WearyTraveler

redsox_mark summed it up well. I was trying to understand the value of the "filter out finds" link that is on the old dashboard. There isn't an 'easy' way to view that list of unfound caches on a map. As redsox_mark mentioned, you can can click on the "map this location" link, but that is a map around your home coords with both found and unfound caches. It's not a map of just the unfound caches in the list. +1 Your last sentence makes me wonder how often the "filter out finds" link is really used. I can understand users wanting the map icon, so they don't have to go to Play -> View Geocache Map, but the "filter out finds" link doesn't seem as critical IMHO. There are lots of ways to search for caches, but the easiest (for me) way to get a list of caches relative to my home coordinates that I have not found is a simple, one-click link. A long time local geocacher was just asking about it in a regional Geocaching FB group. There have also been some discussion about the inclusion of friends activity overwhelming our profile pages. Several people have asked others in the group to turn off "Show my recent logs on my friends' activity feeds" and most are complying. It appears they are trying for a 'social media' type profile page, not a 'get anything done' page. That's what I was thinking... in my opinion, we don't need a FB type page. If you want FB, go to FB... I go to GC to find caches and the forums to stir up discontent...

I like the icon... But I don't think they'll ever make the change. Just think of all the already found and logged CCs that'll need retrofit. GS is having enough trouble getting the dashboard, profile, and app working. Do you really want them to go through all your / our previous finds and change them to the new type / icon?

redsox_mark summed it up well. I was trying to understand the value of the "filter out finds" link that is on the old dashboard. There isn't an 'easy' way to view that list of unfound caches on a map. As redsox_mark mentioned, you can can click on the "map this location" link, but that is a map around your home coords with both found and unfound caches. It's not a map of just the unfound caches in the list. +1 Your last sentence makes me wonder how often the "filter out finds" link is really used. I can understand users wanting the map icon, so they don't have to go to Play -> View Geocache Map, but the "filter out finds" link doesn't seem as critical IMHO. To be honest, I could swear that the "map this location" after "filter finds" used to show a map with your finds filtered. I just tried it and you're correct, the finds are shown. That has to be a recently implemented GS "feature." But on the side bar of that map, you (well, limited to PMs I believe) can deselect your finds, your hides, and any other cache types. So yes, they're apparently shown on the map by default, but they're easily turned off... I'm hoping that GS will put the "filter finds" on the new dashboard.

[...] Am I missing something? [...] Yes. Points 5 to 7 Hans No, points 5-7 are not available after clicking on the "Filter out finds" link. Try it. That link goes to a list of caches. From that page, there is no easy way to see that list on a map. I know how to view unfound caches via the Advanced Search, and via the Browsing Map. I specifically asked about using the "Filter out Finds" link. I'm not following your question. Are you talking old or new interface? On the old interface, clicking on "filter your finds" returns a list of caches with a "map this location" link next to it. I don't see a "filter finds" on the new interface.

Huh? Bookmarks (https://www.geocaching.com/account/lists) and pocket queries (https://www.geocaching.com/pocket/default.aspx) are still there, and are listed on the dashboard. Both of which are available to premium members but not to basic, which is why PP apparently returned to premium membership to get them back. That's what I meant. Not being a PM meant the loss of the bookmarks and pq's, and was the ultimate reason why we paid up finally. Caching without them is a ridiculously painful and frustrating experience. The search function as a Basic Member is abysmal. Maybe when we get some sort of mobile phone (soon), we might search out the various free non-GS apps. What I've read here on the forums about the GS app is not encouraging. Free should not equal useless, and we might very well be Basic Members again soon. B. Cachly for the iPhone rocks if you're thinking non GS app. It's not free though. $5 or so. Even has a very responsive FB group for questions, bugs and feature requests. I have a couple of geocaching buddies with android phones that really like c:geos. No idea of the costs...

