AnnaMoritz

It is not only Oman, everything based on arabic script from Mauretania to Pakistan and other right-to-left scripts like hebrew is not currently displayed correctly in the map called 'Geocaching'. Openstreetmap default and the other maps show the letters as it should be.

Now that is interesting, this event owner is really bold. Didn't show up and set back DT high values again before archiving the events. At the moment it is 4/4.5 and 4.5/3.5, while 6 or 9 minutes ago it was 1/1.5.

There is one such challenge for even the 366 days calendar in Czech Republic, has 24 finders up to now: Challenge Forest - Everday Yellow There is also a similar Challenge Forest- Everyday Green for traditionals and 47 finders Challenge Forest - Everyday Blue for Unknown caches with 31 finders. So while in Czech Republic it might be slightly easier to fill the Unknown calendar the Multi calendar it is clearly doable, the challenges are all rated D5. I would think that fulfilling that challenge without knowing about it is sort of unlikely, from the three Austrians that found more than 3000 multi-caches two stand at 364 days and one at 365 days. As unlikely as fulfilling the GC6GEZ0 Find 5 Confluence caches in 3 Countries challenge. It isn't too difficult at all, so no problem with it, but simply no one was thinking about it before except the owner. But there are a lot of geocachers locally that only need less than ten more days for filling their multi calendar and abundance who need less that 30 days. Once it is known there is a challenge people start filling their grids, otherwise you might continue finding the 'wrong' cachetypes for a certain day years over years, even with a ten year streak. I would bet that after one year there would be at least 30 finders also in Austria.

It had been a different concept. The allowed event was a 30 min meeting before or after the real event in an inn or a parking lot, so 1/1 was 'right'. But it doesn't matter anymore because that time already ended. I only mentioned it because quite a few cachers then stated they stopped organizing events because the were told make it 1/1 while their idea wasn't another meet 'n greet on the street or in a pub. Now T can be whatever seems explainable. So owners choose a place in a via ferrata, there of course T5 is allowed. And T now can even be what is not explainable at all. Plus D can be anything despite 'D1 is appropriate'. It is fine that it is being suggested to consult the help section and look what similar events are rated if you are unsure how to rate your own event. Under normal circumstances that would lead to exactly 1/1, not to 4.5/4. I'm really surprized that only a small minority here sees a gap between D4.5 for such an event and the 'appropriate is D1' (besides the T). I wonder which other parts of the help section/guidelines might be optional too. Sometimes for example the 'needs a logbook' for traditional caches seems optional from looking at logs and NAs where nothing seems to happen (for sure the owner was promising there will be a logbook and only the circumstances ...) and ALRs like 'bring your own lock and place it on the bridge'. But the original question is already answered: If the owner chooses to not react to a reviewer telling him to reconsider DT the event gets published, reviewers are not instructed to not publish events that have clearly wrong D. And no one will react to NA. And the owner knowing already that the DT is questionable from the reviewer is very unlikely going to change his mind due to a message/note from another player. Everyone is free to skip that event. That's it.

None of the questions in my first post were answered at all by the reaction another player got from HQ so I tried to get them answered here asking specifically 'Is there more than 'The D/T rating system is subjective and varies from community to community.' as Geocaching HQ suggests, if the owners don't react self-motivated to notes and NA?' And some reviewers had real answers to my question. Thank you. The answer to the question is NO, which came somewhat surprising having in mind decisions regarding events in the past.

Then everything is OK for them who don't waste their time reading guidelines and all others may also adapt to more flexibility. Well, you are dead wrong. I didn't expect such a uncalled for and inaccurate insinuation. But my own fault not following the advice most Austrian cachers tell someone who wants to ask questions in this forum. Thank you for reminding me. For clarification purposes: To me it doesn't make any difference who might be the owner. I personally feel such DT ratings are pure nonsense, but I'm not going to log attended for them so it is - whatever. And there is abundance of sock puppets / second / third or whatever accounts here, so it sort of a party game here speculating who might be the 'real' cacher behind them. Some socks are hiding power trails incognito to be able to log them under their primary account and sometimes someone gets unmasked accidentally, which indeed is funny to see. Some are logging hundreds of NA out of nothing, some log three caches and then 20 NA and start again with another nick. And then there are accounts for less sinister purposes like groups adopting certain caches or organizing events where it is known who is behind the nick. Then there are the mysterious puzzle owners nobody knows who they are and wild assumptions go round.

