The message to the COs went out just days before the archiving of the caches. This did not allow for any level of problem solving.
Also, changing the name of a cache to fit in with the geotour and the CO retaining ownership does not work for puzzle caches. The puzzle caches in this area in particular are incredibly challenging to solve and there is somewhat of a badge of honor in penning your name on the log. To transition that to a standard trad that everyone can log renders the point mute.
Questions:
1. Assuming that the City approves and chooses to archive certain caches following the geotour, would Groundspeak consider allowing an unarchival of the impacted caches?
2. Assuming that Groundspeak is going to continue to work with Cities to create these geotours, can the company consider enlisting a number of good practices to ensure continued good relationships between the City and the geocaching community. This will also result in a better product for Groundspeak to market.
- Request the Cities provide 30 days notification for archival of caches
- Strongly suggest the Cities not request archival of caches that meet certain criteria (>10 years old, >25 favorites, etc.)
- Allow an option in which the City runs their geotour for 6 months, after which any legacy archived caches may be revived. Communicate this to COs well in advance of the geotour
- Reach out specifically to the 10 cachers with the most hides within a 10 mile radius of city center to specifically offer to add their names to a quick reference list for the City contact. Provide all 10 cachers with the City contact as well. Suggest to City that they host a coffee/meeting to gain feedback and enlist the help of the local community.
Based on the poor reception of the Milpitas geotour, our community would gladly provide additional feedback.