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Add a discussion-page to each cache


lillfiluren

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

For example, if I've been out looking for a cache without finding it, I would sometimes log it as a DNF, but if I felt the problem was not that the cache was gone, but that I failed to look in the right place, I don't feel it is fair to post a DNF, but I would love to let everyone know that I have given it a try (and probably will give it anotherone when time permits). This would be just fine to post in a dedicated forum thread. Other examples could be to post "I have solved the mystery, but haven't visited the cache yet" kind of posts, congratulating FTFers, mocking friends who failed to find the cache, discussions about how to interpret hints... I'm sure the list can be made very long :-)

 

/lillfiluren

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A "DNF" is not a judgment but rather a statement of fact. You searched and you did not find. No judgment on you or the cache.

 

However, there already exists the ability to post a "Note" on the cache page which would serve the purpose you are proposing.

 

Maybe I will log more DNFs in the future, but I still often feel I would like to comment on a cache without cluttering the log (I often download the 5 latest logs to my phone, and would not like to have a lot of noise in the logbook). I still think it would be good to have a dedicated chat-page for each cache, were the signal to noise ration wouldn't have to be as high as I expect (and usually find) for the logs.

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A "DNF" is not a judgment but rather a statement of fact. You searched and you did not find. No judgment on you or the cache.

 

However, there already exists the ability to post a "Note" on the cache page which would serve the purpose you are proposing.

 

Maybe I will log more DNFs in the future, but I still often feel I would like to comment on a cache without cluttering the log (I often download the 5 latest logs to my phone, and would not like to have a lot of noise in the logbook). I still think it would be good to have a dedicated chat-page for each cache, were the signal to noise ration wouldn't have to be as high as I expect (and usually find) for the logs.

 

I am the owner of over 100 caches. I depend on DNF logs for many things, including determining if my difficulty rating is accurate and if the cache might possibly be missing (something that you can not possibly know if you haven't found it) Future finders also rely on DNF logs to determine difficulty. Please post your DNF logs. That is what they are there for. We don't mind that "noise".

 

I also do paperless caching, and am aware of what you mean by the "clutter", but look at it this way: If all logs that you have on your iphone are positive, but perhaps the *real* last 5 logs would have/should have been DNFs, wouldn't you rather know that?

Edited by knowschad
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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

Wow! Really? That should be fun. :(

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

Will there be a way to opt-out of that 'feature'?

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...

For example, if I've been out looking for a cache without finding it, I would sometimes log it as a DNF, but if I felt the problem was not that the cache was gone, but that I failed to look in the right place, I don't feel it is fair to post a DNF, but I would love to let everyone know that I have given it a try (and probably will give it anotherone when time permits). ...

/lillfiluren

 

That's why I use notes.

 

DNF means "Hey, you hid it better than my finding ablity"

Note means "I wasn't done looking something got in the way and I'll be back".

 

Of course now DNF also means "Meh, my fun meter dropped below minimum" Maybe I should change those to notes since I didn't get stumped from an exaustive search, but merely left for greener pastures.

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I always saw DNF as meaning I didn't find it. May be because you hid it better than my finding skills can handle. Or it could be that a bunch of people showed up in the area and I didn't want to compromise the hide. Perhaps it started raining and I felt like wimping out that day. Whatever it is it just means I did not find it. Not I can't or won't.

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Please post your DNF logs. That is what they are there for. We don't mind that "noise".

 

I also do paperless caching, and am aware of what you mean by the "clutter", but look at it this way: If all logs that you have on your iphone are positive, but perhaps the *real* last 5 logs would have/should have been DNFs, wouldn't you rather know that?

 

I do log DNFs when I think the reason I couldn't find it is that the cache is missing, but if I go looking for a cache badly prepared in the dark without a flashlight, I will usually assume it was my fault and not something wrong with the cache. All I'm saying is that there are lots of possible reasons why I sometimes can't find a cache, and I don't think all of them qualify as DNF logs.

