TFTC?

[AudunO]

In the cach logs are people writing TFTC. What means that?

[+derangedlunatech]

In the cach logs are people writing TFTC. What means that?

 

Thanks For The Cache

 

You might want to read through this post and others in the thread

Edited June 14, 2008 by derangedlunatech

[+FamilyDNA]

Thanks For The Cache.

 

For other terms you might come across, try looking HERE.

[+Ambrosia]

I much prefer TFTH, myself.

 

Thanks For The Hide, or Thanks For The Hunt.

 

I think it's open to larger and more meaningful interpretation. I have a personalize plate with TFTH, and my Geocaching/Waymarking blog is also named that.

[+flask]

people write it because although they wish to appear gracious, they can't be bothered to write anything.

[+El Diablo]

people write it because although they wish to appear gracious, they can't be bothered to write anything.

 

Sometimes it's best not to write anything else. If you hide interesting caches, you'll get interesting logs.

 

El Diablo

[+flask]

people write it because although they wish to appear gracious, they can't be bothered to write anything.

 

Sometimes it's best not to write anything else. If you hide interesting caches, you'll get interesting logs.

 

El Diablo

 

pfft.

 

shame on you. do you really think i'm talking about my favorite key holder in a guardrail at a generic poison-ivy infested pull-off?

 

most recently i got one of these four-letter logs on a beautiful ammo can hidden placed in my neighbor's yard. he has spent forty years building a HUGE rock wall and the cache is in a little niche where he has set up a swing for the pleasure of anyone who comes by.

 

it is a roomy, well-appointed ammo can in a lovely place.

 

i am in the habit of hiding interesting caches. i get a lot of boring logs. i don't care if you're not the barrett-brownings, but it'd be nice if after i have provided you with a pleasant cache you might take the trouble to write a few actual words.

[+derangedlunatech]

Wow - I'm sure that this certainly gives this newbie a very positive view of the geocaching community.

[+El Diablo]

people write it because although they wish to appear gracious, they can't be bothered to write anything.

 

Sometimes it's best not to write anything else. If you hide interesting caches, you'll get interesting logs.

 

El Diablo

 

pfft.

 

shame on you. do you really think i'm talking about my favorite key holder in a guardrail at a generic poison-ivy infested pull-off?

 

most recently i got one of these four-letter logs on a beautiful ammo can hidden placed in my neighbor's yard. he has spent forty years building a HUGE rock wall and the cache is in a little niche where he has set up a swing for the pleasure of anyone who comes by.

 

it is a roomy, well-appointed ammo can in a lovely place.

 

i am in the habit of hiding interesting caches. i get a lot of boring logs. i don't care if you're not the barrett-brownings, but it'd be nice if after i have provided you with a pleasant cache you might take the trouble to write a few actual words.

 

Now that I'll agree with. If it's a good hide, it should get good logs. One of the problems is people that power cache and then at the end are doing quick logs and aren't interested in posting a good log. All they care about are the numbers.

 

I have caches that get good logs and then you see "8th cache today. TFTH" And if you go back and see all their caches for the day, it reads the same.

 

I remember when I first started, it was pretty much all ammo cans or full size caches that lead you down a trail. Usually paid no attention to the hike in, but a lot of attention to your on the hike out. When you stopped focusing on the GPS, you saw a whole new world. Those were caches you wrote long logs about. those are the caches of days gone by.

 

El Diablo

[+flask]

those are the caches of days gone by.

 

El Diablo

 

they are NOT the caches of days gone by. not while i'm still alive, they're not.

 

every cache has the possibility of bringing you something interesting, even the film canister behind the dumpster. if you can take the trouble to make the trip , even to rack up numbers, you can say a few words.

 

if you are withholding words because you haven't any kind ones, that's another animal entirely.

[+El Diablo]

those are the caches of days gone by.

 

El Diablo

 

they are NOT the caches of days gone by. not while i'm still alive, they're not.

 

every cache has the possibility of bringing you something interesting, even the film canister behind the dumpster. if you can take the trouble to make the trip , even to rack up numbers, you can say a few words.

 

if you are withholding words because you haven't any kind ones, that's another animal entirely.

 

I'm sorry, but a film canister behind a dumpster isn't worth a log, it isn't even worth hunting.

 

Obvisously we are different sides of the fence here. So lets just agree to disagree.

 

El Diablo

[+Ambrosia]

I'm getting fairly disappointed by the logs I've been getting in the past year or two. They seem to be getting shorter and with more acronyms. Even on my best caches. I see this happening on other people's caches as well. Because of the quality of some of the caches, and because it's been happening more and more, it makes me realize that there is more to the story.

 

Here is an example of why someone may be this way. My husband isn't a huge cacher. He enjoys outdoor adventure-type caching more, if he's in the mood. He definitely doesn't want to sit down at a computer and post a log. He doesn't have the time nor the need. When I push him to do it, he tends towards the TFTC type log, which makes me cringe. But to him, that's being polite. He's a "guy". Hey, TFTC means, Thanks For The Cache! That's nice, right?

