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Public -vs- Member Only Cache's


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I see there are several caches in my area that are on the search page which requires you to be a subscriber member in order to view them. Are these cache's any better than the general sites that just anybody can view and go to?

 

By this I mean, If I spend the extra bucks to become a subscriber/member, are the trade items going to be any better than your common everyday broken mickey D toy, paperclip or other junk found in regular cache's?

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I wouldn't count on it. Members Only caches are last on my list of reasons why I'd recommend that someone become a premium member. Swag is swag. If you're in it for the swag, you'll eventually become disillusioned. The best swag is in new caches or in remote caches - regardless of whether they are MOC's. A few weeks ago, I left a $20 bill in a remote cache. Nobody's even bothered to visit, because there is a long drive and some hiking involved. There's a nice surprise waiting there. But put a geocoin in an urban cache, and it's like sharks at feeding time.

 

Reasons to become a Premium Member:

 

1. Pocket queries.

2. To support the Groundspeak websites.

3. Pocket queries.

4. Caches along a route.

5. Pocket queries.

6. Bookmark lists and unlimited watchlists.

7. Pocket queries.

8. Instant Notification of new caches.

9. Pocket queries.

10. Pan and zoom the Geocaching.com maps.

11. Pocket queries.

12. Custom forum title and access to the Off Topic Forum.

13. Pocket queries.

14. Members Only Caches.

15. Pocket queries.

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I see there are several caches in my area that are on the search page which requires you to be a subscriber member in order to view them. Are these cache's any better than the general sites that just anybody can view and go to?

 

By this I mean, If I spend the extra bucks to become a subscriber/member, are the trade items going to be any better than your common everyday broken mickey D toy, paperclip or other junk found in regular cache's?

MOC caches are created and maintained by their respective cache owners. There are no requirements/checklist to list a MOC (be a premium member, and a check a certain box on the cache page is all that has to be done).

A MOC might be really good, or it might be a sub par piece of junk, all depends on the effort put in.

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To quote the post in last weeks Regular v. Member Only Caches, I live in an area where there isn't much in the way of cachers. To make a cache in this area a MOC, would only limit caching as a whole around here. I want to make as easy as possible, and still provide quality caches, for all to hunt.

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I wouldn't count on it. Members Only caches are last on my list of reasons why I'd recommend that someone become a premium member. Swag is swag. If you're in it for the swag, you'll eventually become disillusioned. The best swag is in new caches or in remote caches - regardless of whether they are MOC's. A few weeks ago, I left a $20 bill in a remote cache. Nobody's even bothered to visit, because there is a long drive and some hiking involved. There's a nice surprise waiting there. But put a geocoin in an urban cache, and it's like sharks at feeding time.

 

Reasons to become a Premium Member:

 

1. Pocket queries.

2. To support the Groundspeak websites.

3. Pocket queries.

4. Caches along a route.

5. Pocket queries.

6. Bookmark lists and unlimited watchlists.

7. Pocket queries.

8. Instant Notification of new caches.

9. Pocket queries.

10. Pan and zoom the Geocaching.com maps.

11. Pocket queries.

12. Custom forum title and access to the Off Topic Forum.

13. Pocket queries.

14. Members Only Caches.

15. Pocket queries.

We got premium membership for all the above reasons... ACCEPT number 14. Cannot see any reason for doing this.

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I wouldn't count on it. Members Only caches are last on my list of reasons why I'd recommend that someone become a premium member. Swag is swag. If you're in it for the swag, you'll eventually become disillusioned. The best swag is in new caches or in remote caches - regardless of whether they are MOC's. A few weeks ago, I left a $20 bill in a remote cache. Nobody's even bothered to visit, because there is a long drive and some hiking involved. There's a nice surprise waiting there. But put a geocoin in an urban cache, and it's like sharks at feeding time.

 

Reasons to become a Premium Member:

 

1. Pocket queries.

2. To support the Groundspeak websites.

3. Pocket queries.

4. Caches along a route.

5. Pocket queries.

6. Bookmark lists and unlimited watchlists.

7. Pocket queries.

8. Instant Notification of new caches.

9. Pocket queries.

10. Pan and zoom the Geocaching.com maps.

11. Pocket queries.

12. Custom forum title and access to the Off Topic Forum.

13. Pocket queries.

14. Members Only Caches.

15. Pocket queries.

Yes, I agree. And, another reason is to start getting -- after the initiation period -- the secret perks reserved for the Inner Circle of the Premium Members Society.

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I wouldn't count on it. Members Only caches are last on my list of reasons why I'd recommend that someone become a premium member. Swag is swag. If you're in it for the swag, you'll eventually become disillusioned. The best swag is in new caches or in remote caches - regardless of whether they are MOC's. A few weeks ago, I left a $20 bill in a remote cache. Nobody's even bothered to visit, because there is a long drive and some hiking involved. There's a nice surprise waiting there. But put a geocoin in an urban cache, and it's like sharks at feeding time.

 

Reasons to become a Premium Member:

 

1. Pocket queries.

2. To support the Groundspeak websites.

3. Pocket queries.

4. Caches along a route.

5. Pocket queries.

6. Bookmark lists and unlimited watchlists.

7. Pocket queries.

8. Instant Notification of new caches.

9. Pocket queries.

10. Pan and zoom the Geocaching.com maps.

11. Pocket queries.

12. Custom forum title and access to the Off Topic Forum.

13. Pocket queries.

14. Members Only Caches.

15. Pocket queries.

We got premium membership for all the above reasons... ACCEPT number 14. Cannot see any reason for doing this.

