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Finding And Not Logging?


bblake

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I was surfing through posts and noticed someone saying they have found hundreds but only bothered to log a few. I consider the logging to be what you are giving back to the owner of the cache for their time -- letting them know about your experience.

 

The post was in a locked thread. Considering the already obvious :mad: shadiness of the poster, is this A> a troll, B> just a simple lie, or C> something that people do all the time, finding 'hundreds' of caches but not logging them.

 

Just curious... if someone found my cache I would want them to post a log about their experience, hopefully something more interesting than TNLN.

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I have a friend who has accompanied me on several caching trips, and though he doesn't have a GPS, he does have a Geocaching.com account, and has signed the logbook in about 30 caches that we've found together. I think of all those 30 or so caches, he's only logged one online. He's even gotten FTF on at least one cache (he used his common sense while I followed the pointer on my GPS around in circles). :mad:

 

I think that for some people, it's more about getting outside and doing something fun, rather than the more social aspect of logging the caches online. Sure, it would be a great help to the cache owner and add to the sport in general if they logged them online, but geocaching is simply different things to different people.

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Just curious... if someone found my cache I would want them to post a log about their experience, hopefully something more interesting than TNLN.

 

I am with you. To me it is the courtesy of giving back. I have given up something taking the trouble to purchase and put out the cache (I spend around $20 to $30 a cache I reckon). I like back in return is for the cache to be found :mad: and the finders to log their find on the cache page. That way hopefully we both get something out of it ... Not a big ask in my view. A way of saying thanks. Of course I always log my finds and DNFs and if appropriate note my multis in progress.

 

This has come up before in the Geocaching Australia forums and I must admit I asked one cacher to give my cachers a miss if he couldn't be bothered saying "thanks" by logging his finds. Don't know if he took any notice or not but :mad:

 

Anyway that is my take on it. I am sure other owners will feel differently, but as I placed my caches, I think I can ask in return for the logging. As to other caches and their owners I consider it their call.

 

Regards

Andrew

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I know of two local familes that have found 50+ caches but do not log anything online. One of them perfers to remain anonymous - they have some real "hang-ups" over online security and some misunderstandings. Thier choice though. The other one simply wants it to remain fun and totally non-competitive so they simply choose not to log them.

 

As the owner of 60+ hides, I feel like I am being a bit deprived of thier logs and shared experiences but I cannot force them into anything. Over the years, I have become aware that as many as 1/3 of cachers in this area never log online. I wish they would but really nothing I can say or do about it. So I just let it be.

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I too, agree that logging the find is a courtesy to the cache owner. If you can find the time to hunt down a cache, you can find a few moments of time to log it in.

I think people who don't log in should be especially mindfull not to grab TBs or Geocoins, as this can be fustrating to the owners and for the next cachers to come across the cache looking for those items. I've seen this happen twice (by newbies, who hopefully will learn better).

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One thing to be mindful of is the fact the forums are populated with folks who are social online. Those who don't log online may be the opposite.

 

The point is don't make a judgement on "how things should be" when the other half is not being represented.

 

I actually find it a happy moment when reading a logbook and come across names I don't recognize. I'm just pleased they enjoyed themselves--at least somewhat--while hunting our cache.

 

We place caches for the enjoyment of the community. We like feedback, but we don't expect every single person--or even most for that matter--to tell us how great our cache is.

 

We don't need to know that you enjoyed one of our caches. We're just glad you did.

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On a number of occasions, I have cached with my brother. He has a GPSr, but isn't really an active geocacher, except when we have done it together. He hasn't logged his online, although I have mentioned him in my logs.

 

Perhaps, he will log those old finds (and new ones) online in the future. If he doesn't, I don't see it as a big deal. He trades fairly and is completely paranoid about not being spotted by muggles. That's good enough for me.

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I showed a good friend of mine a micro I knew about near a store we were going to, by way of explaining the sport to him. He signed the log, but doesn't have a geocaching.com account (yet) or even a GPSr.

 

It's geocaching, not geologging. Logging is fine, and I do it, but it's not the goal of the game. People are going to play their own way. I say let them.

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"To me it is the courtesy of giving back. I have given up something taking the trouble to purchase and put out the cache (I spend around $20 to $30 a cache I reckon). I like back in return is for the cache to be found and the finders to log their find on the cache page. That way hopefully we both get something out of it ... Not a big ask in my view. A way of saying thanks."

 

I have to disagree. There is nothing engraved in stone saying a finder must log, either in the cache or on-line. That is part of geo-caching - it's the search and find that counts, not the logging.

 

Yes, I know it's nice to see what people write, what they think of the cache, etc. And yes, there may have been some considerable expense on the part of the hider - I spent nearly $300 on one cache - but I see that as more satisfaction for the hider than the finder, or at least in some cases.

