Limiting new cache creation rights to cachers with more than 100 finds

[+j robin]

...and it's all I could ask for.

Thing is, and it depends on the circumstances (difficulty of hide etc), I wouldn't necessarily see 2 DNFs as meaning there is a problem.

Depends on the wording of the DNF logs I guess.

 

I had 2 DNFs in a row (might have been 3) on one of our caches but it was fine. I did however give the last DNFer a further hint and he went back next day and found it. If I hadn't it would have been sitting there perfectly happy with 2 or 3 DNFs on it.

 

As a cacher I watch caches I couldn't find (on the watch list) and see what happens. After a few weeks they either accumulate a few more DNFs and the CO goes and takes a look, or they are found soon after and i'll go back and have another go.

No point sitting worrying about it, and if the CO is not one to respond to emails then all you can do is watch, and wait

 

thanks. sounds like you understand both sides & it's appreciated. I actually check in on my two DNFs more often than I get to go out to cache. nothing yet but I have my doubts about the one I'm pretty much whining about. it's in a horrible place, though not far from my neighborhood. it's behind an abandoned Burger King in a so-so area that has enough trash to fill a couple of dumpsters. no needles but booze bottles, cans & assorted yuckies. I went because I'll take any opportunity to see something new in the area (moved less than 2 years ago from out-of-state). not an area I'd recommend for a senior or someone with kids, but that's just me. I just think I'll write it off as a "didn't find & don't care to look again", if there were such a listing. as a newbie, hints would be appreciated, but ANY reply would be nice when you try to contact the CO directly. even a "buzz off or look harder" would be appreciated more than silence.

 

TO ALL: remember, everyone was a newbie at one time or another...and it's a game, for fun.

[+u.rusty]

This is a very interesting thread!

 

As a neocacher, I figured I would wait until I've logged about hundred finds mostly so that I can form a good idea as to the nature of the cache I would like to place. That doesn't mean that I think it should be a requirement.

 

People are different, some people like certain types of caches, other people like other types of caches. That part of what makes geocaching so cool, it has something for almost everyone.

 

One of the first things that I learned was that I didn't want to search for every cache in my area. After I found two lamp post caches, I later walked up to GZ of another nearby cache and found a lamp post. I just set my GPSr for the next cache and left. Since then, I have learned to examine the cache pages and area so that I can choose which caches to look for and which ones I want to skip. I find that I like caches that require a hike, especially if the hike is somewhat difficult, but that's just my preference. I wouldn't want to impose that on others that may really like caching from their car.

 

As I have been developing my geosense and cache preferences I am still forming ideas as to the placement of a cache and it's theme. While I have a pretty good idea at to what type and where I would like to place my first cache, I still don't think that I am ready. But, again, I don't think that waiting like I am should be imposed on other cachers.

 

The way that I see it, I don't have to look for the PQC (poor quality caches), whatever that may be to me. Part of my learning process has been figuring out what caches I enjoy searching for the most. Unless someone has changed the rules and there is a big cash reward for having lots of cache finds, the number of caches that I have found really doesn't mean much to me.

 

I would vote no, not everyone is the same, look at LordBritish he only has one find (as of this posting) but is the CO of four of the most amazing caches.

[AZcachemeister]

Some people just 'get it' right off the starting line.

Some people just never seem to 'get it', no matter how long they have been doing it.

 

I have found super-supremo excellent hides by cachers who only hid the one cache, and never found any.

 

I have found really boring lame-o caches by cachers with hundreds of finds, and dozens of owned caches.

 

The best thing about Geocaching is that anyone can play.

The worst thing about Geocaching is that anyone can play.

[+dfx]

I would vote no, not everyone is the same, look at LordBritish he only has one find (as of this posting) but is the CO of four of the most amazing caches.

i think it's safe to assume that he has a second account under which he actually caches.

[+lomocacher]

I would vote no, not everyone is the same, look at LordBritish he only has one find (as of this posting) but is the CO of four of the most amazing caches.

i think it's safe to assume that he has a second account under which he actually caches.

 

The guy has a cache hidden on the International Space Station from a self-funded trip there and a cache smack in the middle of the Atlantic. . .I think it's safer to say that he has the money to develop creative caches. I doubt his creative hides come from having found at least 100 caches

[+chachi44089]

Being disabled it has been hard "but fun" finally getting to 50 finds after 7 months. We go as a family when we can, or just my 2 daughters and I. I have to admit that the first time I discovered and joined Geocahing I was very excited about running out and hiding a cache "in the YMCA playground near my house" . But instead decided to go out a few times caching and spend a bit of time on the forums. That taught me a heck of a lot real quick. I have no hides as of yet, but I feel I am more than ready. Armed with this knowledge, I am going to make sure my first hide and the ones to follow will be worth the hunt. I think it should be up to each individual to decide when they are ready to hide, and up to the seekers to offer honest advise, or help, tempered with respect and a little understanding to the person placing the hide. We were all beginners once. Good communication is the key.

