I know ALRs are banned but...

[+dorqie]

There are a few caches arround here that "suggest" you do something additional. This is never anything big, it's something like share a wedding related story, or write your log in alliteration, or one that I'm ginning for, where every cacher is an FTF (like FTF while wearing a purple shirt, or FTF while walking 3 dogs in one hand...) or my personal fav "make a royal phoon of yourself" GC1N89W...

anyway...

I have noticed on a few of these that quite a few people don't bother to contribute, I know that they aren't required to, but I am interested in a freindly discussion about why, or why not.

Do you guys like these types of caches?

[+GeoGeeBee]

There are a few caches arround here that "suggest" you do something additional. This is never anything big, it's something like share a wedding related story, or write your log in alliteration, or one that I'm ginning for, where every cacher is an FTF (like FTF while wearing a purple shirt, or FTF while walking 3 dogs in one hand...) or my personal fav "make a royal phoon of yourself" GC1N89W...

anyway...

I have noticed on a few of these that quite a few people don't bother to contribute, I know that they aren't required to, but I am interested in a freindly discussion about why, or why not.

Do you guys like these types of caches?

 

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I did the one in NYC that wants you to take a picture of yourself in Times Square holding up the "found it" sign that's in the cache, because I thought it was fun.

 

I keep the 500 closest caches that I haven't found loaded up in my Garmin, and I keep it with me most of the time. So sometimes I'll engage in a bit of impromptu caching, and just look for the nearest one without knowing anything but the coordinates. A couple of times I've learned of "logging suggestions" only when I went online to log, so I didn't have anything to contribute.

 

Mostly I ignore the ones that don't sound like fun, and do the ones that sound like I'd enjoy them. That's pretty much how I take most things in life, actually.

[+Chokecherry]

If it involves something noted in the log I don't mind doing those. I'll consider taking pictures of things at the site as well.

 

The ones I won't do are the ones that require a picture of me at the cache site doing whatever and posted with my log. Maybe if I can e-mail to the owner I'll do it but not posted. I just don't like how I look in pictures. And I also don't necessarily want pictures of me on my profile. It's a small town area here.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

One of my favorites is one that is on an island and asks that you post your log in Pirate speak. Not everyone does it but it's pretty obvious that the ones that do are enjoying it more.

[Mr.Yuck]

In general, if it's only optional, I think most people aren't going to do it. Especially these days in the "quick grab mentality, TFTC only online log, and username only paper log in the logbook" era.

 

Unless of course it's a real fun one. Like the talk like a pirate one mentioned above. ARRRRGGGH!! Quick grab, TFTC Ya Scurvy dog!!

[+Touchstone]

I have noticed on a few of these that quite a few people don't bother to contribute, I know that they aren't required to, but I am interested in a freindly discussion about why, or why not.

 

I think the first two or three of these types of caches were kind of cute, but somewhere around a dozen or so, it got kind of annoying. Then you get into that whole, "...I'll Delete your Find if you don't" thing, and then it really starts to suck the fun out of my day.

 

There's my 0.02 of friendly discussion

[+dorqie]

I have noticed on a few of these that quite a few people don't bother to contribute, I know that they aren't required to, but I am interested in a freindly discussion about why, or why not.

 

I think the first two or three of these types of caches were kind of cute, but somewhere around a dozen or so, it got kind of annoying. Then you get into that whole, "...I'll Delete your Find if you don't" thing, and then it really starts to suck the fun out of my day.

 

There's my 0.02 of friendly discussion

 

I get that. That's why they are banned. If someone was going to delete my find if they didn't like my log, that would put me off too, but now that they aren't allowed to, and it's all in fun I think it really changes the dynamic.

[+The Blorenges]

If it's an ALR request then we'll always have a go at it as long as we consider it reasonable and/or fun.

 

MrsB

[+Touchstone]

I have no issue with "Requests", and I'll often play along with the *fun* ones if I remember or am capable of doing it.

 

When there's a threat of some sort of retribution (real or imaginary), then it's in the realm of a "Requirement" and I'm not at all sorry to see those go.

