track" of boxes that they still need to plant. We discourage 'post-dating' boxes since often times, the execution fails short of execution and the listings end up cluttering up the search results with boxes that can't be found. Post-dating boxes is not allowed, but now you can 'reserve' a place for it on Atlas Quest.

This has the added benefit of giving your box an ID number, if you want to include that information with your letterbox. Especially now that you can look up boxes based on their ID number, and muggles can contact you based on your box's ID number. We don't want you to post-date a box simply to get an ID number assigned to your box, but post-dating reserved boxes is completely acceptable since reserved boxes are not made public.

Once your box has been planted, you can change a 'reserved box' into any of the other existing box types. The ID number will not change and notifications will still go out as if your box was listed for the first time. You might need to edit the listing for traits specific to the box type it's been changed to. The reserved type is a generic type, but if you convert it into a traditional box, you'll need to add a location and traditional attributes to your listing.

One common misconception—you can't "save" a name for a letterbox. Atlas Quest does not prohibit lots of boxes from having the same name, so you can't 'reserve' the name for a letterbox. Reserved will only give your box an ID number that does not change and allows you to list boxes that have yet to be planted. That is all that it does for you.

Help Home > Letterboxes

We should have a new attribute for [fill in the blank].
Last Updated: February 15, 2010 01:40:14 PM

There have been many suggestions for various attributes, and most of them will never be implemented. It would not be useful for there to be a list of dozens or even hundreds of attributes. They're effective because they're limited to a small number of the most essential attributes people will likely find the most useful. Attributes that would apply onto only a tiny fraction of boxes (e.g. an icon for boxes that require a GPS device) or attributes that would apply almost universally to all boxes (e.g. an icon for boxes that already include a writing utensil) aren't particularly helpful and therefore have almost no chance of being used.

And finally, attributes are also intended to help people pick out the boxes that would most suit their purposes, so those that help people separate boxes they're interested in from those they are not have a better case for being added. For instance, one popular suggestion is a bathroom attribute so people can know if there are restrooms nearby. Besides the fact that restrooms are often only open for limited hours or limited times of the year, it's unlikely that anyone will use that as a decision for whether they will look for the box or not. (They might use it to help decide if they should go to the bathroom before looking for the box, but it's very unlikely anyone would avoid looking for a box simply because no restrooms are known to be nearby.)

On a technical note, attributes on Atlas Quest are stored in a byte. Each byte has eight bits, and each bit represents a specific attribute. So at this time, letterbox attributes are limited to a maximum of eight choices, all of which are currently in use for traditional letterboxes. To implement a new attribute, an old attribute will have to be retired, so if your suggestion isn't nearly as useful for people as the existing attributes, it won't fly. It is possible to increase the data size to two bytes, but that takes up more space in the database, more time to process and search through, and 16 options seems a bit overkill for a single letterbox.

All non-traditional boxes have room for additional attributes and therefore suggestions for those types of boxes have a much better shot at being added since they don't have to bump out an existing attribute.

Help Home > Suggestions

What do the icons stand for in a traditional letterbox?
Last Updated: February 15, 2010 01:13:59 PM

Stamp Types

Attribute	Description
	The creator promises you'll find a genuine, 100% hand-carved stamp in the letterbox and not a store-bought or custom-made stamp.
	The letterbox contains a unique, custom-made stamp.
	The letterbox contains a store-bought stamp rather than a hand-carved or custom-made stamp.

Subtypes

Attribute	Description
	The creator does not specify the location of the nearest city for this letterbox. They may have specified the state or country of its location, but you're expected to discover the actual starting point for the hunt yourself.
	This picture represents a bonus box, where the clue for the box will be found (usually) in a pre-existing nearby letterbox.
	A Word of Mouth (WOM) box. The clues are distributed somewhere other than online, such as via e-mail, postal mail, or delivered in person.

Hike Types

Attribute	Description
	A drive-by letterbox, as defined on this website, is a letterbox that requires perhaps 5 to 10 minutes to nab from the time you park your car. A drive-by letterbox will be hidden within eyesite of where one parks, or at least so close that if it were raining, the person would take the box to their car to stamp in.
	A walk is something that's less than a mile, which would take most people less than 30 minutes to find and return to their starting point but still too far out to be considered a drive by.
	A hike is a box that requires 1 to 3 miles of hiking, which would take most people between 30 to 90 minutes to complete.
	A trek is 3 to 6 miles of hiking, and will typically take most people anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours to complete.
	An expedition requires 6 or more miles of hiking, and will typically take most people at least 3 hours to complete.

Note: Use a little common sense with these icons. A flat, paved, 1-mile trail would be a walk. A rugged 1-mile trail that climbs 1,000 feet in elevation gain would be a hike. Even though both trails are one mile long, they would each fall into different categories since the difficulty level is very different. There are no hard or fast rules regarding this—just use a little common sense. A typical hiking trail that's two miles long would normally be a hike, but if the hike requires an extreme climb going up thousands of feet on a rarely maintained trail, mark it as a trek.

