False "discoveries" of trackables

[+amtg]

I have now seen several "discoveries" of my trackables (and ones belonging to others) that are being "discovered" by folks even before they are relased. This is because part or all of a tracking number is in the defult photo or another photo posted on the trackable's page. This new "sport" of web discoveries appears to be central to European countries but it is growing and includes GCs and TBs.

 

I now understand what they are doing because some of the "discoveries" say "discovered on the web" while others are just simple discoveries. The issue that bothers me is not that they are having fun and competing among themselves but that their stats are in the same format as our stats (those of us that "earn" our discoveries). I wish they would have a different site or at least use a user name that indicated that they are not "real" cachers....something like "webdiscovery101" or "virtualdiscoverer528". I do not know how to have them be differentiated from "real" cachers. I may just be old school but it would be nice if they could have fun we could honor those that have earned the numbers in our stats.

 

I deleate the two "discoveries" on my geogem (which is hard to photo without showing at least some of the number and still get a good photo). Others that I have had are from photo that cacher have posted to the trackable site that show the tracking number.

 

Oh well...I guess we just have to accept the change of the sport as it evolves. Any input as to what (if anything) can be done to separate these two formats would be appreciated.

 

AMTG

Gainesville, FL

[+jcar]

Just the other day I had a bug discovered that had been missing for a couple of years, according the the discover log they had typed the number in wrong and got mine so decided to discover it.

 

Even if you don't have any photo editing software you can still edit the picture in Paint and alter the area where the numbers are. I'm in that boat right now as I got a new computer and my old software doesn't work on it.

[+Sparrowhawk]

Just the other day I had a bug discovered that had been missing for a couple of years, according the the discover log they had typed the number in wrong and got mine so decided to discover it.

 

Even if you don't have any photo editing software you can still edit the picture in Paint and alter the area where the numbers are. I'm in that boat right now as I got a new computer and my old software doesn't work on it.

 

If you need a good, legal substitute for Photoshop. get GIMP. Don't be put off by the wierd name - it's a good program. Cost: ZERO. It's free. It contains no "gotchas" - as in hidden crap that installs on your computer without you knowing. Good stuff.

 

GIMP is kinda like a rather old version of Photoshop... it's maybe equivalent to what Photoshop was around 7 years ago. That's perfectly fine for beginners - in fact, the program in itself is complicated enough to keep you busy and learning something new for quite awhile.

 

Try it... it's worth the steep learning curve.

[+The Haywood Hornet]

Lets be fair, it is a world wide problem. I have several coins in my own collection and they have also been discoverd in places that I have never visited, all in the USA. I just ask the loggers to delete their own log, as a discovery would have been impossible.

[De Doezenrijders]

Maybe this is a side-effect from the laminated copy-coins?

If you let fake coins into the world to be discovered and fake-moved why not make fake discoveries on real coins?

 

I never discover coins. I can't for the life of me see any fun in it. I only log trackables if I have physically had the real thing in my hands an moved it to a new location.

[+BlueDeuce]

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Edited April 16, 2009 by BlueDeuce

[+Eartha]

If people are falsely logging them, the logs should be deleted. If it allowed to happen, they'll keep doing it. If we delete the logs, they lose their pleasure and soon, their interest in couch-caching. People log false finds on caches too. It must be something in their wiring that's crossed that makes them want to do this. I can't see the fun in false finds and discoveries.

If you must post a number instead of a name for a trackable, use the reference on the trackable page, and not the tracking number. Edit all photos showing the tracking number. Most computers come with some form of photo editor that allows us to smudge, or crop out, the number.