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Log Content Requirement


SG One

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The reason I am posting this is because I am tired of logs that consist of nothing more than six letters. I.E. “TNLN SL”. Since I began caching this type of log has become more common and I think they are rude. The reason I go to the trouble of hiding caches is because I want to hear the experiences of the finders. I understand that often times cachers have many caches to log and very little time to do so, but would a sentence or two be that much to ask? I would even be happier reading negative comments over abbreviations.

 

Because of this frustration I have been thinking about making a SHORT comment a requirement for logging a cache. I would accept just one sentence. Including logs like "#14 on our trip thought the Orlando area". I wouldn't delete the logs of cachers who didn't read, but I think a requirement would at least cut back on short logs. My thinking is that if enough cachers did this it would curb this trend.

 

My question to all of you is weather I should do this or just let it go. Am I asking too much? The last thing I want to do is become the cache Gestapo. I guess if anything it was a chance to vent.

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i hate acronym logs and i hate #14/247 today logs and i hate logs where the finder just leaves the same log for everything.

 

i don't support making rules about it first because i don't think it's a good idea to make rules we don't need, but also because if you require a sentence you just KNOW someone will come up with a sentence that meets the bare minimum and all the schmoes with the cheesy logs will simply adopt it.

 

THAT said, i reserve the right to leave a one-word log if i feel like it. if i go to twenty caches in a day and they are so unremarkable that i can't remember anything about them, you should not expect more than a few words from me.

 

likewise if i visit a magnetic guardrail micro in knee-deep poison ivy without so much as a proper pull-off, it probably only gets two words: found it.

 

so no. let's not have a rule about it.

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Just look at my log for the Massachusetts Delorme Challenge. Just one word, and it is a word and not an abbreviation of a statement. The word is 'Done'. I was intentionally being rude there for reasons nobody ever will know.

But I do make many a log within the few photos I posted to that Find.

Do you know that editing photo captions does not put that dumb [This entry was edited by trainlove on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 1:23:02 PM.] into your log/edit.

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i hate acronym logs and i hate #14/247 today logs and i hate logs where the finder just leaves the same log for everything.

 

i don't support making rules about it first because i don't think it's a good idea to make rules we don't need, but also because if you require a sentence you just KNOW someone will come up with a sentence that meets the bare minimum and all the schmoes with the cheesy logs will simply adopt it.

 

THAT said, i reserve the right to leave a one-word log if i feel like it. if i go to twenty caches in a day and they are so unremarkable that i can't remember anything about them, you should not expect more than a few words from me.

 

likewise if i visit a magnetic guardrail micro in knee-deep poison ivy without so much as a proper pull-off, it probably only gets two words: found it.

 

so no. let's not have a rule about it.

Exactly what Flask said.

 

(Except for her very first line, that is. She's welcome to her very valid opinion, of course, but the only thing I come even close to "hating" in Geocaching is intolerant whining.)

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I always write at least one sentence. For nice caches I’ll write a whole lot more but I have trouble saying much about finding a hide a key on a lamp post outside a store.

 

EDIT

Just for fun I chose two caches that I recently found and did a word count on the first 4 comments

 

The nice woodland cache of 3 / 3.5 had a count of 548 total words

 

The hide a key on a guard rail 1 / 1 by a restaurant had a total of 54 words

Edited by WatchDog2020
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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

 

I try not to stress over stuff like this, and like you, I don't expect someone to write a book about the find, but something short about the area, the view or whatever would be appreciated.

 

As far as saying something in your description about writing a nice log, I wouldn't bother. My guess is that people are going to write a short log whether it says something in the description or not and then there'll be those who write a nice log no matter what it says.

 

Just cherish the well written logs and don't stress over the short ones.

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i hate acronym logs and i hate #14/247 today logs and i hate logs where the finder just leaves the same log for everything.

 

i don't support making rules about it first because i don't think it's a good idea to make rules we don't need, but also because if you require a sentence you just KNOW someone will come up with a sentence that meets the bare minimum and all the schmoes with the cheesy logs will simply adopt it.

 

THAT said, i reserve the right to leave a one-word log if i feel like it. if i go to twenty caches in a day and they are so unremarkable that i can't remember anything about them, you should not expect more than a few words from me.

 

likewise if i visit a magnetic guardrail micro in knee-deep poison ivy without so much as a proper pull-off, it probably only gets two words: found it.

 

so no. let's not have a rule about it.

Exactly what Flask said.

 

(Except for her very first line, that is. She's welcome to her very valid opinion, of course, but the only thing I come even close to "hating" in Geocaching is intolerant whining.)