If this is the case, then what would be really funny is to wait until everyone has attended, and got the high D/T rating, and then change the rating to a 1/1 That might be a scenario for a really well-plotted prank. As I understand it (maybe I'm wrong) the DT ratings now can only be changed by 'normal' members before archiving, not afterwards. I somewhat doubt the owner will reveal himself (or the hypothetical themself/themselves), but it would also be funny too to unmask him to see who was playing the prank if it was meant to be satirical or who wants to fill the matirx and get a souvenir without being identified.

Yes, please, but for sure not going to happen. Even better. I know that isn't going to happen, events, matrix, calendar and souvenirs fuel detour profitability for the company. But would for sure prevent some of the excesses that are now connected to events. Some bad habits would stop immediately like showing up at an event, signing logbook and moving over after a few minutes or scheduling lots of events with the only purpose to fill a calendar, a matrix, a streak in winter or whatever. Or holiday events on a motorway parking far from a city at 6:30 in the morning where no one except the owner shows up. And events would be back to socializing, be it on the sidewalk, in a restaurant, on a mountain or an island. I not only consider skipping this and other events, I would not log attended even if I was too curious and went there to see whether the pretended owner shows up und who might be the owner. It is not about me. I wanted clarification from GS to the questions in the local extended discussions about the events that also caused some uproar locally.

I don't insinuate anything. I want a clarification whether the guidelines are optional if an owner doesn't follow suggestions. So I read it like now are new times where the reviewer says 'reconsider DT' and has to publish whatever the owner wants. Means: The above mentioned guidelines are only optional. Which is in sharp contrast to the (in Austria not too long ago) 'a reviewer can and does refuse publish if not 1/1 regardless of the real circumstances'.

What I conclude from the answers of reviewers here: 'Events are in plain sight or can be found in a few minutes of searching, so the appropriate difficulty rating for events is one star.' and 'DIFFICULTY 1 star: Easy to find or solve within a few minutes.' 'TERRAIN 1 star: Area will likely be paved, flat, wheelchair accessible and will require less than a .5 mile (.8 km) hike.' are completely optional if your reviewer (like it has happened the other way round for events clearly not 1/1) doesn't say 'make it 1/1 or I won't publish it'. There already have been two different correctly rated 1/1 events that also have pictures in their gallery at the same coordinates of the 4/4.5 Event. Of course there will be enough participants, you never can fill your matrix more easily than with 1/1 events (no need to stay there longer than 1 minute except for the owner) rated whatever you need plus you get the CITO souvenir for the second event. I've heard that in other areas event owners have to name a local cacher as 'mentor' if they are not from town. Here it is even a dark horse with no finds (most likely an additional account from a local cacher due to the allusions to not everywhere well received occurences like owners not showing up at their own event or simply the excessive number of events) who either wants to conceal his whish for filling his matrix or someone simply mocking the community and proving it is possible to completely turn event guidelines into ridicule. So I have to understand that in this case it isn't possible to judge whether the rating is correct or absurd also for non locals and that the rating system is subjective and allows everything if your reviewer doesn't mind.

'Traditional' events can be interesting too, and they weren't affected by the 1/1 ruling anyway. And special interest events that don't include more difficult conditions still are there. But I really miss outdorsy events like 'Howling wolf' where you went up as group(s) to a chapel near a summit on a mountain in the dark (when I attended through snow), stayed for some time - only moonlight and no flashlight, went back down and ended the evening after a few hours outdoor experience (in a well known inn that is opened very long). No one is willing to do this as 1/1, so such events now are outside of "official geocaching". Or the one where you used your boat to get to a floating island. Or the one where you followed the famous Viennese Ice Path on your ice skates to meet the owner on the ice. But for them who like short meet and greet events where you are standing around in a city park or a central place or like sitting at a restaurant 1/1 is fine. Allowing a 1/1 event to be rated as 4/4.5 and at the same time not publishing other events that 'deserve' not to be 1/1 is ehm underwhelming. And if the event was published under the restraint it has to be 1/1 why can the owner change it without being reminded it was pubishable as 1/1? And if the D/T was inappropriate at the time it was published, why publish it? Of course there are people that want to fill their matrix or whatever, but D1 is D1 or take it out of the guidelines / support pages.

