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The lost art of logging


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I enjoy logging online, and I try to make my logs as interesting as possible. I think it's a nice thing to do, but I don't really worry too much about the way other people log since it's not my game, it's theirs. As a cache owner it doesn't really bother me either, but I do really like it when someone takes the time to say something nice.

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Im on the fence about this one. I don't always have something cool to say but if I saw something neat or something unusual happened then Ill tell a story about it. But what some how parked on sidewalk to grab guardrail hide and almost got squished doesn't seem like a very good story. Oh I didnt log for a long time because I didn't have a computer so I would have to go to the library or use a friend so in the tiny amount of time I wanted to find more caches not log them I don't care about the numbers

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I agree with the OP. I enjoy writing logs for myself and the CO. The OP has some of the best caches I've ever found and I can't believe he gets TFTC on some of them. I believe it's just a matter of respect and basic courtesy. Write something significant, which doesn't mean long or verbose, just something meaningful to your experience.

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Anyone else notice the "cancer" of short, uninspired logs, has sadly spread to remote, and high terrain caches also?

 

No, but I have noticed that it has been quite some time since I've seen a blank log on any of my caches. Perhaps the blank and short loggers are being driven out of town?

 

For one thing, the iphone app now prompts you to "input text."

 

That is interesting. I too have not seen many totally blank logs in the recent past. Still a ton of tftc or tfth, but not blanks. :)

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I try and write a log appropriate to how interesting I found the cache...

 

A boring and uninterestingly placed nano doesn't really deserve much effort and thought put into a log (the same lack of effort put in placing it), while a cache that took me to an interesting place, was an interesting hide, or was notable for any other reason gets a more interesting log as befits my more interesting experience finding it, whether a nano placed somewhere interesting with a cool history behind it, or a larger cache that took me on a fun trip to get to GZ or whatever other reason that it was made memorable for me.

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My/our two cents. If the day comes that I/we don't have time to write a little something about each individual find or no find it is time to hang it up. If we hit too many in a day and can't write an individual log than we hit too many that day. Definitely not a numbers game.

 

And to the newer cachers.

Don't follow the TFTC thing. No, a short online log is not what most want.

Don't cut n paste without customizing each log.

It does not have to be a paragraph. Long is good but a quality sentence is fine.

If you write something nice but cut n paste it to the other 20 you found that day it means nothing. Even if you cut n paste the same log to 20 different hiders it is still seen.

Just a bit of our two cents

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Dont remember if ive posted in this thread or not. lol. swiss cheese I tell you. I'm too young for that!

 

I try to write at least a sentence or so for each cache I visit. Usually a bit more but usually straight from my phone on the spot, or i may well forget. haha. If i have something more to add or a pic I'll edit from a comp when i get home.

Hubby though usually has pre-entered text for his logs saying: "found with frogcooke. tftc" lol. but i guess he figures im gonna write a log so its fine.

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Generally, if a CO wants a decent log, then they need to make a decent hide. It hard to write anything but SL TFTC! for a LPC outside of Home Depot. From the logs I have read, people seem to try and express themselves if the cache or trip to it was new to them. If they are on their 30th LPC, they typically do not write much. I honestly try to recap the experience, even for the LPC type hides if something humorous, or uniques happens. With all that said, some people are of few words both orally and in writing. It doesn't mean they don't enjoy the experience. I have a few friends that geocache but rarely write logs over one line, because the are very self conscious about their writing and spelling skills. The quality of logging also depends on how serious people are about the hobby. I always make a route guide in a notebook of the caches I plan to visit. I scribble down notes, that I can refer back to when I log at home from my computer. I learned quickly if is very difficult to try and remember caches after visiting over 5 of them in a day, especially if you are grabbing or leaving TB, coins etc.

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My/our two cents. If the day comes that I/we don't have time to write a little something about each individual find or no find it is time to hang it up. If we hit too many in a day and can't write an individual log than we hit too many that day. Definitely not a numbers game.

 

And to the newer cachers.

Don't follow the TFTC thing. No, a short online log is not what most want.

Don't cut n paste without customizing each log.

It does not have to be a paragraph. Long is good but a quality sentence is fine.

If you write something nice but cut n paste it to the other 20 you found that day it means nothing. Even if you cut n paste the same log to 20 different hiders it is still seen.

