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Three strategies have been recommended in posts - ignore them or talk or call authorities. Talk is least advisable - the 15 minutes of fame, etc. Ignoring them is simple, easy and effective. For hard-core violators, a run-in with the law can be a good thing. Some municipalities use a scared-straight scenario for first time violators. It's: we can prosecute you now based on what you did. But you can redeem yourself. Do xyz act of community service, obey the law, and offense is cleared. HOWEVER, show up here again and we'll throw the book at you. Edit: leniency for violation #1 and a second chance is generally for minors. First time adult offenders get a break, but not as much.

During the Euro Mega event in France GC5YFA8, I met three times Dave Ulmer. The first time i talk to him about Waymarking, i spoke about the "huge" (exactly what i said) waymarkers community in Europe (France, Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic, etc.) and i asked him to invest more resources in Waymarking because we are the poor parent (french expression) of Groundspeak. He said France is a nice country to play Waymarking and he played Waymarking also and the best waymark for him was where Bonnie and Clyde where shot. The next day he said, I thought last night of what you said, there were a long long time that someone talk to me about Waymarking... but there were too many people and not possible to continue the discussion. The last day he was enjoying watching people playing with zip-line (one of my next waymark) and he said in his house in Oregon in his garden he's got his own zip-line for his children and grand children. But i was geocaching and i could not stay. In conclusion the best way to promote Waymarking is to speak about it, especialy if the guy works in Groundspeak

We have a challenge in Ontario for finding 10 Earthcaches requiring the boat attribute. Maybe you should go find them all That question was answered (can't remember if an FAQ or the Geocache Talk episode with Bryan Roth) that all clues would be in the same listings for everyone. Bookmark the homepage for the promotion. The promotion does not require you to be using the latest version of the dashboard. (that we know of thus far)

Hi, and welcome to geocaching! I hope you and your daughter enjoy it! If you are using only the geocaching app on your phone, your experience as a basic member will be limited to traditional caches rated 2 or lower for difficulty and terrain - a good place to start, but you might not see many caches to find around you. The website will show you all the caches except for those that owners have marked as Premium only, and you can manually enter those coordinates, and still log those finds on the website. The website has some starter videos and a LOT of information on how to do various tasks. Spend some time there! Take one/leave one refers to SWAG left by geocachers - the general rule is to trade even or up, but don't be surprised to find, literally, junk, in a lot of caches. We try to clean out the garbage and leave trinkets and signature stuff. I leave wine corks, kids leave bouncy balls, little charms, etc. NO food, gum, toothpaste (yes, I did find a tube of toothpaste in a cache!), perishable items. Take one/leave one doesn't apply to trackables (a whole 'nuther side game that can be a lot of fun, and you don't have to be a premium member to do that either) Premium allows you to see ALL caches available, and for the app that means many more icons on the map for you to choose from! I waited a few months after joining to upgrade to premium; my husband had a premium membership and I just cached with him and logged caches via other methods if we found any that were premium. Find a local group (look for events to attend) and ask questions - most are happy to share tips and insights, and someone local can guide you and show you local customs and what types of cache hides are more common in your neck of the woods. Events are just gatherings of geocachers, usually at a restaurant or park, to talk and share experiences. It's a great way to meet other geocachers learn from more experienced folks!!

The "commercial business" guideline is a sticking point. But another of the problems of a “business” is that they change owners, and the new owner doesn't know what “Geocaching” is, or at least they know it's weird. And the new owner certainly doesn't want families to be drawn there from all over. This is a convenience store! A bunch of local cool old grandfathered caches have gone away when a new owner bought the property. Unless it's a mom & pop store from way back, you may not even find an “owner” to talk about it.

I know of two indoor caches, one in the visitors center of a National Park. You need to talk to the ranger to obtain the cache. The other (GC4RHPA) is in a convenience store (not in the office as stated earlier,) , kept beneath the counter, also need to see the worker to obtain it. Maybe the second one is not allowed.

