Members Only

[+Gralorn]

What is the significance of a 'Members' only cache? Do you get a special icon on your stats? - No, Do you get some particular physical award when you find it? -No, Are they heaps better and more intricate to test you? - No, so why do we have them? If one sets up a good cache, surely its more rewarding for lots of cachers to locate it and sign the log, than just a few 'members only'. Or am I missing something?

[+QDman]

Maybe it's a way of rewarding people who have paid to be a member.

[+Gralorn]

It would be a reward perhaps if they were to find a 'white jeep' as you have, was that a Member only cache by any chance, or general? General I feel sure it would of been, although it would be a way of passing around a special TB amongst members only!!

[+Skippy and Pingu]

We've wondered about this for a long while but its never bothered us. We've only found 1 members only cache and there was nothing special, still had all the same sort of stuff in it.

 

As cache setters we like lots of people visiting our caches so wouldn't make them members only caches. We set them because we think they're in an area that people would like to go to but without the cache they probably would never go there.

 

Maybe some of the cachers who have been around a lot longer could shed some light on the subject.

[+Birders]

This has been dealt with several times in the past. Some of our caches are for members only for several reasons: a) We firmly believe that participants in this sport should support GC.COM and become paid-up members; The co-ords of non-"member only" caches are available on here for all to see. One might hope that by restricting that info to genuine cachers the chances of a cache being vandalised may be reduced; c) Premium members have additional PQ facilities. For £16 per year we think that's extremely good value..

[+Gralorn]

£16 pounds and PQ facility is not disputed, it is good value and supporting gc.com is also well worthwhile. I'm on about the requirement for member only caches, and what special service do they provide to members, as its been said, they are just ordinary caches, nothing special at all. As regards vandalism I cannot see vandals looking up the net, working out the co-ords, getting a GPS and then going out to vandalise! I feel sure that most vandalising is done by chance finding, or observation of a geocacher logging/finding etc, then going to have a look after he/she has gone. Anyway that's going off the subject "Why members only caches"

[+Happy Humphrey]

As regards vandalism I cannot see vandals looking up the net, working out the co-ords, getting a GPS and then going out to vandalise!

 

Sadly, that has happened many times!

 

There have been occasions where a cache begins as "members-only" until it's been found, at which stage it goes "public". I suppose if your home area has a large geocaching population, you might want to allow the members to find it before it goes on public release. Particularly if there's a valuable prize for the FTF.

 

HH

[+Skippy and Pingu]

There have been occasions where a cache begins as "members-only" until it's been found, at which stage it goes "public". I suppose if your home area has a large geocaching population, you might want to allow the members to find it before it goes on public release. Particularly if there's a valuable prize for the FTF.

 

HH

That sounds like a good idea. Might do that next time we put a cache out (maybe not on our very next one because that needs as many people as possible to see it for it to stand a chance of being found ).

 

Mind you just had a look and the usual suspects for FTF's (Phoenix / aRKKKS!!) are premium members anyway so probably wouldn't make much difference in our area.

[+QDman]

I usually make my caches Member-Only until after the FTF. A benefit for the hider is that you can see an audit page of everyone who's looked at your cache page.

[+M3ZPY]

We have a member's only cache in South Yorkshire and I don't think it will be released as a general cache do to the decent trades inside (No Mctoys and golf balls!)

[markandlynn]

We used to members only for the FTF but when we realised that members can set up a PQ to preview on screen at a single click all FTF's in the country so having a natural advantage we stopped doing this, viewing the audit log was OK but nothing special.

Also you can get the listed co ordinates for a members only cache if you are not a premium member, this works only where the listed co ordinates are for the cache or the first stage of a multi.

[+edscott]

I think they often only serve the elitist attitudes of those that hide them.

[+Birders]

edscott: Maybe your comment applies across the pond where you live? Our reasons for making our caches "MO" have been detailed and they are valid. We know of several caches which experienced problems, but once changed to "MO" survived longer. If we're going to spend $50 buying a box and filling it with worthwhile swaps we don't enjoy the idea of a non-ccacher finding it and messing it up, because that definitely does happen. Nothing elitist about us - ex-working class pensioners here.

[+Teasel]

I understand the fear of losing such an expensive cache. But I think it's unlikely that i) all premium members are, by definition, trustworthy, ii) non-premium geocaching.com users are more likely to find and remove your cache than a random passer by who found it accidentally.

 

The comfort blanket of being able to see who's been viewing a members-only cache is surely a false one, as the details appear for all to see in GSAK which many, if not most, premium members use. Or have I missed something?

 

At the end of the day, only about 0.5% of UK cache owners own a members-only cache, and MO caches currently comprise less than 0.25% of the UK cache population. So if MO caches are a problem, they're a very small one!

[+civilised]

It would be a reward perhaps if they were to find a 'white jeep' as you have, was that a Member only cache by any chance, or general? General I feel sure it would of been, although it would be a way of passing around a special TB amongst members only!!

 

I don't think one would have to go to the trouble of setting a member's only cache just for this - all you have to do is have a circle of caching aquaintances with whom it's pre-arranged to pick up / drop off the White Jeep, bearing in mind, of course, that the item must always return to the possession of the original holder - one assumes so that he or she can continue to play the same game next week.

 

It's such fun for anyone watching such a TB to receive, as I did today, 6 emails alerting me to the fact that such a bug was dropped off/ picked up between 2 caches and still ended up in the possession of the original cacher.

 

Or am I just being cynical........

 

civilised

[+Happy Humphrey]

The comfort blanket of being able to see who's been viewing a members-only cache is surely a false one, as the details appear for all to see in GSAK which many, if not most, premium members use.

Are you saying that you can use GSAK to see who's been viewing a cache? How do you do that - I can't see how to?

 

HH

[+Haggis Hunter]

At least you can use GSAK, I've got it, but I don't have a clue how to use it. All I can ever do is upload waypoints to my GPS

[+Renegade Knight]

I think they often only serve the elitist attitudes of those that hide them.

Elite people tend not to be geocachers.

 

I live in a Members only rich area. It was done out of frustration that someone stole every cache that wasn't nailed down and they got at least one that was nailed down. MO caches lasted longer. At least until our cache maggot became a premium member.

[Deego]

The comfort blanket of being able to see who's been viewing a members-only cache is surely a false one, as the details appear for all to see in GSAK which many, if not most, premium members use.

Are you saying that you can use GSAK to see who's been viewing a cache? How do you do that - I can't see how to?

 

HH

No, think Ian means that if you get your PQ's emailed, you can read all the data using GSAK, without looking at the page on geocaching.com. So you will not be logged as looking at the page on the members only audit log

[+edscott]

I think they often only serve the elitist attitudes of those that hide them.

Elite people tend not to be geocachers.

 

I live in a Members only rich area. It was done out of frustration that someone stole every cache that wasn't nailed down and they got at least one that was nailed down. MO caches lasted longer. At least until our cache maggot became a premium member.

Elitist in the sense that they feel they are the elite of the geocaching world... not the world in general. If someone gets off by stealing caches I don't $30 a year will deter them. I agree with most here that at least over here vandalized caches are mostly the work of the accidental finder.