Attributes

Attribute	Description
	An urban letterbox, as defined here, is located in an area where one is unlikely to experience "The Great Outdoors". Like in a big city, such as New York city. A rest area in the middle of nowhere is an urban box. A large city park with trees and hiking trails is not an urban box. The 'setting' for the letterbox is urban, not necessarily the location, if that makes any sense.
	This letterbox is located indoors—perfect for those cold, wet days when you really do not want to go outside.
	A snow friendly box is rather a squishy concept. Some people might consider a box that requires several miles of cross-country travel using snow shoes or skies as snow 'friendly,' while other may not. Other boxes might be quite findable if there's an inch or two of snow on the ground but may no longer be easily found if there's a foot or two of snow on the ground. In theory, though, a snow friendly box is one in which important landmarks in the clue would not be covered, nor will digging through layers of snow be required to find the box.
	A pet friendly letterbox is located in an area that allows pets to roam, usually with a leash requirement.
	This letterbox is available only for a limited time. A limited time letterbox is either a box that is planted for only part of the year or a box that you intend to retire within the next three months. Letterboxes planted in regions that are covered in snow for nine months of the year or in stores that require a visit during store hours do not count as limited time boxes.
	A bike friendly letterbox is located in an area where bicycles or mountain bikes are permitted and have plenty of room to roam. For instance, while it is legal to ride ones bicycle on busy city streets, it is not considered bike friendly if there are no designated bike lanes available for use near the letterbox. And while many trails may be accessible to mountain bike, it is not considered bike friendly if the trail is for hikers only.
	The trail or path to the letterbox should be accessible by wheelchairs or strollers the entire way. However, the letterbox itself may not be reachable from a wheelchair or stroller, and those using them may need assistance from others to actually acquire the box. The letterbox may be planted too high or low for someone in a wheelchair to physically reach, or too far off from the main trail for a wheelchair, but as long as an assistant can retrieve the box and bring it back for the wheelchair-bound person, it's considered wheelchair accessible.
	You'll be expected to use your head on this one in order to decipher the clue. The code might be easy or hard—this image promises nothing on that count—the only thing it does promise is that the clue won't be straight-forward as most.
	An extreme letterbox poses a significant risk beyond that of a normal letterbox, and the letterbox requires some sort of technical skill (e.g. rock climbing, scuba diving, etc.) that requires appropriate training and experience in order to successfully acquire. Never look for an extreme letterbox unless you fully understand the risks involved and are well-trained in whatever extreme task is required.
	The owner or author of the letterbox has indicated that the box requires repairs, but for whatever reason, they aren't able to do it themselves and are asking for your help, should you choose to look for the letterbox. Maybe the container is cracked and needs replacing. Maybe the logbook is soaked and needs to be replaced. Maybe a torn ZipLock needs replacing. Whatever it is, this icon is a call for help!
	This image marks letterboxes that require a compass in order to find. The lack of this picture means the clue doesn't require a compass OR that the creator of the letterbox did not specify a compass requirement. It's generally a good idea to always carry a compass in your letterboxing kit, though, so you'll always be prepared.
	This letterbox requires payment of some sort of fee—probably a parking or entrance fee—in order to find. The lack of this picture does not necessarily mean no fees are required. The creator may not have specified fees, or perhaps fees were added since the box was planted. It's always a good idea to carry a few extra dollars in case of an unexpected fee or two.
	Those who plant letterboxes are able to point out their favorite plants by assigning them the Planter's Choice Award. They might do this because they consider it one of their best boxes, or perhaps it has sentimental value. Whatever the reason, the planter wants you to notice this box.
	The blue diamond marks letterboxes that are highly recommended by other letterboxers. If your time is limited, you might want to focus on finding a Blue Diamond letterbox.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Traditionals

Why can I no longer adopt abandoned boxes?
Last Updated: February 8, 2010 12:16:14 PM

Atlas Quest used to have a policy allowing people to take ownership of box listings that appeared to be abandoned on Atlas Quest. This policy was discontinued after a small handful of people who had failed to maintain their listings on Atlas Quest later came back years later, absolutely irate about their boxes being "taken over." It didn't matter that we tried to contact them about their listings. It didn't matter that they had not logged into Atlas Quest for years. They felt it was unfair and a terribly rude thing to do.

So the current policy is to happily let their boxes rot, and when the boxes go missing, remove them from Atlas Quest completely. It is not the duty of active members to maintain boxes that the original owner is too lazy or cares so little to maintain themselves. If they do not feel it is worth maintaining their box (or even just the their listing on Atlas Quest), we should not maintain it for them.

You may personally choose to maintain a letterbox, but you will not be allowed to adopt it or update the listing on Atlas Quest. It is not your letterbox, and unless the owner chooses to transfer ownership to you, you will not be able to adopt it.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Traditionals > Planting

What is the hug count?
Last Updated: February 4, 2010 12:13:15 PM

The hug count is an AQ creation related to your message board posts. When you read the message boards, you have the option of clicking buttons at the end of each post for casting votes, of a sort—indicating that you think a post is funny, interesting, educational, or whatever the case may be. And there's a hug option. If someone describes a rough day at work, or a death in the family, or you just want to show a little sympathy or kindness, you can click on the hug button. And the hug count is the total number of times people have given you a virtual hug on the message boards.

This count usually doesn't update during a session on Atlas Quest. The number is calculated when you first log in. There are a few places where it gets recalculated—saving certain preferences, for instance—but you shouldn't expect this value to change during a session on Atlas Quest. If you really can't wait to see an updated value, you'll need to log out and back in again.

Help Home > Atlas Quest

After meeting a fellow letterboxer, how do you add their personal/traveler stamp to your logbook?
Last Updated: January 27, 2010 06:42:27 PM

Help Home > Atlas Quest

How is the Box of the Week selected?
Last Updated: January 26, 2010 10:46:49 AM

The Box of the Week is chosen based on the votes provided when members record a find on boxes, much like how blue diamond boxes are chosen. In a sense, it's the very best of the blue diamonds.

The process is automated and far from perfect. Atlas Quest will pick the highest ranked box each Sunday morning, just after midnight, that has never been selected as a Box of the Week before. This does mean that letterboxes that have never been found or have no votes cannot be picked as the Box of the Week—but hopefully as people find them that will change! Additionally, only letterboxes known to be active and readily available to everyone (i.e. not restricted) will be chosen as Box of the Week. We want to encourage you to check out the finest examples of letterboxes anywhere, and those that are missing, retired, or even suspected of being missing will not be included.

Anyone who opts out of the blue diamond process for their letterboxes will not be eligible for the Box of the Week, under the assumption that they also feel the Box of the Week is morally wrong. However, once a box is a Box of the Week, it is permanent. Opting out at a later date will not remove the listing from the Box of the Week list. Nor will it be removed if the box later goes missing or is retired. Opting in will not make your boxes eligible retroactively, but it will make all of your boxes available in future weeks. Replacing a missing box will once again make that box eligible.

If one of your boxes is selected as Box of the Week, Atlas Quest will send you an AQ mail informing you of the selection.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > My Page

How to list the event at AQ
Last Updated: January 19, 2010 04:57:33 PM

Help Home > Events & Gatherings

What are Treasure Hikers?
Last Updated: January 13, 2010 12:53:10 PM

TREASURE HIKERS
Yep. We're all treasure hikers in the general sense of the word... each little piece of art set free in the world is a treasure to plant and find.
But there is a larger game afoot to encourage more boxes on longer distance trails and paths, and that game is Treasure Hikers!
Mama Fox, of the Little Foxes, came up with the original idea and it wasn't long before other states wanted to kick up their hiking heels as well.

You may also refer to the TREASURE HIKER WEBSITE
Treasure Hiking is a fun way to set hiking goals while letterboxing and earn cool pathtags or other accessories!

Guidelines

Here's the only rule: One point for each mile hiked while letterboxing, either finding or planting, on hikes of 1 mile or longer round trip.

If you have a question about whether something fits the Rule, use your own judgment, bearing in mind that we are operating on the honor system when you report your points. If you need clarification, read through the Suggestions and Footnotes below. The FAQ list is found below the table showing participating states and state coordinators. If you have questions about the program in one of the participating states, please contact the coordinator for that state.

Friendly Suggestions:

Each hike must be a minimum of one (1) mile in length round trip.
Maintenance should not count – you will be doing maintenance anyway ;-))
Boxes and plants should only be counted once for the purposes of “hiking while letterboxing”. So if you hike out to a box you have already found with a friend or for maintenance, enjoy the walk, but don’t count the points. Or take a new box with you to plant.
The true Treasure Hiker Spirit is about hiking while letterboxing, and reporting is on the honor system, so let's all try to play fair and have fun. If you “cheat”, you are only denying yourself boxes you haven’t found, miles you haven’t hiked, and beautiful places you haven’t seen!