First time posting, so I am not sure if I am in the right place. I would like to create a "bird box" style puzzle cache. It will be placed on my property on a part that is publicly accessible, so no issues there. However, the theme is where I have questions on. I want to theme the cache after the Civil Air Patrol and their contributions to the local community. Not as a recruiting tool, no information on the current squadron will be included. Cachers will have to solve three puzzles themed after the three missions of the Civil Air Patrol. Who do I talk to for approval? Thanks.

Agree with the three headed dog on this one. Also would add to avoid a call to action. OK to talk factually about CAP; not OK to ask finders to do anything other than find a cache, such as "Take a moment to think about..." If your reviewer has issues, they will let you know. Please give them the benefit of a doubt if they ask you to scale back your description, reviewers are responsible for implementing the guidelines, which prohibit any agenda. I like CAP - I was at Maxwell AFB for three years and am familiar with their mission - but we stay away from agendas here.

Well, that and the Court ordred Gag order, in place untill the trial is over prevents it anyway. That trial is both a circus and a nightmare, and I must admit that I -- who does not normally watch much TV -- am glued to the TV set almost every day, watching that progress of that federal trial on the cable channel. I cannot say any more here at this time, because I too was named in the gag order issued by the courts. i heard that PLATINUM MEMBERS are allowed to talk to the press about the trial. the down side is that they can only talk to Star Jones. Titanium Members get to talk to Geraldo. But the Black members don't have to talk to anyone if they don't want to. And it they do want to talk, they can talk to anyone they choose. My fantasy does not include Keystone, but I'd like to 'talk' to Brooke Burke.

The events themselves didn't directly encourage people to place cache listings for the event. They were themed events that were to encourage creation of better geocaches and ideas. People can still host events just like that today if they wish - they just can't directly promote creating geocache listings (publish one cache to gain entry, eg). Those event caches were indeed judged to a degree by a reviewer and hq to become an 'approved' event for the promo period. (not that there were any strict requirements other than the event date - plenty were just "come have a coffee and talk about geocaches" flash mobs) In a sense the promo did encourage the 'hosting of lame events' just for a souvenir; but lame events aren't like 'lame geocaches' anyway. Don't attend them, they go away The key distinction is between how to make better caches vs encouragement to create geocache listings. The former is acceptable, the latter isn't.

But... again... IF Groundspeak publishes events where socializing is not a requirement let alone even suggested, then events aren't fundamentally intended to be "social". Events are just events. How do you define social, even? To what degree? Do you have to talk to everyone to be social? What if you only talk to one person? What if you go with a friend, stay the whole time, but talk to no one else? "Social" is so arbitrary it makes sense that Groundspeak hasn't required that events be "social". It would be ludicrous to verify and police. I'm amazed this discussion of the social aspect has gone on for so long without the relevant guideline being quoted: As for defining which events are "social", that's up to the judgement of the reviewers, possibly with some guidance from HQ. I haven't looked at the event listing in question, but if it was published, the reviewer has deemed that there's enough of a social aspect to qualify as a Geocaching.com event. It seems to me that as long as the event organizer or his representative is present, then there will always be a social element because an attendee will always be able to stop by and visit.

But... again... IF Groundspeak publishes events where socializing is not a requirement let alone even suggested, then events aren't fundamentally intended to be "social". Events are just events. How do you define social, even? To what degree? Do you have to talk to everyone to be social? What if you only talk to one person? What if you go with a friend, stay the whole time, but talk to no one else? "Social" is so arbitrary it makes sense that Groundspeak hasn't required that events be "social". It would be ludicrous to verify and police. I'm amazed this discussion of the social aspect has gone on for so long without the relevant guideline being quoted: As for defining which events are "social", that's up to the judgement of the reviewers, possibly with some guidance from HQ. I haven't looked at the event listing in question, but if it was published, the reviewer has deemed that there's enough of a social aspect to qualify as a Geocaching.com event.

