Jump to content

If there were no online logging...


bittsen

Recommended Posts

I know geocaching started with a guy hiding a can of beans along with a logbook that was to be signed and it started from there but how far would geocaching have gone in the absence of online logging?

 

Some say that the online logging had all but killed the interesting book logs but the real question is how many people would actually be geocachers without the online logging?

Would people be willing to hide the caches knowing that the only way to know if anyone found it would be to check on it?

Without online logging, how long would a missing cache be listed before it was realized that it was gone? Would anyone actually fess up to not finding a cache by sending an email to the cache owner?

 

The mind boggles with questions.

Link to comment

Howdy folks!

I have logged roughly 150 or so finds here in Ithaca, and never realized I had to also log on the website. Now i dont know what to do,

is there an easy way to log them all without having to go to each individual page and logging something? i have been caching for over a year, and cant remember all the places and caches ive been. Any help for an old fart?

Link to comment

Howdy folks!

I have logged roughly 150 or so finds here in Ithaca, and never realized I had to also log on the website. Now i dont know what to do,

is there an easy way to log them all without having to go to each individual page and logging something? i have been caching for over a year, and cant remember all the places and caches ive been. Any help for an old fart?

 

without remembering I think you are out of luck. I guess you can be glad it was not more then 150

 

Scubasonic

Link to comment
The mind boggles with questions.

I fear you need Uber Genius 4.0 to answer them. If I have to answer "how far would geocaching have gone in the absence of online logging", I'd say... 35 fathoms, give or take a couple.

 

I have logged roughly 150 or so finds here in Ithaca, and never realized I had to also log on the website. Now i dont know what to do

You can construct a field notes file to streamline the whole thing, but you'll still need to know which cache it is in the first place. I'm afraid there's no easy way to log them all. Do you still have the information in your GPSr? If so, what model do you have?

 

You don't have to log them online...

Link to comment

 

Some say that the online logging had all but killed the interesting book logs but the real question is how many people would actually be geocachers without the online logging?

 

The book logs were not killed by online logging, but by micros. The trend of just a sig eventually wore onto the regular caches.

 

I would still hide caches without online logs if there were one page notes in the book logs.

 

However, without any online logs, and only sigs in the books, I would probably get discouraged.

Edited by 4wheelin_fool
Link to comment

Howdy folks!

I have logged roughly 150 or so finds here in Ithaca, and never realized I had to also log on the website. Now i dont know what to do,

is there an easy way to log them all without having to go to each individual page and logging something? i have been caching for over a year, and cant remember all the places and caches ive been. Any help for an old fart?

 

without remembering I think you are out of luck. I guess you can be glad it was not more then 150

 

Scubasonic

 

than

Link to comment

I feel I killed my own book logs. As a cache owner I appreciate that the book log often reflects the thoughts of the cache differently to the online logs, but I now try take up as little space as possible, to prevent need for rapid replacement of logbooks. My online logs are often very wordy, I would hate to take up the whole book!

 

I think I would still hide caches....but the current system is way better. I get great joy from the emails coming through. Especially so when someone has actually put a weeny bit of effort into the log.

Link to comment

I think that the online logging was an integral part of why Geocaching spread beyond a smattering of geeks. Had that spread not occured, I would likely never have known about the game. As such, I probably would not be hiding caches. However, having been thus infected with the caching bug, if online logging went away, I would continue to play, as both a hider and a seeker.

Link to comment

I think that the online logging was an integral part of why Geocaching spread beyond a smattering of geeks. Had that spread not occured, I would likely never have known about the game. As such, I probably would not be hiding caches. However, having been thus infected with the caching bug, if online logging went away, I would continue to play, as both a hider and a seeker.

 

"A Smattering of Geeks" - that's a winner, it sounds like a great sequel to "A Confederacy of Dunces." It would be great to have a best-selling novel where the geek became an international hero because of geocaching.

Link to comment

Howdy folks!