Groudspeak Support 1.16. Ratings for Difficulty and Terrain (D/T) says 'Events are in plain sight or can be found in a few minutes of searching, so the appropriate difficulty rating for events is one star.' and DIFFICULTY 1 star: Easy to find or solve within a few minutes. TERRAIN 1 star: Area will likely be paved, flat, wheelchair accessible and will require less than a .5 mile (.8 km) hike. In Austria a 4/4.5 Event (30 min in the morning in front of a bakery on the sidewalk) and a 4,5/3,5 CITO (in a small 7000m² park in the same district) were published that are heavily discussed locally. Owner is an account opened for these two events that has zero finds, the username seems to allude to another username owned by a pupil. One might think that * Event in plain sight without searching is the same everywhere. * And paved, flat terrain also. So the event would likely be a 1/1 and the CITO not more than 2/1.5 to the understanding of most (local) geocachers. Is there more than 'The D/T rating system is subjective and varies from community to community.' as Geocaching HQ suggests, if the owners don't react self-motivated to notes and NA? The change some time ago to forced 'default' 1/1 led to interesting events not to being held again. A 1/1 rating for getting on the top of a mountain during night or for skating to reach the log sheet was not quite the idea appreciated by owners nor by attendants. Later is was loosened to D1 and T allowed to be higher only if held in via ferratas or other undoubted T5 locations. In other parts there were no T restrictions. Whereas now it seems that 'anything goes'. To each their own, but some consistency in applying (written and unwritten) rules would be quite favorable.

An easy way (for own logs): Don't use different ways of logging (GSAK, apps, website) for all logs of the day, then logs should appear in order (sometimes it seems also in reverse order, but ordered). In the past there were quite a few threads about apps using a certain/wrong time zone for the time stamp and the website using 12:00 (or was it 12:00 A.M.?) for time stamp. If you log a cache at 19:00 (real/assumed/appointed time) and then at 20:00 one via website, the latter seems earlier. In the second case I suppose there is no way to exclude the possibility that logs get out of order until time stamps are the same at the same moment regardless of the choosen method to log which isn't going to happen.

If I enter something into various input fields, only the input field of geocaching logs in FF, Chrome etc. enforces combined diacritics in input field and result. Everywhere else, also in FF (and also copying from the garbled input field into a html file shows the 'real content') gives ungarbled characters. It may depend on input keyboard, on German keyboards only aeiouyAEIOUY get ´ on them when pressing ´ and then the letter (in other languages also cgjklrswCGJKLRSW and maybe more letters may have acute on them), to escape 'possible combinations' ´+space+letter is used, for all other characters no combining happens when pressing acute before the letter and the acute is shown before the letter. But this Markdown implementation used on various browsers ignoring more than 1.5 of 2 spaces really seems a bit overboard to me. Perhaps they should note there are (at least) four different characters for 'acute above', for combining e.g. (U+0301 html ''+'769'+';') and (unpredictable) results like x́yz and for spacing e.g. (U+00B4 html ''+'180'+';') to obtain x´yz. Input field for logs on geocaching.com and the result in newest versions of Chrome, FF, Opera, Vivaldi (Windows, German keyboard): Input and Output everywhere else (Windows, German keyboard): áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚýàèìòùÀÈÌÒÙ` acute accent+t ´t acute accent+space+t ´t acute accent+space+space+t ´ t acute accent+space+space+v ´ v acute accent+t+x ´tx z+acute accent+t+x z´tx acute accent+space+t+x ´tx z+acute accent+space+t+x z´tx z+acute accent+space+space+t+x z´ tz z+backtick/grave accent+space+t+x z`tx Spacing grave or backtick is another field as this is (in contrast to ´) used for Markdown synatx. HHL's comment politely paraphrased as 'intelligence test' seems unfair to me concerning usernames and cache titles, they don't need to follow any grammar rules nor othography nor other reasoning. If Groundspeak allowed whatever characters for usernames and cache titles then they should be displayed like they were presented to the user when choosing them, not in some garbled version caused by Groundspeak's implementation of Markdown or whatever. You also never can know whether there is more to it, the characters also may stand for an manifestation of more or less 'artistic' design purposes or sometimes might also be a central part of a puzzle or whatever you might think of. For writing logs I don't see any objective reason why people should use ´ and ` instead of ', so I don't mind that much if such logs get garbled, although sometimes the result is a little bit more tiring to read if 'omitting markers' are ruined visually.