But... again... IF Groundspeak publishes events where socializing is not a requirement let alone even suggested, then events aren't fundamentally intended to be "social". Events are just events. How do you define social, even? To what degree? Do you have to talk to everyone to be social? What if you only talk to one person? What if you go with a friend, stay the whole time, but talk to no one else? "Social" is so arbitrary it makes sense that Groundspeak hasn't required that events be "social". It would be ludicrous to verify and police. We want them to be social, and most if not all are in some manner social. But if "being social" is not a requirement for an event, then Groundspeak's made that decision. It would only be a matter of time before sometime tries some form of overtly non-social event (effectively a drive-by). Which... again... has not even been demonstrated with an actual example

Ah, appeal to authority! In theory, the clue types themselves could be connected to a cache property; maybe even the jewels (by colour?). Who know. Bryan Roth was on Geocache Talk on Sunday discussing the promo. I don't recall any clarification to the clue placement algorithm though. (I was partly distracted by paddling in a kayak at the time, heh)

Since you mention freezing, IF you have a tick that has latched on, I always put it in a baggie and freeze it. If you have any signs of anything of disease, the tick can be tested. At least, that is what I heard. I did this religiously when I found one latched onto my kids when they were little. I overheard one of their friends ask my son what that was (when they were snooping in the fridge/freezer). My son said, "Oh, that's our tick.". ha ha. Gotta give the neighbors something to talk about, I guess.

My reply is from the point of view of a participant of events, and not from the point of view of an organizer. I never ever would like to organize a geocaching event nowadays as there are lots of aspects that I do not want to care of. In case you and your wife had attended an event in my area, I would have loved to talk to both of you. What I hate, however, is to talk on an event about which GPS receivers, torches etc are recommendable, how to find cache X (this typically ends up in open spoilers) etc. I prefer topics that are more general than either the basics of geocaching for beginners or cache-talk of cachers who just want to talk 100% about geocaching. Cezanne

Quick to blame, slow to learn. How the system behaves is because of Garmin firmware and has NOTHING to do with GS and little to do with the hardware as firmware is needed to make the hardware able to communicate. The first thing that happens when you plug a USB cable into your GPS and it is NOT in Mass Storage Mode(MSM), is the GPS will ask you if you want to change mode. If you don't do so, even the OS will not be able to talk to the GPS. So tell me how it is the fault of GS if the OS can't talk to the unit. When you change the setting to MSM you will find that the OS can now talk to the GPS, and you can put files on the GPS without the plugin. Select Send GPX file and then tell the OS to save the file to the appropriate folder: [GPS DRIVE]\Garmin\GPX. Again GS has nothing to do with this. Or download a PQ, extract the file(s) and drop and drag the files to the GPX directory. Or you can install the plugin, put the GPS in the MSM mode and send the individual file directly to the GPS. The failure for it to work was because YOU did not have it set properly despite being prompted to do so. GS is responsible for many issues but this isn't one of them. As you continue to learn the features and intricacies of your new unit, I'm sure you will really like it. Have fun.

Because jellis is using a small stamp, and he (the CO) hasn't said anything about size being the problem, I think his reasoning against the use of stamps is that people are using the 'divide-and-conquer' group caching style of play in his area. It's done to get more smiley points. A stamp with the groups name is made and each member carries a group stamp. The group's ethos is that at least one person did get to ground zero and found the cache (or in some cases depending on the ethos of the group, at least one person got to ground zero and left a throwdown with the group's name). Sometimes this behavior is assumed by the CO when the group find a huge number of caches in a day and all log generic logs not mentioning a visit to each of the caches. Sometimes the CO hears about the groups practices through the grapevine from other sites like Facebook, or perhaps talk that goes around at events. The CO cannot do anything about this practice. They must allow it. They can not insist that finders write their individual trailnames as more concrete proof that they actually visited the cache.

I have an idea for an earthcache based on one I found in another state, but which can easily be replicated in my home state. I have a location and some general information, but I'd like to discuss my topic with someone who is knowledgeable about earthcaches before I go through the process of writing it up and submitting it, in the hopes that I can do it right the first time. Are there any earthcache 'mentors' out there who are willing to talk about submission guidelines and offer pointers on what makes a good earthcache? I know that there are websites and some FAQ pages available, but I work better with discussion and feedback.

