Can we please get rid of the "Discovered it" option?

[+Highpointer 0]

Here is another example of a new geocacher (2 finds with an account that is 2 days old) who has used the "Discovered it" option to log a travel bug, even when that geocacher stated that he physically removed the travel bug from the cache. Here is his log entry (name has been deleted):

 

8/20/2008 xxxxxxx discovered it [visit log]

 

I guess this guys hitchin a ride to NYC. I'll take him here from Chandler, AZ as far as I can NE haha.

 

I had to send an e-mail to this geocacher to explain to him to use the "Retrieve from..." option to log the travel bug in this instance, and not the "Discovered it" option.

 

The "Discovered it" option is used erroneously by many geocachers, particularly newer geocachers, and its meaning and purpose are misleading and ambiguous. The "Discovered it" option discourages many geocachers from picking up and moving travel bugs, as geocachers can earn "credit" for a bug find even if they don't move the travel bug. Geocachers should be encouraged to pick up and move every travel bug that they find, even if the move is only for a short distance.

 

Therefore, I firmly believe that the "Discovered it" option should be eliminated. What can we do to make this happen, and get rid of the annoying and misleading, and frequently incorrectly used, "Discovered it" option for travel bug logs?

 

Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

[+jcar 0]

I don't think that is going to happen, there would be a big outcry from those who use it. But with that being said I think a way to encourage people to move trackables would be to show the total miles/kilometers you have moved the trackables you have found along the way, just a number at the bottom of the trackable page next to the total number of trackables moved/discovered.

[stryder717 0]

i dont think that there is anything wrong with the Discovered option. People just need to be educated about how to log a TB/coin.

 

Whey would you make everybody move the item? The item should be for someone who could help it accomplich its mission.

[+Eartha 21]

Because of one geocacher you are going to ask to get rid of a feature many like to use, and one that has a purpose? Instead, send that cacher the link in my signature to the Groundspeak Knowledge base, which is updated, or the pinned link on how to log a TB.

 

Tell them "Retrieve is when you take it from a cache, Grab is when you take it from a cacher, and Discover is when you don't take it at all" and send them the Knowledge base link. The only way trackables will work is if cachers are taught correctly from the start. Once they mess up, the bug appears lost until someone else grabs it and logs it correctly.

[+Harry Dolphin 1164]

Many geocachers do not know how to handle travel bugs properly. I've got two that we picked up last week that were in a different cache than they are listed in. I'm waiting a week to see if anyone moved them, but did not get the chance to log them yet. Not holding my breath, though.

Heck. A lot of people do not know how to log a cache properly!

'Discover' is a very useful tool (when used properly). I am very happy that TPTB came up with the 'discover' function.

[+Zork V 0]

Don't change a thing, Discover works.

[+the hermit crabs 2]

No need to get rid of the option itself. Just change the stupid, stupid, stupid name.

 

(edit: I was more polite about it the first twenty or so times I suggested / requested / pleaded for the name to be changed. But since politeness didn't work, I'm just going to call stupid "stupid".)

Edited August 31, 2008 by the hermit crabs

[+oris53 0]

If we can't or don't want to get rid of the "DISCOVERED" Option, is it possible to set it up so the owner of the TB does NOT receive messages that it has been "DISCOVERED"?? I really don't care to see that someone has discovered a Travel Bug I have placed out there to "TRAVEL".. OR why don't they come out with a "DISCOVERY BUG" and it's purpose is self explanatory ...

 

OrisnDee

[+okie-crosswinds 0]

I like the "discovered" option, that way I know my trackable is still within the cache it's logged to.

[+BlueDeuce 9]

I like the "discovered" option, that way I know my trackable is still within the cache it's logged to.

 

I say that if I haven't heard from my bug for so long that I wonder if it's still there, it's about time for someone to pick up and move the freaking thing.

 

"This bug has been sitting in this cache for 14 months, I'm logging a Discover so that the owner will know it's still there."