 

I think more and more new people come along, and it's like a snowball affect. I seriously don't believe that most of them know that they are disappointing cache owners, or that they're doing anything that could be taken the wrong way. They probably don't think about how it can be done differently.

 

I don't have a lot going on in my life, and those emails from people posting logs to my caches are something that still makes my heart jump a bit when I see them pop up. But the majority of the time, my heart falls when I see that nothing unique, nothing of their personal experience at the cache, has been written.

 

Because of this, I try my best to write a few extra words in each of my logs. Unfortunately, I've been more ill lately, and can't think of what to say, or it makes me tired just thinking about it. But since I don't want to just say TNLN, I haven't been logging very much. I also don't like logging without posting my pictures (which I take at almost every cache), but dealing with pictures is exhausting (it's why I'm so behind on my geocaching/Waymarking blog as well). I'm still behind on most of my logs since January.

[+flask]

those are the caches of days gone by.

 

El Diablo

 

they are NOT the caches of days gone by. not while i'm still alive, they're not.

 

every cache has the possibility of bringing you something interesting, even the film canister behind the dumpster. if you can take the trouble to make the trip , even to rack up numbers, you can say a few words.

 

if you are withholding words because you haven't any kind ones, that's another animal entirely.

 

I'm sorry, but a film canister behind a dumpster isn't worth a log, it isn't even worth hunting.

 

Obvisously we are different sides of the fence here. So lets just agree to disagree.

 

El Diablo

 

that's where this

 

if you are withholding words because you haven't any kind ones, that's another animal entirely.

 

comes in.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

I much prefer TFTH, myself.

 

Thanks For The Hide, or Thanks For The Hunt.

 

I think it's open to larger and more meaningful interpretation. I have a personalize plate with TFTH, and my Geocaching/Waymarking blog is also named that.

I prefer that one too, but I usually write the words out completely. One thing that's also nice about phrasing it that way is that I can apply it to DNFs just as well, or even Notes on Caches that I had to skip It is a little of a dissappointment to get logs where that's all that is said, but I don't mind at all if it's a tag at the end og a regular log.

 

people write it because although they wish to appear gracious, they can't be bothered to write anything.

even when that is all they have to say, It's nicer to see the words written out, and they have more meaning that way.

 

To tell someons "Thanks"

 

or

 

"Thank You"

 

can be read to have much different meanings

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

 

every cache has the possibility of bringing you something interesting, even the film canister behind the dumpster. if you can take the trouble to make the trip , even to rack up numbers, you can say a few words.

 

if you are withholding words because you haven't any kind ones, that's another animal entirely.

I think I can agree with that. Sometimes that kind is the only Cache I will be able to hunt, so I have to make what I can out of it. Having thought of many good swag items to leave in tiny Caches makes it more fun to find those. I really love the part of this game that allows me to share my toys with everyone else, so any opportunity to drop a little trinket for the next finder is a little fun for me. If my aim for the day is to get out of the Big Truck for a few minutes and have a little diversion, Who cares if the cache is under a lamp skirt ar a truckstop. I still get to add my gifts for the next finder. That makes even a lame cache more fun for me to find.

 

One way to insure that you will have something to say about even the lamest Cache, is to look at your overall life with more interested eyes. If you always try to leave something in Caches, even if they are tiny, then you will always have more to say about the Ccahe. How many people have swag items they can leave in a Bison tube? If you did, that kind of Cache would automatically have greater value to you than just signing the log..

[+Team GeoBlast]

Wow - I'm sure that this certainly gives this newbie a very positive view of the geocaching community.

 

I'm not entirely sure what you are referring to but if you are talking about the interchange between El Diablo, Flask, and Ambrosia but I think it should be required reading for ANY new Geocacher developing his or her logging style.

 

It was pointed out that writing short logs that state "TFTC!" is mostly done out of imitation by new cachers. It is only after you play for a while that you realize a few things about a log like this.

 

1. Quite a few cachers write this when they feel the cache hide doesn't deserve the time to write a log. It is about as close to an insult without actually coming out and directly insulting the hider as you can get.

2. A cache with too many TFTC logs is often ignored by cachers looking for quality hunts.

3. In most cases, a "found notification" email with only an acronym, is not appreciated by the owner. It certainly does not encourage them to go out and hide more caches.

4. A three word abbreviated log gives off the impression that the only reason the log is even being written is for the smiley.

 

As someone who puts a great deal of effort and resources into his hides, I'd encourage new cachers to also consider the following.

 

Someone, a real person, is going to read your log probably the same day you write it. This person has invested his or her time, energy, and in most cases money to make this cache available for you to find. So, don't make your log ALL about you. If you think about it, the fact that my cache was #18 of 21 of the day is largely uninteresting to everyone but you. There's a million positive things you could write. Say something, anything, about the cache, the hunt, the people that went with you, the day you found it.

 

The more you share the experience you had finding my cache, the happier I am about the work I have to do to keep it alive for you. Understand that you having fun is why I put it there for you to find. Being in on the fun is my reward.

