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etiquette re: finding a bug but not moving it?


To Say Nothing of the Cat

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We're new to this, so maybe this is one of those obvious things we just haven't figured out yet...

 

When you find a travel bug in a cache, but you're not going to move it (can't further its goals, etc.), should you still log that you found it, but left it in the cache? Is this something that the TBs owner would appreciate? Or do you only log if you were involved in its movement?

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I think that is a good frickin idea!

 

You SHOULD be able to log TB as a find AND leave it in the cache! Here is what usually happens to bugs:

 

Cacher finds cache.

Cacher finds TB in cache.

Goal of bug is to get to "X".

Cacher lives nowhere close to "X" nor has any intention of going to "X".

Cacher still wants to get "one more bug found" on his stats and the ability to track it easily to see if it gets to it's goal in the future.

Cacher picks up TB and says to themselves, "maybe I'll find a way to help it on it's way...".

Cacher will then wait about five months before losing the bug/placing it in an obscure cache/finding a different hobby.

 

I think this would help bugs from getting lost by overzealous cachers with good but misguided intentions. Getting this into general practice? Good luck, most cachers still can't figure out how to log a bug in and out yet......

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I agree with Goat, if you find a bug and know you can't help move it where it wants to go, I don't think there's anything wrong with leaving it in the cache, write down the code number, and log it as a find, but then put it back into the same cache. I plan on doing that if it happens to me.

 

If I find a bug in a cache where I wasn't expecting it, and I pick it up (not knowing its goal) then I would check the goal that same day and if I can't help it out, I would either replace it into the same cache or another nearby cache as quickly as I could (same day or next day).

 

But, that's just me.

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There are ways to do this already without confusing the issue...

  • You can watch a travel bug.

  • You can post a note to a travel bug.

  • Any notes or logs on a bug page automatically get sent to the bug owner.
One of my bugs was temporarily messed up because a cacher (CACHER A) felt the need to log that they found the bug (even though they left it in the same cache). Unfortunately, before CACHER A logged it, another cacher (CACHER :P found it in the cache, went home and logged that they had taken it from the cache.

 

CACHER A then "grabbed it" from CACHER B to keep the integrity of the fact that they found it and left it in the same cache. Now we had to e-mail CACHER B to have them "regrab" it.

 

icon_eek.gificon_eek.gificon_eek.gif This, IMHO, is FAR too complicated! icon_eek.gificon_eek.gificon_eek.gif

 

If you didn't actually take the bug away from the cache, don't "grab it" - just post a note indicating that you saw it there, but didn't think you could help it along.

 

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

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There are ways to do this already without confusing the issue...

  • You can watch a travel bug.

  • You can post a note to a travel bug.

  • Any notes or logs on a bug page automatically get sent to the bug owner.
One of my bugs was temporarily messed up because a cacher (CACHER A) felt the need to log that they found the bug (even though they left it in the same cache). Unfortunately, before CACHER A logged it, another cacher (CACHER :P found it in the cache, went home and logged that they had taken it from the cache.

 

CACHER A then "grabbed it" from CACHER B to keep the integrity of the fact that they found it and left it in the same cache. Now we had to e-mail CACHER B to have them "regrab" it.

 

icon_eek.gificon_eek.gificon_eek.gif This, IMHO, is FAR too complicated! icon_eek.gificon_eek.gificon_eek.gif

 

If you didn't actually take the bug away from the cache, don't "grab it" - just post a note indicating that you saw it there, but didn't think you could help it along.

 

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

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I'm trying to understand why someone would want to add a log to the travel bug if they don't assist it on its journey in some way.

 

How about just noting in the cache...

 

"Found this one after 10 minutes of looking - noticed that the Turbo Taxi bug is still here. Thanks for the kewl cache!"

 

I guess perhaps it is more of a matter of adding numbers to their "travel bugs found" stats or something.

 

Imho, travel bugs aren't a matter of "found" or "not found" anyway - I don't want credit for anything to do with a travel bug if I haven't moved it.

 

The idea of a travel bug is movement and goal based. Why would you feel you deserve any credit for something to do with someone else's travel bug if you don't do anything more than look at it?

 

I suppose Jeremy having "Travel Bugs Owned/Found" on everyone's profile page just encourages some people to do whatever they can to increase their numbers. Maybe it should read "Travel Bugs Owned/Moved" instead.

 

--==< http://home.columbus.rr.com/rubbertoe >==--

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quote:
Originally posted by Markwell:

One of my bugs was temporarily messed up because a cacher (CACHER A) felt the need to log that they found the bug. Before CACHER A logged it, another cacher (CACHER B) found it in the cache, went home and logged that they had taken it from the cache. CACHER A then "grabbed it" from CACHER B to keep the integrity of the fact that they found it and left it in the same cache. Now we had to e-mail CACHER B to have them "regrab" it.


 

EXACTLY. Not only do I not see the point of logging a bug that you don't move, other than to pad your stats - this can only lead to problems like you mentioned above.

 

People seem to have a hard enough time figuring out how to log a bug, without things like this coming into the equation.

 

--==< http://home.columbus.rr.com/rubbertoe >==--

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Yes, Markwell and Rubbertoe -- good points.

 

I would never be the cacher A described above, but I guess it does make me question why I would feel the need to log a bug I didn't actually grab?

 

I think you're right -- because it says the number of bugs "found" and I found that bug, I would want to log it as such. Not a real interest in padding stats, but just interested in who has seen the bug. If I were the bug owner, I would appreciate the log.

 

I guess I don't really have a strong opinion one way or another. As long as the bug isn't messed up, it wouldn't hurt at all if people logged a find without grabbing it.

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Thanks for the feedback.