[+FireRef]

I do not believe limiting people in this manner would be a good thing. Some people will make hides that are not appropriate after an unlimited number of finds. Others will be good after 5 or 10. It also depends on who they work with, who they talk their hides over with, etc.

 

We all have found bad hides - whether they are from newbies or established people (there's a pair I won't hunt for caches from near where my family camps, because consistently their hides are nowhere near the coordinates, but they are long time cachers and put out a decent number of hides) - this wouldn't fix the problem - it would most likely cause one as cachers who didn't want to "find" 100 would log extra finds to make sure they met that minimum to get a cache published, on caches they didn't actually find.

[Iamnotasuperhero]

Adding limitations to the game won't make the game better as many people have pointed out, having a hundred plus finds does not mean that their ability to place a cache will be any better, and a newbie might have the golden touch and place an excellent cache his first time.

 

The way I see it, if you start limiting the required finds in order to post, you will only end up alienating a lot of new players, instead you should be trying to educate new players, either get a comprehensive guide or try to encourage local Cacher meetings with an aim of getting new players to interact with veterans, maybe even get newbies to join a veteran on a placement.

 

Personally I've been caching for a couple of weeks, 12 finds so far and I'm begining to collect equipment so I can place my first, but I do not plan to actually place my first till I am somewhere around 50 caches found.

I have an idea of where I want it to be but will explore the area when it comes close to it.

Ultimately where I live, there are only a couple of caches in walking distance (I don't drive) and if I want to go further afield, I have to dedicate a day to it whether I plan to walk or get a friend to join me, so the likelihood of my finding 100 caches in the next 6 months are low, but in those six months I have a good chance of finding a good local spot to hide a cache, so I will focus on that when the time is right.

 

I can understand your frustrations a bad caches, really I do but adding more rules and restrictions to the game really is not the way to go, if it's a matter of education then educate the players, making them jump through hoops will just end up annoying people and they'll go and find somewhere else to play.

When trying to fix a problem like this, take a second to ask yourself will this discourage new players, or will it hinder remote players, does it cause more problems?

 

It boils down to this for me, if bad caches could be fixed so easily, I would think it would have been implemented already.

[+EscapeFromFlatland]

Why is it every time I click on a thread about "Cachers should have XX many finds before placing a cache" the OP is from someone with less than 2 years of experience geocaching?

I think it should be "Cachers should have XX months caching before placing a cache" so we can weed these cry babies out.

 

I have no problem with Iamnotasuperhero placing a cache at 50 caches like they are considering. Heck- even at 25 caches would be fine if they felt comfortable making a decent hide. My first hide was around 50 finds. I was worried about how more established geocachers would view my cache and spent time figuring out how to place it. I still think about upgrading the hide, but it hasn't had any maintenance issues so I haven't moved forward with the upgrade. Its generated some nice logs from finders, so I think its a success. As long as the cacher has experience seeing/finding several types of geocaches, what difference does it make if they hide at 100 or 50 caches, 2 weeks or 2 years?

Edited September 26, 2010 by bramasoleiowa

[+u.rusty]

I found Gods Eye View today. While logging my find, I discovered that the CO has only found one cache and placed one cache. I can tell you first hand that this is a truly awesome cache.

 

As for me, I'm at 77 finds and still learning...

[+tozainamboku]

I found Gods Eye View today. While logging my find, I discovered that the CO has only found one cache and placed one cache. I can tell you first hand that this is a truly awesome cache.

 

As for me, I'm at 77 finds and still learning...

The CO hid one cache and quit caching. When I found that cache it looked like this

Not only that. The cache was not hidden at the posted coordinates. When it was hidden, it was not all that uncommon to have a traditional cache that was offset somewhat from the posted coordinates. In this case you had to decrypt the encrypted hint to even have a chance of finding the cache. The example you gave is a perfect example for not allowing newbies to hide caches. If the person who hid this had not, someone else would have eventually hid one on the top of that mountain - which is really the only thing special about that cache. And given the two trails to the top now marked with other caches, it really isn't that special of a cache anymore - only old. The ammo can that I hid has been there 6 and 2/3 years (more than twice as long as the crummy tupperware placed by a newbie hider with no experience and no interest in maintaining a cache).

 

And though it might get me a warning - I will say it anyways - you are an idiot to go after that cache today - the hottest day so far this year. I'm glad you made it back ok and didn't need to be rescued.