That's true. I can't promote directly. But if all fails just let me know and I will talk with Groundspeak to get the new officer promoted.

And here i thought i was the only person on the planet who pretty much only used my phone to, you know,, talk on! I use my phone for all sorts of stuff when I'm at home or work or otherwise close to a charger. When I'm out and about, it's put away and only used when needed. All the other features are nice, but it is, primarily, a phone. Smartphones have been touted as "the end of boredom." On the hand, some say we're losing our creativity by being entertained. (No, that was inane 1950's television that turned our minds to mush. ) However, while sitting waiting for an appointment, if there are no good magazines and no one to talk with, what should we do, practice origami with dollar bills or broaden our knowledge with a smartphone? I just don't use my phone that way very much if I can't plug it in. I may need to call someone or look up something important and the phone is no use to me if it's dead. I know other people use their phones more heavily away from home and allow their children to use them, but that doesn't work for me. i can't remember the last time i needed to make an emergency call, but taught the kids how to do so from a locked phone's lockscreen. no games, but research is allowed sparingly. regular calls are usually handled at home, when it doesn't interrupt our activities/conversations with the kids. getting 8 hours (battery) of screen on time is normal for both of our smartphones, but they rarely see more than two hours a day, caching/hiking included. a quick charger replenishes either phone in two hours or both in about three and a half. pokemon has been great so far. the kids have really enjoyed meeting other people and searching new places along trails. i was surprised how much more fun it was vs looking for another static geocache that was placed solely to be difficult to find, instead of fun. i bet this is a big portion of the reason the apps been downloaded fifty million times since release. fifty million. wow. I'm sure it's a fun game, given how popular it is, but I can't toss out all of the family rules and routines we have around devices just because there's a new game. Just not the right thing for us. We don't use phones for geocaching either, because of ruggedness and battery issues. We each have our own GPS. I'll skip the "but it isn't rugged!" since that was fixed about for years ago, but how is playing pg against family rules and routines, but caching is OK?

And here i thought i was the only person on the planet who pretty much only used my phone to, you know,, talk on! I use my phone for all sorts of stuff when I'm at home or work or otherwise close to a charger. When I'm out and about, it's put away and only used when needed. All the other features are nice, but it is, primarily, a phone. Smartphones have been touted as "the end of boredom." On the hand, some say we're losing our creativity by being entertained. (No, that was inane 1950's television that turned our minds to mush. ) However, while sitting waiting for an appointment, if there are no good magazines and no one to talk with, what should we do, practice origami with dollar bills or broaden our knowledge with a smartphone? I just don't use my phone that way very much if I can't plug it in. I may need to call someone or look up something important and the phone is no use to me if it's dead. I know other people use their phones more heavily away from home and allow their children to use them, but that doesn't work for me. i can't remember the last time i needed to make an emergency call, but taught the kids how to do so from a locked phone's lockscreen. no games, but research is allowed sparingly. regular calls are usually handled at home, when it doesn't interrupt our activities/conversations with the kids. getting 8 hours (battery) of screen on time is normal for both of our smartphones, but they rarely see more than two hours a day, caching/hiking included. a quick charger replenishes either phone in two hours or both in about three and a half. pokemon has been great so far. the kids have really enjoyed meeting other people and searching new places along trails. i was surprised how much more fun it was vs looking for another static geocache that was placed solely to be difficult to find, instead of fun. i bet this is a big portion of the reason the apps been downloaded fifty million times since release. fifty million. wow. I'm sure it's a fun game, given how popular it is, but I can't toss out all of the family rules and routines we have around devices just because there's a new game. Just not the right thing for us. We don't use phones for geocaching either, because of ruggedness and battery issues. We each have our own GPS.

