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What Am I Missing Here?


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I just got a notification (July, 2) of new caches in my area and an FTF was logged on the 28th of June. I paid my dues to become a premium member so exactly what am I missing here? Oh, BTW, the loggged FTF is by a regular memeber and not a paying member.......

Edited by Sand-Man
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Please be more specific. Is the notification just the weekly e-mailer (a list sent out once per week), or did you sign up for the insta-notify service (caches sent one at a time as they are published)? A link to the cache would be helpful, too.

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I just got a notification (July, 2) of new caches in my area and an FTF was logged on the 28th of June. I paid my dues to become a premium member so exactly what am I missing here?

When was the cache published? (There should be a "published" note from the reviewer)

 

If that was later than the "found it" log, then it was found by a friend of the placer, possibly while beta-testing it if it was a puzzle or multi, possibly while on a hike together, possibly just from a conversation like "Wanna find my new cache? It's not listed yet but the coords are xxx")

 

Also, was your notification a weekly email or a notification that you've set up?

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Sounds like I might have missed something when I decided to sign up and pay my dues. OTRA#7 is the cache and Chuck_Norris logged the FTF. So, after I pay for my "premium Membership"... I have to go sign up for something else....Great!

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The cache was published on June 26th -- see the "Published" log. This log is what triggers the instant notification. The cache was then FTF'd on June 28th. Nothing odd there, except that in many areas it would only be a matter of hours! Insta-notify subscribers do stuff like forwarding the notification e-mails to their cellphones. For that reason, I enjoy publishing caches in the middle of the night; I imagine cellphones ringing in the bedrooms of geocachers. :huh:

 

Check out the insta-notify feature and sign up to give it a try. You can access it from the member benefits box found on the right hand side of your My Account page.

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I'm a blooming Idiot here. When it's posted that one of the biggest benefits of paying my dues is getting the notices of new caches first, I just expect to get that benefit.... The darn thing should say that if you pay your dues and then go sign up for something else you will get the notices before the general population.... That is, if that is even true.... I am a little ticked off about it as you can tell.....I really could care less about logging an FTF but If that is one of the benefits than I either need my money back or they need to deliver...... Am I whining here?

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I'm Kinda old fasion.... If you tell me I am going to get the notices first then by golly I should get them first.. Nowhere on the sign up page does it say that I have to go sign up for an instant notification... It plainly states that Paying members get notified first....... I guess I should have expected that....

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Thanks for the info. Maybe you should suggest to this company that they should include that little tid bit of information in the sign up info page..... Since i don't break my neck to do be the FTF I get no benefits at for giving them my money... I don't do pocket queries, I don't get the notices first, and I can get the same darn maps without the membership......... OK I'll write it off to experience but they will have to come up with something else to get my money again next year. Thanks for the input ...

Edited by Sand-Man
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i signed up for a premium membership before i purchased a PDA. before there was an off-topic forum, and i don't worry about when i get notification of a new cache.

 

i paid my $30.00 because i enjoyed caching and i wanted to support the website. i don't begrudge them a dime of my money. 30 bucks a year is cheap for all the enjoyment i get from caching and the forums.

 

if you didn't need any of these services, why did you pay the money?

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i signed up for a premium membership before i purchased a PDA. before there was an off-topic forum, and i don't worry about when i get notification of a new cache.

 

i paid my $30.00 because i enjoyed caching and i wanted to support the website. i don't begrudge them a dime of my money. 30 bucks a year is cheap for all the enjoyment i get from caching and the forums.

 

if you didn't need any of these services, why did you pay the money?

 

Yup what the Pink Boyd said. :huh: There is also a TL quote about having fun but just can't put my finger on it at the moment.

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Thanks for the info. Maybe you should suggest to this company that they should include that little tid bit of information in the sign up info page..... Since i don't break my neck to do be the FTF I get no benefits at for giving them my money... I don't do pocket queries, I don't get the notices first, and I can get the same darn maps without the membership......... OK I'll write it off to experience but they will have to come up with something else to get my money again next year. Thanks for the input ...

I'm a little confused here, Sand-Man.

You say that you became a premium member just so you can get the notices of new caches first, but you don't care about being the FTF.

If that's the case, why do you want to be immediately notified of new caches?

And why are you so upset about spending a few seconds signing up for that option? If the notification came automatically you wouldn't be able to select the cache types and distance that you want, it would be what TPTB think is a good average for everyone. The way it's set up, you can be notified or not, you can determine the type of cache, and you can limit the distance from your home coordinates.

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I signed up for premium membership solely to be able to use the geocaching.com maps. I don't *own* a PDA, wouldn't know a Pocket Query from a Dairy Queen (PQ from DQ...it's a joke, son). Since I signed up, I've discovered other interesting features such as Instant Notification and I now use them, but in my opinion, they were added perks.