Yo! Yeah! What Flask and KBI said! While I do dislike (although I do not hate) sticker/label logs, acronym logs, "#15 of 247 today"-type logs, and also cut-and-paste logs for any caches, the reality is that a good number of caches nowadays deserve nothing more than a curt "Found it" or "Thanks for the hide!" or "Thanks for the cache, I must now go and disinfect myself and try to erase my disgust, self-hatred and self-loathing after having handled your cache."

 

I feel, as others have said, and as I have said in other thread, that most if the time, a really good cache will normally elicit, at least from the vast majority of cachers, rather lengthy and appreciative and highly personalized logs. If you do not believe this, go check out the find logs (and even the DNFs and notes) for the vast majority of my Psycho Urban caches and Psycho Backcountry caches.

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Because of this frustration I have been thinking about making a SHORT comment a requirement for logging a cache. I would accept just one sentence. Including logs like "#14 on our trip thought the Orlando area". I wouldn't delete the logs of cachers who didn't read, but I think a requirement would at least cut back on short logs. My thinking is that if enough cachers did this it would curb this trend.

 

That would probably make it an ALR cache and require it to be a "?" since you are setting requirements for logging the cache.

 

There is no way this will "curb this trend"...

 

Just my opinion

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I don't mind acronyms. I'd rather see "TNLNSLTFTC" than "#285 of 782 today TFTC"

 

I want to ask if they even looked around. An acronym-only cache doesn't indicate a lack of interest or appreciation for the site. I might catch up with them at some point on the trail and they'll say, "I did *cache name* and really liked the lake. I saw clear to the bottom." The numbers, in my honest opinion, tell me that if they were on a run for a specific high numbered goal of caches in a day, they didn't take any time to appreciate the area and certainly weren't inclined to remember anything about it. They're telling me, "my numbers are the most important thing about your hide"... which sucks for me.

 

Because of this frustration I have been thinking about making a SHORT comment a requirement for logging a cache. I would accept just one sentence. Including logs like "#14 on our trip thought the Orlando area". I wouldn't delete the logs of cachers who didn't read, but I think a requirement would at least cut back on short logs. My thinking is that if enough cachers did this it would curb this trend.

 

My question to all of you is weather I should do this or just let it go. Am I asking too much? The last thing I want to do is become the cache Gestapo. I guess if anything it was a chance to vent.

 

I would not delete the log and strongly recommend that you don't, either. I would only delete logs that (1) contained profanity or offensive language; (2) were not supported by any evidence of the cacher physically finding the cache; and (3) contained an obvious spoiler - not just a cute play on words that's a hint - that wasn't encrypted.

 

- Elle

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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

 

 

Did you message them to let them know that the system must have not properly processed their logs, and then asked a series of questions about how they enjoyed the area and the find? I'd be interested to see how they respond when put on the spot by the cache owner. :anibad:

 

- Elle

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.... The reason I go to the trouble of hiding caches is because I want to hear the experiences of the finders....

 

Wake up and smell the coffee. If you want logs that rise above TNLNSL, you need to place caches that inspire logs beyond TNLNSL. As a cache owner you have the chance to pay attention and see what kinds of caches garner TNLN logs and which garner. "My oh my that was amazing!". Place the latter. There are things within your own power that will net you better logs.

 

Or in the words of Ghandi. Be the change you want to see.

The golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them to to you.

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LPCs get a one word log, only because the system won't accept a zero word log.

 

You could log them with a period, or any other puncation mark :blink: I actually hid a parking lot micro where I demanded (via ALR) that your find log must be 8 words or less, in typical parking lot micro fashion. Then some smart aleck dropped a 5,000 word DNF on me :anibad: . So then I had to make it all logs.

 

But yes, if you require a longer than x word log, you will have to make the cache a mystery cache.

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Noob question...are ya talking about the paper log in the cache or the one here at the website? We leave as little as possible on the paper to conserve space but do comment here...and were were taking a lot of pics but decided they gave too much away. :anibad:

Normally it's the web logs that they are talking about.

As for TNLN...sometimes you just don't have more to say than that.

On the other hand if the cache itself inspired some kind of adventure however small, it does give you somethign to write about.

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It seems like there was some misunderstanding. I am not looking for praise. I would be pleased with anything. The logs are and excellent source of information for other finders. I often use them to determine how I will go about finding a cache. It’s too bad I would have to make them puzzles. If that happened I would never get any logs. I guess this will never get further than the vent stage Also I was referring to the online logs.

 

That’s too bad about the person who posted “None”. I’m not sure what that is supposed to mean.

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Rather than making your cache an Additional Logging Requirement cache, politely email the offending cachers a link to this thread: The Lost art of Logging Laziness or "monkey see, monkey do"?

