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How Can You Decide When a Cache is Published?


sparkeeeee

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A gracious "Hello" to TPTB! (or anyone who can help me, for that matter)

 

I've created caches in the past, but have run up against something I have not previously encountered.

 

Scenario:

 

I have placed a cache.

 

I am desirous that said cache be made available to the geocaching community at a certain time, of my choosing.

 

How can I get a reviwer to approve the cache, but make sure that it's existence is not made known until I want it to be?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Todd

(Team A.C.E./Sparkeeeee)

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Put a note to reviewer on the page and ask. Most reviewers will try to accommodate you, but remember its not like they are sitting in front of their PCs all day watching the clock and waiting to publish your cache at the precise moment.

 

If you want it published on a certain day, it is likely you will get cooperation from the reviewer, but if you want it published say 1 minute past midnight or exactly at 2 p.m., that is a lot less likely (but not necessarily impossible).

 

One thing you can do is ask the reviewer to disable the cache immediately after he publishes it. That way you can enable it at your convenience.

 

 

By the way, this is not a getting started issue, so moving to the general forum

 

 

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As briansnat pointed out, we don't have any sort of timed-publish tool, so it relies on us to be at a computer to publish the cache when you would like it to be published. It's not always convenient for us if something else is going on, but we will try to get it published as close as possible to your desired time. If it's for an event, sometimes we're attending the same event so we have to figure out how to do it. I've gone to a local coffee shop with my laptop to use the wifi in some cases.

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Reasonable: "Please publish this cache any time after dark on Friday."

 

Unreasonable: "Please publish the first cache at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, and then publish the other caches one per hour, on the hour."

 

Reasonable: "I saw the guideline about submitting a group of timed release caches at least 10 days in advance. This is one of the ten caches for our event on the 15th of next month. Please publish them any time after 7:00 pm on the 14th."

 

Unreasonable: "This is one of the ten caches for the event we're holding the day after tomorrow. Please publish them at exactly 10:00 a.m., which is the starting time for the event."

 

Those are all true life examples, slightly altered so as not to be identifiable. I do my best to accommodate these requests, but I don't let them get in the way of a conference call with clients, watching my daughter in the school play, or taking a weekend geocaching roadtrip.

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Thanks guys and gals!

 

I didn't think there was a "computer method" with which I could control the "moment of publishment." :anicute:

 

I most definitly understand that reviewers will do their best to accomodate reasonable requests. I was just wondering if there was something I could do to not make it necessary for the reviewer to have to deal with it.

 

Thanks again!

 

Todd

(Team A.C.E./Sparkeeeee)

Edited by sparkeeeee
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Try submitting your cache listing for review ahead of time and only include some general details and fake coordinates. Explain in the reviewer comments the true nature of what you are trying to accomplish, and provide whatever other details the reviewer requires in order to properly evaluate the listing. After the listing is published, you can update it with the proper information at the designated time. Don't forget to include information about when the listing will be updated in your original publication.

 

I've seen this method used effectively for a number of event related caches and cache series, as well as holiday themed caches for things like Easter and Halloween. It takes the onus for providing the information in a timely manner off of the reviewer and places it onto the cache owner, but at least it gives you the element of timing control that you desire.

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Reasonable: "Please publish this cache any time after dark on Friday."

 

Unreasonable: "Please publish the first cache at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, and then publish the other caches one per hour, on the hour."

 

Reasonable: "I saw the guideline about submitting a group of timed release caches at least 10 days in advance. This is one of the ten caches for our event on the 15th of next month. Please publish them any time after 7:00 pm on the 14th."

 

Unreasonable: "This is one of the ten caches for the event we're holding the day after tomorrow. Please publish them at exactly 10:00 a.m., which is the starting time for the event."

 

Those are all true life examples, slightly altered so as not to be identifiable. I do my best to accommodate these requests, but I don't let them get in the way of a conference call with clients, watching my daughter in the school play, or taking a weekend geocaching roadtrip.

 

Geeze Keystone, I SAID between 10am and 10:05am on the day of the event!!! And I thought that was PERFECTLY reasonable!! :anicute:

 

disclosure: Keystone is not the reviewer for my area and the most I've asked of mine was to have a cache held until the day of my CITO event, preferably after 9am if possible....which he was able to do and I appreciated. And I wouldn't have cried in the forums if he'd gone caching that morning and published my cache when he got around to it....that's the basis of asking a favor.

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A gracious "Hello" to TPTB! (or anyone who can help me, for that matter)

 

I've created caches in the past, but have run up against something I have not previously encountered.

 

Scenario:

 

I have placed a cache.

 

I am desirous that said cache be made available to the geocaching community at a certain time, of my choosing.