 

I got what I wanted for my $30/year: use of geocaching.com maps. Subtracting the time I was out of commission for major shoulder repair (about 8 months of my first year), I happily found almost 400 caches thanks to this feature alone. Was it worth my $30? You bet your boots, it was!

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Sand-man, there are many features you canuse on this site as a premium member. It's like an all you can eat buffet - You customize the experience for your caching habits.

 

Me, I like PQ's, the off-topic forum (which wasn't around when I first started), bookmark lists... but most of all, the premium dues go to help keep the site running - paying people, buying bandwidth & machines. That's teh best benefit of all - having this large, great geocaching site continue on through the years, and with very limited advertisements.

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Thanks for the info. Maybe you should suggest to this company that they should include that little tid bit of information in the sign up info page..... Since i don't break my neck to do be the FTF I get no benefits at for giving them my money... I don't do pocket queries, I don't get the notices first, and I can get the same darn maps without the membership......... OK I'll write it off to experience but they will have to come up with something else to get my money again next year. Thanks for the input ...

 

I missed the "I don't get the notices first, and I can get the same darn maps without the membership"

 

You might check into this because I seem to recall there are features on the maps only available to Premium Members. I think they are zoom and pan but can't recall.

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For that reason, I enjoy publishing caches in the middle of the night; I imagine cellphones ringing in the bedrooms of geocachers. :)

 

Everytime a cellphone rings, a cacher gets his FTF. :huh:

 

Back on topic, I don't remember what my invoice/email said when I signed up. However, on your "My Account Details" page, there is a section below your stats box that lists Set Up Notifications, among other premium features.

 

My guess for why this is optional and not turned on by default is because it is highly customizable. You really don't want to turn all of those features on by default. It's best to leave it to the individual to choose what options s/he wants to set up.

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If the notification came automatically you wouldn't be able to select the cache types and distance that you want, it would be what TPTB think is a good average for everyone. The way it's set up, you can be notified or not, you can determine the type of cache, and you can limit the distance from your home coordinates.

More importantly (to me anyways) I can use any coordinates for the notifications :huh:

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I wouldn't know a Pocket Query from a Dairy Queen

 

 

It is easy, Dairy Queen is where you go to get food and a pocket query is what you do to see if you have the money to get the food.

 

I paid for a membership about the time I found my first cache. I did not use any of the special features that the membership allowed me to use for a long time. I figured it was just a small amount to pay for the normal services provided, and my way to make sure it would be around for my future use.

Edited by Kllr Wolf
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Thanks for the info. Maybe you should suggest to this company that they should include that little tid bit of information in the sign up info page..... Since i don't break my neck to do be the FTF I get no benefits at for giving them my money... I don't do pocket queries, I don't get the notices first, and I can get the same darn maps without the membership......... OK I'll write it off to experience but they will have to come up with something else to get my money again next year. Thanks for the input ...

 

I missed the "I don't get the notices first, and I can get the same darn maps without the membership"

 

You might check into this because I seem to recall there are features on the maps only available to Premium Members. I think they are zoom and pan but can't recall.

Actually, I didn't notice any difference in the maps before I paid for the premium membership. I could zoom and everything, so I didn't really understand how they were better after becoming a premium member.

 

But I will always pay for the premium membership, if only for the Off Topic forum. I have met and made some good friends in there and can't imagine life without them now. Amazing, because I would never have thought it possible.

Edited by Pipanella
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Actually, I didn't notice any difference in the maps before I paid for the premium membership. I could zoom and everything, so I didn't really understand how they were better after becoming a premium member.

 

 

There WAS a short time where, due to a loophole, non premium members had access to the premium member mapping features. You probably got in on that and then became a premium member before they found the loophole and turned it off lol.

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I signed up for premium membership solely to be able to use the geocaching.com maps. I don't *own* a PDA, wouldn't know a Pocket Query from a Dairy Queen

 

Its a common misconception that one needs to own a PDA to obtain the benefits of PQs. Many of us use PQs and don't have a PDA. I used them well before I purchased a PDA. If you want a way to load up to 500 cache waypoints at a time to your GPS and select (or filter out) the kinds of terrain, containers, cache types, etc... that you want to do, PQs are the way to go. They are a valuable tool, PDA or no PDA.

 

The darn thing should say that if you pay your dues and then go sign up for something else you will get the notices before the general population.... That is, if that is even true.... I am a little ticked off about it as you can tell.....I really could care less about logging an FTF but If that is one of the benefits than I either need my money back or they need to deliver...... Am I whining here?

 

That's your take. If things were set up the way you think it should be, the next person may come here and complain about all the unwanted e-mails he's been getting since he became a premium member. It makes sense that its set up as an optional benefit that can be turned on and off. These optional member benefits are listed on your profile page. All you need to do is click on each one to learn about it.