 

A few years back Team Alamo and Dgreno visited my area and found almost every cache in our valley. Everyone of their logs was a super lame cut and paste job, except for one. Dgreno actually took the time and added one sentence about my nice camo. Talk about a compliment. :anibad:

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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

Did you message them to let them know that the system must have not properly processed their logs, and then asked a series of questions about how they enjoyed the area and the find? I'd be interested to see how they respond when put on the spot by the cache owner. :anibad:

 

- Elle

I would delete an email like that without responding.
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It seems like there was some misunderstanding. I am not looking for praise. I would be pleased with anything. The logs are and excellent source of information for other finders. I often use them to determine how I will go about finding a cache. It’s too bad I would have to make them puzzles. If that happened I would never get any logs. I guess this will never get further than the vent stage Also I was referring to the online logs.

 

That’s too bad about the person who posted “None”. I’m not sure what that is supposed to mean.

 

I didn't think you were looking for praise. And I have not looked at any of your caches, to see if they're the type that would normally get short logs.

 

Where is that "lost art of logging" thread? I've been seeing tons of 6 word logs on excellent caches the last couple of years lately, and this has even carried over into paper logging. I know, I recently had a cache down for maintenance at home for a month that had a big ol' fat logbook from 2004. And like magic, around the middle of 2006, almost every log is just a username, maybe with a TFTC thrown in once in a while.

 

A couple of months ago, I was about the 8th finder of a new traditional with a good sized logbook. I was the first person to write more than a username. I remarked in my find log they'd have room for 10,000 entries in the logbook. :anibad:

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I do sometimes use the TNLNSL or TFTH abbreviations, but only after writing one or two sentences about the cache.

 

Average log size: 29.9 words - Biggest log: 82 words - Shortest log: 4 words - Number of one-word logs: 0

 

The 4 word log was actually a play on the name of the cache, otherwise it would have been longer.

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here's a favorite log on one of my caches.

 

usually it just gets "wow, that's some wall" or some other such thing, but at least i know people were there.

 

the cache is visible from the road, but it's a pretty little spot and the landowner really appreciates it when people come to see his wall. he likes it so much that he has incorporated into it a little alcove with a swing that looks out over the fields.

 

"a place to make a wish", he says.

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I fel that if somebody has taken the time and trouble to devise and maintain a cache I should take the time and trouble to write a reasonable log. ...
This post is an interesting contrast to those that take the position that rude logs are OK because caches are not gifts to the community and that if a person puts out a cache that he should be prepared to be judged.
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My mentor said to say something...anything....so I do BUT when it's just a pill container tossed under a tree that took me 2 seconds to find I just can't think of anything to say...exciting cache, nice hide, made me think....nada!!! So, if the cache didn't take any work then my comments probably won't either.

 

Ditto all of what you all said, too.

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but also because if you require a sentence you just KNOW someone will come up with a sentence that meets the bare minimum and all the schmoes with the cheesy logs will simply adopt it.

 

THere was a cache in my area that had a 4 sentence rule. I was so, so, tempted to find it and log:

 

Took nothing. Left nothing. Signed log. Thanks.

 

:- )

 

Paul

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The reason I am posting this is because I am tired of logs that consist of nothing more than six letters. I.E. “TNLN SL”. Since I began caching this type of log has become more common and I think they are rude. The reason I go to the trouble of hiding caches is because I want to hear the experiences of the finders. I understand that often times cachers have many caches to log and very little time to do so, but would a sentence or two be that much to ask? I would even be happier reading negative comments over abbreviations.

 

Others share your frustration. Here's a cache hidden for just that reason T3-04 Bobcat Puzzle Cache

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The reason I am posting this is because I am tired of logs that consist of nothing more than six letters. I.E. “TNLN SL”. Since I began caching this type of log has become more common and I think they are rude. The reason I go to the trouble of hiding caches is because I want to hear the experiences of the finders. I understand that often times cachers have many caches to log and very little time to do so, but would a sentence or two be that much to ask? I would even be happier reading negative comments over abbreviations.

 

Others share your frustration. Here's a cache hidden for just that reason T3-04 Bobcat Puzzle Cache

 

Interesting cache, I wonder if the hider is a teacher. Sections A and B remind me of highshool english :anibad: . I'm going to have to grab that one when I'm down that way! Nice to know I'm not alone.

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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

Did you message them to let them know that the system must have not properly processed their logs, and then asked a series of questions about how they enjoyed the area and the find? I'd be interested to see how they respond when put on the spot by the cache owner. :anibad:

 

- Elle

I would delete an email like that without responding.

 

Talk about rude.

 

- Elle

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This just goes to show how diverse geocachers are.

 

In another thread we see that one owner deleted a log because it was negative and many posters recommended short acronym posts as a way to show displeasure in the cache without getting into an argument with the cache owner.

 

Now we have an owner who doesn't want acronym posts, but rather full sentences even if they're negative.

 

My advice is just make caches worthy of more than a few words and you will get the logs you desire, for the most part. Learn to ignore the loggers who just refuse to post more than TNLN or ### our of ### for the day.

