Ranking Geocashing

[+TheBadger]

Many times when we travel we always try to plan sometime geocaching. But most times we can only get one or two in during our afternoon or weekend trips away. It would be great if you could search for cool or interesting caches.

 

I would like to be able to rate a cache, by how interesting or popular the spot is. If I could visit one cache in NYC it would be ........??

 

The good, the bad, and the ugly caches. Which ones do you want to do if you only have a couple of hours to kill?

[+RichardMoore]

I know a cacher who loves puzzle caches.

I avoid puzzle caches.

So does a puzzle cache rate high or low?

 

I prefer a longer walk in the woods, with a container of treasure at the end.

A local female cacher prefers cleverly hidden urban micros because she often caches alone and feels safer.

So which one rates higher?

 

The problem with any rating system is that it depends on the individual's preferences.

 

(By the way, this has been suggested before. But with the "search" feature being down you wouldn't have been able to find that out. I'm relatively certain that someone will be supplying links to the threads.)

[+TheBadger]

ya I tried to find this information via the search, but it was down.

 

If the website database could look at the type of geocaches you had done in the past then they could create a suggested interest list in given regions. Much like software at online book stores or music site.

[+dogbreathcanada]

It's spelled "cache" in probably a thousand different places all over this website ... so why do people still spell it "cash" or "cashe"? It's mind boggling.

Edited January 8, 2006 by dogbreathcanada

[Aushiker]

G'day

 

Geocaching Australia allow via its site the ability for cachers to recommend caches. This is not a ranking systems but it has the objective of allowing cachers to say these are the best cachers for them.

 

What I find this does is that it highlights a cache. A read then of the logs etc can allow me to determine if I want to maybe select this cache to find over others given limited time, location etc.

 

It is still my choice, but at least this approach highlights possibly interesting caches.

 

Also cachers can chose to ignore the recommendations of others.

 

The bottom line as I see it is it adds value to those who chose to use the sytem and does nothing bad to those who don't.

 

Regards

Andrew

[+Moose Mob]

A lot of folks are making their favorites list exactly for This reason. I am not sure when or if the concept will expand, but the goal is to help folks find cache that they like.

 

So, while you are pulling up caches in the area that you will be traveling to, you will see a nice little list and on it it says "My Favorites" by RoadRunner. You click on the lists and peruses his caches and you discover that you have the same tastes as he does. Cool, you have a much smaller list to work with.

 

Other uses for the list...

You are traveling across Nevada. If you are driving on I-15, you click on a cache along the interstate and it says "Easy I-15 caches in Nevada" by Longwalker. You click on that and it's all the highway caches en route. You click on the "create pocket query" button and you now have a "caches along the route" option. It's not perfected at this point, but it does have it's uses.

 

If you see someone's list, please rate it. The options are that it's either useful to you or not useful to you. The more useful it is, the higher on the list it is on the cache page. More people may find Longwalkers Favorites more useful that Moose Mobs Favorites.

 

Edit: Spelling

Edited January 8, 2006 by Moose Mob

[Aushiker]

A lot of folks are making their favorites list exactly for This reason.

G'day

 

The favourites list sounds interesting. Where does one find these?

 

Thanks

Andrew

[Jeremy]

It's basically just a bookmark list but you name it "Jeremy's Favorites" and add items to the list. When you make the list shared and public it shows up on the listings that are bookmarked on that list.

 

The plan is to have a more formal favorites list in the future, but in the meantime people are creating their own lists to share with others.

 

HTH

[+Team Neos]

If I know in advance that I will be taking a trip to a particular area, I start a thread in the forum for that area asking if there are any "Must see" caches. I have gotten good advice that way, especially if I tell folks up front what kind of caches I like to find.

[+JDandDD]

Any rating system is almost assured to be controversial and be assailed from all sides. The main problem is that one of the best things about geocaching is the freedom of choice to do the caches you like. What one person finds a great cache is seen by others as a give it a miss type.

 

I've done several 'must sees' that I just don't get and I've been to some I think are terrific and others find so so or find too long a hike.

 

Don't think it would work.

 

JDandDD

[+Markwell]

Here's the current proposal that I made. That thread continues on for 7 pages indicating minor tweaks and Jeremy's post that makes it sound like this is something they are leaning toward, with modifications, of course.

[Aushiker]

It's basically just a bookmark list but you name it "Jeremy's Favorites" and add items to the list. When you make the list shared and public it shows up on the listings that are bookmarked on that list.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

Andrew

[CoyoteRed]

It's spelled "cache" in probably a thousand different places all over this website ... so why do people still spell it "cash" or "cashe"? It's mind boggling.

Why is it I have problems with "cash?"

 

"You can pay with cache, check, or moneyorder."

 

Oops!

 

"That's cach..." errr...

 

"That's cac..." Dang it!