I have logged roughly 150 or so finds here in Ithaca, and never realized I had to also log on the website. Now i dont know what to do,

is there an easy way to log them all without having to go to each individual page and logging something? i have been caching for over a year, and cant remember all the places and caches ive been. Any help for an old fart?

You don't have to log them online, that's your choice.

 

Sign the physical log and your responsibility is done.

 

I log a few every now and then online but mostly not. I most likely will log them if I am caching by myself but if others are with me who I know will log them I don't bother. Over the last couple of years I have found ~1200 that I haven't logged online. The cache owners who see my signature and the cachers who were with me (I rarely cache alone anymore, I am all about the people of this game) know where I've been and that's enough for me.

 

As to your question about finding out which ones you found and signed, only your memory can help with that! Since online logging is not a requirement and like me the find stats are not important I'd say don't worry about logging past finds.

 

The OP asks If there were no logging would you still hide caches... Yes and No!

 

Yes I would because providing entertainment and giving back to the game are the reasons I hide caches, so those could be accomplished without logs.

 

No because without feedback you can't know if there are issues with the cache. COs need that feedback. And, while logs aren't the reason for the hide, they certainly provide us information, entertainment and a sense of shared community.

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
Link to comment

I think that the online logging was an integral part of why Geocaching spread beyond a smattering of geeks. Had that spread not occured, I would likely never have known about the game. As such, I probably would not be hiding caches. However, having been thus infected with the caching bug, if online logging went away, I would continue to play, as both a hider and a seeker.

 

"A Smattering of Geeks" - that's a winner, it sounds like a great sequel to "A Confederacy of Dunces." It would be great to have a best-selling novel where the geek became an international hero because of geocaching.

+1 exactly the same thought I had. Did you know that a statue of the author is a virtual cache?

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Deep Thought discussion.

 

My OT thought-online logging is important to the growth of the game, but has had a negative effect on the written logs.

Link to comment
I know geocaching started with a guy hiding a can of beans along with a logbook that was to be signed and it started from there but how far would geocaching have gone in the absence of online logging?

Even with that one there was some online postings going on about it. Someone even suggested "You should add your email address to the stash so you can be notified of a find... "

 

But if it stayed confined to usenet, it would be a very small community that would participate.

 

Some say that the online logging had all but killed the interesting book logs but the real question is how many people would actually be geocachers without the online logging?

I probably would have never got into it. I heard about it a few times here and there but it wasn't until I checked out the logs on the closest cache to me that I decided to try it.

 

It would also be harder to get my friends to join up.

 

Would people be willing to hide the caches knowing that the only way to know if anyone found it would be to check on it?

I'd probably still hide one. But not more. But it would be close to home and easy to get to so I could check on it frequently.

 

Only after activity on that one died down would I archive it and place a new one somewhere else.

Link to comment

I tried letterboxing at the same time I first tried geocaching. I liked geocaching better mainly because of the online logs. Without the online logs, you don't know if what you're looking for is still there or not. It got pretty discouraging looking for and not finding letterboxes that were probably long gone. I think the online log system accounts for why goecaching grew in popularity faster than letterboxing over the last decade. For some reason, letterboxers were resistant to the idea of online status reports/logs back then, I think that's changed a little these days, but too little, too late.

 

When I started geocaching in 2006, both online logs and written logs were longer. I think both micros and the sheer number of caches out there discourage long logs. When finding one single cache was an event, you were more likely to spend more time on the logs. Today, when caches are more plentiful and some people find 10 to 40 a day, who wants to spend so much time on any one log entry?

 

[edited and expanded for clarity]

Edited by Mosaic55
Link to comment

I know geocaching started with a guy hiding a can of beans along with a logbook that was to be signed and it started from there but how far would geocaching have gone in the absence of online logging?

 

Some say that the online logging had all but killed the interesting book logs but the real question is how many people would actually be geocachers without the online logging?

Would people be willing to hide the caches knowing that the only way to know if anyone found it would be to check on it?