 

I've got a few caches that always get a paragraph or more. I've got several others that get a mix of acronym posts and nice sentences. The ones that are guaranteed to get paragraphs are special, out of the way caches that take more than 5 minutes to find. In other words, some effort goes into finding those.

 

The others are a mixture of p&g's and otherwise low difficulty/low terrain caches; some ammo cans, some micros, some lock-n-locks. The common denominator is they're all easy to find. So although I try to make nice caches, I know that some of those finders are going to be number hounds who aren't going to post good logs. It's part of the game. But I like the hides and most of the folks that find them like them too and that's good enough for me.

Edited by GeoBain
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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

 

 

Did you message them to let them know that the system must have not properly processed their logs, and then asked a series of questions about how they enjoyed the area and the find? I'd be interested to see how they respond when put on the spot by the cache owner. :anibad:

 

- Elle

No, I figured it wasn't worth the trouble.

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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

Did you message them to let them know that the system must have not properly processed their logs, and then asked a series of questions about how they enjoyed the area and the find? I'd be interested to see how they respond when put on the spot by the cache owner. :anibad:

 

- Elle

I would delete an email like that without responding.
Talk about rude.

 

- Elle

I am under no moral imperative to respond to every email that I receive. Edited by sbell111
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The reason I am posting this is because I am tired of logs that consist of nothing more than six letters. I.E. “TNLN SL”. Since I began caching this type of log has become more common and I think they are rude. The reason I go to the trouble of hiding caches is because I want to hear the experiences of the finders. I understand that often times cachers have many caches to log and very little time to do so, but would a sentence or two be that much to ask? I would even be happier reading negative comments over abbreviations.

 

Others share your frustration. Here's a cache hidden for just that reason T3-04 Bobcat Puzzle Cache

 

Interesting cache, I wonder if the hider is a teacher. Sections A and B remind me of high school english :anibad: . I'm going to have to grab that one when I'm down that way! Nice to know I'm not alone.

Edited by SG One
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oh, oh, oh!

 

i've just thought of an alternate scenario!

 

i've been to a couple of caches that are in such terrific surprise locations that they get VERY sparsely worded logs because nobody wants to give away the surprise. it's not common, but it happens every now and again.

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I have to disagree with the OP. While I'll gladly write a short novel for a great cache (I'll even lengthen logs on purpose for just that reason; see BrianSnat's link above for an example), I reserve the right to simply log a TN-LN-SL or a "Yup, I was here" for truly bad caches. I don't discriminate by type; if there's a great view near a guardrail MKH, I'll commemorate it with a few nice words, but if your cache is in a garbage pile or thorn patch behind the local big-box store, I'm just taking the smiley and leaving.

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I think trying to control how others log your caches is asking too much. If you want longer logs, try hiding caches that give people something memorable to write about.
I agree. There are exceptions to the rule but generally longer happier logs are found on better caches.

 

If someone does write something like "TNLNSL" on one of the better caches then they are just in it for the numbers and probably don't even remember the cache because they did so many. You'll never change those types. However, those types are generally attracted to easy caches, so you can avoid those types form logging your caches with their terse logs by hiding higher difficulty or terrain caches that are not located in the middle of a dense cluster of caches. Even higher terrain caches can get short logs if there is a long string of caches all ~528 feet apart.

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I have to disagree with the OP. While I'll gladly write a short novel for a great cache (I'll even lengthen logs on purpose for just that reason; see BrianSnat's link above for an example), I reserve the right to simply log a TN-LN-SL or a "Yup, I was here" for truly bad caches. I don't discriminate by type; if there's a great view near a guardrail MKH, I'll commemorate it with a few nice words, but if your cache is in a garbage pile or thorn patch behind the local big-box store, I'm just taking the smiley and leaving.
I won't sign the log on cache like those. I'll go home and ignore those so they never show up on another PQ. I might even ignore all the caches of the person that hid it as well depending on how bad it was.
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Last week someone found one of my caches, and the logs simply said, "NONE".

 

And this wasn't even one of my "lame" caches. It's in a beautiful area with a boardwalk overlooking a lake with lots of birds and lilly pads and frogs along the shoreline and maybe a lone canoe paddling out in the middle, and all it got was "NONE". Grrrrr.

Did you message them to let them know that the system must have not properly processed their logs, and then asked a series of questions about how they enjoyed the area and the find? I'd be interested to see how they respond when put on the spot by the cache owner. :anibad:

 

- Elle

I would delete an email like that without responding.
Talk about rude.

 

- Elle

I am under no moral imperative to respond to every email that I receive.

It wasn't an email. It was an email notification of a found log. The found log simply said "NONE." I never received an email from anyone. Well, other than GC notifying me of the find.

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