 

Perhaps there should be more log-types to make it easier to separate the "I coudn't find it because it is probably gone" from the "I forgot my flashlight, so it was impossible to find" logs.

 

/lillfiluren

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yeah, then have almost 1 million forum topics?!?

 

server crash anyone?

 

they could be created on demand when someone posts the first entry, but I don't think servers today have a problem with this, atleast not if they are well written. We already have close to 1M caches on gc.com :-)

 

/lillfiluren

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

 

I much prefer that the forums be the forums and caches be caches rather than co-mingle them. It will be interesting to see how this implemention works out (and how it works for that matter).

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

 

Cool! When, where, how? Is this the same as the location based forums that Keystone mentioned?

 

Regarding moderation... If there needs to be moderation, I guess the same person who moderates the cache logs (cache owner?) could take that responsibility.

 

/lillfiluren

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Please post your DNF logs. That is what they are there for. We don't mind that "noise".

 

I also do paperless caching, and am aware of what you mean by the "clutter", but look at it this way: If all logs that you have on your iphone are positive, but perhaps the *real* last 5 logs would have/should have been DNFs, wouldn't you rather know that?

 

I do log DNFs when I think the reason I couldn't find it is that the cache is missing, but if I go looking for a cache badly prepared in the dark without a flashlight, I will usually assume it was my fault and not something wrong with the cache. All I'm saying is that there are lots of possible reasons why I sometimes can't find a cache, and I don't think all of them qualify as DNF logs.

 

Perhaps there should be more log-types to make it easier to separate the "I coudn't find it because it is probably gone" from the "I forgot my flashlight, so it was impossible to find" logs.

 

/lillfiluren

 

You read too much into a DNF. All it means is you didn't find the cache. It could have been that the cache is missing or you forgot your flashlight. Either way you did not find the cache. Any details you can put in the text of the DNF but it doesn't change the basic fact. You didn't find the cache.

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Please post your DNF logs. That is what they are there for. We don't mind that "noise".

 

I also do paperless caching, and am aware of what you mean by the "clutter", but look at it this way: If all logs that you have on your iphone are positive, but perhaps the *real* last 5 logs would have/should have been DNFs, wouldn't you rather know that?

 

I do log DNFs when I think the reason I couldn't find it is that the cache is missing, but if I go looking for a cache badly prepared in the dark without a flashlight, I will usually assume it was my fault and not something wrong with the cache. All I'm saying is that there are lots of possible reasons why I sometimes can't find a cache, and I don't think all of them qualify as DNF logs.

 

Perhaps there should be more log-types to make it easier to separate the "I coudn't find it because it is probably gone" from the "I forgot my flashlight, so it was impossible to find" logs.

 

/lillfiluren

Use the "Did Not Find" log and explain why you feel you did not find the cache...no need to have specific log types...

 

If I did not find it...I post a "Did Not Find"...it matters not if I was either ill-prepared or if the cache was missing...either way I did not find the cache...

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

 

Cool! When, where, how? Is this the same as the location based forums that Keystone mentioned?

 

Regarding moderation... If there needs to be moderation, I guess the same person who moderates the cache logs (cache owner?) could take that responsibility.

 

/lillfiluren

 

That is just looking for trouble. There are enough issues with cache owners "moderating" cache logs.

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

 

Cool! When, where, how? Is this the same as the location based forums that Keystone mentioned?

 

Regarding moderation... If there needs to be moderation, I guess the same person who moderates the cache logs (cache owner?) could take that responsibility.

 

/lillfiluren

Exactly why I hope there is an opt-out option for owners...I really do not think a cache focused thread is needed for each and every cache...if it is inappropriate for a log...then how is it appropriate for a thread :(:D:D

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

Again...but directed to someone on the inside...

 

If comments are not suitable for cache page logs...what makes them suitable for a thread-type discussion...

 

Please explain the logic behind that...

