Without giving away anything that should be kept on the down-low... what is the most interesting way you have received or given out a WOM clue (or are aware of, even if you were not directly involved)?

SpringChick

I had a series of five boxes with titles that did not give away the stamp image but was a very good hint at the image. To be able to get the clue you had to tell me what you thought the image was based on the title of the box (you didn't have to be correct). For instance the box named Boop boop be doop could easily be figured out to be Betty Boop but the others were more difficult.

I gave the clues in a series of ciphers. One clue would be plain language directions, another might be a Greek square, another some other cipher. Only serious boxers determined to get the boxes pursued them.

To make things more fun I hid a bonus box and placed a piece of the clue in each of the five WOM boxes. To get the full clue to the bonus you had to find all five WOMs. This became quite the hassle when boxes started going missing. It became a lot of work to keep up these five boxes. Eventually, I tired of the game and made them all regular traditionals.

I woke up and it was tatooed to my forehead. Kind of like letterboxer's poker...

The clue was listed just referencing the planter's "lair" and nothing else. It seems that it was a WOM for people who knew the planter and where they lived. But hey, it was a public listing with a clue so just out of curiosity I decided to see if I could find it. Well, I knew the planter's real name from a FB group. I googled the name with the city and state that the box was listed in and the first thing that came up was a police listing in a local paper giving the name and address of the planter!! Well, I checked it out and a box with 5 stamps was sitting right there on the door step!

So WOM "solved" in a very strange way!

In a sangria recipe.

Hmm...

It was burned into a piece of leather and rolled up into a scroll. :)

WOM clue

In a sangria recipe

We are either drinking too much sangria or not enough to solve that one. Perhaps we need to drink it at length.

I say drink more. It'll make us feel better about not solving it, anyway.

Its a [WOM]

deniserows
Lots of WOM

Speaking of WOM's: Are WOM's ONLY to be given out by the planter? If a boxer receives a WOM can they give the WOM to other boxers? Once a WOM is out is it out to the whole world?

deniserows
questionably

If a boxer receives a WOM can they give the WOM to other boxers?

I believe the etiquette is to ask the planter.

Once a WOM is out is it out to the whole world?

Depends on how big your M is.

Although we had a boxer in my area who got super angry about being asked for WOM clues.

But if you put it out to the world you have WoM clues, sense it does not make when people try to see if you'll share and you get angry. How else would the word get out?

I'm still trying to figure out a couple WoM clues down here and how to get them. If I do I do. If not, oh well. Another box another time.

Oh, I agree. It didn't make a lot of sense and it alienated some new boxers who followed the norm and asked for the clues. I think that most people are both nicer about it and willing to share the clues to their WOM boxes.

I love this!

I believe the etiquette is to ask the planter.

Yes, most of those that I have been privy to have included stipulations... do not share, or share only with other trusted members of the secret society, etc. One was shareable, but only verbally... could not pass along the written clue. And some are not really shareable... by nature they make their presence known, but have some special requirement to actually get possession of them.

SpringChick

The first line of my WOM says "You do not have my permission to give out this WOM.
Please refer all requests to me."

The first line of my WOM says "You do not have my permission to give out this WOM.
Please refer all requests to me."

Do you know if people ignore your request? My only WOM is a WOM for safety reasons (it's on a trail in my yard, so I don't want to look out the window and see strangers wandering around back there). Since it is in my yard, people respect my request to not share my WOM without my permission. However, human nature being what it is, I suspect WOM boxes on public property would be fair game for sharing, permission or no permission.

I said

The first line of my WOM says "You do not have my permission to give out this WOM.
Please refer all requests to me."

You said

Do you know if people ignore your request?

The only people I can remember asking have been those who have interacted with me F2F or e-mail.
If I learn that someone has shared information w/o my permission they won't be given any more WOM or clue help.
The trust is gone.

I don't blame you.

Uh huh. I want to know how much of that sangria you have to drink before you start seeing clues in there... :)

One time I received a beautiful parchment with hand lettered (think calligraphy) clues. The envelope was sealed with wax.

I got WOM clues from noticing someone wearing a hint that she had some to give...

Hmmmm. Perhaps we need to standardize something there. Something we could all wear or do that tells other letterboxers "Ask me for a WOM clue!" -- but meaningless to noxers. Perhaps a logo of some sort, made into a pin or badge.

Something we could all wear or do that tells other letterboxers "Ask me for a WOM clue!" -- but meaningless to noxers.

I thought of a ribbon, but there are so many that a simple one may mean more than one thing. What are the AQ colors? Has anyone used yellow and green in a lapel ribbon?

Perhaps we need to standardize something there.

With all the various creative ideas mentioned here, your suggestion is to have everyone do it just one way? That seems to me the antithesis of the entire point of this thread.

K

Not many people get it

deniserows
with her ears and mouth wide open

It was burned into a piece of leather and rolled up into a scroll. :)

I think I was emailed that, and I just found it Tuesday.