 

If you hide a cache, it's out there for whoever wants to do whatever. Generally, it will be a cacher who hunts it, and logs it. There will always be some who do not fit the mold. Leave them be, get on with your own life.

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My father has geocached with me and/or Mom. Mom & I both have accounts, but Dad can't be trusted with Mom's computer. He has a geocaching name though and does sign the physical log. Mom & I just add any interesting experiences of his in our logs. Maybe eventually he'll get an account. I gave him my Geko 101 and he's definitely getting better at finding caches!

 

Bec

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There are a bunch of reasons.

 

Sometimes they are casual cachers. My parents cache with me. We all sign the physical log. Only I sign the online log.

 

Sometimes they are paranoid and only sign the physical log.

 

Some are afraid of not having anything to say worth reading and some of those who do get past that manage a TNLN log online just so the owner knows.

 

Some are truly paranoid and sign neither the physical log or online.

 

Some like being ghost cachers. For them the trill is more than the find, it's the find with nobody knowing.

 

Some don't out of protest. "your cache sucked so bad that I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of even a crappy log".

 

Some are kids caching with parents.

 

A lot of these I don't mind and a few I would encourage and a few others I would forever ban from caching if they ever made me King for a day. Heck if they don't log and nobody knows they cache how would we miss them?

 

Locally I've seen at leat 40% in the past who log the physical log and not the online log. When a log is stolen you can't read their log at all and some of them write a nice one when they find the cache.

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But they have already logged them in the only place that is essential: the log in the cache. Logging them anywhere else is nice but superfluous. :D

 

What gets me is the people who find caches and don't even log them on the one inside the cache. While peculiar, my understanding is that it does happen. :D

 

Of course I guess neither is as bad as when they are logged online but never in the the cache itself (especially when they never found the cache at all :D ).

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I know, through word of mouth, of one "cacher" who doesn't write in the logbook or online. I understand that this is primarily due to a very public profile. Just a shame the cache owners don't get to know just who visited their caches. :D

 

Why doesn't he just create a sock puppet account if he doesn't want people to know who he really is? :D

 

I guess living near Hollywood, if I see a cacher's handle in either the physical or online log of someone I've never met at an event, I assume they must be a celebrity :D

Edited by tozainamboku
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"To me it is the courtesy of giving back. I have given up something taking the trouble to purchase and put out the cache (I spend around $20 to $30 a cache I reckon). I like back in return is for the cache to be found and the finders to log their find on the cache page. That way hopefully we both get something out of it ... Not a big ask in my view. A way of saying thanks."

 

I have to disagree. There is nothing engraved in stone saying a finder must log, either in the cache or on-line. That is part of geo-caching - it's the search and find that counts, not the logging.

 

Yes, I know it's nice to see what people write, what they think of the cache, etc. And yes, there may have been some considerable expense on the part of the hider - I spent nearly $300 on one cache - but I see that as more satisfaction for the hider than the finder, or at least in some cases.

 

OK ... I can understand some of the reasons for not logging online, I guess. Doesn't quite make sense if someone was so paranoid that they were afraid to log online but they're OK finding the cache, which could potentially have someone hiding in the bushes watching it and ready to shoot them in the butt with an elephant tranquilizer, could literally have anything in it, could have cameras on it, could have a bear trap hidden in the leaves next to it, could have all the contents sprayed with pepper spray or other undesirable substance, could have a bug hidden inside one of the items, could have illegal drugs hidden in it with the police watching it waiting for who was coming to pick them up, uh... oh, sorry if I just made the paranoid cachers even more paranoid! :huh:

 

Anyway, I was just curious about why some wouldn't log their finds online and I appreciate all the responses. I know its not required and its not the point (to some), but to me it seems like it would be the same as giving someone a nice Christmas present and not having the chance to see them open it or hear how they liked it. Again, that's not the point of that custom either, though -- just they way I enjoy it.

 

Well, I'm out of town and its time to see what kind of caches we have around here -- looks like quite a few!

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I don't have a problem at all with "Finders" not logging online, if that's how they want to play the game, more power to them. I'd "rather" they did log it online for my own satifaction of hiding the cache, but if they don't feel the need to log online, no biggie!

 

The problem I have is with "DNF's" not logging online.

 

I recently temp disabled a cache until I could get out and check on it after a couple of people logged "DNF's" on it.

After doing that, I've had six emails from previous hunters that couldn't find it telling me that they DNF'ed on it. It's a rather difficult one to get to and kinda out of the way for our area, so a month or so without a log is not uncommon for it.