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Sounds like the perfect place to post spoiler information or have a discussion on solving a puzzle. If we don't all keep a close eye on them........

Exactly. If I have the option to moderate my caches, maybe OK, but if not... :D

To heck with that! If I wanted to be a moderator I'd start my own forum...Oh, yeah.

 

I just don't see the positive aspect of giving the CO a mods job and like the idea of having GS volunteers saddled with it even less. Groundspeak already has a forum site that runs more or less acceptably and log space for the caches. There is no reason to start a hybrid log/forum.

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

The current plan is to do just that, for the reason you state. You should be able to comment on a cache in the near future.

Will there be a way to opt-out of that 'feature'?

 

I hope so. This is not a feature I would like to see. The logs are already there for commenting on a cache.

Things sometimes get out of hand with the current system, but generally it is used appropriately. I envision something like this encouraging flame wars and bad blood.

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One thing Grounspeak could do is a 5-star cache rating system just like the GPS ratings. The successful finders can rate and explain why.

 

This should be non required. all up to the finder and if s/he wants to help the cache owner.

Much like DNF's. You don't HAVE to log them, it's just polite to. :D

Edited by the_bell_dingers
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One thing Grounspeak could do is a 5-star cache rating system just like the GPS ratings. The successful finders can rate and explain why.

 

This should be non required. all up to the finder and if s/he wants to help the cache owner.

Much like DNF's. You don't HAVE to log them, it's just polite to. :D

 

P.S. I know this has been talked about before. Just thought I'd bring the Idea into here so I'm not NAGGED so much by making a new topic and everyone saying "hehe BELLDINGERED hehe"

I AM GETTING REALLY ANNOYED BY THIS! STOP! :D <- Signal finds it very obnoxious that you take up his servers by posting "belldingered"!!!! :D

 

At the risk of annoying you more I'm gonna point out that you are off topic. Look for one of the many threads that are about cache ratings.

 

If you are having trouble coping with the way others respond to your forum behavior perhaps you should think about what it is in that behavior that provokes that response. Not trying to be nasty here, just a suggestion.

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One thing Grounspeak could do is a 5-star cache rating system just like the GPS ratings. The successful finders can rate and explain why.

 

This should be non required. all up to the finder and if s/he wants to help the cache owner.

Much like DNF's. You don't HAVE to log them, it's just polite to. :D

 

P.S. I know this has been talked about before. Just thought I'd bring the Idea into here so I'm not NAGGED so much by making a new topic and everyone saying "hehe BELLDINGERED hehe"

I AM GETTING REALLY ANNOYED BY THIS! STOP! :D <- Signal finds it very obnoxious that you take up his servers by posting "belldingered"!!!! :D

...but be prepared to be nagged about posting off-topic...

 

Nothing wrong with posting a new thread...as you may have well learned, many topics have been dicussed many, many times...just be prepared to hear that...

 

The search feature could use improvement...but it is not completely useless...

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One thing I don't want is to be notified everytime someone post a forum note for one of my caches. I want traditional DNF's as they help me to determine if a cache needs replacing or if maintenance of some other sort is needed. If you're going to force feed forums on us allow us to opt out of having them or allow us to block that part of the e-mail notification system Having to deal with mail from folks hurrahing each other about a cache find doesn't appeal to me.

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One thing Grounspeak could do is a 5-star cache rating system just like the GPS ratings. The successful finders can rate and explain why.

 

This should be non required. all up to the finder and if s/he wants to help the cache owner.

Much like DNF's. You don't HAVE to log them, it's just polite to. :)

 

P.S. I know this has been talked about before. Just thought I'd bring the Idea into here so I'm not NAGGED so much by making a new topic and everyone saying "hehe BELLDINGERED hehe"

I AM GETTING REALLY ANNOYED BY THIS! STOP! :) <- Signal finds it very obnoxious that you take up his servers by posting "belldingered"!!!! :)

...but be prepared to be nagged about posting off-topic...