[GOF and Bacall]

I have no issue with "Requests", and I'll often play along with the *fun* ones if I remember or am capable of doing it.

 

When there's a threat of some sort of retribution (real or imaginary), then it's in the realm of a "Requirement" and I'm not at all sorry to see those go.

 

I'm gonna post one in your honor. If the ALR request isn't followed the logger isn't gonna get a cookie.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I'll go with Mrs. B. If they're fun (or not too stupid), I will be happy to comply! That is, if I read the request. I don't always read through the whole cache page on the Paw Pilot.

I did a few that were mystery caches because of the ALR. Still mystery caches since ALRs have been banned. "Post your photo at the site." Okay. Not a problem. "Use the name of a Honda vehicle in your log." (That request was in the log book. Not on the cache page.) Okay. That qualifies as silly and fun. I think that we were the last ones to do that, over a year ago. Oh, well.

[+geodarts]

I have a requests on a few of my caches: write like a pirate on my Cache fer Pirates; include a grateful dead lyric or song title on my Shakedown Street cache; say something about the city at a cache surrounded by quotations extolling San Francisco. Some of them get more participation than others.

 

I was thinking about asking visitors at my Robin Hood series to rob from the rich and give to the poor but that might have been construed as an agenda. And one true ALR - hike to a nearby little known waterfall that is on NPS administered land - was archived after the ban took effect.

Edited June 5, 2010 by mulvaney

[Andronicus]

There are a few caches arround here that "suggest" you do something additional. This is never anything big, it's something like share a wedding related story, or write your log in alliteration, or one that I'm ginning for, where every cacher is an FTF (like FTF while wearing a purple shirt, or FTF while walking 3 dogs in one hand...) or my personal fav "make a royal phoon of yourself" GC1N89W...

anyway...

I have noticed on a few of these that quite a few people don't bother to contribute, I know that they aren't required to, but I am interested in a freindly discussion about why, or why not.

Do you guys like these types of caches?

 

Lets see... of your examples

Wedding story: Wouldn't do

alliteration: Wouldn't do

FTF: Wouldn't to

Make a fool of yourself: Wouldn't do

 

See, I don't think any of those are fun. If it was fun, I may or may not do it. I guess this is why ALRs were banned. What the CO thinks is fun, the hunter may find extreamly uncomfortable.

[+narcissa]

We don't have a lot of "suggested activities" or former ALRs around here. Most of the ones that I do see are just lame things tacked on to an otherwise unremarkable geocache.

 

If there's an activity that actually enhances the experience in some way, great. A while back, someone rescued a disposable camera from a really old cache, and had the pictures developed. The film was damaged after years in the cache, but the pictures came out and someone posted them to the community. It was neat to see those.

 

Another neat cache I saw had a photo album in it and asked cachers to add a picture of themselves. That was a neat cache to visit and look through.

[+drfred]

There are a few caches arround here that "suggest" you do something additional. This is never anything big, it's something like share a wedding related story, or write your log in alliteration, or one that I'm ginning for, where every cacher is an FTF (like FTF while wearing a purple shirt, or FTF while walking 3 dogs in one hand...) or my personal fav "make a royal phoon of yourself" GC1N89W...

anyway...

I have noticed on a few of these that quite a few people don't bother to contribute, I know that they aren't required to, but I am interested in a freindly discussion about why, or why not.

Do you guys like these types of caches?

 

Lets see... of your examples

Wedding story: Wouldn't do

alliteration: Wouldn't do

FTF: Wouldn't to

Make a fool of yourself: Wouldn't do

 

See, I don't think any of those are fun. If it was fun, I may or may not do it. I guess this is why ALRs were banned. What the CO thinks is fun, the hunter may find extreamly uncomfortable.

 

OK, I'll bite. So why not? I am not a big fan of ALRs that are ridiculous, but these seem harmless. If you don't want to do them, fine, and you can still sign the log, but really, are you that insecure?