Greed? Maybe... maybe not... I worked for a couple hosting companies and content providers before I called it quits. I know that infrastructure is expensive. But I also know that these companies were money makers. Adding a user that's paying $30 per year does not cost the company that much more to support. True - adding 1000 users costs more - another couple of servers and maybe some bandwidth. But those 1000 users also added $30k to the company's revenue. And let's not forget the .50 made in China trinkets they're selling for $10 either... And - I'll bet GS doesn't own DC. They likely lease space from a DC provider similar to DuPont Fabros / Equinix Level 3. Or have their servers in a Rackspace / Amazon (cloud provider) DC. While they may or may not be nudging people to PM out of greed, they're certainly not a charity case either.

That's been my "Start Page" for years. I'm only a little nervous that all the links to that "Old Search" page are being retired. I'm hoping that they keep the convenient / often used activities as savable URLs. I've the next few weeks I've got to revamp my caching web page to include all the things that look like they're doing away with. Eventually I will probably (well, hopefully) never have to go to the dashboard or profile pages as a starting point for a day of caching.

ahh... this (right side). There doesn't seem to be a search at all. I guess the assumption is you search from the main page and set a filter there. But this is more steps. Yes. Thanks for capturing the image. To get a list of caches one hasn't found near your home location, using the old Dashboard, 1. click on the "Filter out Finds" link. To get a list of caches one hasn't found near your home location, using the new Dashboard 1. Click on the "Play" 2. Select "Find a Geocache" 3. Click in the search box. 4. Click "Use My Home Location" 5. Click "Change Filters" 6. Click "I Haven't Found" 7. Click "Update Search" If you want to see any caches more than 10 miles from your home location you'll also need to enter a large value into the search radius box. They appear to be going out of their way to make things more convenient, eh? The new method is a PiTA... I'd suggest that anyone that doesn't want to go through the above bookmark the URL generated by the above search filter. That way it's an easy click or two rather than 7.

ahh... this (right side). There doesn't seem to be a search at all. I guess the assumption is you search from the main page and set a filter there. But this is more steps. I use the "filter out finds" many times per surfing session. Hopefully they'll leave it in, or at least make it not too inconvenient to get to.

And we could even have our own Sisyphus trackable!

I've been trying to find a cache listing for a specific challenge cache. I've tried searching by "lonely" and "resurrection" but can't locate the listing. It was a challenge to find: 1 cache that hasn't been found in 3 years, or 2 caches that hasn't been found in 2 years, or 3 caches that hasn't been found in 1 year Does anyone have a way to search for them other than the new search filters? Thanks! Found it... https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3ADPJ_the-lonely-cache-challenge

OK - will they? Personally, I like CCs and it'd be nice to see the icon on a map. However, unless GS retroactively goes out and changes all those "?" to the new icon, it'd be hard to determine CC from mystery. My vote - sure... But if not, I'll continue to search by the "challenge" title and the "?" Either way, they turn into a smiley once found.

It maxes out at 1000 at 65 miles. At 35 miles I get 882 NMs in my area! But I expect that most here think 882 is not a problem and I should be grateful. Maybe some can see why I'm so ticked off with what it's become. And think about this- Justintim discovered NMable issues proactively. Just think about all the caches out there that aren't getting Nm logs. True - full log isn't a critical NM, but I know that I've read logs that stated outright that the container was busted and that it needed repair, but the finder didn't NM it. We may have a bigger problem than we care to admit.

I've got 800 non disabled caches with NM attribute within 95 miles from my home. There are 800 within 65 miles of a random cache in NC. While there's a lengthy discussion about NM and CO responsibilities in the general topic forums, I figured I'd bring up a suggestion here. I know that many times I have fixed issues with caches that I've found. I've made comments in my found log, but as a finder and not the CO, I was not able to remove the NM flag. And with the (what appears to be) rash of absent COs, no one does OM... Would GS consider a new log type - FM?

i just ran a PQ for non- disabled NMs in my area. There are 800 NM caches within 85 miles of my home. Ran another one and there are 800 within 65 miles of a randomly selected cache in NC. Folks - we have a LOT of caches that NM. I didn't read logs or anything, just an unscientific PQ results. So, many could be full logs etc... and many could be corrected issues (FMs). but regardless, someone needs to clean up some of these issues. Perhaps we have more of an 'irresponsible / unresponsive" CO issue than previously admitted... I am starting to understand why GS is starting to take proactive actions.