 

Nothing wrong with posting a new thread...as you may have well learned, many topics have been dicussed many, many times...just be prepared to hear that...

 

The search feature could use improvement...but it is not completely useless...

 

Try Google site search. It works way better than the search feature here.

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Add me to the list of folks that think that the cache "forum" idea needs to be re-thought, or at least have an opt-out feature.

 

You (and others above) are making a lot of assumptions based on almost no information. So far the feature idea is not fleshed out, so I can't elaborate. However, we will take into account your concerns when it is.

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Add me to the list of folks that think that the cache "forum" idea needs to be re-thought, or at least have an opt-out feature.

 

You (and others above) are making a lot of assumptions based on almost no information. So far the feature idea is not fleshed out, so I can't elaborate. However, we will take into account your concerns when it is.

 

Hmmmm.

Smacks of something resembling a voting system to me...! :)

 

Judgment reserved until actual 'product' is unveiled.

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Add me to the list of folks that think that the cache "forum" idea needs to be re-thought, or at least have an opt-out feature.

 

You (and others above) are making a lot of assumptions based on almost no information. So far the feature idea is not fleshed out, so I can't elaborate. However, we will take into account your concerns when it is.

I might point out that in the absence of any concrete information - we were left to speculate based on only a teaser phrase from yourself...... :):)

 

I will offcially sit and await details before further comment.

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I think it would be great if each cache-page could have a link to a dedicated forum thread where people could post comments that are not really suitable as ordinary logs.

 

For example, if I've been out looking for a cache without finding it, I would sometimes log it as a DNF, but if I felt the problem was not that the cache was gone, but that I failed to look in the right place, I don't feel it is fair to post a DNF, but I would love to let everyone know that I have given it a try (and probably will give it anotherone when time permits). This would be just fine to post in a dedicated forum thread. Other examples could be to post "I have solved the mystery, but haven't visited the cache yet" kind of posts, congratulating FTFers, mocking friends who failed to find the cache, discussions about how to interpret hints... I'm sure the list can be made very long :-)

  • DNF - Searched, but Did Not Find. Doesn't mean it's not there or anything other than simply your didn't find it when you made any sort of attempt to find it.
  • Most any other comment about the cache is already appropriate for a note.
  • I certainly wouldn't want a convenient place for folks to discuss a puzzle or tricky hide. If such a feature were implemented I'd probably just go ahead and archive our remaining caches. Seriously. After all, what would be the point?

No, not a good idea.

 

If downloading non-important notes is becoming a concern I think programming the site to allow you to choose what type of log to download could be an answer--including owner-written notes versus other notes. A better way to do it is increase the number of logs downloadable. Additionally, what's to say the tidbit of information you're looking for was actually written in the comments section you're looking to create?

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It should be noted that Waymarking already has this feature. On each waymark page is a pair of "Discuss this Waymark" links, although they seem to be currently broken :)

 

I looked through the "Waymarking.com Features & Functions" section of the forums (equivalent to the "Geocaching.com Web Site" section), and could find no complaints of this feature. But here are a couple of interesting threads.

 

One thing I did notice in that other forum software, was the presence of several "duplicate" posts, and it hung on a couple of links, so the timeout problem wasn't fixed by the new software :)

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One thing I did notice in that other forum software, was the presence of several "duplicate" posts, and it hung on a couple of links, so the timeout problem wasn't fixed by the new software :)

 

That version of Community Server is riddled with bugs, but there is a new version out which promises to fix them. We seem to have terrible luck picking forum software...

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I like this idea and think it has a lot of merit. Of course, as Nate noted, none of the details have been worked out, but I see how it could be useful.

 

Around here, in the winter, cachers will often get together on Sunday and pick one main cache that's longer and harder and do it as a group. By being able to discuss it and make plans in the "discussion area" of the cache, people won't be filling up the logs with information that isn't really pertinent to the cache itself.