Edited June 15, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+Team GeoBlast]

most recently i got one of these four-letter logs on a beautiful ammo can hidden placed in my neighbor's yard. he has spent forty years building a HUGE rock wall and the cache is in a little niche where he has set up a swing for the pleasure of anyone who comes by.

 

Have you ever attempted to share the cache owners perspective when you get a log like this? I so rarely get them on my better caches. But on occasion if see a pattern of the finder writing short seemingly unappreciative logs, I will occasionally write a nice note trying to encourage the cacher to do better. I've had a few people write back that they had not considered it that way and thank me but I am sure that others don't appreciate the unsolicited critique of their log. The way I see it, if one cacher will write better logs for the next cache he or she finds, it is worth it.

 

But a cache like the one you are describing is deserving of more. I'd take the time to tell you so.

[+Team GeoBlast]

most recently i got one of these four-letter logs on a beautiful ammo can hidden placed in my neighbor's yard. he has spent forty years building a HUGE rock wall and the cache is in a little niche where he has set up a swing for the pleasure of anyone who comes by.

 

Have you ever attempted to share the cache owners perspective when you get a log like this? On occasion if I see a pattern of the finder writing short seemingly unappreciative logs, I will write a nice note trying to encourage the cacher to do better. I've had a few people write back that they had not considered it that way and thank me but I am sure that others don't appreciate the unsolicited critique of their log. The way I see it, if one cacher will write better logs for the next cache he or she finds, it is worth it.

 

But a cache like the one you are describing is just flat out deserving of more. I'd take the time to tell you so.

Edited June 15, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+flask]

i try to let the quality of my log be indicative of the quality of my cache hunt. these two are often, but not necessarily related.

 

if the cache itself is pretty lame but i still had a good time, i take the time to write about it. if i found the cache and it wasn't lame and i had a miserable time, i take the time to write about it. if the cache was lame AND it was more or less a waste of time, often my log will simply say "found".

 

none of these is "TFTC".

[+punchappy]

 

Sometimes it's best not to write anything else. If you hide interesting caches, you'll get interesting logs.

 

 

Is it in the log that you should write an interested summary.. or when you get back and log it on GC?

While out in the wild.. tend to quickly sign log.. and move on before either being seen or bitten alive by bugs!

[+flask]

 

Sometimes it's best not to write anything else. If you hide interesting caches, you'll get interesting logs.

 

 

Is it in the log that you should write an interested summary.. or when you get back and log it on GC?

While out in the wild.. tend to quickly sign log.. and move on before either being seen or bitten alive by bugs!

 

usually in the wild i don't write much. i used to, but these days i want to put it in perspective of the rest of the day, or i want to post pictures. the online log is more of a public record, though, available to more people, and (for me) easier to do.

 

in either case it's nice to write a word or two if you can manage it.

[+Kit Fox]

Wow - I'm sure that this certainly gives this newbie a very positive view of the geocaching community.

 

I'm not entirely sure what you are referring to but if you are talking about the interchange between El Diablo, Flask, and Ambrosia but I think it should be required reading for ANY new Geocacher developing his or her logging style.

 

It was pointed out that writing short logs that state "TFTC!" is mostly done out of imitation by new cachers. It is only after you play for a while that you realize a few things about a log like this.

 

1. Quite a few cachers write this when they feel the cache hide doesn't deserve the time to write a log. It is about as close to an insult without actually coming out and directly insulting the hider as you can get.

2. A cache with too many TFTC logs is often ignored by cachers looking for quality hunts.

3. In most cases, a "found notification" email with only an acronym, is not appreciated by the owner. It certainly does not encourage them to go out and hide more caches.

4. A three word abbreviated log gives off the impression that the only reason the log is even being written is for the smiley.

 

As someone who puts a great deal of effort and resources into his hides, I'd encourage new cachers to also consider the following.

 

Someone, a real person, is going to read your log probably the same day you write it. This person has invested his or her time, energy, and in most cases money to make this cache available for you to find. So, don't make your log ALL about you. If you think about it, the fact that my cache was #18 of 21 of the day is largely uninteresting to everyone but you. There's a million positive things you could write. Say something, anything, about the cache, the hunt, the people that went with you, the day you found it.

 

The more you share the experience you had finding my cache, the happier I am about the work I have to do to keep it alive for you. Understand that you having fun is why I put it there for you to find. Being in on the fun is my reward.

 

A great reference thread is The Lost Art of Logging

 

As a cache hider that prides himself in hiding great caches in great locations, nothing is a bigger insult than a cache finder who doesn't have time to write anything other than acronyms. If the caches were crappy, I would understand. I write short logs on crappy caches, if I find them at all.

[+derangedlunatech]

 

I'm not entirely sure what you are referring to but if you are talking about the interchange between El Diablo, Flask, and Ambrosia but I think it should be required reading for ANY new Geocacher developing his or her logging style.

 

Not so much the topic itself, but the way it is being presented.