That seems a bit of a conflict of interest. Hidden by the CO with a billion hides, who would need the services of a small army to maintain all of their own hides if they didn't get help from "good samaritans." Good catch! Well, at least he's trying to get his caches maintained... Almost 5000 caches owned And the reviewers accepted that he had a genuine and realistic maintenance plan in place for all 5000? I personally can't imagine how he can watch, let alone maintain that many caches. An initial thought was that maybe he's a long haul trucker or some other road warrior. But if that's the case, he wouldn't have time to read find emails let alone repair them. How does he continue to get them approved? Have you seen any that need OM?

That's great that you've done that, of course, and you're setting a fine example. But if you hadn't, should those seven caches have been disabled and threatened with archival? Along with the other two that presumably didn't require anything done to them? I'm sure that that's not what he's arguing. The way I see it, most people jumped on the "regular maintenance" once a year interpretation to mean 'enforce once a year maintenance'. Most have said....if no one reports a problem, my caches are fine. Not true. He provides recent examples of caches that needed some care despite no logs informing him of issues. I too have had the same experience many times with my caches. Once I couldn't believe the sticky mess inside (a combination of candy and bubble liquid) that no one reported. He's providing a better experience for the next finders -- for those people who like trackables, for people who like a dry log, for people who like the contents to be in good shape (no candy, business cards, etc.). It may be hard to believe, but there are cachers out there that want a fuller experience and not just a smiley. I wish the database was limited to hiders like justin1999. There'd be fewer caches, yes, but it would be a joy to visit caches where a responsible hider cared about the integrity of the game, and cared to provide a nice all-round experience. I agree. While I like the smileys, I prefer caches in good shape. And doing periodic / proactive maintenance will catch small problems that aren't reported before they become large problems. Too many finders just sign the logbook (or tap the top?), log a find, and head to the next cache.

I finally was able to get to my new dashboard. I have to echo what others have said - way too much wasted space... The recently viewed and activity fonts are way too large. These entries should all be on one line, as in the past. D / T should remain as D/T. I know that you're trying to make it universal, but they've been D/T since the start. If people can't figure that out, they shouldn't be out in the woods looking for hidden treasure... And the "size" ruler? Just state the size - we can all figure out that small, reg, large and micro mean size... I personally like smaller font and displaying more caches per page than fewer cells (my HTML table analogy) with more information spread across several lines in the cell. For my recent logs, you're taking up 2 lines. Too too wasteful. Please consider making the avitar smaller and putting everything on the same line. After a busy day I wouldn't be able to see the day's activities in the new format. Actually, do you need to put the avitar on each line? I know that it's different for each "friend" activity, but you'll note that many users are unfriending everyone just to make the dashboard more palatable. You were able to present much more data on the old dashboard in smaller font. Please consider making the new dashboard similar...

I just looked at my new profile page. Not too bad. However, there's too much (to me) wasted space at the top. My picture could be smaller - I don't have a need to have a large pic up there. The second set of info - premium, joined, view posts, finds, trackables, location... should be up on he same line / layer as my picture - no need to push everything down an inch or two. You're taking up too much space for that info.

Out of curiosity I went looking at some of the caches around here that had outstanding NMs and nearly all of them were nanos or micros with full logs where the next finder has replaced the log and the CO didn't bother to clear the NM. Your scenario is probably very common. Good Samaritans can't log an OM. That's why in another thread I suggested a FM (finder maintenance) log type. That would probably get rid of a boatload of little red wrenches. It would also create a checker method for a Good Samaritan Challenge cache! If we want to make GC better, first thing we should do is strive to clean up all those caches in bad shape. Getting the Nm flag off a maintained cache will help narrow down the caches that truly NM... fewer to argue about, errr, concentrate on. And why are log and baggies being replaced by finders? Would it possibly be because the baggie is ripped and the log is mush or at least unsignable? And could that possibly be because the cache itself has an integrity problem that should be seen to by the CO? And, would having a "FM" just be enabling laziness or propping caches for absent COs? Good point - the cache container itself may be the reason for the soaked log. However, I try to do my best to make things right when I find a cache. If I notice that the container or lid is broken, I log NM as well. When it exits the realm of FM and puts the onus on the CO...