 

We're not "padding the numbers" type people; the question originally came because, as Rubbertoe pointed out, the Profile page has a spot for "Travel Bugs Owned/ Found" -- so the question was, if we find it, should we note it? (Hence the thread Rubbertoe has started re: possibly changing the language from "found" to "moved.")

 

I had also been doing a lot of reading in the forums, and had noticed that a hot topic for travel bugs is when they appear to go missing, and their owners (and other interested parties) don't know where they are.

 

I like Rubbertoe's idea of simply noting that you found it in the cache log. Short and simple, without the possibility of messing up its travel chronology!

 

On the other hand, we did find our first travel bug the other day! icon_smile.gif Newbie that I am, it was a bit of a thrill, and it would be fun to say "We found this one!" even if we knew that we couldn't help it out on its travels. Puzzlebug, I appreciated your posts along this vein.

 

Markwell, I didn't know that you could post a note to the Travel Bug; I'll be checking that out. Do you think TB owners would appreciate a note saying, "We saw your bug in the Mystical cache," even though we didn't move it?

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Thanks for the feedback.

 

We're not "padding the numbers" type people; the question originally came because, as Rubbertoe pointed out, the Profile page has a spot for "Travel Bugs Owned/ Found" -- so the question was, if we find it, should we note it? (Hence the thread Rubbertoe has started re: possibly changing the language from "found" to "moved.")

 

I had also been doing a lot of reading in the forums, and had noticed that a hot topic for travel bugs is when they appear to go missing, and their owners (and other interested parties) don't know where they are.

 

I like Rubbertoe's idea of simply noting that you found it in the cache log. Short and simple, without the possibility of messing up its travel chronology!

 

On the other hand, we did find our first travel bug the other day! icon_smile.gif Newbie that I am, it was a bit of a thrill, and it would be fun to say "We found this one!" even if we knew that we couldn't help it out on its travels. Puzzlebug, I appreciated your posts along this vein.

 

Markwell, I didn't know that you could post a note to the Travel Bug; I'll be checking that out. Do you think TB owners would appreciate a note saying, "We saw your bug in the Mystical cache," even though we didn't move it?

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quote:
Originally posted by Rubbertoe:

quote:
Originally posted by Markwell:

One of my bugs was temporarily messed up because a cacher (CACHER A) felt the need to log that they found the bug. Before CACHER A logged it, another cacher (CACHER B) found it in the cache, went home and logged that they had taken it from the cache. CACHER A then "grabbed it" from CACHER B to keep the integrity of the fact that they found it and left it in the same cache. Now we had to e-mail CACHER B to have them "regrab" it.


 

EXACTLY. Not only do I not see the point of logging a bug that you don't move, other than to pad your stats - this can only lead to problems like you mentioned above.

 

People seem to have a hard enough time figuring out how to log a bug, without things like this coming into the equation.

 

--==< http://home.columbus.rr.com/rubbertoe >==--


 

Don't tell me there's a travelbug-finding competition too. icon_frown.gif

 

Anyway, I've been known to "grab" a travel bug and put it back in the cache. It's happened twice because I tried to log a note for the bug and managed to log a find instead. I think that's a bug in the travelbug handling software.

 

But I'd do it for the simple reason that it gives me a list of the travel bugs I've seen. I might not want to follow them all all of the time, but sometimes it's fun to go back and look at where they've gone since the last time I thought about them.

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quote:
Originally posted by Rubbertoe:

quote:
Originally posted by Markwell:

One of my bugs was temporarily messed up because a cacher (CACHER A) felt the need to log that they found the bug. Before CACHER A logged it, another cacher (CACHER B) found it in the cache, went home and logged that they had taken it from the cache. CACHER A then "grabbed it" from CACHER B to keep the integrity of the fact that they found it and left it in the same cache. Now we had to e-mail CACHER B to have them "regrab" it.


 

EXACTLY. Not only do I not see the point of logging a bug that you don't move, other than to pad your stats - this can only lead to problems like you mentioned above.

 

People seem to have a hard enough time figuring out how to log a bug, without things like this coming into the equation.

 

--==< http://home.columbus.rr.com/rubbertoe >==--


 

Don't tell me there's a travelbug-finding competition too. icon_frown.gif

 

Anyway, I've been known to "grab" a travel bug and put it back in the cache. It's happened twice because I tried to log a note for the bug and managed to log a find instead. I think that's a bug in the travelbug handling software.

 

But I'd do it for the simple reason that it gives me a list of the travel bugs I've seen. I might not want to follow them all all of the time, but sometimes it's fun to go back and look at where they've gone since the last time I thought about them.

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The problem with this is that someone after you, maybe even the same day, may really take the bug and put it in another cache. If that person makes his entry before you then when you make your entry that you found it and put it back it shows as being in the cache were you SAW it but it ain't there no mo'. And the cache where it really is will not show it nor will that cache have an entry that you took it.

 

I say if you ain't going to move it don't log it.

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quote:
Originally posted by Goblin:

The problem with this is that someone after you, maybe even the same day, may really take the bug and put it in another cache. If that person makes his entry before you then when you make your entry that you found it and put it back it shows as being in the cache were you SAW it but it ain't there no mo'. And the cache where it really is will not show it nor will that cache have an entry that you took it.

 

I say if you ain't going to move it don't log it.


 

that's a bug in how the web site operates, and it can happen even if you moved the bug legitimately. suppose I go to cache A and get a bug called Lady. Then I put Lady bug in cache B on the same day. Meanwhile, someone else picks up Lady bug from B and moves it to C.

 

Now I go to the web site, log that I've got Lady bug and then do my log for cache A. While I'm editing that, the other cacher logs that they found Lady bug in B and that they put it in C. . .

 

It's the downside of near real time database updates.

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