Whats a newbie to do?

[Earleheart°]

I have only been geocaching for a couple a weeks and it is a fun game. Thesee forums are fun to but there might be another game going on in it. I have notived that sometimes an old person all the way back to 2001thinks he plays it wright and we play it wrong. Maybee everyone plays it right.

Anyway it is annoing when the old guys tell us we are doing it wrong. How would they like it if a newbie told them how to do it?

 

D newbies imake old players as mad as they make us?

[+El Diablo]

Well I go back to 2001 and I don't try to tell anyone how to play the game. I will on occassion offer up my opinion though.

 

There are people that will always be abrasive and it really dosen't matter when the started the game.

 

El Diablo

[+4BOWS]

Agree with El Diablo, there will always be rude and unfriendly sorts playing alongside you.

 

Play the game/sport/hobby as you like. Don't worry about what the "old timers" say. If they offer good advice, great. If not, ignore it.

 

Enjoy the fun.

[just B0B]

There are only so many hours in the day, so I figure the ornery forum "Gurus" with tens of thousands of posts here probably know little or nothing about actually FINDING a cache, and are simply subject matter experts on forum postings.

 

Ignore 'em, they long ago forgot what they learned in kindergarten about good manners.

[Earleheart°]

I saw some one say they are cache cops. Thats just not write because this is a free hobby.

[+briansnat]

Not really a getting started issue. Moving to the general forum.

[+welch]

Whats a newbie to do?

Read what is posted, consider it, if it makes sense to you use / if not ignore it.

(Or is this one of those telling you how to play things? )

[+El Diablo]

I saw some one say they are cache cops. Thats just not write because this is a free hobby.

 

I've heard the term cache cop, but I've never seen anyone post that they were cache cops. Maybe I need to read the forums more.

 

You are now involved in a very large international community that is comprised of people from many walks of life. As in every large community you will find people that are more vocal than others as to how the community should be run. They are kind of like politicians. However the rules and guidelines are set by Groundspeak, the owners of the site. Those rules and guidelines are enforced by Reveiwers and Moderators to the best of their abilities. Anyone else is just expressing their opinions.

 

There are people on this fourm that I occassionaly disagree with. Most are good people with a different view from mine. Sometimes they open my eyes to something I wouldn't have seen if they didn't express their opinions.

 

Like Welch said...read the posts and decide what is useful to you or not. Feel free to disagree with a post as long as you do it in a respectful manner. Respect is the key here. As I mentioned above, these are good people for the most part. The bad ones tend to go away after awhile either by their choice or the Moderators who represent us as a whole.

 

You will enjoy your experince here by seeking out the good and ignoring the bad. Trust me on this one. I've been here since 2001.

 

El Diablo

Edited August 25, 2006 by El Diablo

[+fishingfools]

There are only so many hours in the day, so I figure the ornery forum "Gurus" with tens of thousands of posts here probably know little or nothing about actually FINDING a cache, and are simply subject matter experts on forum postings.

 

Ignore 'em, they long ago forgot what they learned in kindergarten about good manners.

 

Bingo!!

[b1rdbrain]

I have only been geocaching for a couple a weeks and it is a fun game. Thesee forums are fun to but there might be another game going on in it. I have notived that sometimes an old person all the way back to 2001thinks he plays it wright and we play it wrong. Maybee everyone plays it right.

Anyway it is annoing when the old guys tell us we are doing it wrong. How would they like it if a newbie told them how to do it?

 

D newbies imake old players as mad as they make us?

how is it you are playing wrong? are you not being Stealthy? are you showing everyone around you what you are doing? are you using some kind of magic cache finder? how are you playing it wrong? what are the old timers telling you that makes it wrong?

Edited August 25, 2006 by b1rdbrain

[+BlueDeuce]

I have only been geocaching for a couple a weeks and it is a fun game. Thesee forums are fun to but there might be another game going on in it. I have notived that sometimes an old person all the way back to 2001thinks he plays it wright and we play it wrong. Maybee everyone plays it right.

Anyway it is annoing when the old guys tell us we are doing it wrong. How would they like it if a newbie told them how to do it?

 

D newbies imake old players as mad as they make us?

how is it you are playing wrong? are you not being Stealthy? are you showing everyone around you what you are doing? are you using some kind of magic cache finder? how are you playing it wrong? what are the old timers telling you that makes it wrong?

 

I think it's probably how to properly grind an axe.

