Feature Request: Value Caches Icon.

[+Selina_and_Eric]

What is the possibility of adding another icon just like the travel bug and geocoin caches have for caches with valuable items in it for FTF (First to Find).

 

Say any geocache with lots of cash or items of more then $50 value .. Like a dollar sign next to it or something?? What do you think? Might encourage more great prize FTF geocaches? You can set a rule that the geocache must contain

other items and such to prevent just a treasure hunt from happening..

 

Like this cache which has about $100 in ones in it, a camera, a model car, silly puddy, and a lei.. It is a great FTF but also contains other good items for all the non- Frist to find people..

Cold Hard Cache

 

What do you think??

Edited November 27, 2005 by Selina_and_Eric

[+webscouter.]

Not to be the bummer in your trip but if you are into caching to find cash I think you will be sorely disappointed.

 

I don't like the idea of putting an icon on high value caches. The game is supposed to be about getting outdoors and learning of new places.

 

You currently have three threads about this cache. It is out of the ordinary and so warrents one thread but certainly not three.

[+Mopar]

How about a "the cache owner has been pimping this cache in every thread he posts to" icon?

I suggest this:

[+az_pistolero]

Seems that this kind of cache, while interesting, is more of an FTF Cache. An FTF cache could probably be removed after the first find. I think that'd lead to a darker side of geocaching.

 

If the cache has value after that (as the cache linked seems to) then why turn it into an FTF race?

 

There are enough folks watching for new caches that it doesn't seem a "high value" icon (which would be present until the first find only?) is beneficial.

[+Hynr]

I don't understand why every thread in the forums brings out the nay-sayers regardless of the idea.

 

Selina_and_Eric wish to add value to geocaching and you guys insult them. Your reference to prostituition is absurd and shows only your level of closedmindedness.

 

The vast majority of caches contain nothing of value (or frequelty worse); here are folks who wish to be able to draw attention to caches that don't fall into that category. The idea clearly has merit even if some claim that it would have not impact on them.

 

Selina_and_Eric, the mechanisms is already in place. It is called a "members-only cache". What that means is that only members who have purchased premium memberships have access to the description. Most of the time, when I find such a cache, I am not impressed and if more folks did what you are proposing to do, then I think it would be a good thing for geocaching.

 

I am amazed at your faith in mankind. I guess Hawaii does that to you (I lived there as a kid and understand that). Keep on having fun geocaching. Aloha.

[+The Leprechauns]

You gotta admire consistency and persistency.

[+tozainamboku]

You gotta admire consistency and persistency.

Why does the example in that post say Ringbone?

[+Selina_and_Eric]

Hawaii does seem to have more of a "Ohana" and faith in mankind.. I have been to the mainland and was amazed on how cold and mean SOME people can be there... I am not saying they are all mean on the mainland but the general attitude does feel different.

 

Here in Hawaii most people are still trusting of each other and call all strangers cousens and are here to help eachother... if you help others it feels good.. On the mainland with all the crime and strange people around it is a bit more cold of a feeling..

 

For example over here on the island I feel safe hitch hiking around the island and meet many nice people that way.. On the mainland I would be be fearful to hitch hike.. in fact I think hitch hiking is against the law in some states.

 

In most cases it feels good to help people even if it does not come back to you... on the mainland It seems to be more of "what is in it for me" ?? If they do not know you, you are untrusted and in some cases their enemy and if you try to do somthing nice to someone on the mainland they react very strangly to you ... like what is it you are trying to get in return because you MUST be wanting somthing in return... they think you are strange for helping them when you do not know them.. no aloha .... it is very sad.. I have lived in Hawaii all my life and visited Colorado and California and found the people there to very un-willing to accept the fact that people can do things for others just out of Aloha but I might of just met the wrong people.

 

I wanted to make a cache that is a treasure but also can continue to be a cache after the First find .. which is the case here... after whoever it is that first finds the cache first collects the $100 in ones or takes only some of the money as I hope so that the next cacher can find some cash too... there is still a lot in the cache for it to continue to be a good cache to find....

 

At anyrate.. The cache I actually adopted is in a very special location. When you hike to it you will pass 4 waterfalls and a increadable bamboo forest and is in my opinion one of the best Hiking trails you can do in Hawaii so even if you do not find the cache you wil binigfit from the location ...