Of course, no matter how often I check it, things can happen. But I trust the logs. If the last log is 1 month ago and says the cache was in good shape, for me that is as good as checking it. If it goes a year without a find, I'll check it. There, I've said a specific time. Well, approximately. I'll make a note to check it, it might not be exactly 1 year that I actually check it. I was talking to a friend the other day. A very good CO. He owns around 200 caches, but maintains them. Any hint of an issue he'll address it. He said he has an ammo can which he hasn't visited since he placed in 9 years ago. It gets found regularly and no issues have been reported. You can argue he is not meeting his obligations and the cache should be archived or whatever.. but to me that is unnecessary. And that's just it - if you only own one cache, visiting it once a year isn't much, but if you own 200, having to visit each of them every year wouldn't leave much time for anything else, particularly if a lot were high-terrain rated and required considerable effort to reach. If you can't reasonably manage 200 cache hides you need to cut back. Only hide what you can manage. Better to have 25 monitored and maintained caches then an extra 175 caches that get no attention and become junk. That's why my caches are few and close to home. I know that if I had to travel 3 hrs to maintain one, I wouldn't...

I believe that the owner of the caches you are seeing has been inactive for the last 2 years. He/she/they have quite a few caches and it looks like they are going through the natural progression of Needs Maintenance, Needs Archived, Reviewer Disabling, then Archived. I did notice a throwdown or two mentioned when I looked. The process could take a while but if seekers are proactive and lodge the initial NMs it could speed up the process and open up the area for others. Exactly - locate them and ease them out of existence...

Out of curiosity I went looking at some of the caches around here that had outstanding NMs and nearly all of them were nanos or micros with full logs where the next finder has replaced the log and the CO didn't bother to clear the NM. Your scenario is probably very common. Good Samaritans can't log an OM. That's why in another thread I suggested a FM (finder maintenance) log type. That would probably get rid of a boatload of little red wrenches. It would also create a checker method for a Good Samaritan Challenge cache! If we want to make GC better, first thing we should do is strive to clean up all those caches in bad shape. Getting the Nm flag off a maintained cache will help narrow down the caches that truly NM... fewer to argue about, errr, concentrate on.

Just for me - I sign the log for every cache I find. It's just "what's right to do" for my caching style. Or at least I'm standing with the signer while on a GRC PT. That's just me... I never wore a HD t shirt till I owned one or a USMC shirt till I earned it. Just me... If the log is there, I sign it. If i can't, and can't replace it, I log that in the find log... And I agree that PT COs often don't care and check the integrity of the logs. But it's also up to finders to have integrity...

I suppose it can happen, but I don't think this is a common scenario. If you are talking 1000 caches, that generally is along a road, in the middle of nowhere, stretching 100 miles or more. That road is blocked out, but not a town. Take the ET trail, it doesn't stop anyone hiding caches in the desert more than 0.1 miles from the road. And if you are worried about PT finders finding, it, move it 2 miles from the road, very few will bother. Around here, the more common scenario is with small walking trails/series. If there is a nice circular walk on footpaths, and a CO puts out 30 caches on a 5 mile walk, it does block or limit others placing caches along that trail. But, the reality is, such trails are popular. I'm not making a judgement here, but numbers show this. Take my 5 mile circle example. Put a single cache halfway round, so a 5 mile walk is needed. In my area, it will get found about twice a year. Set 30 caches on the same trail, it will get found 100 or more times a year. Is such a trail good or bad? It depends on your preferences. I can definitely see the difference between a highway PT (spring run) and the foot path PT. Two different animals with different appeals.