Other Footnotes:

Refer to your state's hiking motivator to find out when the start date for the program is.
Keep track of your hikes and boxes found, maybe like this or just add the Treasure Hiker Widget. When you get your 25 points, email your state motivator and you will receive your tag!! List should include date, mileage, boxes found.
All hikes must be done IN the state you are requesting a tag from – but ANY letterboxer is eligible- you don’t have to be a resident of that state to participate. Trail miles earned in each participating state count toward that state's particular pathtag.
Refer to your state's hiking motivator for the cost of the tag (most are around $3). The cost is to recoup the upfront costs and shipping-- like state patches, no profit is made off of these.

If you are interested in starting a program for your state, contact one of the state representatives listed below:

Participating state	Who to contact	How to contact	Starting Date
California	The Gillespie Tribe	AQ email	4-01-09
Connecticut	Kit Kat 61 or The Quackers	AQ email	6-01-09
Florida	ThreeHearts	AQ email	5/1/09
Georgia	Buttercup, Hawkeye	AQ email	3/20/09
Illinois	Nitrocat	AQ e-mail	4/24/09
Kentucky	Eeny Meany Miney Moe	AQ e-mail	3/1/09
Maine	mudflinginfools	AQ e-mail	???
Massachusetts	Choi	AQ e-mail	4/25/09
Michigan	the hicks from the sticks	AQ e-mail	5/22/09
New Hampshire	mudflinginfools	AQ e-mail	???
North Carolina	The Little Foxes or Knit Wit	AQ e-mail	3/1/09
Ohio	Mama Stork, Trailtracker, becohio	AQ email	3/1/09
Oregon	Mystic Dreamer	AQ e-mail	3-20-09
South Carolina	dtandfambly or JWalkers	AQ e-mail	3/1/09
Tennessee	mstrwndl	AQ e-mail	3/4/09
Texas	PI Joe	AQ e-mail	TBA
Washington	CampFireLady	AQ e-mail	3-20-09

There are other similar hiking incentive programs. Contact the organizer(s) listed for the program.

Program name	Who to contact	How to contact	Starting Date
New York Letterbox Hiking Challenge	Jackbear, Scout, or Sahalie	AQ e-mail	4/2/09
NC Mountain Challenge	Dixie or The Little Foxes	AQ e-mail	in planning stages

Frequently Asked Questions
Really the program is on the honor system, and we prefer that you have fun in the spirit of the game and count your points using your own conscience.
However, some questions get asked regularly so, for the sake of consistent answers (and the sanity of the moderators), this section was added.

What if the box is a one mile hike but I get lost and travel for 3 miles? How many points would that be? Only one. No extra points for being directionally challenged.
Can I go get 10 drivebys at .1 mile each and say that's one mile? No. None of these are qualifying boxes. A qualifying box must be a one mile hike (round trip).
Can I use a bike instead of hiking? No. The program is for hiking. There's nothing stopping you from making your own Treasure Biking program, though.
Do attempts count? No. They don't count as finds and they don't count toward points in this program either. However, if you take a box with you and plant it at one mile or more you could get a point for that.
What if I start a 6 mile hike but I don't finish it? I only do 3 miles one day, then next week I go back for the farthest boxes and do 6 miles? Do I count 9 miles total or only 6? You should count 9 miles total. You did 3 miles one day and 6 miles another day. Just because the boxes happened to be in a series does not change that you hiked 9 miles total on 2 separate days to qualifying boxes.
Can my dog get a pathtag? If your dog walked the distance with you, go ahead and order one for his collar too!
What if I walk a mile to get to a driveby box? Then can I count it? No. A qualifying box is one that is one mile in hike length for anyone to get to. You can't make it a qualifying box by just setting your own starting point.
If I am in a park where there are several separate letterboxes listed and I can find them all by stringing them together to make a hike greater than one mile, can I receive pathtag points? The Treasure Hikers program was originally envisioned as a way to encourage planting boxes on longer hikes in areas where the tendency seemed to be planting drivebys. While many of the coordinators still adhere to the idea that the box you are seeking should require a hike of one mile or more, we also recognize that there are some areas where finding a mile-long trail may be a challenge. Follow your conscience. If you live in such an area, consider planting an urban box that might incorporate a mile-long "sightseeing tour" of your city in the clues.
I heard New York was doing things a little different, what's the deal with that? The New York organizers were inspired by the original Treasure Hikers group, but being New Yorkers, wanted to put a little different spin on it. A Challenge Patch is available for different miles accomplished, 25,50, 75, and 100 instead of a pathtag. They also honor attempts and maintenance, and any other excuse you have to get out and letterbox. As with the Treasure Hikers, the New York Letterbox Hiking Challenge encourages participants to challenge themselves to go on longer hikes. For more information on the NY guidelines, go to:NY Letterbox Hiking Challenge Patch Guidelines
What about partial miles? If we hike 3.5 miles round trip can we round our points up to 4? Rounding up from the halfway point is technically taking credit for mileage that you didn't really hike. Most of the members are rounding down to the whole if the fraction is under a half and rounding down to the half if it is over the halfway point. The beauty of the tracking widget designed by Wassa is that you can input exact mileage without rounding at all. If you truly want credit for that partial mile, use the widget tracker. :-) In addition, as stated above, each individual hike must be at least one mile round trip to begin with. No hiking .7 miles one week and .3 the next and adding them together for one mile.

Help Home > Getting Started

How do I delete an album?
Last Updated: January 10, 2010 05:00:11 PM

Help Home > Photo Gallery

How do I know if the place I am planting my letterbox is to public?
Last Updated: January 4, 2010 04:02:56 PM

Some places are too public, your letterbox could be found easily by a non-letterboxer. If it is a common town area with main streets close by check and see if there is anyone around (5 people is a good limit). Anyone could see you and pick it up thinking it was trash. No one is stopping you from hideing it there, but BEWARE. If you still decide to plant your letterbox in a major public area try finding a REALLY good hiding place, under a rock, in a crevice, etc.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Traditionals > Planting

Why was my account deleted?!
Last Updated: December 31, 2009 11:03:44 AM

Most accounts created on Atlas Quest tend to be "drive-by visitors" who often do not return to the website ever again. We don't want these accounts cluttering up the available trail names indefinitely, so these seemingly unloved accounts occasionally are purged from the system. While the exact algorithm used to determine which accounts are deleted can change, there are a number of factors that Atlas Quest checks for before deleting an account including:

A history of planted and found traditional boxes listed shows a certain degree of dedication and are less likely to be deleted
Current premium members are never deleted, and former premium members probably won't be
An active history of message board posts may give your account a longer reprieve
Logging in at least once per year will keep the deletions at bay
Those members who are known to have died (identified with a RIP icon) will not have their account deleted

If your account was deleted due to inactivity, you're certainly welcome to register again. Your old trail name may be in use by another member at this point in which case you'll need a new trail name, or at least a variant of the old trail name.