'Normal' representation in IE11 11.0.33 [de-AT],[en-US] and text-only browser WebbIE 4.5.1.0 (German) 'combined diacritics' in Firefox 48.0.2 [de-AT],[en-US], Opera 39.0.2256.48 [de-AT],[en-US], Chrome Version 52.0.2743.116 m [de-AT],[en-US], Vivaldi 1.3 (German, English) To me it doesn't seem to be language dependend (but from all variants where combined diacritics occur, FF + not logged in at geocaching.com + language german is somewhat slow in preparing the page and lets me see 'Scarlett´s' before it changes to combined diacritics)

When not logged in and language is set to German retrieving the page is slow enough to see from screenshots in which 0.2 seconds the change happens for cache titles, here are 3 pictures. Maybe someone can identify where the change happens. With language english and/or logged in I didn't see the 'correct' title at all when opening the page, only like in last screenshot. Cache title OK Cache title still OK, Icon for Unknown loaded Cache title already changed, new font in Cache title and two lines in info box added.

Recently I noticed that ` and ´ that were ment to stand as single entities are displayed on the following letter, but only in some webbrowsers like Firefox (48.0.2) and Google Chrome (Version 52.0.2743.116 m). Before it was 'That's right. That´s wrong. And that`s also wrong.' Both ` and ´ were not shown above s before, now ´ and s sometimes give ś like 'Thatś wrong'. (I don't know how to put ` on s outside of geocaching.com) If people use ` and ´ where ' or ’ (Alt-0146) is correct, using `and ´ might be at own risk in normal text. But for cache titles and usernames it really does look ugly if e.q. s`gurkerl is shown as sg̀urkerl. Is this change caused by some new script that should improve handling of Markdown and is that going to stay? (For new logs ´s is shown as ś in editor window and ` causes formatting if you don't escape it by using > resulting in quote, but also old logs are affected.)

Was ich besonders ungelungen finde von Groundspeak: Trotz Hakerl und im Spam Folder nachsehen keine Mails mit den Aufgaben für die Mission, aber jetzt eine Werbemail, dass ich eine Mission erfüllt habe und es da Coins und Patches und was weiß ich gibt. Mal sehen, ob die dritte Aufgabe es in mein Postfach schafft, so ist das echt keine Werbung für PM, wenn die versprochenen Mails nicht ankommen, Notifications für neue Caches hatten ja auch Aussetzer in letzter Zeit.

Vielleicht will Groundspeak so die Kommunikation unter den Cachern fördern, wenn nicht alle Premium Member, die wollen, also die mit Hakerl und Spamordnerkontrolle, das Mail bekommen und sich daher an Mail-Bekommer wenden.

I have thought that this relates only to correcting things and adding information about locations, posting photos etc but not to adding new trails and I obtained the impression that Google maps focuses mainly on urban areas and not on the wilderness. Can you provide an example of an area where Google maps is good when in comes to showing hiking trails and in particular small ones that are not shown on most other maps? (Like e.g. official topographic maps) Google Map Maker is available in ~ 52 countries, in North America US and Mexico, in Europe UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and 12 eastern european countries. Where available: You can add POIs and lines (like road, path, ferry, railway and over/underpass). Contributions are moderated. So in the US it might depend on the area if and which map is better suited for geocaching outside of towns. Here an example of the area of AustinMN's recently visited cache GC5P3R7 in Minnesota, United States. First Google Satellite, second Google Maps, third Openstreetmap (attribution not visible), screenshots from geocaching.com website. Doesn't seem too different. Openstreetmap has also the parking area and the road leading to it and 'toilets' and 'shelter' where google shows two rectangular objects. And there is the path including the bridge that leads to the Earthcache. And an example from Austria, nature park on mountain Dobratsch. First Satellite, second Google Maps, third openstreetmap with custom theme that also shows the type of path/road and path difficulty. The screenshots are from my geocaching app. Google shows almost nothing besides the road leading to the transmitter station, the transmitter Station, the summit hut and two summits. Openstreetmap has also paths and landcover and when zooming in also the names and height of most summits there, the names of the churches, the ruins and avalanche barriers and and an overlay of contour lines.