[+briansnat]

There are only so many hours in the day, so I figure the ornery forum "Gurus" with tens of thousands of posts here probably know little or nothing about actually FINDING a cache, and are simply subject matter experts on forum postings.

 

Ignore 'em, they long ago forgot what they learned in kindergarten about good manners.

 

Though I never considered numbers to be the measure of the worth of a geocacher (what does someone with 2,000 1/1 Walmart parking lot finds really know about geocaching?), I just took a look at the top 25 posters on this site (filtering mod accts, those used for posting only and Jeremy).

 

Of the top 25 posters:

12 have been geocaching since 2001

19 have been geocaching since 2002

All but two have been geocaching at least 3 years

 

10 have over 1,000 finds

12 have over 500 finds

24 have over 100 finds

 

3 have over 100 hides

6 have over 50 hides

13 have over 25 hides

 

The top 25 posters average 975 finds and 50 hides

 

I think I'd have to say they know a little bit about finding and hiding caches.

 

I don't know about the rest of you, when I'm new to something I try not to act like I know everything. I try to look to more experienced people and learn from them. Experienced people often have something worthwhile to say and if you're a novice it might be a good idea to listen. You might learn something.

 

BTW, I never run with scissors or eat paste, so I didn't forget the lessons I learned in kindergarten.

Edited August 25, 2006 by briansnat

[+Natureboy56]

Some people just like to do it their way...

[+Quiggle]

A reminder about the forum guidelines:

Respect: Respect the guidelines for forum usage, and site usage. Respect Groundspeak, its employees, volunteers, yourself, fellow community members, and guests on these boards. Whether a community member has one post or 5,000 posts, they deserve the same respect.

 

Thank you.

[+mtn-man]

There are only so many hours in the day, so I figure the ornery forum "Gurus" with tens of thousands of posts here probably know little or nothing about actually FINDING a cache, and are simply subject matter experts on forum postings.

 

Ignore 'em, they long ago forgot what they learned in kindergarten about good manners.

Wow. Feel free to practice what you preach.

Thanks for the note regarding forum guidelines, Quiggle.

 

Regarding the question in the original post; I go back to 2001 too. I try to tell people to play the game the way they like, as long as it is within the guidelines. The beauty of all of this is that there is something for just about everybody. Some like long hikes, some like micros, some like virtuals. I like them all! It is all good for me!!!

 

(OK, sometimes micros make me mad when I can't find them. )

[Earleheart°]

I was going to hide a mini cache and then everbody says they are bad for geocaching so I hid a bigger one. Then one guy said you have to trade for stuff but you don’t. I resd that you don’t have to swap and you have to sign it but then someone said you don’t have do do that ether. I think Diabo is right and Quiggle but some of them realy make me mad. This is just a game the way you want to.

[+Team Teuton]

Earl, if you want to hide a micro cache where nothing is traded and the log is signed, that's great.

 

If you want to hide an ammo can where something is traded and and the log is signed, that's great.

 

It's like Burger King. Have it your way.

[just B0B]

I was going to hide a mini cache and then everbody says they are bad for geocaching so I hid a bigger one. Then one guy said you have to trade for stuff but you don’t. I resd that you don’t have to swap and you have to sign it but then someone said you don’t have do do that ether. I think Diabo is right and Quiggle but some of them realy make me mad. This is just a game the way you want to.

 

I did a little "geo forensics" and I see that your first cache has a unique container, an interesting cache name and is hidden just off a rural road next to a stream. Two of the first 3 finders complemented the unusual container. It sounds like you are on the right track to me!

 

A word or two about micros. They are not "bad" for geocaching, however meaningless lame hides HAVE given micros a bad name.

 

With that said, first and foremost, don't hide a micro in an area that will adequately accomodate a regular sized cache.

 

If you apply the same techniques to a micro hide then it will likely be well received. Find a meaningful location that someone from across town or from out of town might not know exists, like a city park, historic marker, trail head for a new trail, a veterans park or war memorial or a museum. With a location identified, find a good hiding spot that will support a unique container. Unique can be a fabricated item, a hide a key rock, a ornamental frog from a garden shop, a painted bison tube hanging from fake ivy on a fence; use your imagination. Hide one at the local WalMart but PLeeeeze, not a film can under a lamp skirt! Make it interesting and put it in a high muggle area so it is a challenge to retrieve and replace. What is "redeeming" about a WalMart hide? It makes it easy for out of towners to find the place AND it gives traveling geocachers a quick fix (especially important if they are saddled with a carload of geocaching adverse grumps.)