Those are just ways to keep your account in an 'active' state—your account may also be deleted for violating the Terms of Service of this website, but you actually have to do something bad for your account to be deleted for that reason.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Registering & Logging In

How do I narrow down the hundreds of boxes available?
Last Updated: December 31, 2009 09:53:06 AM

There are several ways to more effectively search through many box listings to find the ones that you would like the most:

Learn Atlas Quest's Advanced Search feature. This feature allows you to sort by hike length, by specific planters, only for hand carved, pet friendly, etc. If you change the search type to "area" you can even search for all the mysteries in a particular state. By changing the search type to "trip," that enables the trip planner search which allows you to search stretches along major highways and trails such as Interstates or the Appalachian Trail.

Look for boxes that others have rated highly with Blue Diamonds icons.

Look for boxes that planters have rated highly (of their own boxes) with Planter's Choice icons

Do a search on that city and when it pulls up all the listings, hit the "map results" button in the upper right hand corner. It will give you a map of the locations of the boxes that are listed IF the planter gave the address.

Contact a local boxer. Out of all the choices above, a local boxer is going to be the most knowledgeable. You can do this privately in an e-mail (you may notice a lot of boxes in an area planted by the same person) or publicly on the state message boards (some areas use Yahoo Groups to communicate more than Atlas Quest. If you know that, you may what to join that group prior to coming through the area for tips). Some areas also have developed clue guides with tips and boxes for specific frequently visited places in their area.

Help Home > Getting Started

Is there a clue guide available for downtown Charlotte, NC?
Last Updated: December 29, 2009 08:21:14 AM

Yes. After answering this question repeatedly, it just seemed to make sense to put one together. Every box listed in this guide as well as the tips to each box has been done only with permission of each planter. By listing it in Wiki, anyone can update it to keep the information more up to date (or add or remove their boxes as they see fit). You can also check the revision date of this question listing to see when the guide was last updated.

If you'd like a visual map of the guide below you can look here or contact The Wolf Family with a private e-mail address to have a better version sent to you.

DOWNTOWN CHARLOTTE CLUE GUIDE

This is downtown Charlotte – the nation’s second largest banking center—expect it to be busy during the week. That being said, you won’t have problems with parking in these ‘boxing areas. You should be able to find free parking at or near each area. If you go during rush hour in the morning or late afternoon expect the traffic to crawl. If you go on the weekends all parking is free on the streets and it is oftentimes practically vacant unless there is an event (at Panther’s Stadium or the Bobcat’s Arena).

N. GRAHAM ST & W. 6th ST

I Want to Teach the World to Sing *

*If you don’t see the large coke painting on a building when you past the intersection on Graham, just turn around. You won’t miss it from the other direction. You can park in the CVS on Graham St.

ELMWOOD / PINEWOOD CEMETERY (700 W. 6th St)

Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery

Elmwood/Pinewood United

Elmwood/Pinewood History

The Confederate

GAQLBE09: Registered Nurse

What’s that behind you?

RAY’S SPLASH PLANET (215 N. Sycamore)

GAQLBE09: Go Green

THE GREEN (S. Tryon between Stonewall and Martin Luther King Jr.) *

Moon and Stars

*This is the only one that can be challenging to park near on the weekdays. The Visitor Center is across the street (see a red dot with an “i” in it). They direct you to Visitor Center parking. I was told there that you can park there for 30 minutes free if you check in at the Visitor Center (there’s a lot of good info. there so it’s worth checking that out anyway). On the weekends, look to see if the exit gate for the Visitor Center parking is up (if so, it’s free), if not, you may want to park along the road (metered spots are free on weekends).

ST. MARY’S CHAPEL IN THOMPSON PARK (1129 E. 3rd St) *

To Live in Hearts

*Parking is free any time but it may be crowded if there is a wedding going on. If you want to tour inside the chapel, it’s open only on Friday from 12-4pm.

STARTING AT THE SEVENTH STREET STATION (260 E. 7th St) *

*Parking is free for 90 minutes during the week at the Seventh St Station ONLY with parking validation (from Reid’s Fine Foods or Brixx’s Pizza). There’s parking across the road for $5 if you don’t want to worry about watching the time. Parking on the street is completely free on the weekends.

The Seventh Street Station building is musical and has a riddle on the wall (on the side facing the train). You can also just take the Lynx line here (see the clue for more information).

Center City Walking Tour

Check the links in the clue for the times that ImaginOn is open. You will need to go inside the building for the clues to the box.
The clue for the Center City Walking Tour also includes a route to the box:
Settlers' Cemetery

MCGILL ROSE GARDEN (940 N. Davidson St)

Hope *

*Check the link to the rose garden in the clue for the times that the garden is open. You cannot access the box if it is closed.

DOWNTOWN MYSTERY:

Charlotte Observer

The clue guide has all the boxes in the area listed regardless of their current status (they are only deleted from the guide if they are retired). Please check the status of the listed boxes to see if they are currently available

FROM THE LYNX LIGHT RAIL LINE:
(pick up the light rail from downtown and get off at the East/West Blvd stop)

Lynx Light Rail Line Series: Historic South End

Help Home > Getting Started

How do I create a new message board?
Last Updated: December 27, 2009 10:32:13 AM

Each message board is assigned to specific member groups, so first you must identify a group for your board. You can create message boards in any group that you own or are an admin on, so most people normally have to create a new group if they haven't already. If you want a board that anyone and everyone can read and post to, make sure your group is public.

When you create a group, the first message board is automatically created with the same name as that of the group. You can edit the message board name or delete it completely if that default does not suit you. You can also add additional message boards to your group if you find such a setup useful. For instance, if you created an "Outdoor Sports" group, you may want several boards for each of the outdoor sports you want your group to cover. As a good rule of thumb, it's usually best to have one boards that can cover any topic within a group, then as that board gets busy or cluttered, create new boards to keep things better organized.

You can add, modify, and delete boards from the group details page.

Help Home > Message Boards

Do new box notifications go out after a conversion?
Last Updated: November 29, 2009 09:24:54 PM

When you list a reserved box, there are no notifications sent out. So that begs the question, what happens when the box is converted into a real type and becomes 'live'? As part of the conversion process, Atlas Quest will set the official list date to the current date at the time of the conversion, so for all intents and purposes, it will be as if the box was fully listed on the day of the conversion. Box notifications will go out like you listed the box that day. It will show up in the newest boxes list. Searches that sort based on the list date will be sorted as if the box was added the day of the conversion. To the outside world, it looks like you listed the box like normal. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that the listing was ever first listed as a reserved box type.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Reserved

What is a reserved box?
Last Updated: November 29, 2009 09:21:27 PM

Some people like to pre-list their boxes. Some people want a box ID number they can list in their logbooks. Some people want to try listing a box to see how it works. And some people want to tweak their clues until things are just right before making their box live. And that's what a 'reserved' box allows you to do—list a 'box' before it becomes live for the rest of the world to see. It'll be assigned a box ID number just like any other letterbox, but it won't show up in searches or in your logbook. (You will see an option to view "reserved" boxes in your logbook, but only you can see your own reserved boxes. Nobody else will be able to.)