 

I'm not much of a writer. Yes, I am one of the newbies who abbreviated a few times, then decided to try to force myself to write more. Some caches make it easy. Some, while quality caches, do not. It is like literature itself - some can appreciate good writing just for the sake of good writing, while others it takes something a little more, something that makes it personal.

 

Sometimes, especially if you are in a mostly urban area, there's only so many new things to say before you start repeating the same basic things over and over again. I'm finding that out already after only a week and about 20 finds. And I have 500 caches (not counting the micro-spew) within 5 miles of my house! How quickly do you think I'm going to run out of things to say, and "thanks for the fun cache, nice hide" is going to come across the same way?

 

Today my family and I were out for a full day of caching. No, not for the numbers, but for the day together and for the fun of the hunt. At the end of the day, I found myself struggling for things to say on a few of the logs. Does this mean I appreciated any of them any less? Of course it doesn't. My wife, on the other hand, could probably write a 10 page essay on each one of them. I'm a technical writer, she's more of a story writer. Again, doesn't mean that it is any less or any more appreciated, and I think it is rather presumptuous and (quite frankly) rude to try to assign meaning to what someone else has written.

 

Maybe those logs aren't interesting for you to read. I get it. But at least be thankful that someone took the time to hunt your cache, sign the paper log, and post on here. Maybe you're right and they are just numbers people. Maybe they are people like me who have writing skills that are more technically oriented than descriptive. Maybe (as in the case of my 14 year old autistic son who loves caching with me) they don't interact very well socially, and even a "TFTC" is a struggle for them. You never know these things about the people you are so hasty to be judgmental about.

 

Either way, your opinions are certainly yours, and I wouldn't pretend to tell you to change them. But when you have a newbie who asks a simple question and gets a response like the above, think about what that response might be doing to that newbie and to the community. Fortunately in my case I've been around this series of tubes for a long time and I've seen just about everything that happens in any sort of online community where people sometimes forget that the clueless noob or disagreeing username is a real person too. I expect to come into any large group and see people with their underoos twisted up in knots over the smallest things. The OP may not have that experience and thick skin, and may now feel like he can't ask a simple question without setting off a powder keg.

 

Just think about it. There's a time and a place for everything.

[+flask]

 

I'm not much of a writer.

 

liar.

[+derangedlunatech]

liar.

 

Please, feel free to continue to insult me and show yourself for exactly what you really are.

[+flask]

liar.

 

Please, feel free to continue to insult me and show yourself for exactly what you really are.

 

you didn't think about it before responding, did you?

[+webscouter.]

liar.

 

Please, feel free to continue to insult me and show yourself for exactly what you really are.

 

Looked to me she was complimenting you saying you were a writer.

[+derangedlunatech]

 

you didn't think about it before responding, did you?

 

Yup. I considered the possibility that you might be meaning that as an off-handed compliment. However, since I went on to clarify exactly what I meant by the statement, and given the tone of your previous posts in this thread, felt that it was a slim possibility. On top of that, few people take kindly to being being called something like a liar by people who they don't know and who do not know them - even if it is meant in jest. Of course you knew that already, and knew exactly how what you wrote would be taken, and that makes such a simple ploy completely transparent. In the end, what you wrote was exactly what you intended to convey, and you find yourself caught in your own trap.

 

Sorry, but you gotta get up a pretty early in the morning if you're going to try to trap me and dismiss what I have to say with simple and predictable logic games. The fact that you had to resort to such a simple ploy to dismiss what I had to say rather than address it announces that you cannot disagree with what I had to say, and had to resort to such a red herring in order to try to "win." Furthermore, your simple ploy only serves to reinforce exactly the points I made in my post.

 

In the future, you might find that it behooves you to address the points a person makes, rather than relying on smoke and mirrors to try to side step it.

Edited June 16, 2008 by derangedlunatech

[+Team GeoBlast]

 

I'm not entirely sure what you are referring to but if you are talking about the interchange between El Diablo, Flask, and Ambrosia but I think it should be required reading for ANY new Geocacher developing his or her logging style.

 

Not so much the topic itself, but the way it is being presented.

 

I'm not much of a writer. Yes, I am one of the newbies who abbreviated a few times, then decided to try to force myself to write more. Some caches make it easy. Some, while quality caches, do not. It is like literature itself - some can appreciate good writing just for the sake of good writing, while others it takes something a little more, something that makes it personal.

 

Sometimes, especially if you are in a mostly urban area, there's only so many new things to say before you start repeating the same basic things over and over again. I'm finding that out already after only a week Not and about 20 finds. And I have 500 caches (not counting the micro-spew) within 5 miles of my house! How quickly do you think I'm going to run out of things to say, and "thanks for the fun cache, nice hide" is going to come across the same way?

 

Today my family and I were out for a full day of caching. No, not for the numbers, but for the day together and for the fun of the hunt. At the end of the day, I found myself struggling for things to say on a few of the logs. Does this mean I appreciated any of them any less? Of course it doesn't. My wife, on the other hand, could probably write a 10 page essay on each one of them. I'm a technical writer, she's more of a story writer. Again, doesn't mean that it is any less or any more appreciated, and I think it is rather presumptuous and (quite frankly) rude to try to assign meaning to what someone else has written.