 

Regardless of what you hide, be creative in your selection of locations and cache containers, place the hide and use the comments and feedback from your finders to gauge the quality of the hide.

[b1rdbrain]

I was going to hide a mini cache and then everbody says they are bad for geocaching so I hid a bigger one. Then one guy said you have to trade for stuff but you don’t. I resd that you don’t have to swap and you have to sign it but then someone said you don’t have do do that ether. I think Diabo is right and Quiggle but some of them realy make me mad. This is just a game the way you want to.

Dude i have 2 micro's out there and they are log only bring you're own pen. there is nothing wrong with that. also i have placed traid items in caches big enough for traid items that didn't have any traid items. you can do that too. if you hide a 55 gallon berrel and just put a log book in it, then do it. or if you have an ammo can with CD's or DVD's you can do that. i still don't see why any one would tell you that that stuff is wrong. just play the way you would like to find stuff if people don't like it then they can move on to there next cache. me personaly don't like certin types of hides. i find them all the time, but cuz i don't like them just means i don't hide them that way. i sign the log, thank the owner, and move along. Hide em the way you like to find them. if some one don't like then tuff. there are plenty of people that will like it.

[+VeryLost]

I was going to hide a mini cache and then everbody says they are bad for geocaching

 

I'm pretty much a newcomer to this game as well, but I have to say that so far I prefer the micro caches. I like getting to the given coordinates and not being faced with a big obvious box. Looking around at the terrain and trying to figure out how a micro might be hidden within a few feet of me is a challenge that really appeals to me.

 

That's not to say I don't like a nice hike deep into some forest preserve to find a traditional ammo box, too. I just like the 'how devious was this guy' aspect better.

 

Don't let anyone else tell you what kinds of cache you should hide. Hide what you want, take the time to do a good job of it, and include the type (micro, traditional, etc) on the description. Those folks who don't like micros can easily avoid them, and you'll probably find that your cache, no matter what type it is, will get plenty of visits .

[Earleheart°]

I was going to hide a mini cache and then everbody says they are bad for geocaching so I hid a bigger one. Then one guy said you have to trade for stuff but you don’t. I resd that you don’t have to swap and you have to sign it but then someone said you don’t have do do that ether. I think Diabo is right and Quiggle but some of them realy make me mad. This is just a game the way you want to.

 

I did a little "geo forensics" and I see that your first cache has a unique container, an interesting cache name and is hidden just off a rural road next to a stream. Two of the first 3 finders complemented the unusual container. It sounds like you are on the right track to me!

 

A word or two about micros. They are not "bad" for geocaching, however meaningless lame hides HAVE given micros a bad name.

 

With that said, first and foremost, don't hide a micro in an area that will adequately accomodate a regular sized cache.

 

If you apply the same techniques to a micro hide then it will likely be well received. Find a meaningful location that someone from across town or from out of town might not know exists, like a city park, historic marker, trail head for a new trail, a veterans park or war memorial or a museum. With a location identified, find a good hiding spot that will support a unique container. Unique can be a fabricated item, a hide a key rock, a ornamental frog from a garden shop, a painted bison tube hanging from fake ivy on a fence; use your imagination. Hide one at the local WalMart but PLeeeeze, not a film can under a lamp skirt! Make it interesting and put it in a high muggle area so it is a challenge to retrieve and replace. What is "redeeming" about a WalMart hide? It makes it easy for out of towners to find the place AND it gives traveling geocachers a quick fix (especially important if they are saddled with a carload of geocaching adverse grumps.)

 

Regardless of what you hide, be creative in your selection of locations and cache containers, place the hide and use the comments and feedback from your finders to gauge the quality of the hide.

I found one of thos mini caches in a lamp pole and I thought it was neat. Why don't you want me to hide one.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

What's a newbie to do?

 

The best advice I could give you, Earlhheart, is go caching.

 

See what's out there. See what other cachers do.

 

Get to know cachers. Attend events.

 

Discover what is comfortable and enjoyable for you.

 

Stay out of these forums until you are comfortable and confidant with yourself in the game... there are plenty of local forums where you can get advice and answers if you need it.

 

Seriously. I think these forums just might be the worst possible place a new cacher could find himself, for a number of reasons... none of which have to do with you personally.

 

Sure, there are helpful folks here, but lots of anger, lots of control issues, lots of history built into too many answers.

 

The game is vast and varied and different for everyone.

 

Go find your game, and come back here when you know how the game is really played, when you know that you can safely ignore somone posting here telling you not to hide micros (or whatever).