Without online logging, how long would a missing cache be listed before it was realized that it was gone? Would anyone actually fess up to not finding a cache by sending an email to the cache owner?

 

The mind boggles with questions.

 

Well, either there has to be a way of sharing these locations, sans internet, or you would have to hope that someone would simply stumble over your hide.

 

Either way, I'm in.

 

I could see putting a container in a fairly remote area that is a destination for some adventurer/wanderer and place it so that they find it. A little instruction about sharing the experience and we are good to go.

Link to comment

I know geocaching started with a guy hiding a can of beans along with a logbook that was to be signed and it started from there but how far would geocaching have gone in the absence of online logging?

 

Some say that the online logging had all but killed the interesting book logs but the real question is how many people would actually be geocachers without the online logging?

Would people be willing to hide the caches knowing that the only way to know if anyone found it would be to check on it?

Without online logging, how long would a missing cache be listed before it was realized that it was gone? Would anyone actually fess up to not finding a cache by sending an email to the cache owner?

 

The mind boggles with questions.

 

This is a bit offtopic, but personally I don't understand the anxiety some people seem to feel over the lack of quality in paper logs. This is a hobby that starts on the Internet (cache listings), uses space age technology (GPS satellites and receivers) to find objects, and provides an electronic method of recording the adventure (online logs). Given this, why would one expect paper logs (an ancient and rapidly becoming necessary technology) to be given much thought at all? The only thing paper logs provide is to prove I found it.

 

I would much rather put the story of my find in an online log that persists for (theoretically) ever and is readable by everyone who chooses to view it, instead of a paper that will degrade, most likely rapidly given its environment, and that has even odds no one will ever read. Not to mention my penmanship is horrible so odds are if every cache owner put eyes on every log entry I wrote it probably wouldn't be human parseable.

 

back on topic:

 

In the theoretical event that we were to give up either paper or online logs I would chose forgoing the paper ones.

 

So in my opinion the hobby wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is if we didn't have online logs. Those that play for the numbers would probably stop caring. Not to mention that online logs help build communities among cachers that I don't think would exist without them. The quality of caches would drop like a rock as the feedback to the CO would be very poor.

 

Having the experience I do now I think I would still cache without online logs. However without the initial interest I gained in caching from reading online logs I probably would not have started. I wouldn't hide caches either. Having to go out to each cache I've hid just to see if anyone found it would be tedious at best.

Link to comment

Very interesting topic! I don't remember this one coming up before, but maybe Kit Fox can chime in.

 

I would not hide caches without online logging. I enjoy the logs quite a bit. I try and hide caches that net good logs. I leave the LPCs and NRVs to others so they can get the acronym logs in their inboxes.

 

I might still find caches without online logging, but I bet there would not be many caches to find if online logging was not an option.

Link to comment

 

Some say that the online logging had all but killed the interesting book logs but the real question is how many people would actually be geocachers without the online logging?

 

The book logs were not killed by online logging, but by micros. The trend of just a sig eventually wore onto the regular caches.

 

I'd say that physical logging was partially changed by micros but also by the proliferation of all types of caches. In the early days a hiking trail might have had one cache on it so people used that cache as a destination and they spent more time at the cache location so there was more time to write. These days the same trail might have a number of caches and it's not practical for someone to write a story in each log book. In some regards, caches have became a commodity rather than a luxury.

 

Back on topic... without online logs I would have lost interest in the game. The community and shared experiences kept me interested in the game. There's no way I would have hidden more than a few caches if I hadn't received lots of positive feedback about my caches and I wouldn't be inclined to continually return to my caches to see if anyone had written in the log books.

 

Something else to think about.... what would happen to geocaching if the logging was suddenly disabled. Imagine how miserable it would become over time as caches and owners disappeared and there was no way to know if a cache still existed.