 

What really happens is that your bug is logged on a fairly regular basis, but few have the guts to admit that: "I'm logging this bug for the stat".

[asv 0]

Why not just change the name to "spotted"? It wouldn't be such a radical change that people familiar with the current system couldn't figure out what had changed, and would be a lot easier for first-timers. Win win?

Edited September 3, 2008 by asv

[+UncleJimbo 0]

The "Discovered it" option is used erroneously by many geocachers, particularly newer geocachers, and its meaning and purpose are misleading and ambiguous. The "Discovered it" option discourages many geocachers from picking up and moving travel bugs, as geocachers can earn "credit" for a bug find even if they don't move the travel bug. Geocachers should be encouraged to pick up and move every travel bug that they find, even if the move is only for a short distance.

 

Therefore, I firmly believe that the "Discovered it" option should be eliminated. What can we do to make this happen, and get rid of the annoying and misleading, and frequently incorrectly used, "Discovered it" option for travel bug logs?

The "Retrieved" and "Grabbed" options are misused all the time, too. Should we eliminate those options?

[+Harry Dolphin 1164]

Why not just change the name to "spotted"?

 

Ooh! I like this! More direct and to the point!

[+BlueDeuce 9]

Why not just change the name to "spotted"?

 

Ooh! I like this! More direct and to the point!

 

It's semantics, it doesn't address the underlying issue of people simply choosing an option available to them when finding or removing a bug.

 

I don't think changing the terminology will solve much.

[+Kabuthunk 1]

I'm honestly a little surprised noone mentioned the following potential option:

 

When 'discover it' is selected, it brings up a sub-window (like say, in an iframe or something) that describes what 'discover it' means, and if that is the option they actually want to use. You could have discover only useable if the user clicks on 'yes' below that or something. Personally, I wouldn't bother with that... the text box coming up should help enough.

 

Personally, I like the discover option. Very, VERY useful at events where you want to follow the progress of a specific, unique TB, but someone else is taking it.

[+Team GeoBlast 0]

Here is another example of a new geocacher (2 finds with an account that is 2 days old) who has used the "Discovered it" option to log a travel bug, even when that geocacher stated that he physically removed the travel bug from the cache. Here is his log entry (name has been deleted):

 

8/20/2008 xxxxxxx discovered it [visit log]

 

I guess this guys hitchin a ride to NYC. I'll take him here from Chandler, AZ as far as I can NE haha.

 

I had to send an e-mail to this geocacher to explain to him to use the "Retrieve from..." option to log the travel bug in this instance, and not the "Discovered it" option.

 

The "Discovered it" option is used erroneously by many geocachers, particularly newer geocachers, and its meaning and purpose are misleading and ambiguous. The "Discovered it" option discourages many geocachers from picking up and moving travel bugs, as geocachers can earn "credit" for a bug find even if they don't move the travel bug. Geocachers should be encouraged to pick up and move every travel bug that they find, even if the move is only for a short distance.

 

Therefore, I firmly believe that the "Discovered it" option should be eliminated. What can we do to make this happen, and get rid of the annoying and misleading, and frequently incorrectly used, "Discovered it" option for travel bug logs?

 

Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

 

Good Golly Miss Molly!

 

Do you remember when you had 2 finds??? If we pounced on everything wrong that a cacher with two finds did, we'd be cachin with ourselves. Geocaching would be known as the game for geeky grumps with a million hard to learn rules.

 

People need encouragement and education to do things correctly. Have patience, be nice to people, it will be a better game because of it.

[+Silfron Mandotheneset 0]

I'm getting ready to send out some bugs, and they're going to have logging instructions on them. Very specific instructions, down to where the buttons are located, and what each option means. Why? Because then when someone finds it who doesn't know what it is, or when someone finds it who hasn't ever logged one before but has good intentions, they'll know what to do.