To me often pondering whether it is realistic that a challenge is attainable by looking at the requirements and looking who might be on the way or willing to go seems more target-aimed than demanding that 10 geocachers already have met the requirement. Why? For some challenges no one except the challenge owner thought about that goal, even if it is perfectly doable and fun. For example to have a 31 day mystery streak (no longer an acceptable challenge). When GC5MN7H was published in 2015 only one single local cacher claimed to have fulfilled the requirements without aiming at it. Now this cache is at 131 finders and 65 Favorite Points, seems to be a success. Or GC6GEZ0 'find 5 Confluence Caches in 3 Counties' published 12 days ago. I'm curious whether there will be a single local cacher besides the owner that really fulfilled the requirement already before knowing about the challenge. The challenge is attainable, you can choose any 3 from quite a few in Austria and there are at least 2 quite near in neighboring countries, therefore enough caches that are reachable quite easily from where the challenge is. Plus there are enough local geocachers that travel to other countries with more prominent Confluence Caches. But it is very unlikely that any random local geocacher already has found the less than 100km away N49 E16 GC1DVRM 'Nejhezci souradnice na Znojemsku' in Czech Republic as this is not an area where you would go as a typical geocaching foreigner. Well, maybe you want to see this region because the villages around are where your ancestors came from.

Save the current guidelines, last update June 29 and hurry up before it will be "Specifying cache type(s), DT, size and everything else you might think of or find count (above one per day) required during a streak. (new 2016)" If you are fast enough you might get away like the still active new 2016 30 day Unknown cache streak including all of D1-D5, at least for the D.

No, thank you. I don't need more competition. And no levels, please. No pay for cheat eh levelling up please. If you want something like strava, use strava. There is enough competition if you are into that, FTF, statistics pages like project-gc.com, badges. FTF-hunts will let you meet other people that maybe are like-minded. For socializing there are also Events, regional geocaching clubs and social medial groups etc. where you can arrange whatever activity. Besides privacy concerns - more than half of the caches I visited during the last year were not at the posted coordinates, e.g. Multi-caches, Unknowns, Letterboxes with clues, Wherigo etc. Most owners won't be happy if I share my tracks with the whole world to allow skipping, especially of long multis and difficult puzzles.

pgc has access to the home coordinates entered at gc.com. Of course not the real ones. I know their challenge checkers don't have access to home coordinates. I just assumed PGC in general didn't either. pgc shows your home coordinates to you for your statistics if you are logged in like geocaching.com shows them to you. Others see: Nearest cache found: - Furthest cache found: - So, Groundspeak won't display your nearest/farthest caches from home (presumably because of privacy concerns), but they will share your home coordinates with third parties and allow them to display your nearest/farthest caches from home. That seems rather odd. Sorry, that was imprecise: It doesn't show you your coordinates, but has to have access to them (using it for you only) to determine nearest and furthest cache: Nearest cache found: xxx, GCxxx Austria Furthest cache found: 1,xxx.77 km, Improvisado #6 Montjuïc - Estadi Olimpic, GC24868 Spain

pgc has access to the home coordinates entered at gc.com. Of course not the real ones. I know their challenge checkers don't have access to home coordinates. I just assumed PGC in general didn't either. pgc shows your home coordinates to you for your statistics if you are logged in like geocaching.com shows them to you. Others see: Nearest cache found: - Furthest cache found: - Yes, they use different methods than the entered home coordinates to assign cachers to areas. Why would they use something else to determine a cacher's home area? Because a lot of people write there anything they want (like universe or Marcha Orientalis) or nothing at all? Also other sites determine your place (city/country - until you ask to overwrite it if they got it wrong) from where you first appeared and/or where the majority of your (perhaps with more weight on the last x months etc.) actions took place. Sometimes one can notice this for example if you look at one of the 'top x something in country' and a name you never ever saw before is suddenly in Top25.