Just a bit of our two cents

 

I generally agree, however if a CO creates a power series, they should expect cut and paste, especially if all the hides are the same. Simply, not a whole lot of new experience to write about every .1 mile. It is the only time I cut and paste a log, but I do it in such cases. As I previously posted, I feel the same way about LPC. Logging in general, really is about the efforts both parties make. A good hide, should result in good logs and comments about their unique experiences. All my LPC finds get SL TFTC! It my respectful way of saying, I appreciate your minimal effort.

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I generally agree, however if a CO creates a power series, they should expect cut and paste, especially if all the hides are the same.

 

Good point. I had not thought about that. Cut-and-paste caches should expect cut-and-paste logs.

 

What's funny is that I think that power series owners would actually prefer to get only one email notification per series finder. I shudder to consider their inboxes.

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My/our two cents. If the day comes that I/we don't have time to write a little something about each individual find or no find it is time to hang it up. If we hit too many in a day and can't write an individual log than we hit too many that day. Definitely not a numbers game.

 

And to the newer cachers.

Don't follow the TFTC thing. No, a short online log is not what most want.

Don't cut n paste without customizing each log.

It does not have to be a paragraph. Long is good but a quality sentence is fine.

If you write something nice but cut n paste it to the other 20 you found that day it means nothing. Even if you cut n paste the same log to 20 different hiders it is still seen.

Just a bit of our two cents

 

I generally agree, however if a CO creates a power series, they should expect cut and paste, especially if all the hides are the same. Simply, not a whole lot of new experience to write about every .1 mile. It is the only time I cut and paste a log, but I do it in such cases. As I previously posted, I feel the same way about LPC. Logging in general, really is about the efforts both parties make. A good hide, should result in good logs and comments about their unique experiences. All my LPC finds get SL TFTC! It my respectful way of saying, I appreciate your minimal effort.

I agree, wasn't really thinking about power trails or power series. Haven't done any power trails and don't plan on doing any. Have done a local series but hit it a few at a time over three or four months. Have a new series in the area and have only hit a few on a couple of different occasions. But I guess I would have to agree, if someone is doing a power trail some pretty short and similar logging is probably in order.

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I still cache with computer printouts and I'll scribble notes (a word or two) on them to help me remember things to comment on when I log the cache.

I do the same thing. I also make notes to put in the personal notes section of the cache. I am not into the "how many caches can I get in a day?" category. I just like to get outside and find new places and see what God has put out there for us to discover.

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If I have something to say about a cache then I am quite happy to write a log but recently I have found caches and not logged them for some reason or another. One type of cache which I don't log is usually called, "Its good to talk" which are usually in phone boxes. The first one I did like this was interesting but the rest are all the same. I still do them in case I find an interesting one but so far that has not happpened.

Another type of cache that I sometimes don't log is puzzle caches. In these cases you could probably say a lot but can't because of giving away clues to solving the puzzle. Even logging as a FTF tells everyone else that the cache can be done. Another problem with some puzzle caches with geochecker is that the owner can see your IP address which makes me sort of uncomfortable.

I am also uncomfortable with the statistics which are generated when you log a find. Surely the pleasure and challenge of geocaching is in finding the cache and not clocking up numbers.

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I usually keep my posts to a minimal as I do not like to spend my time writing up something that most people will not even look at or care about. I usually just post that it was a nice day (as any day spent geocaching is) and if I went with anybody as I am trying to take a couple friends along anytime I geocache. So far I have converted two people to geocaching.

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Online logs are the bulk of the reward that a cache owner gets from placing a cache. It may be hard to write something up at times but it does pay to try.

 

I have placed one cache at the moment, and have a series almost ready for placing and reviewing. I don't expect much to be written in the cache log, but I do look forward to seeing what gets written online. 3 lines, 2 sentences, i'm easily pleased. TNLNSL TFTC...... bang head on table.

 

I have taken photo's with TB/GC's I have had in my possesion, posted them, and had a great response from the owners. It's appreciated by them, as I would with my one TB that's out there. Admittedly though, some caches, mainly the Cache and Dash types are difficult to elaborate upon, and I have done the 'Easy find, SL TFTC'. But then, a Magnetic Nano on the back of a road sign is hard to elaborate upon. When it's a multi cache, leading to a bonus cache at the end, I like to expand in the final log of the bonus if i get to it, or the last log of the series. Give something back I suppose is what owners only ask for. GC2BQAW .... although a nano in a tree, one of my more elaborate logs.

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