 

At the end of the hiking you will find a 40 foot waterfall and a cache that is hidden in the falls with $100 in it ..

 

I am not sure why it seems that only in Hawaii are the people nice and considerate to strangers.. it is beyond me... but then again I have lived nowhere else...

Edited November 27, 2005 by Selina_and_Eric

[+Mopar]

I am a database PHP Web programmer and have programmed an Open Source FREE Live Help application for ANYONE to use.. Other companies charge $100 per month for the same thing that I am giving away which is downloadable at CRAFTY SYNTAX

[+Selina_and_Eric]

ok maybe that is off topic.. i edited that out ..

[+RichardMoore]

Everyone plays the game their own way.

If you want to do it this way, it doesn't affect me at all.

Personally, I don't want to see high-value items in caches. And I especially don't want the information posted that there is a high-value item in a cache. While I can agree that cachers shouldn't leave junk as trade items, my definition of junk seems to be different than a lot of other's (I'm referring to the people who say that a trade item should be worth $5.00 or more, and be something useful to them). My first cache cost me less than a dollar to place. I had to buy a notebook to use for a logbook, but everything else I had around the apartment. My second cache cost around $12.00, over half of that was for an ammo can.

Where they bad caches? I didn't get any complaints. Most of the finders appreciated the area that the hide took them to.

To me, anyway, the journey is what it's about. Not the treasure at the end.

 

Besides, most FTFers get their pleasure and reward from being FTF, not by what item they get from the cache.

Edited November 27, 2005 by RichardMoore

[+budd-rdc]

Personally, I'm against it.

 

I've been questioned by muggles on many occasions during a search for a cache. They would often ask "is something valuable involved?" and I always answer NO, which gets them off my back.

 

This idea will blow my cover, you see.

 

Submitting your "Value Cache" as a MOC (Members Only Cache) is the best alternative, as Hynr has suggested.

[bogleman]

Sounds too much like, burp this old topic, excuse me.

[+StarBrand]

Actually the icon would have to slowly degrade over time as the contents of the cache degrade (sorry but it DOES tend to happen).

 

Of course the icon would renew itself after an owner visit...........

Edited November 27, 2005 by StarBrand

[+welch]

Selina_and_Eric, the mechanisms is already in place. It is called a "members-only cache". What that means is that only members who have purchased premium memberships have access to the description. Most of the time, when I find such a cache, I am not impressed and if more folks did what you are proposing to do, then I think it would be a good thing for geocaching.

You could make it a MOC, but thats really not assurance to anyone that its anything. Only difference is a check box... Would a proposed 'big prizes' icon be any harder to get?

 

Moving on, nowhere does it currently say there has to be a FTF prize (or even trading trinkets at all for that matter), or what $ of the cache should be. If you want to put valuable prizes in caches, do so. Maybe even write it up in the description. But realize that the number of people taking out and leaving nothing, or leaving silly almost useless items outnumber those that do leave $ items. So unless you restock it often, or make it very difficult so that only few make the trip, the swag will probably degrade.

 

If you want a valuable icon on your page right now, go buy a bunch of TBs or gc.com trackable Coins and log them in the cache. (they might be a even most attractive if you don't activate them and put them in the cache as prizes, but then you can't use the icon on the page)

[+Selina_and_Eric]

Very good points..

 

I agree the real fun is the hunt and the location that the cache is in. Just would

be an added plus if something in the cache as well..

 

I was thinking of making it a MOC but the location where the cache is is somewhat difficult to get to.. you have to actually swim part of the trip and the last time this cache was placed no one found it .. It is a known place for locals which I think took the last one. But I can make it MOC and if no one finds it change it back right??

 

At any rate.. I will re-stock the cache in a month or so and place some TB's in it. If I bring a bigger container and wrap everything in plastic and lots of zip lock bags perhaps it will last not being found for a long time..

Edited November 27, 2005 by Selina_and_Eric

[+webscouter.]

I hope that you don't feel like I was being "cold and mean"

 

My point was that a cache should be found because of the location not because of it's contents. Perhaps I was a bit put off because three threads popped up that highlighted how generous the cache was. I didn't even notice that it was your cache.

