Deleting trackable items from a cache

[Morseman]

Hi,

 

I'm the 'owner' of the UK Travelbug graveyard cache and I'm trying to do some tidying up.

 

I have a few trackable items in the graveyard which don't have a valid link to their details and I'd like to clear them out, if the owners don't update the links.

 

I've emailed the owners asking them to either add the links or delete the items, but if they don't respond, as some have not logged ito Geocaching for a while in some cases, I would like to be able to remove the invalid links.

 

However, as I don't have the tracking number, I can't 'collect' the item and/or delete it.

 

Anyone know if there is a way to get rid of invalid items from a cache list please?

 

Thanks

[+Eartha]

Travel Bug Graveyards are no longer necessary. Groundspeak long ago gave cache owners and TB owners the option to mark TBs missing. Simply go to each TB page, write a note that you're marking them missing. On the TB page, where you see the drop down menu that says "recalculate distance, click there and find the "Mark As Missing" option. Choose that, then hit go, then click on "yes" - you do want to do that. There's no need to add false mileage to TBs anymore, and if they come back from the great beyond it's just a matter of logging it to get it going again, without all that false mileage from a graveyard far away.

[Morseman]

There's no need to add false mileage to TBs anymore, and if they come back from the great beyond it's just a matter of logging it to get it going again, without all that false mileage from a graveyard far away.

 

Thanks for the reply,

 

However, the fact that the owner can do this doesn't help me with the entries by people who do not respond to emails or messages asking them to amend their entries.

 

I don't force people to put trackables in my graveyard, and it was running before the changes to the trackable systems, but I would like to remove the dud entries, if possible, please.

 

As with all systems, there will always be people who don't realise all the controls available to them, and I still see the occasional new trackable being put into the graveyard. Especially from the USA, sometimes with comments about there being no graveyard in their country...

[+BlueDeuce]

Marking them as missing will remove the bug from the cache page. You wouldn't need the owner to update the link as it'll be gone. (Still in the owner's inventory of course)

[+Eartha]

There's no need to add false mileage to TBs anymore, and if they come back from the great beyond it's just a matter of logging it to get it going again, without all that false mileage from a graveyard far away.

 

Thanks for the reply,

 

However, the fact that the owner can do this doesn't help me with the entries by people who do not respond to emails or messages asking them to amend their entries.

 

 

You, as the cache owner can mark them missing. You don't need a tracking number to do that. Just be sure to click "yes" after clicking on "Mark as Missing". It puts the TB into an "Unknown Location". If the TB is ever found, it just needs to be logged to get on the road again.

[+steveko]

You, as the cache owner can mark them missing. You don't need a tracking number to do that. Just be sure to click "yes" after clicking on "Mark as Missing". It puts the TB into an "Unknown Location". If the TB is ever found, it just needs to be logged to get on the road again.

 

Hi,

 

it would be better to give a 'report as missing' (or something like that) option for the loggers, and activate the 'missing' attribute of a bug or coin after 1-2-3 "report as missing" entries. Of course any of the loggers should be able to bring the bug/coin back with logging a 'found it/discovered it', etc. type of log entry.

 

Is there a reason that loggers can't have an option like this?

 

Regards,

SteveKo

[+ThePetersTrio]

I've started getting into the habit of posting something like this when I find a cache that has TBs that have long since been missing:

 

"In case the cache owner isn't aware, you can drop the TBs incorrectly listed on your cache page into a missing category. Just open your cache page, click on the TB and use the drop down menu. If the TB later resurfaces, the TB owner can easily put it back into circulation. This practice will keep your cache page accurate."

 

It so far has worked amazingly well. The cache owner in almost every case I've done this has cleaned up their cache page within a few hours of my logging the find. I think most people are unaware that they can do this.

 

Maybe we can all start spreading the word as we cache...

 

[edit to add] I only do this on caches after checking the TB page and ascertaining the bugs have been MIA for several months or more.

Edited March 31, 2008 by ThePetersTrio

[+Eartha]

And you can send me a link to missing TB's and I can mark it missing. It's much faster if you send a link, and not just the name of the TB, because sometimes there are duplicate names out there.

[Nylimb]

it would be better to give a 'report as missing' (or something like that) option for the loggers, and activate the 'missing' attribute of a bug or coin after 1-2-3 "report as missing" entries. Of course any of the loggers should be able to bring the bug/coin back with logging a 'found it/discovered it', etc. type of log entry.

 

Is there a reason that loggers can't have an option like this?

 

Regards,

SteveKo

 

I think this is an excellent suggestion. I've frequently posted notes to caches and TBs asking their owners to mark bugs as missing, but usually nothing happens. Part of the problem is that a TB whose owner is no longer active sometimes ends up in a cache whose owner is no longer active, so neither of the people who can mark the bug as missing cares enough to do so. Giving that ability to those of us who do care would save us time; instead of posting 2 "please mark as missing" logs, waiting a few weeks, and then emailing Eartha about it, we could just post one log.

 

Of course there'd need to be some safeguards. The system could be set up to require more than one "report as missing" log before the bug is marked as missing, as steveko suggested. Or it could be set up to wait a week or two before marking it, and allow the owner of the cache or bug to cancel the request within that time.

 

Nylimb

Edited April 1, 2008 by Nylimb

[+Eartha]

Sometimes it's just because someone hasn't logged it yet, or doesn't know how. Start marking them missing and I wonder if people might not bother to log it if it says it's missing.

I still say if we are going to show someone what caching is, we should teach them all the aspects of the game, including TBs and geocoins. They have to learn it from the start. Not after they've make a mistake and things get mixed up. Even if you just tell them to make sure they check out all the links on geocaching.com before they start playing.

I don't think it's a good idea to give a mark as missing option to everyone, though. I can just imagine the abuse, or confusion that would cause. There are unscrupulous characters out there virtually logging bugs into caches they've never been to, just for fun. Think of the mess they could make if they were given the ability to mark bugs missing. There has to be a control on it. Owners of caches and owners of TBs should be the only people who can mark them missing. A report missing button might be a good idea, but not the ability to actually mark it missing. And if you want to make this suggestion, it belongs in the geocaching.com website forums. We can't make that happen here.

[+steveko]

...

I don't think it's a good idea to give a mark as missing option to everyone, though. I can just imagine the abuse, or confusion that would cause. There are unscrupulous characters out there virtually logging bugs into caches they've never been to, just for fun. Think of the mess they could make if they were given the ability to mark bugs missing. There has to be a control on it. Owners of caches and owners of TBs should be the only people who can mark them missing. A report missing button might be a good idea, but not the ability to actually mark it missing. And if you want to make this suggestion, it belongs in the geocaching.com website forums. We can't make that happen here.

 

Hi Eartha,

 

I share your opinion regarding abuse and unscrupulous characters. I was wondered if geocachnig is affected by the kind of vandalism like wikipedia does. Now it seems to me that the answer is unfortunately 'yes'.

On the other side I just experienced the same that Nylimb said: the cache owner said 'I just helped the original cache owner to translate text to english and register on geocaching.com. I may mark the bug as missing' - He didn't.

Now I'll write you a mail with the link of the missing bug(s) and also post my idea in the other topic regarding the 'mark as missing' type of log. Maybe this could enable you to have weekly/monthly reports of missing bugs with names and links and put the bugs to the 'unknown' after reaching 1-2-3-5-10 hits for missing. Of course I'd prefer if all the bug/coin/cache owners are always available do the cleaning up by themselves.

 

Regards,

Steveko