Claiming A Find On A Cache You Placed As A Cito Group?

[+CowlesCachers]

I just participated in a CITO event, and with the Cache In part, the group that cleaned up placed a cache. We signed the log book, and once the cache posted, all who were there claimed the find. The cacher who was the FTF after it posted asked the question if we should claim the find if we placed it.

 

If none of us could log the find, 1/2 of Albuquerque/Los Lunas cachers could not log the find. I also think there should be some reward for all the hard work and great items put into it. It was a group hide, rather than an individual hide. It wasn't like the ones who logged the find did not have to go through the driving and effort anyway. I don’t log finds on my personal caches, but I see this as a group cache, rather than belonging to one individual. There has already been more than one geocacher involved in the maintenance.

 

However, I think they are correct in claiming the FTF since they are the ones that high tailed it to the cache once it listed!

 

There's my $0.02, what's yours?

Edited April 26, 2006 by CowlesCachers

[+Night Stalker]

In the past when we did CITO events we all claimed the find as part of the event.

[+nfa]

If you hid the cache, you knew where it was, so you couldn't "find" it..IMO

 

The cache-police aren't going to kick your door in, but I wouldn't/haven't/won't log any caches that I helped to hide as a "Found It!"

 

jamie - nfa

[+Corp Of Discovery]

It's pretty much universally accepted to post an attended log on an event you held. At least you aren't logging temporary caches as finds on the event, that's kinda tacky...especially for a CITO event.

Edited April 25, 2006 by Corp Of Discovery

[+Kealia]

It's pretty much universally accepted to post an attended log on an event you held.

 

Really? nobody in my area does that.

 

But again, do what you want.

Not sure I understand the "reward" comment - isn't the reward the work you did?

[+ranger-rob]

It's pretty much universally accepted to post an attended log on an event you held. At least you aren't logging temporary caches as finds on the event, that's kinda tacky...especially for a CITO event.

 

I agree. A host logging an event is fine. You were there, right? But logging anything you hid (or helped hide) is a little much. The way I play, I take it so far that I don't log log the caches of people I cache with. I figure that probably having seen the container and knowing their hiding styles gives me an unfair advantage [1]. That's just me. You do what you feel is right in that case.

 

Besides, what's another smiley tacked on to your stats when you can spend a day doing something productive and meeting new people? (As well as catching up with the local cachers you know but don't see much. )

 

 

[1] I'll do "test runs" if asked to check coordinates and camoflage etc., but I won't log it.

[+briansnat]

If you hid the cache, you knew where it was, so you couldn't "find" it..IMO

 

The cache-police aren't going to kick your door in, but I wouldn't/haven't/won't log any caches that I helped to hide as a "Found It!"

 

jamie - nfa

 

I agree. How can you "find" something if you know where it is? For those who are into paddding their stats, they already get credit for the hide, so I guess getting double credit for the "find" is a great way to crank up those numbers. I know I'm impressed when I see numbers gained that way.

[+Lasagna]

For a CITO, in particular, if you were there and participated in the event, then I see no problem with logging it as "attended". While you can post a "Found it" for an evert/CITO, everyone generally posts their log as "Attended". I think this is a symantic difference, but helps resolve the exact dilemma you referenced ... namely everybody who attends can log an "attended". There's no "find" involved in these.

[+BlueDeuce]

It's pretty much universally accepted to post an attended log on an event you held.

 

Really? nobody in my area does that.

 

But again, do what you want.

Not sure I understand the "reward" comment - isn't the reward the work you did?

 

Which Universe?

 

I got credit for hosting one, I save the attended count for ones I...uhm....what's the word I'm looking for?

[+CowlesCachers]

For a CITO, in particular, if you were there and participated in the event, then I see no problem with logging it as "attended". While you can post a "Found it" for an evert/CITO, everyone generally posts their log as "Attended". I think this is a symantic difference, but helps resolve the exact dilemma you referenced ... namely everybody who attends can log an "attended". There's no "find" involved in these.

 

I am actually talking about the cache we placed at the end of the event.

[+Mudfrog]

As has been pointed out many times in these forums, you can play the way you want. Log it, don't log it,,, doesn't matter. Personally though, i don't know how you can "find" a cache if you already know where it is hidden.

Edited April 26, 2006 by Mudfrog

[+Team Neos]

I see what you are saying. You were there when the cache was hidden and you wonder if you should/should not log a "found it" on the cache so it will show up in your stats. You won't get it to count as a "hide" because only one cacher can be the official cache owner; there is no function that allows members of a group to each get credit for a one hide.

 

It's been debated before, and folks take every side imaginable:

 

Some say "Oh, just enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling"

Others say "Go ahead and log it as a find so it goes in your stats somewhere"

Others say "Log it as a note, so it will show up in your history, though not in your stats"

 

If you are looking for a majority of people to tell you what is the "right" thing to do, you may or may not get what you want to hear. In fact, someone may even jump on to talk about "cheating" and "numbers lovers" (well, they use a nastier word than that, but I am being dainty tonight).

 

So, what do you think you ought to do?

[+Corp Of Discovery]

I guess there was a little confusion, I thought (as did some others) the question was about logging an event you held, not a regular cache.

 

FYI: On the topic of logging events- I was bored so I looked at the events from April 22nd. There were 139 events held that day. Of those, 83 were logged by the person the cache was listed under. 37 were not- keep in mind tho that the owner may just not have done so yet. A further 17 were owned by organizations, mostly caching ones with a few owned by land managers- presumably most of the caching ones will be logged by people who actually 'placed' it even tho it is under a groups name. One event was cancelled and the last had no logs other than 'published'. Taking it as is, logging your own event happened on that date at a rate of more than 2:1. I think it's reasonable to assume that if you take in possible late logs to come and the group owned ones the ratio would be more like 3:1 and might even hit 4:1. In contrast only 9 of the events had temporary caches logged on the cache page.