Link to comment

I've never hidden a cache, but if there were no online logging I certainly never would. Online logging brought me to the game and is a useful tool for this newbie. I also tried letterboxing and found it very frustrating to not know if my DNF's were because the box wasn't there or because of my skill level or how I read the clue. With geocaching, I can watch the logs. The cache I didn't find, someone else did later? Guess I'd better try again. The cache I didn't find has several previous DNF's? May not be there. So from the POV of a potential hider, I could use the logs to see if I did a lousy job hiding it, if it needs upkeep, if folks are enjoying the area.

 

I have to say though, that I do like the physical log books. I guess for the same reason I like visiting historic sites. The logbook is something I can connect with, that says 'hey, look at all the people who've done this before me'. I don't get that same thrill from reading a history text, or an online log. But that's just me. And I'll try to do better about writing a bit more in my electronic logs. So often what was meaningful to me on the hunt seems likely to be meaningless to anyone else!

Edited by OperaMama
Link to comment

Prior to the GeoCaching website, those who found the first stashes were logging their visits in sci.geo.satellite-nav, so I think there would have been a place always for people to log finds, though you can imagine how crazy the NG would have been with even a few hundred stashes.

 

Would I? I think I still would. Finding them has always been the fun part. Writing logs can be work, particularly since I do not rubberstamp log entries, writing something unique for each find. Doing this for 15 or more finds is an effort. Daunting for 30 or more finds.

Link to comment

If there were no online logging... Yes I would. Before the birth of the interwebs there was letterboxing and if I had known about it, I'd have been alllll up in it.

 

I'm a hider. Have been since childhood....

 

I hid my first cache (really just a time capsule) in 1980, but before that I always had a hidden box of treasures and I drew endless treasure maps.

 

I enjoy the logs quite a bit. I try and hide caches that net good logs. I leave the LPCs and NRVs to others so they can get the acronym logs in their inboxes.

 

Me too. Moreover, I love to hide caches that get awesome DNF logs because the potential finders liked the area the cache was hidden in so much.

 

I have one cache that consistantly gets "best DNF EVER!" logs. It made my day so often that I hid an easier cache nearby as consolation.

 

I also like to hide caches that get revisit logs as in I just had to come back and I brought a friend or an entire group.

Edited by Snoogans
Link to comment

I truly enjoy the hunt but would likely not be as enthusiastic without the online logs. Just like the forums, the online logs are a big part of the social game for me. I do not particularly care for group caching but I enjoy and appreciate the camaraderie of the game. I attend a few events and know a fair number of the local cachers. I know many more of the local cachers from their online logs, just as I know a bit about many of the forums regulars from their online logs. I enjoy finding a cache hidden by someone I know just a bit more than one hidden by someone I do not know. If I know them personally it is even better, but knowing them from online dialogue is good. When travelling I am always happy to find a cache placed by someone I know or have heard of. It gives me a feeling of connection.

 

So I suppose I would likely not have stuck with the game if not for the online logs and the connection to the greater caching community.

Link to comment

I think that the online logging was an integral part of why Geocaching spread beyond a smattering of geeks. Had that spread not occured, I would likely never have known about the game. As such, I probably would not be hiding caches. However, having been thus infected with the caching bug, if online logging went away, I would continue to play, as both a hider and a seeker.

 

"A Smattering of Geeks" - that's a winner, it sounds like a great sequel to "A Confederacy of Dunces." It would be great to have a best-selling novel where the geek became an international hero because of geocaching.

+1 exactly the same thought I had. Did you know that a statue of the author is a virtual cache?

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Deep Thought discussion.

 

My OT thought-online logging is important to the growth of the game, but has had a negative effect on the written logs.

 

Actually it is a statue of the main character, not the author. (of course, once you get into a work like this it is difficult to separate how much the experiences of the author and the main character are identical or somewhat similar. I guess we'll never know since the author killed himself...)

 

As for the cache - logged 11/08/2004. Thanks for the memories!

Link to comment

I tried letterboxing at the same time I first tried geocaching. I liked geocaching better mainly because of the online logs. Without the online logs, you don't know if what you're looking for is still there or not. It got pretty discouraging looking for and not finding letterboxes that were probably long gone. I think the online log system accounts for why goecaching grew in popularity faster than letterboxing over the last decade. For some reason, letterboxers were resistant to the idea of online status reports/logs back then, I think that's changed a little these days, but too little, too late.