The reserved box can be listed just like any other box type from the Add Letterbox page—just select the reserved type.

When the box is ready to publish for the world to see, open the box details page for your reserved box and click the button to "Set Type." This converts the box from a 'reserved' type into any other letterbox type. Be careful, however. This conversion is permanent! You will not be able to undo the conversion, nor will you be able to change the box type to something else once it has been set.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Reserved

How can I help prevent my stamp from being traded out for a trinket?
Last Updated: November 25, 2009 12:33:13 PM

Occassionally geocachers stumble upon a letterbox while searching for geocaches. When they do they may assume that what they found is a geocache (or terracache or some other version of the geocaching game). Geocaching involves the trading of trinkets whereas letterboxing involves the trading of stamp images. Your stamp may inadvertently end up traded out for another object. The geocacher means no harm because they are playing the game the way they know how, they may never have heard of letterboxing and don't know that letterboxers exchange stamp images not trinkets.

So one way to prevent your stamp from being traded out would be to educate those that stumble upon your letterbox.

Short note

Leave a short eye-catching note in the box. Something that says: "Please do not take the stamp. Leave it in the box." You may also want to add a short blurb about what the letterboxing process involves: "Letterboxers exchange stamp images. Take an impression of the letterbox's stamp, leave an impression of your signature stamp." I personally would not leave a lengthy information sheet explaining all the intricacies of letterboxing folded up and tucked away in the box. Many people may assume it's a geocaching information sheet and they already know what geocaching is so they're not going to unfold the paper to see what's written on it. They also may not feel they have the time to sit and read a 250 word document on letterboxing. You want to get the most important information out to them....Do not take the stamp.

Write on the back of the stamp

If there's room on the back of the stamp write: "Do not take. Leave in box." for added security. Caveat: ink will bleed over time on some rubber material. You may have to re-write on the back of the stamp when you do maintenance visits.

Check geocaching.com

The other thing you might want to do to prevent your stamp from being traded out -- see what geocaches are nearby when you go to plant your letterbox. See: How can I tell if there are any geocaches near the spot I want to hide my letterbox?
You might even consider planting within 528 feet (.1 miles, 161 meters) of the geocache because once a geocache is published no other geocache can be planted within 528 feet of that cache. If you plant say 350 feet away from the cache that insures that another cache will not be planted next to (or in some instances, on top or below) your cache.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Traditionals > Planting

How do I create a virtual letterbox?
Last Updated: November 24, 2009 11:55:06 AM

First, decide on a topic. Then decide on a format. The format can be a single question, a series of questions from which a passkey is derived, some sort of a puzzle, even something that has to be translated, like another language. Once these things are decided, click on Add Planted Letterbox under the Letterboxes menu. When asked "What kind of letterbox do you want to add?", click Virtual. Enter the name of the new virtual, the date launched (default is the current date) and the names of the author, planter, owner and possibly carver if a hand-carved stamp is used for the solution. Typically all of these will be the same person. After this information is filled in, click Continue to Attributes and pick the "stamp" type (the solved image" and the attibutes. Then Continue to Series info. If you are only creating a single virtual with the same category, you don't have to do anything on this page except click continue. The next page is the Clue page. Most virtual clues are hosted on Atlas Quest, so you would select Atlas Quest in the pull-down menu. Clues can also be hosted on a personal website. If Atlas Quest is chosen as the clue location, a box will appear where you fill in your clue(s). For an easy example: "What is the name of Charlie Brown's dog?" You can also change the colors of the text, background, etc. on this page. Be sure that you pick a combination of colors that results in a readable clue. If you are unsure, check the clue page when you are finished - you can edit it at any time. Also on the clue page, you can add an optional photo and optional P-count and F-count restrictions. When you are done with the clue, continue on to the Solution page. Enter the passkey - in my example above the passkey would be Snoopy. Enter a success message such as "Congratuations on solving my virtual" and choose a picture as a stamp image. This can be an image of a stamp you carved, one you copied off of the internet or something else - just make sure it matches the stamp type you chose earlier. The virtual can now be saved.

Be sure to put thought into your subject and format. Posting hundreds of easy single-question virtuals can be very annoying to solvers who want a bit of a challenge.

When creating a virtual letterbox please consider the intent of the AQ site. A virtual should be much like a real letterbox in that when you "find" the virtual letterbox you will be rewarded with a stamp image that a letterboxer personally carved. Imagine finding a real letterbox and inside, instead of a stamp you find printed and cut-out pictures from a website. Although web images are still currently acceptable it is a discouraged practice and its continued practice may result in virtuals being removed from the AQ site.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Virtuals

What carving material is recommended?
Last Updated: November 24, 2009 11:53:16 AM

Different carvers often prefer different materials. The three most popular materials used are Speedy-Stamp, PZ Kut (both orange and white), and Mastercarve.

Other carving materials (not necessarily popular or recommended!) include:

NASCO SafetyKut
Magic Rub Eraser
Pink Pearl Eraser
Polyvinyl Eraser
Gasket Rubber
Speedy-Cut (definitely not recommended)
White plastic eraser
Dick Blick's

A few comments about some of these:

The orange PZ Kut has a trait that no other carving material has: When you make a slit with a razor knife, you can see the slit. With all the other materials, after making the slit it closes up and you cannot see it without bending the rubber so the cut opens up. As a result, the orange PZ Kut is strongly preferred among many carvers who use razor knives extensively. Note that it does nothing for those who carve primarily with gouges, though -- in fact, people who carve using gouges tend not to like orange PZ Kut at all; they usually prefer the white PZ Kut.

MasterCarve says right on the package that it "cuts like butter", and that's true -- it is very easy and smooth to carve. It is soft enough, however, that physical damage and wear can be an issue. If your image consists of broad inked areas, there won't be any problem, but if the image includes any thin lines or tiny dots -- which involve narrow ridges or points on the surface of the rubber -- these features can easily get rubbed away or damaged.

Speedy-Stamp is commonly referred to as "the pink stuff". It is excellent. Speedy-Cut, by the same company, is ivory in color and should be avoided like the plague. It crumbles when carved, and sometimes dries out and breaks into pieces when stored in an outdoor letterbox.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that erasers are the cheapest way to go. On a per-square-inch basis, the PZ Kut is likely to be the cheapest material you'll find -- and that's including the shipping cost. If you order five pieces, you pay the same shipping cost as when you order one. And you can order the "B" grade to save a bit more money yet. And don't forget how much gas you're saving not having to drive around town to find it!