 

How can I get a reviwer to approve the cache, but make sure that it's existence is not made known until I want it to be?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Todd

(Team A.C.E./Sparkeeeee)

 

Hey spark, I bet that you were really surprised to learn this, eh?: "but remember its not like they are sitting in front of their PCs all day watching the clock and waiting to publish your cache at the precise moment."

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I've always been impressed with the software setup on the geocaching.com website and I wonder how hard it would be to implement a bit of code that would allow reviewers to specify a certain day and/or hour a new cache would be displayed in the database.

 

Please don't take this post as a complaint or a whine session! I think the current system works great and the volunteer reviewers do a fantastic job accommodating everyone as best they can. I have no idea how the actual software is setup for the reviewers but I'm guessing its just a "permissions" issue concerning account access and being able to change cache status. I imagine there is an additional selection on the pull down menu that says "approve" or something like that.

 

Anyway, I'd like to put in my two cents worth to suggest it an optional time and date designation on the approval window (however it works) so caches can be "released" to the cachers at requested times with as little hassle or inconvenience to the reviewers as possible.

 

Just a suggestion. If its preposterous, just say so.

 

:laughing:

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That suggestion has been discussed in the forums previously. I know that the reviewers would love it. For example, many of us do our review work in the evening, and you always worry about causing trespassing issues when you publish a cache at 10:00 pm and it's in a cemetery or a park that closes at dusk. I'd rather set a timer for it to be published at dawn. While I'm sleeping.

 

There are issues, however, with engineering a timed release feature so as to thwart those who would try to abuse it.

 

Hopefully the developer team will consider adding the feature, with proper safeguards, as part of v2. If not, that's cool too.

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I've always been impressed with the software setup on the geocaching.com website and I wonder how hard it would be to implement a bit of code that would allow reviewers to specify a certain day and/or hour a new cache would be displayed in the database.

 

Please don't take this post as a complaint or a whine session! I think the current system works great and the volunteer reviewers do a fantastic job accommodating everyone as best they can. I have no idea how the actual software is setup for the reviewers but I'm guessing its just a "permissions" issue concerning account access and being able to change cache status. I imagine there is an additional selection on the pull down menu that says "approve" or something like that.

 

Anyway, I'd like to put in my two cents worth to suggest it an optional time and date designation on the approval window (however it works) so caches can be "released" to the cachers at requested times with as little hassle or inconvenience to the reviewers as possible.

 

Just a suggestion. If its preposterous, just say so.

 

:laughing:

I would think it would be easier from a development standpoint to put the "release time" on the cache record itself. The reviewer could approve the cache any time, but the cache would not be visible until after the "release date/time" field on the cache record. Cache owners could set the release times of their new series at one hour intervals starting at 3AM next Sunday. The reviewer would only have to approve them at his/her leisure.

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A gracious "Hello" to TPTB! (or anyone who can help me, for that matter)

 

I've created caches in the past, but have run up against something I have not previously encountered.

 

Scenario:

 

I have placed a cache.

 

I am desirous that said cache be made available to the geocaching community at a certain time, of my choosing.

 

How can I get a reviwer to approve the cache, but make sure that it's existence is not made known until I want it to be?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Todd

(Team A.C.E./Sparkeeeee)

 

Hey spark, I bet that you were really surprised to learn this, eh?: "but remember its not like they are sitting in front of their PCs all day watching the clock and waiting to publish your cache at the precise moment."

 

You are a man of great wisdom Mr. Cotati

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Mmmmmmmmmmmmm............chocolate. <drool>

Actually, I'd prefer a nice salmon. :laughing:

Hey, we can trade! I prefer dark chocolate.

 

Not sure how this will benefit anyone with cache reviews, but I'm willing to take the trade and see what happens. ;)

 

The reviewers I deal with the most will take either beer or chocolate, depending on which one gets the cache.

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Mmmmmmmmmmmmm............chocolate. <drool>

Actually, I'd prefer a nice salmon. ;)

Hey, we can trade! I prefer dark chocolate.

 

Not sure how this will benefit anyone with cache reviews, but I'm willing to take the trade and see what happens. :D

 

The reviewers I deal with the most will take either beer or chocolate, depending on which one gets the cache.

I think we're dealing with the same reviewers. :D:laughing:

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Mmmmmmmmmmmmm............chocolate. <drool>

Actually, I'd prefer a nice salmon. :(

Hey, we can trade! I prefer dark chocolate.

 

Not sure how this will benefit anyone with cache reviews, but I'm willing to take the trade and see what happens. :)

Dark chocolate truffles from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for your fresh smoked salmon? Next time you place a cache in my area, it will fly through the review process. :)

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