 

Maybe those logs aren't interesting for you to read. I get it. But at least be thankful that someone took the time to hunt your cache, sign the paper log, and post on here. Maybe you're right and they are just numbers people. Maybe they are people like me who have writing skills that are more technically oriented than descriptive. Maybe (as in the case of my 14 year old autistic son who loves caching with me) they don't interact very well socially, and even a "TFTC" is a struggle for them. You never know these things about the people you are so hasty to be judgmental about.

 

Either way, your opinions are certainly yours, and I wouldn't pretend to tell you to change them. But when you have a newbie who asks a simple question and gets a response like the above, think about what that response might be doing to that newbie and to the community. Fortunately in my case I've been around this series of tubes for a long time and I've seen just about everything that happens in any sort of online community where people sometimes forget that the clueless noob or disagreeing username is a real person too. I expect to come into any large group and see people with their underoos twisted up in knots over the smallest things. The OP may not have that experience and thick skin, and may now feel like he can't ask a simple question without setting off a powder keg.

 

Just think about it. There's a time and a place for everything.

 

Not much of a writer? This is like saying you are not much of a basketball player and then throwing down a 360 degree dunk to prove your point.

 

I hear what you are saying and agree with the premise that there are some folks who do not write much and there is no ill will intended. It is just how they are. Returning to the OP and the question what does TFTC mean. I believe that this IS in fact the time and place to not only define the term but also what it means to cache owners.

[+flask]

 

you didn't think about it before responding, did you?

 

Yup. I considered the possibility that you might be meaning that as an off-handed compliment. However, since I went on to clarify exactly what I meant by the statement, and given the tone of the previous posts, felt that it was a slim possibility. On top of that, few people take kindly to being being called something like a liar by people who they don't know and who do not know them - even if it is meant in jest. Of course you knew that already, and knew exactly how what you wrote would be taken, and that makes such a simple ploy completely transparent. In the end, what you wrote was exactly what you intended to convey, and you find yourself caught in your own trap.

 

Sorry, but you gotta get up a pretty early in the morning if you're going to try to trap me and dismiss what I have to say with simple and predictable logic games. The fact that you had to resort to such a simple ploy to dismiss what I had to say rather than address it announces that you cannot disagree with what I had to say, and had to resort to such a red herring in order to try to "win." Furthermore, your simple ploy only serves to reinforce exactly the points I made in my post.

 

In the future, you might find that it behooves you to address the points a person makes, rather than relying on smoke and mirrors to try to side step it.

 

the fact that i simply didn't have anything to say in response to the points of your comment is not an indication that i need to rely on "smoke and mirrors". i simply thought it funny.

 

whether i agree with you or not (agree on some points, disagree on others) does not diminish the (for me) entertaining irony that you claim not to be much of a writer when clearly you are a very competent one.

 

now it's clear you're also slightly paranoiac; i don't man to dismiss you. i stress again: i simply had no response to the body of it. please rest assured that had i wished to dismiss you as either deranged or addlepated, i had the capability of doing so.

 

i still think it was much funnier the way it unfolded, and a lot of unnecessary response to your well-constructed post would have really gotten in the way. i may have gotten it all wrong, but i didn't really see any gaping flaws in your reasoning on which to pounce or any gross failure to comprehend the facts. in short, there's nothing i want to say about it, and certainly nothing to sidestep.

 

if you'd like me to engage you on that field i could probably come up with something, but what would be the point? i don't "win" an argument by stepping out of it for a moment to notice that you are competent. if i wanted to argue the points or even the peripherals, i'd have done it.

 

i'm not so one-dimensional that i need to rely on "transparent ploys". in fact, i assumed that you would get the joke, because clearly you have a good grip of the language. my mistake for thinking you also were unencumbered by paranoiac delusions of machiavellian motives.

 

yes, that last bit WAS dismissive, but i like it for the effect and therefore let it stand.

 

pretty much i say what i mean and i mean what i say. i have all the tact and sensitivity of, say, a large block of granite and for the most part i don't give a wet slap about what anyone thinks.

 

in short, what i intended to convey was a joke we perhaps might both wink at, a joke not related to any of the arguments, but rather an entertaining sidebar. i do not know how you twisted it into a weird head trip with ulterior motives, but you did. i find that less comedic than the other, but still faaaaascinating.

 

i'm still not addressing your main points because, well, i still haven't anything to say about them. you may wish to interpret that as some kind of rhetorical gambit, but i still have nothing to say about it. i'm not even suggesting that it's beneath me to respond (as i might i i felt contempt for your reasoning or your ideas); i just don't have any responses to it.

 

do you often feel as if people are trying to trap you? i hear they have medications to help with that. i think my credentials in the area of mental unbalance are impeccable and beyond dispute and although we're clearly not in the same boat, we appear to be on the same river.