 

I accept number 14 :laughing: I became a premium member because when I went to place my first cache there was a members only cache that was on the same trail. Since I was planning a multi that would take you along the trail I was somewhat concerned with the location of this cache interfering with one of my waypoints. Since I didn't know yet about how I could, with a bit of work, use the "find nearest caches" page to at least get near enough to the MOC that I could avoid the .1 mile rule, I paid my money and found out that the cache was no where near where I was going to put a waypoint. So in fact, Members Only Caches were the only reason I became a premium member. :D

Edited by tozainamboku
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By this I mean, If I spend the extra bucks to become a subscriber/member, are the trade items going to be any better than your common everyday broken mickey D toy, paperclip or other junk found in regular cache's?

 

It is a useless feature. Just another cache, and you can't find it cause you didn't pay the $30 to the site (Or $3 for a month). Really, the feature might have a use if the caches really were better than the rest.

 

I paid my membership because of the Pocket Queries, and the many other cool features. This was well worth the money. MOC caches are useless to me because I have no desire to restrict non- members from my hides, so I can't use the audit log either. It's a no win situation.

 

Some say MOC's can be used to deter cache thieves, but I don't think it's a good solution, although it may work for a while.

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I think the point is being missed here. I have two MOC caches and I made them that way not because there better caches , actually they are rather plain but they are placed in high traffic areas and run a high risk of be muggled. The locations are cool and I wanted to bringthem to peoples attention.

On another note, when I place a new cache, it starts out as a MOC just for the members that do support the sport. you know like giving them something for thier money. after the FTF I convert them to regular caches.

 

Sorry if this offends anyone just my 2 cents.

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As I said in another thread, I initially despised MOCs. However, the person that was FTF to my first placed cache did not have the courtesy of logging the find online, so that prompted me to make my next cache MOC until someone logs FTF and that worked out well. So I can see where they can be helpful. The premium members seem to be more committed to following protocol and respecting things, so it's not a bad idea to give them at least, crack at FTF or the first few finds. I'm suspecting it's less likely the cache will be unfairly raided of good items when it's MOC. But I would never advocate making a cache permanently MOC.

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I don't like them.

 

My only experience with one to date was when I attended (as a relative noob) my first event. Took my young boys to the event where there was some printouts being circulated of caches. Then we search around in the woods in a driving rain, meet the cache requirements, photograph the results etc. Only to come back home and find that it was a MOC and I cannot view it or log it.

 

This was dissapointing to myself and the boys.

 

Almost a year later, I learned about the loophole which let me log the find, but by then it was pretty anti-climatic.

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I have been a premium member almost since I started so I have no strong feelings about them either way. There aren't alot in my area and I don't remember them being better than any other caches out there.

 

From a hide perspective I really like the audit log feature of the MOC and wish that it was available for all caches. I could see more people paying for premium memberships if cache audit logs were available on any cache placed by a premium member and not simply on the MOC's.

 

As an aside, I have always wondered: Can a non-premium member place a MOC?? If so can they view it on-line?? And along those same lines, if I am a premium member when I place a MOC and my membership lapses what happens??

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The Search Function here works wonders. :huh:

 

Member's Only caches

Subscription Only caches

Caches for Premium Members Only

Member's only caches

 

Really, the feature might have a use if the caches really were better than the rest.
That is fairly broad assumption. My best caches are PMOCs, and no one has ever complained about crappy trade items. They usually don't trade anything, because their Swag wouldn't "Trade Fairly." Edited by Kit Fox
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On the site, it says that MOC are suppossed to be caches that the member spent more time and effort on. It seems to me that people in your areas don't attend to that. All of the MOC's in my area follow that rule. There is one that is especially good and most of them are on a better level than alot of the regular caches, not that the reg's are lame, but our MOc's are really good here. To me that is what a MOC should be

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When I have set up a MOC. it hac been because I have left a FTF prize in the cache, this could be cash money, or a gift certificatre to a local store. Some times I leave more than one prize for early finders.

 

Once the prizes have been taken I open the cache to all members.

 

The other time I have set up MOC is when there has been a problem with intentional muggling, when this happens I relocate the cache and make it a MOC.

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I'm a PM myself for many of the reasons listed above, except MOC's. In fact as a PM I find MOC's a bit annoying. It smacks of an attempt to be elitists, like the folks over on Terracaching.com.

 

For those who haven’t checked out the other site, “Angry Kid” went a created a whole website for “premium caches” and all I can see that is did was waste webspace. If it had really succeeded in moving all the best caches to another site it would have only cheapened the sport for everyone, creating a good ‘ole boy club of cachers who had been at it longer and keeping noobs out.

 

I also have personal reasons for disliking MOC’s. I went to Nashville, TN recently to introduce my sister and her kids to the sport and we ended up finding several MOC’s by accident (you can’t exclude them from PQ’s) and they weren’t able to log them online after going through the effort of finding them. What a way to be introduced to the sport…with disappointment right off the bat. All the MOC’s were by the same cacher (90% of that cachers hides are MOC’s) and where not the least bit better than the others we found that weekend.

 

My two cents….

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