 

Will it work? I think it will to a point. Anyone who's stealing bugs will steal it anyway, and anyone who didn't bother to read the Guidelines etc. probably won't read my instructions either, but for the two cases I listed I think it will work. Most bugs I've found just say "PLEASE MOVE ME DON'T KEEP ME!!" and maybe have a goal listed. For someone who doesn't even know what to look for to find out what a trackable is... well...

 

The point is, ignorance just needs teaching. You can't fix stupid. So, I'm going to do as much fixing as possible.

[+BlueDeuce 9]

Will it work? I think it will to a point.

 

Logging instructions are good.

 

What I find is that even though I include the mission/goal on a laminated tag, people don't follow it. Perhaps at least for you they'll log it correctly.

[+UncleJimbo 0]

Why not just change the name to "spotted"? It wouldn't be such a radical change that people familiar with the current system couldn't figure out what had changed, and would be a lot easier for first-timers. Win win?

Why couldn't the choices be:

 

Saw, did not take ---------------- formerly "Discovered"

Took from this cache ------------- formerly "Retrieved"

Got elsewhere ---------------- formerly "Grabbed"

?

Edited September 5, 2008 by UncleJimbo

[+Guinness70 0]

and another reason for the "discovered" option

 

if there are more TBs in a cache I dont take ALL the TBs

but do log the others as "discovered"

 

somitelse then "discovered" would be good to. "spotted" does indeed cover it nicely and follows the KISS credo.

[+Silfron Mandotheneset 0]

and another reason for the "discovered" option

 

if there are more TBs in a cache I dont take ALL the TBs

but do log the others as "discovered"

 

somitelse then "discovered" would be good to. "spotted" does indeed cover it nicely and follows the KISS credo.

 

KISS credo? What's that?

 

*hides behind the newbie force feild*

[+BlueDeuce 9]

KISS means Keep it simple, stupid.

Edited September 6, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+Silfron Mandotheneset 0]

Ahhh, well, there you go.

 

In that case, I agree. "spotted" does do the job much better.

[+the hermit crabs 2]

Why not just change the name to "spotted"? It wouldn't be such a radical change that people familiar with the current system couldn't figure out what had changed, and would be a lot easier for first-timers. Win win?

Ooh! I like this! More direct and to the point!

"spotted" does indeed cover it nicely and follows the KISS credo.

In that case, I agree. "spotted" does do the job much better.

 

Quite a lot of people agree with you (including me). "Spotted" was the favorite among many choices before the option was even implemented. Here are some forum threads about the origins of the "Discovered" option:

 

"Icon Swap Meets, How to do this better" (from Dec 2005), in which Jeremy first proposes a new option to allow people to get credit for seeing a TB without having to two logs for it (picking it up from a cache and then immediately dropping it back into the same cache). The discussion ran for 3 pages, through April of 2006. "Spotted" was listed as a favorite choice more often than the many other proposed names for this option.

 

This post from the "Preventing Virtual Coin Drops At Events" thread in April 2006, in which Jeremy refers to the soon-to-be-implemented feature as the "spotted" log type.

 

"Added "discovered It" Log Type For Trackables, Adds to your "find" count", in the Geocaching Announcements forum, in May of 2006.

 

"Discovered It Log Entry", in which the newly implemented option is discussed. In post #4, Jeremy says that although most people preferred "spotted", he felt that "discovered" sounded better.

 

Why couldn't the choices be:

 

Saw, did not take ---------------- formerly "Discovered"

Took from this cache ------------- formerly "Retrieved"

Got elsewhere ---------------- formerly "Grabbed"

?

That would be even better.

Edited September 6, 2008 by the hermit crabs

[+Guinness70 0]

-//- In post #4, Jeremy says that although most people preferred "spotted", he felt that "discovered" sounded better.-//-

proof that a website is not a democracy. and cant account for taste

 

BUG SPOTTERS UNITE! THE SPOTTED REVOLUTION

 

realease some TB's with spotty hitchhikers?

Edited September 25, 2008 by Guinness70