Minor re-wording of "discovered" TB option?

[+LeoGeo]

I've seen a couple of examples of Travel Bug logs getting confused when a cacher removes the bug from the cache, but logs it as "discovered." The TB continues to show up in the cache from which it was removed until the cacher places it elsewhere.

 

Would it be possible to re-word the "discovered" option on the drop-down menu so that it says something like "Discovered it but didn't take it," or "Discovered it but left it in the same cache"? That way, it would be clear that "discovered" is not what you choose when you actually take the bug.

 

Small problem, of course, but maybe a minor tweak could solve it.

[+cimawr]

 

Would it be possible to re-word the "discovered" option on the drop-down menu so that it says something like "Discovered it but didn't take it," or "Discovered it but left it in the same cache"? That way, it would be clear that "discovered" is not what you choose when you actually take the bug.

 

 

I'll second that one - the "Discovered" option is unnecessarily confusing, especially to newbies. If you find a coin or TB in a cache it's not properly listed in, it's not at ALL intuitive to "grab it" - the most logical choice is to "discover" it, because that's what you actually DID.

IMO, it would be very helpful both to the owners of TBs/coins and to finders of improperly logged one to make the distinction between "grabbing" and "discovering" clearer.

[GermanSailor]

 

Would it be possible to re-word the "discovered" option on the drop-down menu so that it says something like "Discovered it but didn't take it," or "Discovered it but left it in the same cache"? That way, it would be clear that "discovered" is not what you choose when you actually take the bug.

 

 

I'll second that one - the "Discovered" option is unnecessarily confusing, especially to newbies. If you find a coin or TB in a cache it's not properly listed in, it's not at ALL intuitive to "grab it" - the most logical choice is to "discover" it, because that's what you actually DID.

IMO, it would be very helpful both to the owners of TBs/coins and to finders of improperly logged one to make the distinction between "grabbing" and "discovering" clearer.

 

I don't see the problem, I'm not a native English speaker but even I get the difference between discover (aka I saw there) or grab (aka I took it with me).

 

So, if a stupid Kraut gets it, I guess everybody else can understand it!

 

GermanSailor

[+Super_Nate]

Due to how this thread was worded and explained, I can see how it can get confusing....but I have never had a problem with it. That could also be that I started caching when it was just "grabbing"....but since they added "discovered" I saw that as something new!

 

What I'm getting at here is newbies who are just now signing on board to Geocaching see the travel bug logs and see both "grabbing" and "discovering" and they look the same and they don't know the way that it once was.

[+Dave_W6DPS]

There is confusion about what the "Discovered" log is for.

 

One of my bugs, TBQ4TW, was "Discovered" in Michigan by a geocacher who actually picked it up and placed it in a cache in Washington. The next person "Grabbed" it and moved it normally, but the cache they grabbed it from doesn't show up, and the mileage is off.

 

There also seem to be folks who visit caches with bugs in them solely for the purpose of "Discovering" them without moving them. I don't get the point of this practice.

 

I thought that the discovered log was for coins, so people could get icons on their profile for coins they never moved.

 

I think the best solution for regular travel bugs would be to remove the "Discovered" option.

 

Short of that, rewording to make it more clear would probably reduce the situations like I cited above...

 

Dave_W6DPS

[+AB4N]

I have seen quite a few travel bugs get "discovered" by newbies when they were actually "retrieved" When this option was first installed I thought it was a good idea, but I have seen it cause too much confusion for some. I am not going to judge why some people have a problem figuring this out, I just think that it is different perspectives on language.

[+LeoGeo]

There also seem to be folks who visit caches with bugs in them solely for the purpose of "Discovering" them without moving them. I don't get the point of this practice.

 

I thought that the discovered log was for coins, so people could get icons on their profile for coins they never moved.

 

I'm just guessing, but some of the purposes of the "Discovered" log for regular TB's might be:

1. To let a cacher increase their TB numbers, if they're into that, even for bugs whose missions they can't help with. If a cacher from Europe visits California and sees a bug that wants to go to Japan, they won't want to take it the wrong direction, but might want to get it into their numbers just the same.

2. To make it easier for a cacher to notify the owner that the bug is still safe and sound, especially if it's been in a cache for a long time, even if the cacher can't help with the TB's mission.

3. To avoid messing up the logs for bugs/coins that many cachers discover at an Event Cache. Under the old system, if you attended the Event but didn't log your TB "discoveries" out of and back into the Event Cache pretty soon, the bug might have been taken to another (physical) cache, and logged into it. Then your logs for the bug in the Event Cache would mess up the bug's bookkeeping. This way, you can remember to "discover" it years after the event takes place, and you won't be throwing the bug's location off in the log.