 

I have bookmarked your cache to find if I ever get to go to the islands but I highlighted it because it looked like a great location. I'll be happy if it has a log in it.

[+Selina_and_Eric]

Re-reading my post I think I was being a bit defensive and going a little off track.. I am sorry about that.. I would delete or re-word the post but thought it best to leave it alone....

 

I did find the answer to my question/ feature request which was to make the cache a Members only cache (MOC).. I did a pocket query search of other MOC caches and found that the contents of the caches that are MOC do tend to lean towards what I was looking for as a "quality cache" not always money but at least somthing ... I even found other MOC caches in the state that have $100 bills in them as FTF.. like The Last Kukui

Not all MOC caches are "quality caches" but it is a step in the direction I was looking..

 

I changed my cache to MOC.. I will also re-visit the cache in the next month to place some TB's in it and add more cache items with a bigger container

since the hiding spot I found for it can fit a bigger container easy.

Edited November 27, 2005 by Selina_and_Eric

[+ohgr]

Personally we have never found anything worth over a buck or two in a cache, and that's fine with us.

 

A $50 first to find prize would be great, but a hand-made signature item, in the long run would hold more value to us. Money is just not as special as something Caching related and the stories that get told afterwards.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm all for you putting money in caches, I just don't really think we need a way to designate the $$ value of a cache. Because even a parking lot micro could be priceless to the right person.

 

Ohgr

[+Hynr]

Selina_and_Eric,

 

have you thought about placing into the cache things that primarily geocachers consider valuable? E.g. unlaunched TBs, geocoins, etc. Since some folks don't go for those, you could include such things as rechargable batteries, decent flashlights, geocaching caps etc. Even some nice Hawaiian tourist swag would probably be appreciated by some. I don't know if the size is a limitation. I know that speaking solely for myself, I would get much more excited by some nice geocaching stuff than a wad of dollar bills. But I definitely don't want to talk you out of making this cache special - I admire that you are doing it.

 

And the next time I am on the road to Hana, I will definitely stop at your cache since I have heard remarkable things about the location. The last time I was in Maui I made the trip but missed the pull-off and ended up in boring little Hana. Of course that was pre-geocaching and I didn't have a gps back then.

[+Selina_and_Eric]

Yes.. I will add some unlaunched TBs to the cache the next time I visit it.. might make it hard for a geocacher to choose what to take

[+tozainamboku]

I think its cool that Selina_and_Eric want to put more valuable swag in their cache, especially in one that is difficult to get to. However, I'm not convinced that we need an attribute for caches that are well stocked. People would select this attribute if they stock their cache with good stuff initially and then never restock it as the contents degrade. And there is nothing stopping someone for setting this attribute on a cache with below average swag, just to get more visits. I think its enough to say something on the cache page and, if there is really good swag, the logs will say something as well. Perhaps someone could create a bookmark list for treasure caches.

 

I usually find better stuff the more remote and difficult it is to get to a cache. But this is not always the case so I'm never disappointed if I had to spend a lot of effort to get to a neat spot and the only reward, other than the smiley, is the neat spot itself. Umm... sounds like an unspoiled, secluded spot in Maui doesn't need any other reason to visit.

[+Selina_and_Eric]

well said/ written ....

 

I have changed my mind about the "value" Icon and don't think it is needed

anymore.. You are right it is the location, adventure and the people visiting

the area that makes it valuable as well as the cache itself..

 

Although I would like to see a bookmark of "treasure" caches..

 

Actually what do you think about a rating system? like the cachers who visit

a cache give the cache a rating between 1 and 5 where 1 star Sucks and

5 stars is great ??

 

As for the value icon just having it MOC seems to be good enough..

and the logs should reflect the great location and waterfalls in the area.. The people visiting the cache should now all be members and have more love for geocaching and I will revisit the cache to keep it maintained and "stocked"

[+dogbreathcanada]

Like this cache which has about $100 in ones in it, a camera, a model car, silly puddy, and a lei.. It is a great FTF but also contains other good items for all the non- Frist to find people..

Cold Hard Cache

 

What do you think??

There are charities out there that could better benefit from the $100, rather than giving it to someone who owns a $150-$400 GPSr unit.