 

Ed

[+Glenn]

Well I go back to 2001 and I don't try to tell anyone how to play the game. I will on occassion offer up my opinion though.

 

There are people that will always be abrasive and it really dosen't matter when the started the game.

 

El Diablo

 

Thats so true. Just because someone is new to the game and thinks they have invented some new way to play doesn't mean that I have play that way too. When I offer up my opinion it is usually based on the fact that I've been here long enough to see the issue come up before, usually multiple times. I can then come to a quick conclusing because I've already had this conversation before.

[+bumblingbs]

I found one of thos mini caches in a lamp pole and I thought it was neat. Why don't you want me to hide one.

 

You may think the first one you find is clever. By the 25th, it's starting to not seem so clever anymore, and you begin to focus on your surroundings instead of on the cache. You're in a parking lot. Could there perhaps be someplace nicer to cache? Green?

[+Sagefox]

I found one of those mini caches in a lamp pole and I thought it was neat. Why don't you want me to hide one.

 

They are boring, unimaginative, noisy... they are about the worst kind of geocache... even when I'm on a numbers run I hate it when I arrive and find I'm in a parking lot headed for a lamp post.

 

As in the above post, the first one was quite exciting to me too, the next ten were ok, the next twenty were boring and after that they basically just suck. I find them on the days that I PDA cache without reading pages ahead of time but the pages seldom identify the type of hide anyway.

 

Mind you, I don't drive away from them when I get there - it is still "the hunt". And I'm not complaining about the fact that I looked for them - a Found It is still a good thing in my book.

 

But... you asked and we are answering. Expierenced people, though not always nice about it, can help you learn about the game.

 

As in another quote above... my initial reaction to reading this topic when it started was that actual geocaching experience will help you understand the game more quickly and help you decide how you would like to play it.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I am using your quotes not to argue with you personally, Glenn, but because they paraphrase quite a lot of what I see here by 'the old guard'. So, the use of "you" is generic!

 

Thats so true. Just because someone is new to the game and thinks they have invented some new way to play doesn't mean that I have play that way too.

 

When someone does offer up (invent, adapt) something new, you are of course in no way obligated to play that way, but are you obligated to discount it and object to it because it's not the way the game has always been played?

 

When I offer up my opinion it is usually based on the fact that I've been here long enough to see the issue come up before, usually multiple times. I can then come to a quick conclusing because I've already had this conversation before.

 

Are you sure the "quick conclusioning" isn't just a knee-jerk reaction to change?

 

Granted, you have been here long enough to see quite a lot, but does that make your opinions on the future of the game any more valid than a newbie's? In any endeavor the 'old guard' fights change and promotes their position.

 

Since you have been here so long, and the voice of experience is honored and listened to by smart folk, you do have an influence. Should you use that influence to try to stay entrenched, defend the game as its always been against all comers?

 

"I can then come to a quick conclusing because I've already had this conversation before." sounds a bit like your mind is already made up!

[Beware of the dog]

DANG, it feels good to know that other newbies have the same probs I do!

 

...just published my first Cache, and there were so many people complaining just 'cos the coors were kinda off.

Seriously, y bother doing all the work to place a Cache when all you get is trouble?

 

But I also find it wrong to just blame it on the old guys. I've met a lot of helpful and kind old dogs 'round here too, so it really has nothin to do with that.

 

Best thing is to ignore, and let them take their aggressions elsewhere, but not in your Cache.

[+bwmick]

I think that we (me too) get into ruts with our caching. This is an international forum with every person bringing their own caching experiences to the table. I see the complaints about micros a lot here. but where I am they make no difference in the numbers, but we do have another type of cache that draws fire. no matter who you are, where you are, or how you do things even if you follow the guidelines to the best of your abilities you are not likely to make everyone happy. Why try, place your caches the way you want to. I have seen many posts telling people not to place micros where a larger cache would fit. by the same logic are these people against multis? they also take up cache real estate. If you like lamp post micros place the darn things when you get tired of them archive them. If you want to plant a micro in the woods do, but be prepared to listen to people winge about the placement, no matter how much work you put into it, if they ever tried to find it, or how beautiful the location it is in.

 

I guess I am saying follow the guidelines, hide what you would like to find and those of like mind will play with you. The others will play at their version of the game as well.

 

Lets face there is still a lot of debate over the designated hitter rule.

 

and remember the best part of the net is you don't have to read it if you don't want to.

 

Bwmick