And here i thought i was the only person on the planet who pretty much only used my phone to, you know,, talk on! I use my phone for all sorts of stuff when I'm at home or work or otherwise close to a charger. When I'm out and about, it's put away and only used when needed. All the other features are nice, but it is, primarily, a phone. Smartphones have been touted as "the end of boredom." On the hand, some say we're losing our creativity by being entertained. (No, that was inane 1950's television that turned our minds to mush. ) However, while sitting waiting for an appointment, if there are no good magazines and no one to talk with, what should we do, practice origami with dollar bills or broaden our knowledge with a smartphone? I just don't use my phone that way very much if I can't plug it in. I may need to call someone or look up something important and the phone is no use to me if it's dead. I know other people use their phones more heavily away from home and allow their children to use them, but that doesn't work for me. i can't remember the last time i needed to make an emergency call, but taught the kids how to do so from a locked phone's lockscreen. no games, but research is allowed sparingly. regular calls are usually handled at home, when it doesn't interrupt our activities/conversations with the kids. getting 8 hours (battery) of screen on time is normal for both of our smartphones, but they rarely see more than two hours a day, caching/hiking included. a quick charger replenishes either phone in two hours or both in about three and a half. pokemon has been great so far. the kids have really enjoyed meeting other people and searching new places along trails. i was surprised how much more fun it was vs looking for another static geocache that was placed solely to be difficult to find, instead of fun. i bet this is a big portion of the reason the apps been downloaded fifty million times since release. fifty million. wow.

And here i thought i was the only person on the planet who pretty much only used my phone to, you know,, talk on! I use my phone for all sorts of stuff when I'm at home or work or otherwise close to a charger. When I'm out and about, it's put away and only used when needed. All the other features are nice, but it is, primarily, a phone. Smartphones have been touted as "the end of boredom." On the hand, some say we're losing our creativity by being entertained. (No, that was inane 1950's television that turned our minds to mush. ) However, while sitting waiting for an appointment, if there are no good magazines and no one to talk with, what should we do, practice origami with dollar bills or broaden our knowledge with a smartphone? I just don't use my phone that way very much if I can't plug it in. I may need to call someone or look up something important and the phone is no use to me if it's dead. I know other people use their phones more heavily away from home and allow their children to use them, but that doesn't work for me. I try to not leave the house without my portable charger in tow (the thing is a beast but I can get 4-5 full charges for my phone off of it). I don't have my nose constantly buried in my phones screen when I'm out but some apps, especially Pokemon Go, are real battery drains. Even more so if it's a sunny day and you have to turn the screen brightness way up. If you only use your phone sparingly, a small lipstick sized charger is great for emergency uses and peace of mind. I had one and the one time I wanted to use it, it was out of charge. Not a useful option for me, but I can see how they are useful for people who play phone games or use their devices more heavily than I do. I just can't relenquish my phone to a child for the purpose of playing a game. It's my phone.

And here i thought i was the only person on the planet who pretty much only used my phone to, you know,, talk on! I use my phone for all sorts of stuff when I'm at home or work or otherwise close to a charger. When I'm out and about, it's put away and only used when needed. All the other features are nice, but it is, primarily, a phone. Smartphones have been touted as "the end of boredom." On the hand, some say we're losing our creativity by being entertained. (No, that was inane 1950's television that turned our minds to mush. ) However, while sitting waiting for an appointment, if there are no good magazines and no one to talk with, what should we do, practice origami with dollar bills or broaden our knowledge with a smartphone? I just don't use my phone that way very much if I can't plug it in. I may need to call someone or look up something important and the phone is no use to me if it's dead. I know other people use their phones more heavily away from home and allow their children to use them, but that doesn't work for me. I try to not leave the house without my portable charger in tow (the thing is a beast but I can get 4-5 full charges for my phone off of it). I don't have my nose constantly buried in my phones screen when I'm out but some apps, especially Pokemon Go, are real battery drains. Even more so if it's a sunny day and you have to turn the screen brightness way up. If you only use your phone sparingly, a small lipstick sized charger is great for emergency uses and peace of mind.