Edited September 27, 2010 by tozainamboku

[+Scubasonic]

I've been giving a lot of thought to issues related to caches put out by brand new cachers. There can be (obviously not always) problems with coordinates being wrong, containers being the wrong size and the terrain/difficulty numbers being way too high. I've proposed an idea to several of my caching friends that Groundspeak consider limiting the ability to hide new caches to cachers that have found more than 100 hides. Since they have universally said they thought it was a good idea I thought I would bring it up here. This is in no means a slap at brand new cachers. I just think we need to afford them the time to familiarize themselves with different hide styles, containers and various terrain/difficulty numbers before putting out new caches. I'm sure there are exceptions to every rule and this is just my opinion based on my experiences in the field. As as more experienced cacher I have made my fair share of mistakes when posting new caches. I do wonder though what kind of affect this would have on the game. Perhaps the 100 cache milestone (or some other arbitrary number) shows a dedication to the game that would ensure long term cache maintenance? Thoughts?

 

No Good

 

SS

[+roziecakes]

Too bad the OP hasn't come back to comment since we all have taken the time to answer thoughtfully, but that's how it goes sometimes...

[+jindi kid]

What the hell, i placed my first cache when i had 12 finds, all the logs say that it was a great cache so leave it. I am more experienced now and although i made 2-3 mistakes no one got hurt

[+jindi kid]

What the hell, i placed my first cache when i had 12 finds, all the logs say that it was a great cache so leave it. I am more experienced now and although i made 2-3 mistakes no one got hurt

[+a2n]

I think it's a pretty elitist attitude to require 100 finds before placing. If someone who is relatively new to the sport is enthused enough to put a cache together and go through the steps of placing it, welcome them to the community. If they struggle a bit in the beginning, help them out.

I'm relatively new to this myself with 'finds' in the 20s but have placed a few caches that have been well-received and complimented. Part of the enjoyment has been in learning something new and receiving support when needed form these forums and fellow geocachers.

[+briansnat]

i think it is great when i see someone with an account with 1 find... and 3 hides.... one on the west coast, one on the east coast, and one 10 miles from my house in the middle of the country, yet i can't get a cache or event published to save my soul.

 

makes me all warm and fuzzy inside for TPTB.

 

 

This should help.

[+scaramedic]

Let's get back to the Geocaching University idea. I am calling dibs on being in charge of the sororities.

 

Seriously though, if you want good cache placement and good caches it might help if the person just spends sometime on these forums. Here you get a pretty good grip on how to place, what to place, where to place, etc. Maybe the problem isn't lack of experience but rather lack of research on what makes a good cache.

 

Also, in regards to the above abandoned cache above maybe their should be a place to officially give up a cache and place it up for adoption. A quick and easy form sent to GS giving up a cache (or all caches) and then a place to adopt caches.

 

There is this thread. The problem is when many give up something, like geocaching, they just give up. A thread only makes it harder to properly give up caches. So you end up with people just walking away. A quick and easy form to bow out and give up your caches. Then create an area for adoptions.

 

Just a thought from a guy with less than fifty post, fifty some finds and no hides. Please be merciful.

[+Chokecherry]

I like the idea of having a place to give up a cache for adoption by who ever local would like it. You see that in the forums on/off where people want to adopt abandoned caches but can't because there's no owner.

 

Instead of learning from the forums I think that some sort of little test on the basic rules prior to being able to place caches would be beneficial as well. Or a list of people from various locales that are willing to be volunteer mentors to new cachers. Not everyone is comfortable being on the forums or forums in general. And not everyone wants their geocaching account linked to their forum posts (I'm less than enthusiastic about that aspect).

[+L0ne.R]

I found Gods Eye View today. While logging my find, I discovered that the CO has only found one cache and placed one cache. I can tell you first hand that this is a truly awesome cache.

 

As for me, I'm at 77 finds and still learning...

The CO hid one cache and quit caching. When I found that cache it looked like this

Not only that. The cache was not hidden at the posted coordinates. When it was hidden, it was not all that uncommon to have a traditional cache that was offset somewhat from the posted coordinates. In this case you had to decrypt the encrypted hint to even have a chance of finding the cache. The example you gave is a perfect example for not allowing newbies to hide caches. If the person who hid this had not, someone else would have eventually hid one on the top of that mountain - which is really the only thing special about that cache. And given the two trails to the top now marked with other caches, it really isn't that special of a cache anymore - only old. The ammo can that I hid has been there 6 and 2/3 years (more than twice as long as the crummy tupperware placed by a newbie hider with no experience and no interest in maintaining a cache).

 

And though it might get me a warning - I will say it anyways - you are an idiot to go after that cache today - the hottest day so far this year. I'm glad you made it back ok and didn't need to be rescued.