 

I do a lot of backspacing trying to spell "cash." Even on both instances where I've written it here and well aware of what I was doing. I guess it's a muscle-memory thing. My fingers have a mind of their own.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Many times when we travel we always try to plan sometime geocaching. But most times we can only get one or two in during our afternoon or weekend trips away. It would be great if you could search for cool or interesting caches.

 

I would like to be able to rate a cache, by how interesting or popular the spot is. If I could visit one cache in NYC it would be ........??

 

The good, the bad, and the ugly caches. Which ones do you want to do if you only have a couple of hours to kill?

As other posters have noted, we each like different things. I happen to like extreme (terrain) caches and abhor puzzle caches (while Sue loves puzzle caches.) What I sometimes do when preparing for a consulting trip -- when I know that I will have the time and wheels to go after more than just a few 1/1 or 2/2 caches near my motel or place of work -- is one of the following:

1) I will run a PQ for a 20 mile radius of my destination, seeking only caches with (in my case) high terrain ratings.

 

and/or

 

2) I will go the the regional forum for that area on the GC.COM forums, and will disclose my cache preferences, and will ask local cachers in that area for their own do-not-miss recommendations.

 

Now, what Lynn (CCCooper Agency) tells me that she does most of the time when planning a trip is that she contacts some local cachers and asks if someone wants to take her caching in their area to show her some do-not-miss caches. In fact, Sue and I occasionally receive requests from out-of-state cachers asking us to do the same for them when they will be in town, or at least to provide a list of do-not-miss-caches.

[+wimseyguy]

Yup, Vinny summed it up quite well. You should contact the local organization, or some of the active locals where you plan to travel. Tell them in detail what you define as a quality cache, and ask them for some guidance. That way you not only get the data you seek, but have made a local contact/geo-pal as well.

 

For me, different trips present different opportunities for caching, and I base my queries and searches on that. When I visit family, I know my caching time will be limited, so distance from is important, and finding full size containers so my nieces and nephews can swap is important. If I'm traveling with my less enthusiastic wife, location, nice views, historical significance, minimal bushwacking is important, if I'm traveling with my geopals on a caching numbers run-density is important.

Edited January 11, 2006 by wimseyguy

[+The Leprechauns]

You should contact the local organization, or some of the active locals where you plan to travel. Tell them in detail what you define as a quality cache, and ask them for some guidance. That way you not only get the data you seek, but have made a local contact/geo-pal as well.

And if you're not sure who to contact, consult the Geocaching Tour Guides category at Waymarking.com to see if there's a tour guide in the area that you're visiting. A tour guide will tailor an itinerary suited to your personal tastes and your schedule. I think that beats any numerical "ranking" system.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Many times when we travel we always try to plan sometime geocaching. But most times we can only get one or two in during our afternoon or weekend trips away. It would be great if you could search for cool or interesting caches.

 

I would like to be able to rate a cache, by how interesting or popular the spot is. If I could visit one cache in NYC it would be ........??

 

The good, the bad, and the ugly caches. Which ones do you want to do if you only have a couple of hours to kill?

Hmm... New York City. Hmm... Define what you mean by New York City. All five boroughs, only Manhattan, or Central Park and south? Virtuals or regular caches? Bear in mind that Midtown is a very muggly place with few caches other than micros.

I've done most of the ones on Manhattan, half the ones in the Bronx and Queens, some in Brooklyn, and none on Staten Island.

Best non-micro in midtown: Pause. Best non-micro above midtown: Peter Pan, or Blue Sea.

Best cache EVER in NYC: My Monkey, since archived.

A true Five Star Cache? Five Star New York.

Technically, New York County: He[[ G^te

This one, we're never even going to attempt: Spooky island cache.

A couple of hours to do one and only one? I guess I'd vote for Blue Sea.

Just my humble opinion.

[Moonsovrbend]

I think this is a great idea!! A feature could be added to the geocache listing page that allows finders to rate the cache say from 1 - 10 as they log a find and the average result could be listed right on the geocache listing.

 

This would make navigating the geocaching.com site - seeking new caches to find much easier and enjoyable.

[+Hula Bum]

I love the idea of a rating system, similair to something like Netflix has. I rate movies and then it gives me suggestions based on my ratings. I rate the caches I do/have done, it shows me what I might like based on that information. OOOH that would be so cool!

[+Ed & Julie]

It's basically just a bookmark list but you name it "Jeremy's Favorites" and add items to the list. When you make the list shared and public it shows up on the listings that are bookmarked on that list.

 

The plan is to have a more formal favorites list in the future, but in the meantime people are creating their own lists to share with others.

 

HTH

Cool! I just made a new public bookmark and named it "Jeremy's Favorites" and bookmarked all of my caches! Thanks for the tip!!

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Kidding!!

 

Ed

TB&TB