DantonioG

Differences in opinions are always going to exist and many people will not be converted no matter what you say. So, to add more to the argument about events and armchair logging I will yet again post a couple of opinions and facts..... The DGS that are in the Cape Fear Region of NC have Ustreamed events. That is a fact that no one can dispute. Their philosophy on that matter is that if you are in the chat room talking with the individuals that are at the event, then you are participating in the event. It is the same principal as participating in an office meeting via skype or some other form of communication. You are still a part of the meeting and can say that you were there. Now to talk about logging events days or weeks later will bring up a lot of discrepancies, and if someone does it to one of your caches, you are free to delete their logs as you see fit. If you communicate with the majority of the DGS, then you will find out that they don't delete logs. They don't care if you are about the numbers and are logging a smiley just because you want a bigger number. I myself have found about a thousand more caches than my name has, but I do not care about logging any of them or forget to log them because they are just not that good. A DGS cache though, I will log and have excellent memories of. I am not a part of the DGS, but I will go to any of their events that they are constantly holding and any of their caches because they are simply not micros in woods, but are puzzles and challenges that are fun and are adding to my experience as a cacher and not a number. Also, I have had some of my logs deleted because I have simply mentioned the DGS in them or somehow offended the CO because of me stating things like I do not care for micros. Those COs are the real "dirtbags", not the DGS.... Also done with this forum. Take care

I have been hanging out with the original DGS since their beginning. I say "original" because they have now spread all over the country and have multiple chapters. As a whole, the group stands for spreading the fun of Geocaching, amping up Geocache hides, creating caches that are not micros hidden in the woods, and having fun as a group. This is not to be said for 100 percent of the members, because as mentioned earlier, there is no group in any organization that has everyone with the exact same beliefs. There may be individual dirtbags here or there that get the bad reputation that everyone seems to hear about, but that is not to say that they all are that way. The videos where they are making fun of a cacher or are destroying caches are either the people who liked the name of the group and decided to make a video, or are one of the actual members just having a little fun with the local cachers that they actually know. The originals were military, but that isn't at all a requirement to be a dirtbag. Virtual logging of trackables does happen, but that happens with other people and not just the DGS. People share things all the time and "discovering" a trackable isn't any different. I have been to GeoWoodstock and Geocoinfest, both of which are officially sponsored by Groundspeak and I can tell you that I saw individuals handing out their lists, lists of others that were not in their possesion, and hiding coins. Yes, I said hiding coins from their lists. My wife is obsessed with ducks and saw a duck coin in one of the hosts collections of the Geocoinfest that we went to, and when he noticed that she started to write down the code, he told her to stop writing it down, because he had kept that coin and had no intention of returning it back into the field even though the creators of the coin never allowed him to do so. He did not want notifications going out because he had marked it as missing. I could keep going on and on about the DGS with at least 95% of it being extremely positive, but if you have any specific questions, I would rather you just personally ask me by sending a message to me on Geocaching.com, because I would much rather talk about this off the forums, because it usually starts to turn into a giant argument between people who have actually had experiences in the matter and those who have heard something from someone who may or may not have had a bad time going after a cache that wasnt in a light pole and heard that there were people out there with different opinions that were a little different from theirs......... again, ask me anything and get an answer.... just not here. take care, enjoy caching, and see ya on the trails....... DantonioG

and some people do... not everybody marks attended.

Was not part of the creation of the event, but went to it in person and am friends with most of the people in the group. This is NOT some kind of new event that bypassed the reviewers eyes. They submitted it as a real event that real people went to and had real fun. Then they put up a live feed of said event. So again, not just a virtual event which has been stated by several people but apparently has only been noticed by a few. and with the whole deletion of logs note on the events page.... that just means that they wont delete logs.... thats all If there is a sock puppet, it is not one of the people defending the event. every single one of the defenders just actually believes the same things just like all the opposers. funny how stuff like that works......Sock puppets can be on both sides.... had to come back and edit this just so i dont have to answer again.... sock puppets generally dont create themselves over several months and years.... a simple look at the joined dates will point that out....

Sorry, there is an exception for "challenge" caches..... but the only thing I could find on what a "challenge" cache was... the word challenge......... not a real type of cache, so technically negates its own rule Groundspeak has managed to really confuse people by naming their new "virtuals" Challenges. But Challenges are not the same as the older challenge caches. Amen... Thanks for the link. its actually the one I remembered after I posted that comment. I am fine with the Mystery caches having its own specific rules, but its the traditional caches that have additional rules that I always hear people getting deleted on...

Challenge caches are a special exception to the ALR guideline. The CO can delete logs not meeting the requirements. yeah, i realized that as soon as i posted the last one.... but again, its all wording. there is no specified type of challenge cache in the icons, so it also falls under the physical cache rules which states that you cant have additional requirements. Its all up to the reviewers anyways. All of these physical/virtual events have been published, so apparently it isnt breaking any rules....

Sorry, there is an exception for "challenge" caches..... but the only thing I could find on what a "challenge" cache was... the word challenge......... not a real type of cache, so technically negates its own rule

Most of the people that log the caches that keep getting referenced were part of the LIVE feed, unless they are overseas as stated before.... The DGS do not simply get up and decide to make a video that looks like an event and put it up so that people can get smilies... as stated before, most of the DGS do not care about numbers at all. they just want people to have fun. There is NO rule against this as of this moment, so there should be no complaints one way or the other. An event cache is an EVENT.... which can technically be online. And "cheating"... thats the same as someone signing their name on a log because they made it to the base of a tree, or the beginning of the cave, but didnt actually go to obtain the cache for themselves. Also a post earlier made reference to Groundspeak and COs not deleting logs... that happens all the time. The guidelines state that no log should be deleted because of some ALR (Additional Listing Requirement).. they have been banned. So technically all those new caches in the last two years that are some kind of Challenge like challenge for example can be found without meeting the owners OWN made up "rules" for their cache...... that specific caches page even states that he will delete logs not meeting the "requirements"

Yeah, there's a high number duo from my general region whom are known to show up at events for about 15 minutes. I wouldn't read too much into the posts here, Dirtbags. I assume I can call you Dirtbags. Yes, the losers around here, me included, like to discuss Geocaching. This is an interesting new innovation you've come up with here, and people are just pontificating how the whole thing would go over with the powers that be at Groundspeak. Have you ever received any kind of "ruling" on this virtual attending of events? The only way to make them stay is door prizes every 15 mins for the next two hours. Thats how you fill up the place and keep it full. Its not rocket science. Actually, you can count on just about every attendee at a Dirtbag event to stay the entire time and then most of the time plan to do something afterwards like help a new cacher find one of the harder ones, go for a group hunt, or just talk about the future of the game........

I am usually at the actual events and while there, I will check in on the feed to see what others are talking about... this isn't a lame way to cache or anything of the sort. I feel its the exact same as somebody logging a cache that they physically did not go to. A perfect example of what I am talking about would be someone that is with the group of cachers at the start, but doesnt want to necessarily climb the tree or trek a quarter mile down a tube that you have to crawl in. People arent desperate for smilies, the DGS and many others in their area dont even care about the numbers. It is about having a good time and meeting others.