Beta Testing

[TontoDog]

Is there a method/system in place to Beta test a new site before it's up? I put up a new site a couple of days ago and I had an error in the puzzle. "Golden TontoDog". I fixed it, but I bet I pissed off some people in the mean time. I had checked and doublechecked everything, but I screwed up anyway. When I was a software developer, we beta tested because others are more apt to find your mistakes.

 

I don't know any other geocachers, but I think it would be good to have a local volunteer group to Beta test sites if the owner wished.

[+Prime Suspect]

I think you're talking about a cache page. That's not a "site". Geocaching.com is a site. You just created a single page on that site.

 

The answer to your question is No. No one but you and the Reviewers can see a cache page before it's published.

[TontoDog]

In a "site" I meant the physical place where I hid the cache. I am very well aware of web terminoligy.

[+Ed & Julie]

Is there a method/system in place to Beta test a new site before it's up? I put up a new site a couple of days ago and I had an error in the puzzle. "Golden TontoDog". I fixed it, but I bet I pissed off some people in the mean time. I had checked and doublechecked everything, but I screwed up anyway. When I was a software developer, we beta tested because others are more apt to find your mistakes.

 

I don't know any other geocachers, but I think it would be good to have a local volunteer group to Beta test sites if the owner wished.

You can always enlist friends, family, or fellow cachers to try your caches before they are published to find errors.

 

Check to see if you have a local geocaching group and enlist help from them. You can attend some local caching events and meet cachers who I am sure would be willing to help out, and you can always try your local forums here to find cachers nearby.

 

I had one big puzzle cache that I checked, double checked, and had a nephew do befoe I published it, and STILL had a glitch...it happens.

 

Ed

[No H]

From what I have seen, your Beta Site testers are the FTF people.

Most seem to understand that there may be a little more work needed to find a cache for the first time.

I've centainly spent my fair amount of time looking for caches way off...

Jon

[+BigWhiteTruck]

I don't know any other geocachers, but I think it would be good to have a local volunteer group to Beta test sites if the owner wished.

They're called "FTF Hounds"

[GoldenDaze]

By the way, folks seem to be exceedingly gracious even when your new cache has a problem. From the FTF's log of my most recent puzzle multicache:

 

"Came up empty. Discussed "local knowledge" with Network Cacher and decided there were some places that seemed to fit the storyline well. Walked over to the first one where NC quickly found.... a Letterbox. Looked a bit more and he found Stage 1 nearby."

 

They went on to finish the cache without ever solving the puzzle in the intended way, and finished the log with "Thank you, GoldenDaze, for a thoroughly enjoyable search."

 

I really appreciate that kind of class.

 

On another fairly complex puzzle multi that still had a few bugs left in it when I listed it, one of the finders noted "Don't worry about the minor mistakes along the way; it was still fun and challenging, and I have no doubt you'll correct any errors in a fair and honest way for any future cachers. Great job"

 

That kind of support from finders makes me want to keep hiding!

 

-Bob