Edited by briansnat
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I'm a blooming Idiot here. When it's posted that one of the biggest benefits of paying my dues is getting the notices of new caches first, I just expect to get that benefit.... The darn thing should say that if you pay your dues and then go sign up for something else you will get the notices before the general population.... That is, if that is even true.... I am a little ticked off about it as you can tell.....I really could care less about logging an FTF but If that is one of the benefits than I either need my money back or they need to deliver...... Am I whining here?

Man. I had to read the entire thread to see that Brian made my point for me. Why do I bother? I should know that he would have taken care of it. Way to go, BrianSnat!

 

Anyway, Brian is absolutely correct. I've been a premium member for a while now, but I don't like a ton of emails. (Which is why I didn't get to participate in the survey a while back, but that's the price I pay for a relatively clean in-box. :huh: )

 

I would probably get pretty torqued if I had to wade through a ton of instant notifications to read my email.

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I enjoy the parts of the Premium Membership that I CHOOSE to participate in. The operative word being CHOOSE.

 

There is a link called "Member Features" under the My Account page. It is clear and explains your benefits very well (and how to use them) -- features such as instant notification.

 

Just because you paid for something, doesn't mean that you are excused from having to do a little work to enjoy it. Buy a new car -- you have to fill it with gas, buy a new computer -- you have to read about the software it has.

 

Your reaction to the fact that instant-notifications requires the feature to be activated seems odd to me. Especially as you indicate that you will not renew your premium membership. If you purchased your membership just for these notifications, then why didn't you research the features prior to buying?

 

It makes me wonder if you expect the waiters in restaurants to chew your food for you. :huh:

 

That said, I understand that feeling of "Doh! -- I didn't know I could do THAT!" very well. Hopefully, you will research (read) about all the many other cool things you can do with your incredibly inexpensive premium membership.

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I'm a blooming Idiot here. When it's posted that one of the biggest benefits of paying my dues is getting the notices of new caches first, I just expect to get that benefit.... The darn thing should say that if you pay your dues and then go sign up for something else you will get the notices before the general population.... That is, if that is even true.... I am a little ticked off about it as you can tell.....I really could care less about logging an FTF but If that is one of the benefits than I either need my money back or they need to deliver...... Am I whining here?

Actually, I happen to know Blooming Idiot, and you ain't her.

 

But to answer your final question. Yes, you are whining. For $30 per year, you have a high expectation for a low premium subscription which spells out the benefits quite clearly IMNSHO. The feature you griped about the most, clearly labels it as an Instant Log Notification and goes on to explain sometimes the weekly cache notification is just not enough.

 

Instant Log Notifications

For some geocachers, the weekly cache notification email is just not enough. If you absolutely must be the first to find a newly published geocache, you cannot do better than to be instantly notified by email when a new cache becomes available. You can choose to have the notification sent to any email address you like, or even your email-enabled mobile phone! With several log options to choose from, including “Found it”, “Didn’t Find It”, and “Enabled” you’ll be constantly updated on geocache happenings in any area you choose.

 

All of the premium benefits were clearly spelled out before you signed on this page. Somehow the old RTM statement comes to mind.

 

Get out of these forums and go out and have fun! Later, you just might end up taking advantage of the premium membership benefits.

Edited by TotemLake
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Since i don't break my neck to do be the FTF I get no benefits at for giving them my money...

 

What about that warm fuzzy feeling you get from supporting a hobby/sport/activity you love? :huh:

You hit the nail right on the head, GeoBain! That's the main reason I am happy to be a premium member. I access and use the information on GC.com multiple times per day and I am happy to support the software maintenance, upgrades, and all the good work that Groundspeak does to make the website so easy to use and this geocaching hobby/sport/activity so much fun! :)

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Premium membership provides a whole lot of advantages to those that know how to use them. Unfortunately, GC.com has not done a very good job in providing enough information about how some of these features work so that:

  1. Non-premium members can get a good idea of whether it's worth it to get a premium membership
  2. New premium members can setup their accounts to take full advantage of premium mebership features

Third party sites like Geocacher-U, Markwell's Geocaching FAQ, and others have stepped in with some help for setting up Pocket Queries. Perhaps they could do the same for other premium features.

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This kinda got out of hand...... I still like to play the game. Just had a gripe... Sounds like I am not the only one who doesn't get the notice, even though someone else signed up for the notification service. So I would consider it a legitimate gripe even if some of you don't like it. I too signed up to support the darn near free service to help keep it available. Some of you are computer savvy and signing up for this and then doing that and then turning this on and then, and on and on is a real easy thing and fun for you. In my case I like to bring up the web site, pick out the cache I want to go find and head out the door. If member first notification is one of the perks that they throw out as a benefit for being a premium member I should not have to do anything else to get the notifications before the general public sees it. That is my only gripe.. So if my comments have offended anyone I apologize. If I sound a little ignorant to some of you, I probably am, but not everyone who plays this game are computer whizzes...... So move on to the next topic.... and let me stay here and whine..... :-)

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