Seems it's been AWOL for a couple of months now, but I had no idea because they didn't want a DNF on their records. :huh:

 

I just don't get the "I can't have a DNF" folks. :)

 

D-man :)

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There are a bunch of reasons.

 

Sometimes they are casual cachers. My parents cache with me. We all sign the physical log. Only I sign the online log.

:huh:

Sometimes they are paranoid and only sign the physical log.

 

Some are afraid of not having anything to say worth reading and some of those who do get past that manage a TNLN log online just so the owner knows.

 

Some are truly paranoid and sign neither the physical log or online.

 

Some like being ghost cachers. For them the trill is more than the find, it's the find with nobody knowing.

 

Some don't out of protest. "your cache sucked so bad that I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of even a crappy log".

 

Some are kids caching with parents.

 

A lot of these I don't mind and a few I would encourage and a few others I would forever ban from caching if they ever made me King for a day. Heck if they don't log and nobody knows they cache how would we miss them?

 

Locally I've seen at leat 40% in the past who log the physical log and not the online log. When a log is stolen you can't read their log at all and some of them write a nice one when they find the cache.

 

Good points. I'm just wondering why I started almost the exact same thread about a month ago, and only got two replies??? I guess I didn't compose my post in a way to make it interesting enough to people. My main problem is these people take TB's all the time in my area, and at least half of the TB's are never heard from again. If they know enough about geocaching to know the concept behind a travel bug, it's extremely selfish and rude to take it, when you have to assume they know they are supposed to be tracked online.

 

And I'm talking about people (in general) that no one has ever heard of in the local online community; not people who have stopped logging their finds, only log some of them etc......

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One local cacher stopped logging his finds when he hit 999 caches. From there on, he posted his finds as notes, because he didn't want to get caught up into the numbers game. Pretty admirable in my opinion.

Admirable, but he's still a victim of numbers by choosing 999 to be his last. I hope his last logged find was an excellent cache (great location, theme, etc.).

 

I'll get labeled as "anal" for auditing log books when I maintain my own caches :o , but I've seen a few visitors who have not logged online. I'm indifferent as to why they chose to do so, but I thank them for visiting. :)

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Guilty! My best friend is into caching[1]. I stopped and helped look for several[2] but didn't have a GC acct or a GPS so I didn't bother to "play". It wasn't until I went to an event that I created an account and began keeping track[3].

 

The problem I have is with "DNF's" not logging online.

Maybe I'm the only one but I don't consider not finding a cache a "DNF" until I've looked for it on at least two different occasions, more if the difficulty is higher than two. We usually have a sheet full to look for and don't want to spend all day on one[4]. I don't want so much to not have a DNF as I don't want to be the one to drag the owner to look just because I can't find the thing[5]. If I know it's there, I'm gonna keep looking until I find it or it gets disabled/archived.

Right, wrong, or otherwise, that's just what I do.

 

[1] As well as her son and daughter - but *she* dragged me into it!

[2] 5 or 6

[3] Which I try to do A.S.A.P(ractical)

[4] Ok, *I'm* impaitent as heck.

[5] *Especially* if there are "Found it"'s logged after I looked

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... My main problem is these people take TB's all the time in my area, and at least half of the TB's are never heard from again. ...

I agree that disapeering TBs is a problem, but I don't see how this would be resolved if everyone logged online.

 

Never said it would be resolved. I'm saying if people have no intention of logging their visit on geocaching.com, they should not take travel bugs from a cache, and move it to another, because Travel Bugs are an internet trackable item. And of course I'm just assuming they're going to take it to another cache, because once it's retrieved from a cache unlogged and still listed in that cache, it's status is unknown, and who knows what they're going to do with it.

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I was surfing through posts and noticed someone saying they have found hundreds but only bothered to log a few. I consider the logging to be what you are giving back to the owner of the cache for their time -- letting them know about your experience.

 

The post was in a locked thread. Considering the already obvious :o shadiness of the poster, is this A> a troll, B> just a simple lie, or C> something that people do all the time, finding 'hundreds' of caches but not logging them.

 

Just curious... if someone found my cache I would want them to post a log about their experience, hopefully something more interesting than TNLN.

 

Dave Ulmer rarely logs his finds and he started this madness (well, our rendition of it anyway. I guess letterboxes started it) :)

Edited by wandererrob
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If I find a cache that is just a numbers cache and is really bad I won't log it. Some park & grabs are good and some are pretty tough. Others just have no purpose other than to add to numbers. It really has to be pretty bad for me not to log. I can only think of two times in 3 years that this has happened. I do log all DNF so others will not waste their time and $$$$ gas. If I am wrong and just didn't find IT I will go back and delete the DNF

Edited by Scrapman & GaPatci21
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