 

You should try it now. Atlas Quest has a lot of bells & whistles including online logs. Online logs were implemented on AQ in May 2008. (LBNA has still not embraced comments - and probably never will). It was a struggle but now that it's implemented most letterboxers use the feature.

 

When I started geocaching in 2006, both online logs and written logs were longer. I think both micros and the sheer number of caches out there discourage long logs. When finding one single cache was an event, you were more likely to spend more time on the logs. Today, when caches are more plentiful and some people find 10 to 40 a day, who wants to spend so much time on any one log entry?

 

I agree that micros have changed logging patterns in the paper logbook. There's an emphasis on conserving paper. I've seen angry forum messages from COs who get PO'd when someone uses more then one line on the logsheet. Side note: The new trend I'm also seeing is logsheets in large caches that can easily hold a good-size logbook plus plenty of swag. Guess it's easier to fold a sheet of paper, stuff it in a baggie and consider it a sufficient.

Link to comment

Howdy folks!

I have logged roughly 150 or so finds here in Ithaca, and never realized I had to also log on the website. Now i dont know what to do,

is there an easy way to log them all without having to go to each individual page and logging something? i have been caching for over a year, and cant remember all the places and caches ive been. Any help for an old fart?

 

ill tells ya what help thar is. ill help you to a woopin iffin you dont get back to tha house cola

Link to comment

I think online logging creates the sense of community and shared experiences that are important to the sport and a big reason for its growth. Letterboxing has been around far longer than geocaching. Geocaching requires the purchase of expensive electronic equipment, while letterboxing requires an investment of a few dollars in a stamp and personal logbook. You'd think that being much cheaper and having huge head start over geocaching that letterboxing would be at least as popular, but it is far from that. I attribute that in a large part to online logs.

 

I started letterboxing about the same time I started geocaching. I have 300 cache hides and 0 letterbox placements to date. It was not a conscious decision to hide no letterboxes. In fact I've always meant to, but never got around to it. But with the lack of instant feedback in letterboxing (until recently) placing one has never been a priority.

 

As far as whether or not I'd hide caches without them, I can say I probably wouldn't have hidden nearly as many. The instant feedback that tells me that people are enjoying my caches is important. On one of my earlier hides someone wrote in his online log "thanks for the bonding experience with my daughters". It was the idea that the simple act of hiding containers in the woods could have a positive effect on others is what encouraged me to hide more caches. Without the online logs I might have never seen that log.

 

I don't think the online logs have had a negative effect on the paper logs. We had online logs almost from the beginning and the paper logs often had long logs too. The micro explosion is what changed that.

Link to comment

I see what folks are saying about micro logging migrating to larger logbooks all the time. A few years ago folks still wrote in logbooks most of the time- unless busy trying to kill skeeters or in a pouring rainstorm. I have changed my logging practices myself. I catch myself putting the date and my name in the book all the time and then adding my comments and notes.

 

A while back I realized that I loved reading my old logbooks and the little stories in them. Thus, other cachers must also enjoy reading logs in their books. So I promised myself to be a better logger and always try to at least thank the cache owner for placing the cache when the logbook has room to do so.

 

Now it is kinda funny to see one of my logs- often the page has a series of 4 or 5 single line names and then I take up the rest of the page with my date, name, note of thanks and any comments I have. I always wonder what cache owners make of these when they see them now. Most newer cachers probably don't understand that logbooks are for more than names sometimes.

 

One of my favorite logbooks asked finders to write a poem or short story based on some random words you drew from a baggie in the cache. It wasn't an ALR and you didn't have to include it in your log, but it was fun. I've also enjoyed logbooks made of sketch books where the note on the front of the book asks for a quick drawing or sketch in addition to your log. Those can be lots of fun to look through!

Jennifer

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...