[+maurycy]

To whoever is not satisfied with short logs or abbreviations: Just post in the cache description that cache cannot be claimed with boring or two letter log. Isn't that simple? There are caches where you have to send owner a picture or solve a riddle to claim the cache. So if you think that your log should have at least 5 lines of text, make it a requirement. What's the big deal?

[+flask]

i don't want to make rules about it. we've seen over and over how many people just assume it's the norm, or even the generally approved practice. i want to challenge that way of thinking.

[+derangedlunatech]

 

do you often feel as if people are trying to trap you? i hear they have medications to help with that. i think my credentials in the area of mental unbalance are impeccable and beyond dispute and although we're clearly not in the same boat, we appear to be on the same river.

 

My friend, we're not even close to being in the same boat or river.

 

You claim that you mean what you say and you say what you mean. You say that right after a long explanation of how you did not mean what you just said.

 

As I said, I've been around the internet long enough to see just about every trick and ploy that anyone has. Yours was nothing new.

 

So we can agree or we can agree to disagree. But the ongoing red herrings (look it up) serve only to discredit yourself, not me. So now we come full circle, and I get back to saying please - feel free to continue to insult me, as all id serves to do is show you for what you really are.

 

If you would like to discuss the topic, then by all means I'm always up for reasonable discussion. But if all you have to add to it are more red herrings and insults, then you will quickly find yourself playing solitaire.

[+derangedlunatech]

i don't want to make rules about it. we've seen over and over how many people just assume it's the norm, or even the generally approved practice. i want to challenge that way of thinking.

 

...and that is a fair enough challenge. But to ascribe the same general attribute to everyone who uses that sort of log entry demonstrates the same laziness and lack of effort that you are decrying.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

OK, can we gat back to the part of the topic that might actually help the OP gain a better understand the usefulness of logging in different ways. Thank You

[+Ambrosia]

i try to let the quality of my log be indicative of the quality of my cache hunt. these two are often, but not necessarily related.

 

if the cache itself is pretty lame but i still had a good time, i take the time to write about it. if i found the cache and it wasn't lame and i had a miserable time, i take the time to write about it. if the cache was lame AND it was more or less a waste of time, often my log will simply say "found".

 

none of these is "TFTC".

Very similar to what I do. I don't think I've ever written something like TFTC for a cache. But if I just can't think of anything good to say, I usually at least say thanks (my most common statement, although used more for places I liked, is "thank you for sharing (this spot/place/unique feature)". At the very least, the person got off their butt and went out and placed something for me to find. And I'm always happy to go caching.

[+Team GeoBlast]

To whoever is not satisfied with short logs or abbreviations: Just post in the cache description that cache cannot be claimed with boring or two letter log. Isn't that simple? There are caches where you have to send owner a picture or solve a riddle to claim the cache. So if you think that your log should have at least 5 lines of text, make it a requirement. What's the big deal?

 

------> there goes the point

<----- and there you go

 

Take kindness, expression and compassion away from the game and what do you have? A bunch of people saying TFTC to each other.

[+maurycy]

Take kindness, expression and compassion away from the game and what do you have? A bunch of people saying TFTC to each other.

Maybe I started geocaching late but I haven't seen any fancy log entries. Maybe it is due to the fact that most of the caches I attempted are in public parks here in NJ where there are a lot of muggles. If I were out in the wilderness, I probably would sit down, go thru the contents, write nice log, enjoy view, etc. But in reality, I have to either pretend I am fixing my bike, taking leak or skipping the cache until the area clears a bit. I guess for me making sure I am not seen and that the cache stays undiscovered by muggles for other to enjoy is more valuable than fancy log entry.

 

On the other hand, why did we come up with all the abbreviations if so much people are complaining about them? I am writing this post and on the left side there are three rows of smilies. Should I use them or not because I might offend somebody that is expecting "very funny post" instead of :-)

[+Ambrosia]

Take kindness, expression and compassion away from the game and what do you have? A bunch of people saying TFTC to each other.

Maybe I started geocaching late but I haven't seen any fancy log entries. Maybe it is due to the fact that most of the caches I attempted are in public parks here in NJ where there are a lot of muggles. If I were out in the wilderness, I probably would sit down, go thru the contents, write nice log, enjoy view, etc. But in reality, I have to either pretend I am fixing my bike, taking leak or skipping the cache until the area clears a bit. I guess for me making sure I am not seen and that the cache stays undiscovered by muggles for other to enjoy is more valuable than fancy log entry.

 

On the other hand, why did we come up with all the abbreviations if so much people are complaining about them? I am writing this post and on the left side there are three rows of smilies. Should I use them or not because I might offend somebody that is expecting "very funny post" instead of :-)

Of course, we're probably not certain if the OP was talking about logs in the physical cache logbook, or logs online. But I think that the main discussion in this thread has been about logging online. It might be tough to write much in the physical logbook, but when sitting at home on your computer, you can take a few extra minutes to write more online. It doesn't have to be anything "fancy", just something about your experience at that particular cache!

