FAQ

Followrock.com is for people who enjoy painting rocks and hiding them for random people to find. The rock finders then rehide the rock for another person to find. Followrock.com allows you to follow the journey your rock is on by putting a unique ID code on the back of your painted rock that the finder inputs into the Followrock.com website.

Finders can upload a photo, location and comment about the rock and can view a map of all the locations it has been found.

Members can track an unlimited number of rocks that they have painted and hidden so they can see where their rocks have traveled and how many people have had a brightened day.

Rock paining facebook groups are a great way of joining a community of like minded individuals and to get painting ideas. Followrock.com allows painters to get a unique ID for each rock so they can follow all their rocks and see a map of their location as they travel the world.

Followrock.com is easy for the rock finders too, they do not need an account to upload their find details and to view the history of the rock they found, there is no sign up and it is very easy for them to see the specifics on the rock they found.

Only members can generate a unique ID, so sign up for free first. After painting your rock, login then click on Add Rock in the menu bar to get a unique ID. The first field will display your unique ID, there is also a field for you to enter a comment, location, keywords and photo.

Members can generate a unique ID code that they write on the back of the rock (use a paint pen, not a sharpie- they fade and can smear when sealing the rock). When someone finds the rock they will see your message that will read something like “See where I have traveled. Enter my unique ID …… at www.followrock.com”

When the rock finder visits Followrock.com and enters the unique ID they have the option to upload a photo, a location and a message. The location is plotted on a map so you can follow your rocks travels.

Rock painters have the option to receive email alerts when their rocks are found.

Some people like to ‘hide’ their rocks somewhere where they will be found almost instantly, such as a park bench or a kids playground. Others like to hide their rocks somewhere inconspicuous and it may be days or weeks before it is discovered, such as partially hidden behind other rocks or somewhere out of sight of normal passing people. Just remember the idea is that the rock needs to be found to bring a spark of happiness to someone.

When packing for a vacation, take a couple of rocks with you and see where they travel.

One of the things I like to do is leave the rock nearby while at a park or sitting in a restaurant so then you get to see the excitement of the lucky person that finds your random act of artistic kindness.

Be respectful of local regulations and private property. Be aware that many national parks, theme parks, zoos and hospitals prohibit rocks from being hidden on their property.

You can try searching for some keywords in the browse rocks page if the rock has some distinguishing design features. For example if the painting on the rock is a sailboat, try searching for the keyword ‘boat’. If you are still unable to find it, send us and email with a photo of the front and back of the rock and we will see what we can do.

No, you can track as many rocks as you like.

When entering the location that you created or found the rock, you can enter an actual address, or just a street name or just a city. It’s up to you to provide as much or little information as you like. Keep in mind that any visitors to Followrock.com will be able to see the location and photos that you upload. 

When posting a photo of a rock you found and you don’t want to show your face, be creative and hold the rock in front of a landmark or hold it up to obscure your face but reveal the smile it brought to your day.

No, if you find a Followrock you can create a rock found comment, photo and location by entering the unique ID found on the back of the rock on the Followrock.com homepage

No, anyone can browse all rocks in the Followrock.com database on the Browse Rocks page. If you want to follow a rocks journey or get email updates when a rock is found you do need to be a member, sign up, its free.

Members can get email updates when a rock is found. While logged in on your Followrock.com account find a rock on the Browse Rocks page that you want to receive updates on and click the ‘Get email updates when this rock is found’ checkbox.

There are 2 email settings:

One for general email newsletters covering news, features and stories. This email preference can be changed on the My Account page.

The other preference is for notifications when your rocks are found. The preference for each rock can be modified by accessing the My Rocks area through the My Account page.

If your rock has a Followrock.com unique ID on the back, enter that code on the homepage where it says ‘Found a rock? Enter ID #’. You can enter a photo, a comment and a location to let the rock painter know where you found the rock and how you felt finding the rock.

You can also see where the rock was created and where it has traveled along its journey before finding you.

If you would like to follow the rock to see who finds it next and where it will end up a month from now, sign up to Followrock.com, its free and you can choose to get an email notification when the rock is found.

The final task is to rehide the rock to keep the journey going to to bring a smile to someone else.

If you enjoyed the process, you should start painting your own rocks, its fun, easy, cheap and great to do with kids. You don’t need to be an artist to have fun and spread joy. The best rock art for Followrocks are often done by amateur/ first time painters who paint quickly and just for fun. (if your art is showcase quality, people may keep your rock and not keep it moving). It’s the joy of unexpectedly finding an artistic creation that brings joy. Check out our rock painting guide for some inspiration.

We want to start by saying we will never sell/ give away/ disclose your personal details or email address to any third party. You will not receive unsolicited advertising emails because we hate them as much as you do.

To sign in to the members account you need to provide an email address. If you forget your password, you can get a reminder to your email address. Members can choose to get email alerts when their rocks are found. Members can also opt in to email updates about whats going on at Followrock.com for things including new features and sharing of positive stories from our members. 

Followrock.com is designed for people over the age of thirteen. Be aware that content is uploaded by users of the site. While admin has the ability to remove offensive content, it may be viewable before action is taken. Please use discretion when using the site.

When you click Add Rock, a unique ID is generated and is visible in the first field of the Add Rock page. If you did not write it down then, you can always view each rocks ID in the Browse Rocks page or by viewing your My Rocks page which is accessed from the My Account page when logged in. Only the user who created the rock can see the unique ID when viewing the rocks.