[Cracker.]

In contrast only 9 of the events had temporary caches logged on the cache page.

 

Well, there were supposed to be 10 then...I hid a cache for people at the event to find, for that day only...but it got refused approval cause it was temporary... ???

[+sbell111]

The argument for logging a find on caches like this used to make sense, to me. If you didn't log a find, the cache would stay on your 'nearest' list and mock you. No normal human could stand up to this type of mockery, so a 'found it' would be logged.

 

However, this reasoning no longer holds up because you now have the option to ignore such a cache thereby sending it to a place from which it can no longer cause you psychological trauma.

[+CowlesCachers]

So, what do you think you ought to do?

 

Well... You want me to answer my own question... Guess I wouldn't have asked it if I wasn't uneasy about logging the find. The cache was hidden by the group. Then it was not approved for safety reasons and had to be moved. It was moved by a member of the event, and the new coords emailed to me. Since I was the event organizer, I also posted the cache, but listed it as being placed by nmgeocaching.com. I am however the cache owner as far as the site is concerned...

 

I will delete my find...

 

Thanks for everyone's input.

[+sbell111]

So, what do you think you ought to do?

 

Well... You want me to answer my own question... Guess I wouldn't have asked it if I wasn't uneasy about logging the find. The cache was hidden by the group. Then it was not approved for safety reasons and had to be moved. It was moved by a member of the event, and the new coords emailed to me. Since I was the event organizer, I also posted the cache, but listed it as being placed by nmgeocaching.com. I am however the cache owner as far as the site is concerned...

 

I will delete my find...

 

Thanks for everyone's input.

Hold on. I think you've changed the story for many of us. If you were not present when it was placed in it's current spot and you subsequently found it and signed the log, I think that you should log it as a find. The fact that you are also listed as the cache owner will muddy the water for some, but I don't think it's really important.

[+tozainamboku]

Some people believe that the find count has a meaning beyond just a count of how many find logs you have posted on geocaching.com. They will say that if you were there when the cache was placed, how can you find the cache, or if you hosted an event - even though you attended - you shouldn't log attended (attended logs count like find logs) because you would never claim you found your own cache. Somehow, if we were to all follow these rules, the find counts would allow us to compare cachers. A cacher who finds 100 1/1's could compare his find count to the cacher who found 100 5/4 caches .

 

The truth is the find count is just a count of how many found and attended logs you have. You are free to log your own cache or a cache you hid along with someone else or beta tested. You know what your logs represent and so you are not even cheating yourself, as some would say. However, if you like, you can post a truth in numbers section in your profile so the puritans will know what your "real" find count is .

[+Team Red Oak]

After reading this thread from the beginning I agree that if you actually had to go find the cache because it was moved from the original hiding place and you weren't present for the move you should log a find. You received the coords and had to go find the cache same as everyone else.

 

I also agree that since you are listed as the owner, some people will have a problem. I would mention in my log that I had to find it because it was moved, and then I wouldn't give a hoot what others think.

 

Of course this opinion is subject to change if the story is changed again.

[+BigWhiteTruck]

Unless my account was listed as the owner of the cache, I would mark a find on it just to get it off of my unfound list. It would bug me seeing it every time I pulled up a list of nearby unfounds, but knew I couldn't hunt it.

 

Then I would fly across country and find a random cache but not log it online to balance my find count out, so take that!

Edited April 26, 2006 by BigWhiteTruck

[+sbell111]

Unless my account was listed as the owner of the cache, I would mark a find on it just to get it off of my unfound list. It would bug me seeing it every time I pulled up a list of nearby unfounds, but knew I couldn't hunt it.

...

Couldn't you ignore it?

[+BigWhiteTruck]

Couldn't you ignore it?

 

Nope. I am just weird like that. I think geocachers as a bunch are pretty much the same way. For some reason the activity tends to attract the closet obsessive-compulsives. The coordinates have to be just-so, I only like this-type of cache, etc. Hell, tons of people say they hate micros but don't explain why micros bother them. It's because they are unable to just ignore them, that's why! I want to pull up the map on my nearest caches page, and when I hit "filter out finds" that thing better be CLEAN! Out, dadgum spot! Don't believe me? Who else in the world would glue hundreds of pine cone fins to a film can? Yeah, that's what I thought!

[+Marky]

If I am part of a group that hides a cache, I just submit it. Problem solved.

 

Seriously though, back when there wasn't an ignore list, I would claim a find to get it out of my unfound cache list, but now I don't see any reason to claim a find on a cache you hid. The reward is the cache logs from the finders. I don't need any other reward.

 

Another alternative is to let the hider place the cache, and then give you the coords and let you beta test it. In that case, you did actually find the cache (I usually sign the log a few pages down, so that people don't think I was FTF).

 

Just my .02

--Marky

[+Team Neos]

I didn't realize that you were the person who submitted the cache. Hmmm. Well, if it were me, I would not log a find on it, because it would already be on my list of hides. All I care about is that it shows up on either my finds list or my hidden list. You might see it differently.

 

I wasn't trying to be obtuse. I just don't think that it really matters much what I think about your stats list. I don't care what others think about my stats lists, at least. Maybe I am just weird that way.

[+briansnat]

I didn't realize that you were the person who submitted the cache. Hmmm. Well, if it were me, I would not log a find on it, because it would already be on my list of hides.

 

I agree.