 

I'm not sure who came up with the abbreviations, but it wasn't me! But once they're made up, they're used. And sometimes they can have their place, I suppose.

 

Personally I don't mind smilies, I use them all the time. I have smilie face stickers that I use sometimes in my cache logs. They can help a lot in the forums, to tell how someone wanted their comment to be taken - it can make the difference between thinking that someone is rude, or just making a joke.

[+maurycy]

Of course, we're probably not certain if the OP was talking about logs in the physical cache logbook, or logs online. But I think that the main discussion in this thread has been about logging online. It might be tough to write much in the physical logbook, but when sitting at home on your computer, you can take a few extra minutes to write more online. It doesn't have to be anything "fancy", just something about your experience at that particular cache!

 

I'm not sure who came up with the abbreviations, but it wasn't me! But once they're made up, they're used. And sometimes they can have their place, I suppose.

 

Personally I don't mind smilies, I use them all the time. I have smilie face stickers that I use sometimes in my cache logs. They can help a lot in the forums, to tell how someone wanted their comment to be taken - it can make the difference between thinking that someone is rude, or just making a joke.

I agree with your view on on-line logs. There is no excuse to write just TFTH. We spend more time uploading GPX files, making maps, etc. Extra 5 minutes in the front of computer will not harm anyone.

 

I think though that majority of this discussion is about cache logs (paper). I have not placed a cache yet (thinking of doing so in a nearby park) but I wouldn't be offended if I did so and all I got was a date, name and smiley. At least I know that people are spending time outdoors looking for my cache instead of shopping at the mall

[+Team GeoBlast]

Of course, we're probably not certain if the OP was talking about logs in the physical cache logbook, or logs online. But I think that the main discussion in this thread has been about logging online. It might be tough to write much in the physical logbook, but when sitting at home on your computer, you can take a few extra minutes to write more online. It doesn't have to be anything "fancy", just something about your experience at that particular cache!

 

I'm not sure who came up with the abbreviations, but it wasn't me! But once they're made up, they're used. And sometimes they can have their place, I suppose.

 

Personally I don't mind smilies, I use them all the time. I have smilie face stickers that I use sometimes in my cache logs. They can help a lot in the forums, to tell how someone wanted their comment to be taken - it can make the difference between thinking that someone is rude, or just making a joke.

I agree with your view on on-line logs. There is no excuse to write just TFTH. We spend more time uploading GPX files, making maps, etc. Extra 5 minutes in the front of computer will not harm anyone.

 

I think though that majority of this discussion is about cache logs (paper). I have not placed a cache yet (thinking of doing so in a nearby park) but I wouldn't be offended if I did so and all I got was a date, name and smiley. At least I know that people are spending time outdoors looking for my cache instead of shopping at the mall

 

I appreciate all your thoughts but I do think that most everyone is talking about the online logs. Actually, using up several pages of the log could make a few cache owners a little testy too because they will be out there replacing the log book pretty fast if everyone did that. While this thread is so focused on a singular aspect of Geocaching you will find that most people will encourage you to seek out the way you want to play the game. I'm probably the biggest supporter of that you will find. Please do not think anyone is trying to shape how you choose to play.

 

With respect for just getting smilies or TFTC on your own caches logs, I'm thinking this might change once you dive in a little deeper. Once you hide your own, you will understand that owning a cache is a little like having a pet. It will suffer greatly without your regular care. There will be times when you wonder why you are spending your time this way. It is just to compile a list of TFTC logs? It is very possible that you will become invested in what people say in an entirely different way the way the others in this thread are once you experience ownership.

Edited June 16, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+Renegade Knight]

 

you didn't think about it before responding, did you?

 

Yup. I considered the possibility that you might be meaning that as an off-handed compliment. However, since I went on to clarify exactly what I meant by the statement, and given the tone of your previous posts in this thread, felt that it was a slim possibility. On top of that, few people take kindly to being being called something like a liar by people who they don't know and who do not know them - even if it is meant in jest. Of course you knew that already, and knew exactly how what you wrote would be taken, and that makes such a simple ploy completely transparent. In the end, what you wrote was exactly what you intended to convey, and you find yourself caught in your own trap.

 

Sorry, but you gotta get up a pretty early in the morning if you're going to try to trap me and dismiss what I have to say with simple and predictable logic games. The fact that you had to resort to such a simple ploy to dismiss what I had to say rather than address it announces that you cannot disagree with what I had to say, and had to resort to such a red herring in order to try to "win." Furthermore, your simple ploy only serves to reinforce exactly the points I made in my post.

 

In the future, you might find that it behooves you to address the points a person makes, rather than relying on smoke and mirrors to try to side step it.

You are working to hard at feeling insulted. Kick in the winning hand you hold in the logic game nobody is playing with you, and I'm not sure where you are going with your posts.

 

Sometimes it's not so easy to read what people are actually saying when you only read what you know they are saying.

[+derangedlunatech]

 

You are working to hard at feeling insulted. Kick in the winning hand you hold in the logic game nobody is playing with you, and I'm not sure where you are going with your posts.