 

Thank you for "the rest of the story".

[+Castle Mischief]

i think it is great when i see someone with an account with 1 find... and 3 hides.... one on the west coast, one on the east coast, and one 10 miles from my house in the middle of the country, yet i can't get a cache or event published to save my soul.

 

makes me all warm and fuzzy inside for TPTB.

 

 

9.8 times out of 10 there's a really good reason the reviewers don't publish an event or a cache.

[+a2n]

I found Gods Eye View today. While logging my find, I discovered that the CO has only found one cache and placed one cache. I can tell you first hand that this is a truly awesome cache.

 

As for me, I'm at 77 finds and still learning...

The CO hid one cache and quit caching. When I found that cache it looked like this

Not only that. The cache was not hidden at the posted coordinates. When it was hidden, it was not all that uncommon to have a traditional cache that was offset somewhat from the posted coordinates. In this case you had to decrypt the encrypted hint to even have a chance of finding the cache. The example you gave is a perfect example for not allowing newbies to hide caches. If the person who hid this had not, someone else would have eventually hid one on the top of that mountain - which is really the only thing special about that cache. And given the two trails to the top now marked with other caches, it really isn't that special of a cache anymore - only old. The ammo can that I hid has been there 6 and 2/3 years (more than twice as long as the crummy tupperware placed by a newbie hider with no experience and no interest in maintaining a cache).

 

And though it might get me a warning - I will say it anyways - you are an idiot to go after that cache today - the hottest day so far this year. I'm glad you made it back ok and didn't need to be rescued.

 

Thank you for "the rest of the story".

 

Edited September 27, 2010 by a2nren2e

[+a2n]

I found Gods Eye View today. While logging my find, I discovered that the CO has only found one cache and placed one cache. I can tell you first hand that this is a truly awesome cache.

 

As for me, I'm at 77 finds and still learning...

The CO hid one cache and quit caching. When I found that cache it looked like this

Not only that. The cache was not hidden at the posted coordinates. When it was hidden, it was not all that uncommon to have a traditional cache that was offset somewhat from the posted coordinates. In this case you had to decrypt the encrypted hint to even have a chance of finding the cache. The example you gave is a perfect example for not allowing newbies to hide caches. If the person who hid this had not, someone else would have eventually hid one on the top of that mountain - which is really the only thing special about that cache. And given the two trails to the top now marked with other caches, it really isn't that special of a cache anymore - only old. The ammo can that I hid has been there 6 and 2/3 years (more than twice as long as the crummy tupperware placed by a newbie hider with no experience and no interest in maintaining a cache).

 

And though it might get me a warning - I will say it anyways - you are an idiot to go after that cache today - the hottest day so far this year. I'm glad you made it back ok and didn't need to be rescued.

 

Thank you for "the rest of the story".

 

[+u.rusty]

I found Gods Eye View today. While logging my find, I discovered that the CO has only found one cache and placed one cache. I can tell you first hand that this is a truly awesome cache.

 

As for me, I'm at 77 finds and still learning...

The CO hid one cache and quit caching. When I found that cache it looked like this

Not only that. The cache was not hidden at the posted coordinates. When it was hidden, it was not all that uncommon to have a traditional cache that was offset somewhat from the posted coordinates. In this case you had to decrypt the encrypted hint to even have a chance of finding the cache. The example you gave is a perfect example for not allowing newbies to hide caches. If the person who hid this had not, someone else would have eventually hid one on the top of that mountain - which is really the only thing special about that cache. And given the two trails to the top now marked with other caches, it really isn't that special of a cache anymore - only old. The ammo can that I hid has been there 6 and 2/3 years (more than twice as long as the crummy tupperware placed by a newbie hider with no experience and no interest in maintaining a cache).

 

And though it might get me a warning - I will say it anyways - you are an idiot to go after that cache today - the hottest day so far this year. I'm glad you made it back ok and didn't need to be rescued.

 

After reading through the log for Gods Eye View, I see your point. While the location was good, the coordinates and maintenance were definately lacking. I appriciate you replacing the cache container, it seems to have held up these past 6 plus years.

 

I have to admit that I was idiotic going for that cache yesterday. (You shouldn't get a warning for saying something that is true.) But, it wasn't like I was totally unprepared I had plenty of water, and plenty of support equipment including a couple forms of communication. I am not unaccustomed to hiking in hot weather, heck two days before finding Gods Eye View I spent six hours hiking eight and a half miles in the heat. In fact, I remember seeing your signature at the Tucked Away cache.

 

I stand corrected. GEV isn't the best example of a great cache placed by someone with few finds. Also, I intend to be less idiotic while caching in the future.