[+LaPaglia]

Like this cache which has about $100 in ones in it, a camera, a model car, silly puddy, and a lei.. It is a great FTF but also contains other good items for all the non- Frist to find people..

Cold Hard Cache

 

What do you think??

There are charities out there that could better benefit from the $100, rather than giving it to someone who owns a $150-$400 GPSr unit.

So does this mean that you are going to sell your GPSr and donate the money to a charity. Seems only fair that you should be willing to put actions behind your words.

[+dogbreathcanada]

Like this cache which has about $100 in ones in it, a camera, a model car, silly puddy, and a lei.. It is a great FTF but also contains other good items for all the non- Frist to find people..

Cold Hard Cache

 

What do you think??

There are charities out there that could better benefit from the $100, rather than giving it to someone who owns a $150-$400 GPSr unit.

So does this mean that you are going to sell your GPSr and donate the money to a charity. Seems only fair that you should be willing to put actions behind your words.

 

The point I made (the point that went over your head) is that it makes little sense to be giving away hundreds of dollars to people who obviously don't need it. I don't need it. Anyone who can afford to buy a GPSr and geocaches with regularity doesn't need it.

[+The Leprechauns]

I see a Whoopee Cushion in that cache. My daughter would burrow right past the dollar bills and trade for the Whoopee Cushion. She knows that she can get a dollar any time, just for doing the dishes or helping to clean the basement. But a Whoopee Cushion is a *geocache treasure.*

 

"Value" is a relative term.

[Jeremy]

The point I made (the point that went over your head) is that it makes little sense to be giving away hundreds of dollars to people who obviously don't need it.

You didn't make a point. You alluded to one which caused the confusion. I didn't know where you were going with it.

 

I certainly could use a hundred bucks. It would help pay for this $150-400 GPS unit, for example.

 

IMO, the act of making 100 $1 bills gave the cache a theme which, although novel, could create a lot of "It's a Mad Mad Mad World" situations for many people. Giving these caches an icon would increase competition which would create a lot of unfair advantages and hurt feelings. For example the very proximity to the cache location from when it was announced could create an unfair advantage.

 

Not to mention the good points brought up above.

 

This insight comes from experience. When props from the "reimagination" of Planet of the Apes caused some healthy competition, but also spawned some not so healthy competition. And caches placed in a town will almost always be found by a local. Collecting cache "icons" are far more healthy.

 

I don't object to fun competitions outdoors. I just don't support competitions where the playing field starts off a bit uneven.

[+dogbreathcanada]

I certainly could use a hundred bucks.

Well, if that's the case, then you should sell your GPSr, you know, to make ends meet. I would hate to see you go without KD tonight.

[+Selina_and_Eric]

I agree with Jeremy.. I don't like the idea of a value cache icon anymore.. and as I said before have changed my mind on the whole thing...

 

But now I am thinking of a rating system.. Not a rating that has anything to do with what is inside the cache but the experience and adventure of the cache... has a rating of a cache site been discussed before? perhaps i shoud start a new thread on it

[Mushtang]

has a rating of a cache site been discussed before? perhaps i shoud start a new thread on it

Please do a search and read the dozens of threads already on that topic before you start a new one.

[+Selina_and_Eric]

The first search I did I did not come up with any results. What I did not realize

was that it was only the posts in the past 30 days. I changed

by search for the past year and found them thanks... see:

 

THIS THREAD FOR EXAMPLE

 

Thanks...

 

And thanks for the great discussion on the "value icon" thingy

I found my answer thanks..

 

bye.

[+az_pistolero]

Selina_and_Eric, glad you were able to come to an approach, using MOC. The location of your cache would make it a challenge to some of us purely on location, even it were a microcache with a log only. It'd be a pleasure signing the log.

 

There seemed to be several ideas from this thread, and I was going down the path expecting your goal (which you since clarified I was incorrect) was to have a high value cache find mostly to encourage an FTF challenge.

 

Standing caches, or high value caches that are "re-stocked" don't fit in this kind of category.

 

But it does bring up an interesting thought, along the "treasure hunt" approach, where a cache is created in an obscure, hard to find or hard to reach place (possibly a multi-cache) that is meant to be found exactly once and then decommissioned. I personally don't like where that idea goes, but it is intriguing and not impossible to set up on this site.