 

You confuse "recognizing a transparent debate ploy for what it is" as "being insulted." I don't get insulted by people trying to play games on forum boards. I will, however, call them for what they are when someone attempts to use them against me.

 

Sometimes it's not so easy to read what people are actually saying when you only read what you know they are saying.

 

Kinda like when someone writes "TFTC" in their log?

 

Seriously tho - this exchange is over, and no further input from others is necessary. It shouldn't have taken place to begin with, and people not involved in it keeping it going serves no purpose other than arguing just for the sake of arguing.

Edited June 16, 2008 by derangedlunatech

[+Miragee]

 

I'm not much of a writer.

 

liar.

 

@ flask, I am so glad you are back.

 

On topic, I agree that people should really try to write more than TFTC in their logs. If they are not much of a writer, a simple "Thanks" is better. Recently, someone found several of my caches placed in a series along a rural road that offers fantastic views. I'm sure they had some sort of an adventure while making that drive, but each log was just "TNLNSL."

[+Team GeoBlast]

TFFTDP

 

Thanks for forgiving the double post.

Edited June 16, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+Renegade Knight]

...Kinda like when someone writes "TFTC" in their log? ...

 

That's a good example. TFTC can mean, just that with complete sincerity, and written in that form with pride in figuring out this activities lexicon. It could also mean DPM (which means your cache sucked).

 

BTW. I know Flask well enough to know that she said. "You can write."

 

Something you are either confused about or just don't understand about forums is that, in order to keep messages brief you can only pick out one or two key items from a larger post to take on in your own response. There isn't enough room, time, (or attention span in a lot of cases) to tackle them all.

 

The rest of your post shows your frustration, born of expectations that just don't mesh with a forum.

[+derangedlunatech]

BTW. I know Flask well enough to know that she said. "You can write."

 

I don't know flask well enough to accept being called a liar, whether in jest, in honesty, or as an off-handed compliment.

 

Also, I think you both may be confusing "writing" with "communicating." Just because one can communicate does not mean that they can write.

 

Something you are either confused about or just don't understand about forums is that, in order to keep messages brief you can only pick out one or two key items from a larger post to take on in your own response. There isn't enough room, time, (or attention span in a lot of cases) to tackle them all.

 

The rest of your post shows your frustration, born of expectations that just don't mesh with a forum.

 

Incorrect on all counts. I understand forums quite well - I've been in many forums for many years, ranging from very professional discussions to all-out brawls. I do understand forums and the way that people often play games in them. My only frustration is that some people still seem to think that such games are in any way effective, and constitute anything more than a personal attack.

 

You are correct in saying that sometimes out of need people can only address one or two key points. Obviously the key point here was not my opinion of my ability to write. The key points here were (originally) whether making such a venomous statement of personal agenda in response to a simple newbie question was appropriate, and that sometimes instead of statements of accusation based on one's own agenda and reaction to things, that it is often beneficial to consider things that are beyond one's own preconceived notions. In other words, like the old saying goes: Minds are like parachutes - they work best when open.

[+Ambrosia]

The key points here were (originally) whether making such a venomous statement of personal agenda in response to a simple newbie question was appropriate, and that sometimes instead of statements of accusation based on one's own agenda and reaction to things, that it is often beneficial to consider things that are beyond one's own preconceived notions.

Which response to the OP was venomous?

[+Team GeoBlast]

I don't know flask well enough to accept being called a liar, whether in jest, in honesty, or as an off-handed compliment.

 

Would it make any difference if enough people tell you that judging from their own experience that she was totally kidding and that calling you a lair was in fact a complement? If you are at all interested in how it read from another perspective... here goes: That was one of the better composed posts I've seen and seeing "I don't write very well" appeared to me as an oxymoron. You also seem like you are well intended to me.

[+gcfishguy]

Getting back to TFTC....

 

I'm guilty. But I can honestly say, when I put TFTC in the online log, I stop for a minute, have a quick look at the cache page, and remember that particular cache and the place it took me.

Yes, I'll copy and paste something like "Found this one while out caching with my daughter....etc etc...." but that doesn't mean that I'm not saying "TFTC.....Thank YOU for taking the time and effort to place this cache, because if you didn't, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of finding it"

I mean it, but I don't always say it, and this topic has made me aware how thankless a TFTC sounds.

 

We're living in a copy/paste world where people (a lot of people) don't even communicate with words anymore...just acronyms.

 

I'll make more of an effort in the future...

 

I thought about how I'd feel as a cache owner.....spending $ and hours to get it just right, and then have a turkey like me copy/paste a log without a couple words of thanks.

 

I have no caches out there yet, but I hope to be able to get the time to place a couple in an area of woods that i spent a lot of time in when I was younger (much younger). Sharing a spot where I spent hours...days, exploring, building camps with my buddies, hiding up a big tree and watching deer at dusk..... and get a TFTC log for all my hard work....yeah, I agree, it sucks.

 

<><