Help Home > Carving & Mounting Stamps

Florida Wildlife Management Areas (WMA)
Last Updated: November 21, 2009 09:27:43 AM

Florida has a hodgepodge of bureaucratic departments in charge of various public lands, but as a general rule you can plant letterboxes in any of them as long as you have a permit. And note, these departments generally consider letterboxing a type of geocaching; as far as they're concerned, whatever rules they come up with for geocaches apply equally to letterboxes.

For the specific case of Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's) that are owned and regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, you can apply for a geocache permit online at:

http://www.myfwc.com/RECREATION/WMASites_geocaching.htm

The online form will ask you to fill in a latitude and longitude for your letterbox. Remember, these guys think a letterbox is a type of geocache. Just enter some approximate numbers, which you can get off a map or an online map. The form won't let you leave the fields blank.

You also will need to describe where to park.

And, of course, you're supposed to know all this before you get the permit. And once you get a permit, you're supposed to affix a sticker inside your letterbox. This means you're supposed to know all this info before you go ever out there and look for a place to plant your box.

the person to contact about a permit is:

Tom M. Matthews
Recreation Planner
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Office of Recreation Services
352-209-0296
TomM.Matthews@MyFWC.com

You can look up the FWC Lead Areas and Cooperative Areas at:

http://myfwc.com/recreation/Area.html

Help Home > Land Manager Policies > Florida

What are whitelist and blacklist restrictions?
Last Updated: November 13, 2009 02:08:56 PM

A whitelist is a list of everyone you allow to see your letterbox, while a blacklist is a list of everyone who is not allowed to see your letterbox.

Whitelists and blacklists are specified as contact groups. The primary purpose of contact groups is to contact groups of people you know, but they also do double duty as whitelists and blacklists if you choose to use them in that manner. A letterbox with a whitelist or blacklist restriction will require members to be logged in in order to see them on Atlas Quest to check if they are on the whitelist or blacklist.

A whitelist is a good way to limit your boxes to close friends or family. A blacklist, however, is actually a poor method of hiding boxes from specific members since it is easy for them to create another account or find the box with friends who can still see the letterbox listed. You can use it, but there's no guarantee it will prevent the people on your blacklist from accessing your box or clues.

Some people want to restrict boxes strictly to members on Atlas Quest, and you can do this by creating an empty blacklist. By adding a blacklist, even an empty one, Atlas Quest requires that someone must be logged in to see the letterbox. If the blacklist is empty, however, everyone who is logged in will still be able to see the box.

To apply a whitelist or blacklist to your boxes, you must be the owner of the letterbox, then follow these steps:

Create a contact group. You'll probably want to make the group private and give it a name such as "My whitelist" or "My blacklist," then add everyone who should be a part of that group.
While listing a letterbox, change to the Restrictions page. If you have any contact groups (which you should now, if you did step #1), they'll all be listed as options for whitelists and blacklists. Select the appropriate whitelist and/or blacklist for your restriction.
Save the box—now only people on the whitelist and not on the blacklist can see your box.

To add or remove someone from a whitelist or blacklist, edit the contact group that is being used as the whitelist or blacklist. You do not have to edit or change the box listing in any way to apply such changes.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Adding/Editing Letterboxes

What is the Stamp Image for in virtual solutions?
Last Updated: November 13, 2009 02:06:11 PM

When someone solves a virtual, the prize for successfully 'finding' the box historically has been an image of a rubber stamp. Carve a stamp like you normally would, then scan an image of it for others to 'find.'

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Adding/Editing Letterboxes

What is a whitelist and blacklist?
Last Updated: November 13, 2009 05:49:38 AM

Whitelist - restrict your box to anyone on your designated whitelist.

Blacklist - exclude people from seeing your boxes. It works like the whitelist option, but in this case, anyone on your list cannot see the box, event, or tracker. Caveat: you may hurt someone's feelings or anger them if people figure out they are on a blacklist.

There is ONE instance where you might want to make use of the blacklist--and that's a blacklist with nobody in it.

The way AQ works, it has to know who is logged in to know whether or not to display the box, event, or tracker. So if you have a whitelist or blacklist restriction, anyone who is not logged in will not be able to see it.

An empty blacklist essentially means only a logged in member can view your box, event, or tracker.

(Paraphrased from Ryan's blog entry August 5 2009)

Wait, but couldn't you also do this simply by setting an F or P count?

Not exactly the same. An empty blacklist limits a box to AQ members who are logged in. A P or F-count restrictions limits a box to AQ members who are logged in and meet the restrictions.

Help Home > Glossary Definitions

What can I use as a password?
Last Updated: November 1, 2009 11:59:19 AM

Passwords must be at least five characters long and can include pretty much any letters, numbers, and symbols. Some of the most commonly used passwords or easy-to-guess passwords such as 'password,' '123456,' 'qwerty,', and 'atlasquest' are not allowed at all. The exact list changes at times, but if you try to use a banned password, Atlas Quest will let you know.

A strong password will have a combination of letters (both lowercase and uppercase, since passwords are case-sensitive), numbers, and symbols. One easy method of creating a truly bizarre and difficult password is to take a favorite quote, such as "To be, or not to be, that is the question!" The first word, "to," could be changed into a 2. The word, "be," could be changed into B. The third word, "or," doesn't map directly to a letter or number, so we'll just take the first letter of the word and use "o". Continuing through the whole phrase, we end up with "2Bon2B,titq!". That is not a password that would be easy to crack, but is still surprisingly easy to remember.

Bad Passwords

Most common passwords
Most common passwords
Top 10 Most Common Passwords, UK-style
Top 500 Worst Passwords

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Registering & Logging In

What can I use as a trail name?
Last Updated: November 1, 2009 11:42:35 AM

Trail names may include any of the 26 letters from the English alphabet, the numbers 0 through 9, spaces, underscores (_), periods (.), dashes (-), single quotes ('), and exclamation marks (!). Trail names are not case sensitive, so you would not be able to create an account name such as "green tortuga" since "Green Tortuga" is already taken. Additionally, all spaces and punctuation marks do not count towards a 'unique' trail name, so neither would you be able to register "GreenTortuga," "Green-Tortuga," "Green_Tortuga," etc.

All trail names must include at least one letter or number.

And, of course, you cannot use a trail name that someone else has already registered, or a variation of such a trail name.

