Planet Kayak FAQs
Is your question not on this list? Ask us and we'll try to add it.
The map interface
I want to get in for a closer look and not use the navigation bar on the map. What are my options? You can zoom in by double-clicking or using the scroll wheel (we like the scroll wheel best, and you can even use it to re-orient the map center by simply moving the cursor over the area you want to view as you scroll). You can zoom out by double-right-clicking.
The map is too cluttered and all the icons are over one another. How can I clear the icons? You can remove icons by unchecking the checkbox in visible categories in the sidebar to the right of the Planet Kayak map. You can also zoom in clarify the view.
The icon you're showing isn't where it should be. Why is that? The latitude and longitude used to mark the waypoint for the icon may have come from any number of sources possibly more accurate than that shown by the Google map. But it could also be incorrect. Please inform us if you see an obvious error, or the possibility of a subtle one.
You don't have information where there should be some. Why not? We're only starting. Give us time. It's early yet.
You idiots! You have text falling outside some of the information bubbles that I can't read! There are some technical hiccups that we are eradicating. We will remove them as they are noticed. In the meantime, you can let us know of any problems you see.
Contributing content
I added content to Planet Kayak and it's not there. Why not? To avoid spam and non-relevant information, we screen each contribution before adding it.
What do I need to contribute content? Just fill out the form on the Contribution page. Please note that in order to contribute a photo it must already exist somewhere on the internet. We do not place the photos ourselves.
What do I get for contributing? We'll credit you on the information bubble and provide an option for a link to take people to your personal blog, website or other non-commercial internet portal.
What restrictions are there on content? Content must be relevant, clear and complete. Commercial contributions will be restricted. We reserve the right to restrict any contribution for any reason.
What are the commercial restrictions? We want to make sure this resource isn't overrun with commercial content. To limit the amount of advertising-oriented submission, only participants in Wavelength's Service Directory Listing will be able to place content. You'll see them as the green "globe" icons on the map.
Contribution explanations
Your Planet Kayak ID: Beginning 2010 commercial users will receive a PKID# when they register a web directory listing. This will allow commercial members to link to commercial websites. Submissions without a PKID# will not be allowed commercial links.
Region: Pick from one of the selections. Over time this will increase to allow more regions. Eventually Planet Kayak users will be able to quick-jump to views of each of these regions with more selections visible from the opening screen. The Gulf Islands page is an early example.
Latitude/Longitude: These are used to locate your Planet Kayak icon and must be accurate. If a photo, they should indicate the point at which the photo was taken, not the subject matter (ie, from a kayak, pick the coordinates from your water location, not of the mountain that is the main subject matter of the photo). The preferred format is decimal, ie. -123.0234, 49.02340.
Name of entry: Pick a title for your subject that describes it, such as "View of Mount Hudson from Enos Lake," or "Enos Lake launch dock." The name should be unique to your entry.
Image location: Planet Kayak doesn't host the photography that is submitted; it simply seeks out a URL from another web location, then displays it on Planet Kayak. For that reason we require images to already be placed on the internet. You can upload to a site such as Flickr.com then provide a link. Once your image is uploaded, right-click on the image as viewed on the net, select the "Properties" tab at the bottom of the menu, then double-click the "Address" line on the next box that appears, copy the address information and paste it into the "Image location" bar on the Planet Kayak contribution page.
Image credit: This should be the name of the photographer or the legal holder of the copyright to the image. It can be accompanied by a "c" to indicate copyright.
Description: This is your chance to offer information about your entry. It can be simple, such as "view of Enos Lake taken from a kayak trip last year," or complex, such as the facilities and amenities of a camping location including recommended places to visit while there.
Web link 1: This should be the URL of a site to gain more information about your entry. It can be to a photo album of more photograhs from the same trip or to an official site, such as the Cascadia Marine Trail website or BC Parks website. This entry is optional. Holders of a PKID# can link their commercial websites. Otherwise commercial websites cannot be linked. To link a site, go to its URL, copy the information in your web browser's address bar and paste it into the "Web link 1" field.
Web link 2: As above, this is an additional link to provide more information about your entry. Therefore you can provide your own blog address plus an official address, for instance.