 

The logs would still contain the found it logs, DNFs, notes and such, but the planning for who's going to bring the coffee and when you're going to meet would be done in the discussion area.

Edited by Skippermark
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the local geocaching organizations

 

...who don't run this site, wouldn't run it's discussion groups, and don't own the cache listings.

 

 

i have some concerns about federal disability benefits. shall i ask the ladies' auxilliary at a local hospital to work that out for me?

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the local geocaching organizations

...who don't run this site, wouldn't run it's discussion groups, and don't own the cache listings.

I was going to say something like that myself, but then I realized that Bell Dingers was probably referring to SkipperMark's comments regarding organizing a cache hunt:

 

Around here, in the winter, cachers will often get together on Sunday and pick one main cache that's longer and harder and do it as a group. By being able to discuss it and make plans in the "discussion area" of the cache, people won't be filling up the logs with information that isn't really pertinent to the cache itself.
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Add me to the list of folks that think that the cache "forum" idea needs to be re-thought, or at least have an opt-out feature.

 

You (and others above) are making a lot of assumptions based on almost no information. So far the feature idea is not fleshed out, so I can't elaborate. However, we will take into account your concerns when it is.

 

Which is why we are voicing those concerns early. Much easier on everyone than try to get changes after the fact.

 

By the way, thank you for not leaving us hanging on the one statement.

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I like this idea and think it has a lot of merit. Of course, as Nate noted, none of the details have been worked out, but I see how it could be useful.

 

Around here, in the winter, cachers will often get together on Sunday and pick one main cache that's longer and harder and do it as a group. By being able to discuss it and make plans in the "discussion area" of the cache, people won't be filling up the logs with information that isn't really pertinent to the cache itself.

 

The logs would still contain the found it logs, DNFs, notes and such, but the planning for who's going to bring the coffee and when you're going to meet would be done in the discussion area.

 

I think this idea should be left for the local geocaching organizations to decide.

 

There are already sections in these forums for regional discussions. Also there are other regional resources available. I think that is what TBD was pointing out.

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Sounds like the perfect place to post spoiler information or have a discussion on solving a puzzle. If we don't all keep a close eye on them........

 

I agree with StarBrand. What else do you need to log. Found, DNF. and Note.

No need for a discussion forum. Are you looking for help finding the cache?

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Around here, in the winter, cachers will often get together on Sunday and pick one main cache that's longer and harder and do it as a group. By being able to discuss it and make plans in the "discussion area" of the cache, people won't be filling up the logs with information that isn't really pertinent to the cache itself.

 

The logs would still contain the found it logs, DNFs, notes and such, but the planning for who's going to bring the coffee and when you're going to meet would be done in the discussion area.

Where's the common online meeting area? How do you plan on which cache to target? What if one person doesn't get the memo on which cache it is? How are they supposed to find the cache page, hunt?

 

I think something like that would be best served by a localized forum or even something like FaceBook.

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There are already sections in these forums for regional discussions. Also there are other regional resources available. I think that is what TBD was pointing out.

Good point. Most of the planning now is done in our local forums, but only a small percentage of cachers in our state go to the forums. Having something on the cache page itself might let others know what we're planning.

 

Where's the common online meeting area? How do you plan on which cache to target? What if one person doesn't get the memo on which cache it is? How are they supposed to find the cache page, hunt?

Agreed. There would have to be some starting point to even begin talking about which cache to do. Unless someone had that cache on their watchlist, they wouldn't even know something was being planned. And, if it were me, I wouldn't want to get email notifications everytime someone posted a topic to a cache discussion. That would get overwhelming.

 

Without knowing the details about how it will work and be setup makes it hard to know if it would be effective or not. On first thought, my idea sounded good to me, but, yeah, probably a local discussion area is still best. Maybe post a note onto the cache page so those watching it know that we're planning to do the cache soon and if anyone wants to join us, tell them we're talking about it in a local forum and to visit there if they want to know more.

Edited by Skippermark
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