The most requested punctuation mark asked to be allowed is the ampersand (&), but that character is specifically not allowed since it's a special character used for HTML text and the encoding issues are just plain messy. You can ask, but it will likely never happen.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Registering & Logging In

What is a password hint?
Last Updated: November 1, 2009 10:51:08 AM

In case you forget your password, we will e-mail you your password hint along with a new, temporary password that can be used instead. Providing a hint is optional but highly recommended in case you lose or forget your password. You could even include the password itself as the hint. This is not recommended, however, since the password hint is not encrypted and therefore considerably less secure than the password itself.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Registering & Logging In

What is a Captcha?
Last Updated: October 29, 2009 01:15:33 PM

A CAPTCHA or Captcha is a type of challenge-response test often used on websites to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. They're typically images with letters that have been distorted on a colored background, something that computers have a very difficult time reading but that humans can do relatively easily. You'll find Captchas on Atlas Quest when you register for an account (helps keep spammers at bay). You'll find them whenever you see an option to contact an administrator if you are not logged into an Atlas Quest account. (Again, it helps keep spammers from wasting our time when automated robots try to use the contact forms to send us spam.) It is also used on the message boards if your account is relatively new.

The Captchas on Atlas Quest always use one of the 26 letters of the English alphabet and no numbers. While the letters may be displayed as lowercase or uppercase letters, you can type in either case—the Captchas are not case sensitive.

Sample Captcha

Computers would have a hard time recognizing these letters as mpZCn, but most people don't have much trouble with it. If you do get a letter wrong—maybe an I looked like an L, for instance, it's not big deal—Atlas Quest will give you another Captcha and let you try again.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Registering & Logging In

What is the "rude" button?
Last Updated: October 22, 2009 12:02:59 PM

The message boards have various buttons available—funny, educational, interesting, agree, disagree, etc. But there's also the "rude" button, which doesn't work quite like the others. The other buttons allow you to see how many people have clicked on it, but the rude button will only show you a maximum of one click—your own, if you had clicked it. This button is used primarily for moderators to better monitor problem posts, including those that might not technically break any official Atlas Quest rules but are inappropriately harsh or rude. Moderators have special tools available to see which posts are the 'rudest' and who is generating rude posts most often to better keep track of potential problems before they become full-fledged problems.

Only moderators can see the actual number of people who've clicked the rude button to help alleviate hurt feelings if someone thinks it's funny to click rude on lots of posts that are not actually rude. Additionally, Atlas Quest does some additional processing of rude clicks so if you chronically abuse the button yourself, your clicks will not be reported to moderators anymore. Basically, if you cry wolf too often, moderators will ignore your clicks. So your better off using it solely on posts that you genuinely feel are rude or otherwise inappropriate for the message boards.

Help Home > Message Boards

What's the Billboard widget do?
Last Updated: October 18, 2009 10:30:23 PM

The Billboard widget is something of a cross between the message boards (where what you type will stick around essentially forever) and a chat room (where the messages are as fleeting as the duration you're in the chat room). By default, you'll only see the last ten messages posted to the billboard, and only if they had been posted within the past 24 hours. You can change these defaults by clicking the 'Edit Preferences' link, the small pencil in the title bar (

). The maximums allowed show 99 messages posted within the past 99 hours. The messages posted to the billboard are temporary in nature, and there is no mechanism provided to review or archive old messages.

This widget is a premium member perk, so you must be a premium member to add it to My Page. The messages are public that essentially anyone may read, so you are expected to conduct yourself just like you would in a chat room or on the message boards. Moderators can delete messages that they feel are inappropriate.

One use where this widget may be useful is to ask questions that you don't want to last for eternity on the message boards, such as, "How do I record a find on an unlisted box?" You might get an answer just as fast as by posting on the message boards, but the conversation essentially deletes itself after a period of time keep the message boards less cluttered with constantly repeated questions. Or you could just root for your favorite sports team, or wish everyone a happy holiday.

The widget does not auto-refresh, but it will update whenever you post a message, open My Page, or click the "Refresh" link in the title bar. The refresh link is the green, circular arrow in the title bar of the widget. (

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Help Home > Atlas Quest > My Page

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, NY
Last Updated: October 16, 2009 11:16:35 AM

AQ admins received a message from Jim Logan saying that letterboxes are not allowed on their property.

Help Home > Land Manager Policies > New York

How do I trade LTCs?
Last Updated: October 13, 2009 10:15:31 AM

Trades

List your card on Atlas Quest. Requests will start to come in through AQ mail.
For faster trading, you can announce your available card on Atlas Quest’s LTC Board
Finally, you can request trades. Do a search for active LTCs on Atlas Quest. When you find one that interests you, contact the owner and request a trade.
After a trade has been agreed upon, exchange addresses and simply address an envelope to the LTCer in question and send them your card. Most people put the LTCs in a blank note card or piece of card stock to protect it in the mail

Active Lists Automated

When you start creating art for group swaps you may find yourself making a few extra... what to do with the extras? Trade them as individuals! And the easiest way to get a list out of the cards you have available for trade is to give'em a link... a link that automatically keeps track of your active LTCs.

From the letterbox dropdown menu, click "advanced search"
Under search type on the right is a box that starts out saying "location". Click the arrow and under bold "other searches", click "box types"
Then click the arrow again to click on "LTCs"
"Sort by" select "name"
In "sub type" click the "not specified"
Leave "attributes" blank
Under "stamp type" select "all types"
Under "box status" click "active"
Leave all the other fields blank except "letterbox author". Put your name here.
Click the "search" button at the bottom of the page to run the search.
Once the new page opens up, click the "save search" button at the bottom of the page. It will ask you for a title... I included my trailname in my search title so that whoever I send it to will have it there for easy reference... if it's in a thousand places, it's a thousand times easier to find! ;)
Then when you want to let someone know your active cards for a trade outside of a swap ring, in the letterbox dropdown menu, click on "My Searches" near the bottom, find it in the list and click on "search". Once you get to your active LTC's page, verify that it all looks right, highlight the page address in your navigation bar (top of the screen), copy it and paste it into the post or e-mail to whomever you want to trade with.

Swaps

Once you’ve signed up for a swap, the leader will provide details like the number of cards you need to make, orientation requirements, special instructions and the due date. You just need to make your cards, list them on AQ, add them to the tracker and mail them by the due date. Bubble mailers will protect your cards and you can use them almost indefinitely when you prepare them according to the following instructions.

Prepare Envelopes for Mailing with Clear Packing Tape

Address the mailer to and from yourself before you put any tape on it.
Wrap the entire thing in the tape. Cover the flap so that it can not be sealed with the original glue strip.
Write the ring leader’s address on a piece of paper and tape the address over your own. You can either fold a corner under on the tape or add a strip of paper at one end to make removal easier. (Also turn a corner of tape under for the next 2 steps...)
If you put your postage on another strip of tape, the stamps and the cancellation ink can be removed with that tape strip.
Before you seal the mailer, remember to include return postage. Some hosts want stamps, others prefer you to include cash. Ask them for guidance.
Use the tape to seal the envelope (do not cover your stamps with tape). Remember to fold in the corner or put a strip of paper to make it easy to open and preserve your mailer.