 

Come on - most of us really just want to share something while playing this game, and a few stories back from finders are a big motivation for hiders. So from above:

 

Wedding story: sure, if you really want to hear about my celebration 17 years ago, I'll talk your ear off...

alliteration: log a large legally located lode and laugh laudably!

FTF: I've got hundreds and am proud of the fact (although GC could not care less)

Make a fool of yourself: Hey, its an every day occurrence for me, so don't make a big deal of it!

 

So give me a BFB! (e-mail me if you are so clueless!)

 

The ALR "ban" is fine, but largely benefits cachers who either 1) are too rigid, fuddy-duddy, or stupid to know better or 2) live in an area where the hiders are #1

[+drfred]

Besides, any of the above things could now be posted as a "challenge cache".

 

Challenge: Get married, be FTF on another cache and tell the story here, tell your log in an intelligible alliterative story.

 

My challenge: If ALRs have to go, then challenges have to go. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, and I can meet just about any challenge in my area so that is not the issue...

[+narcissa]

Besides, any of the above things could now be posted as a "challenge cache".

 

Challenge: Get married, be FTF on another cache and tell the story here, tell your log in an intelligible alliterative story.

 

My challenge: If ALRs have to go, then challenges have to go. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, and I can meet just about any challenge in my area so that is not the issue...

 

I'm seeing more and more lame ALRs dressed up and called challenges, and I agree that they should probably just be called ALRs.

 

There are some neat "challenge caches" here that gets you to use waypoints and other secrets from a set of difficult caches. You can't do them unless you've done the others and still have your notes (or if someone wants to share it with you, which nobody will because the original caches are tough). To me, this is way better than just sticking out a lame traditional, calling it a challenge cache and having an ALR.

 

I also see no reason why people can't just create bookmark lists of challenging caches and pose the challenge to other cachers. I don't see why there needs to be a final "challenge cache" added to it. We've had a local challenge for years that is just a list and a leaderboard maintained by a member.

[+wimseyguy]

I'm happy to write my log in haiku, minimalist, piratespeak. But if you wanted me to post a pic of me wearing the red hat, pink bra, or fake mustache in the cache in order to claim a find, then you are the reason that ALR's got banned.

 

I even dropped the local haiku cache from my watchlist because so many finders were too sorry to try and post in rhythm.

[+cx1]

I must live in an exceptional geocaching area because all the Challenge caches I have seen have been actual challenges. For example find 25 benchmarks or visit each of the remaining virtual caches in the state or find caches in 3 states or other things along those lines.

 

Could someone post some example listings of these supposed challenges that are actually thinly disguised ALRs? I am curious to see what what the fuss is about.

 

To the OP. If it is simple and I notice it I would probably play along with the additional logging request.

[+BlueDeuce]

...

Edited June 6, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[Clan Riffster]

Do you guys like these types of caches?

For the most part I do like them, and I will dive into the additional logging requirement suggestion with both feet, having a grand time in the process. However, on occasion, I come across an ALS that just doesn't appeal to me at the time, and I'll pass on that part of the experience.

[+dorqie]

I must live in an exceptional geocaching area because all the Challenge caches I have seen have been actual challenges. For example find 25 benchmarks or visit each of the remaining virtual caches in the state or find caches in 3 states or other things along those lines.

 

Could someone post some example listings of these supposed challenges that are actually thinly disguised ALRs? I am curious to see what what the fuss is about.

 

To the OP. If it is simple and I notice it I would probably play along with the additional logging request.

 

same here, two challanges that I'm working on are to find at least one cache in all of the electoral distrects in the area, and one where you must find a cache begining with each letter of the alphabet (I'm stuck on v of all letters)

[+Mosaic55]

I won't post a recognizable photo of myself on the cache page. I've diligently tried to maintain internet anonymity for years, I'm not going to change that now.

 

But I was happy to wrote a (admittedly lame) limerick for "There once was a cache on Nantucket" (located on Nantucket Drive) I was a bit surprised at how many people wrote ordinary logs.

 

So it really depends on what the ALR is. Like, I wouldn't research something I had no interest in for the purpose of writing in a log.