Mail off your swaps and that’s it. While you are waiting, join another swap, make more cards for trading, or go boxing!

Help Home > Letterboxes > LTC

Could we have an iPhone or iPod Touch app to search for nearby letterboxes?
Last Updated: October 8, 2009 11:15:47 AM

The Green Tortuga would love to have this feature, but he cannot create it. The developer kit for the iPhones and the iPod Touch requires a Macintosh, and Ryan does not own a Mac nor has any plans to acquire one. If you or someone you know would be interested in developing such an application, contact the Green Tortuga and he'll try to work with you to make it happen. But in a nutshell, someone else who has the knowledge and tools necessary to create an app must ultimately do the work.

AgileTortoise (no relation to Green Tortuga) has created a simple app called BoxFinder that will use your current location to generate a search on Atlas Quest.

Help Home > Suggestions

What's the difference between the carver, author, planter, and owner of a letterbox?
Last Updated: October 5, 2009 12:53:03 PM

Find reports will go to everyone associated with the letterbox, including the person who listed the letterbox if they are not already listed as the carver, author, planter, owner or contact.

Only the author and planter receive credit for a plant. Some people like to count any letterbox they've carved the stamp for as a plant, but Atlas Quest does not for two reasons: (1) A hand-carved stamp is optional and it seems odd to get credit for planting a letterbox for a feature that's optional, and (2) if you later find the letterbox with your stamp, you can still record it as an official find. If you were getting credit for the box as a plant, you would not also be able to claim credit for it as a find.

Likewise, as much as we appreciate those who've adopted and maintain a letterbox, those are adopted letterboxes and do not count towards your P-count. However, they may count towards your F-count if you went out and found the box yourself.

The carver, author, and planter of a letterbox should not change over the letterbox's lifetime and therefore cannot be changed except by the person who is getting credit as the carver, author, or planter respectively. The owner of a letterbox may change, sometimes quite often, and ownership can be revoked or transfered by the listed author, planter, or owner. The carver of a letterbox cannot transfer ownership to someone else.

Finally, there is a 'secret' piece of information included with every letterbox listing—the person who originally listed the box in the first place. Their name won't show up anywhere on the listing, but was originally designed to find people who list letterboxes without permission. However, if they have received permission to list the boxes, it also assumes you have permission to edit the boxes as necessary, and therefore the original lister of the box can also edit the boxes. Anyone designated as the Owner, Author or Planter can edit clues as well but not someone listed as a Carver or Contact.

If the carver, author, planter, or owner do not have accounts on Atlas Quest, leave the appropriate option blank and give credit where credit is due directly in the clues.

Table summary (powers and privileges):

Status	Notified of a Find	Credit for the Plant	Edit the clue	Transfer Ownership	Expected Use
Owner	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	The person who maintains the box
Author	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	The person who wrote the clue
Planter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	The person who physically planted the letterbox
Lister	Yes	No	Yes	No	The person who listed the box on Atlas Quest
Carver	Yes	No	No	No	The person who carved the stamp
Contact	Yes	No	No	No	People who should be notified whenever a find or attempt is recorded

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Adding/Editing Letterboxes

What is a SPOR?
Last Updated: October 4, 2009 05:42:35 AM

It's a suspicious pile of rocks.

Help Home > Glossary Definitions

How are clue hits counted?
Last Updated: October 3, 2009 09:32:06 AM

Note that clue hits are only tracked for AQ-hosted clues since Atlas Quest has no way to determine how often a clue is viewed on a remotely-hosted website.

Assuming you have an AQ-hosted clue, hits are only counted when someone other than yourself views the clue, and only counted a maximum of one time per session. For instance, if someone views your clue then continually clicks the refresh button, the hit will only be counted once. If they view the clue then come back the next day and view it again, it will count as two hits.

Additionally, there is no screening of hits except to not count it when you view your own clue. Hits may be generated from search engines crawling the web and therefore may not be 'human hits.'

Additionally, hits are not counted when people view the cached version of a clue, which happens more often than you might think. For instance, if someone uses the print-friendly page to print multiple clues on a single page, that is actually displaying the cached version of the clue and therefore will not be counted. Same thing if someone downloads clues from the PDA Downloads page (a premium member perk). Those use cached versions of the clues, so they don't get counted when the clues are downloaded.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Adding/Editing Letterboxes

When my postal returns from a ring, how do I list it as a single?
Last Updated: October 2, 2009 08:22:58 PM

Keep in mind that there is no such thing as "single postals," but rather "single trackers."

Create a new tracker, then set the attributes for it to be a singleton. Add your postal to the tracker, and you're good to go.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Postals

How do I change my stamp?
Last Updated: October 2, 2009 08:19:09 PM

Click the Edit Signature Stamp near the top-right corner of your profile and upload the image for your signature stamp.

Help Home > Atlas Quest > Profiles

How do you add a photo as a clue?
Last Updated: October 2, 2009 08:16:43 PM

While adding or editing a letterbox, on the clue page, use the option to have an Atlas Quest hosted clue. Near the bottom of the page are options to upload a photo and mark it as a clue. If the photo is an actual clue and not simply decorative, but sure to mark the box that the photo is an actual clue. This is important to insure that a high-resolution version of the photo is preserved and so the photo will be displayed in cached versions of the clue. The photo must be in a GIF or JPG, and under 4 megabytes in size. If not, you'll need to use the photo-editing software on your computer to change the format or shrink the photo. If you are uploading a large image over a dial-up connection, the upload process could take several minutes, so be patient. (Shrinking the size of the file to be uploading also helps in this case.)

No not add photo clues directly to the photo gallery since high-resolution versions of the photos will NOT be saved.

Help Home > Photo Gallery

When I click on a clue, a page comes up saying this domain is no longer here. What's up?
Last Updated: October 2, 2009 08:10:56 PM

You'll see this type of error message when the clue is hosted on a site other than Atlas Quest. Several different causes could be the culprit, but in a nutshell it means that where the clue is supposed to be located is not accessible for any number of reasons including:

Many clues are hosted on personal websites, and sometimes those websites are not maintained. When the domain for the website is allowed to expire, you'll see this message. At this point, you might try searching through the Wayback Machine to see if you can find an old copy of the clue. Use the URL you followed that gave you the error message. If it's not there, the clue is probably gone for good. Contact the planter and see if they still have a copy of it available, if you can contact the planter at this point.
The remote URL for the clue could have been entered incorrectly. Check to see if there could have been a typo in the URL (such as litterboxing.org instead of letterboxing.org).
The website hosting the clue could be temporarily inaccessible due to maintenance. Sometimes trying back an hour or two later, maybe even a day or two later, and the problem will be gone.

Help Home > Letterboxes > Searching

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