Please explain the new "Souvenirs" feature

4.2k · November 17, 2010

Why would anyone want to opt-out?

As a protest for the souvenirs taking development time away from their pet feature request.

I can't think of any other reason. I don't by the "I'm not interested in souvenirs so I'll just opt out" excuse as they could simply ignore them.

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

I hope this doesn't become the trend. It would get pretty tedious if with every new feature there's the tide of "opt outs" that follows. What's next, opt outs for the Trackable tab? Opt outs for individual cache types in your total count?

Frankly, I'd rather Groundspeak just not waste the bandwidth with the opt out. I'd rather see them just say, "you know what, don't click the tab. There's your opt out."

1.4k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

19k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

1.8k · November 17, 2010

I hope this doesn't become the trend. It would get pretty tedious if with every new feature there's the tide of "opt outs" that follows. What's next, opt outs for the Trackable tab? Opt outs for individual cache types in your total count?

I'm guessing it could be handled reasonably efficiently by adopting a privacy tool much like other social networking sites.

4.2k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

Them.

4.2k · November 17, 2010

I hope this doesn't become the trend. It would get pretty tedious if with every new feature there's the tide of "opt outs" that follows. What's next, opt outs for the Trackable tab? Opt outs for individual cache types in your total count?

I'm guessing it could be handled reasonably efficiently by adopting a privacy tool much like other social networking sites.

I understand what you're suggesting, but I don't see a tab on your profile that gives anybody information that you're already broadcasting to the masses via your Found It logs as a privacy issue.

The very core nature of this website it this: this is where I was on this date doing this thing. If you don't want that information available, don't post logs on the cache pages.

EDIT: It would be like setting your Facebook and Twitter profile to not show your location, then tweeting every few minutes with "on the corner of 1st and 2nd, wearing a green shirt" or "Walking out of my empty house on 65th street".

Edited November 17, 2010 by Castle Mischief

19k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

Them.

OK, who are "them"

4.2k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

Them.

OK, who are "them"

You know, those people.

19k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

Them.

OK, who are "them"

You know, those people.

OK, just as long as you're not referring to me.

4.2k · November 17, 2010

OK, just as long as you're not referring to me.

There's no "me" in "they". But there is one in "them".

Jury is still out.

3.8k · November 17, 2010

I hope this doesn't become the trend. It would get pretty tedious if with every new feature there's the tide of "opt outs" that follows. What's next, opt outs for the Trackable tab? Opt outs for individual cache types in your total count?

I'm guessing it could be handled reasonably efficiently by adopting a privacy tool much like other social networking sites.

I understand what you're suggesting, but I don't see a tab on your profile that gives anybody information that you're already broadcasting to the masses via your Found It logs as a privacy issue.

The very core nature of this website it this: this is where I was on this date doing this thing. If you don't want that information available, don't post logs on the cache pages.

EDIT: It would be like setting your Facebook and Twitter profile to not show your location, then tweeting every few minutes with "on the corner of 1st and 2nd, wearing a green shirt" or "Walking out of my empty house on 65th street".

OMG, that's two post from you in the same thread that I actually agree with. Thank you. I knew we could all get along.

1.4k · November 17, 2010

Who is "they"?

You know. All those deviant weirdos!

1.4k · November 17, 2010

OK, just as long as you're not referring to me.

Nope! You're in a class of your own!

8k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Properly stated it's that some people may see a privacy issue with souvenirs. Since most of the souvenirs are given for caching in a particular region, they provide an easy way for someone to see where you have been. Certainly one could look at the list of all the caches I've found and tell where I have been, but this is more effort than anyone would likely go through. Prior to the souvenir I doubt anyone except maybe one or two cache owners knew that I had cached in Pennsylvania. Now anyone looking at my profile can see this. As souvenirs become more specific this could make it easier for information that I'd prefer not to be widely known to be found. Imagine a souvenir for finding a geocache in the parking lot of an adult store

4.2k · November 17, 2010

OMG, that's two post from you in the same thread that I actually agree with. Thank you. I knew we could all get along.

It happens. We're not all that different.

14k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Properly stated it's that some people may see a privacy issue with souvenirs. Since most of the souvenirs are given for caching in a particular region, they provide an easy way for someone to see where you have been. Certainly one could look at the list of all the caches I've found and tell where I have been, but this is more effort than anyone would likely go through. Prior to the souvenir I doubt anyone except maybe one or two cache owners knew that I had cached in Pennsylvania. Now anyone looking at my profile can see this. As souvenirs become more specific this could make it easier for information that I'd prefer not to be widely known to be found.

I'm not sure why you'd care if anyone knew you went geocaching in Pennsylvania. New Jersey, I can understand, but Pennsylvania?

Imagine a souvenir for finding a geocache in the parking lot of an adult store

I don't care if I get that one but I would probably take a look at the "artwork".

4.2k · November 17, 2010

Properly stated it's that some people may see a privacy issue with souvenirs.

Oh boy.

Since most of the souvenirs are given for caching in a particular region, they provide an easy way for someone to see where you have been. Certainly one could look at the list of all the caches I've found and tell where I have been, but this is more effort than anyone would likely go through.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Dude, if you're worried about somebody cyberstalking you, I'd think you'd be more concerned about something a little more specific than "I've been to Texas".

Prior to the souvenir I doubt anyone except maybe one or two cache owners knew that I had cached in Pennsylvania.

OMG THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG!!! STOP THE PRESSES AND ALERT THE BLOGISPHERE.

Now anyone looking at my profile can see this.

No, they could see it before. They can see the coordinates of a great many of the exact places you've been on the planet.

WHO CARES?

As souvenirs become more specific this could make it easier for information that I'd prefer not to be widely known to be found.

No, no, no, no. It's already on your profile right now.

Edited November 17, 2010 by Castle Mischief

19k · November 17, 2010

I'm not sure why you'd care if anyone knew you went geocaching in Pennsylvania.

Pssttt..... the body. Shhhhh!

14k · November 17, 2010

I'm not sure why you'd care if anyone knew you went geocaching in Pennsylvania.

Pssttt..... the body. Shhhhh!

My PA souvenir doesn't tell anyone that is looking at it that I've found a geocache in Intercourse.

1.4k · November 17, 2010

I'm not sure why you'd care if anyone knew you went geocaching in Pennsylvania.

Pssttt..... the body. Shhhhh!

Souvenir for finding a body while caching??? While morbid, I know a cacher who'd qualify...

20.7k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

As you can tell from my post, I was referring to those posters who believe that developing souvis was a waste of programming resources and are requesting more of these resources to be used to allow them to opt out.

19k · November 17, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

As you can tell from my post, I was referring to those posters who believe that developing souvis was a waste of programming resources and are requesting more of these resources to be used to allow them to opt out.

Oh, really?

Of course, I knew that. What my small sarcasm was about was in your lumping everyone that thinks that developing them was a waste of time with everyone that wants to be able to opt out. I think they were a horrendous waste of time, but I don't feel the need to opt out.

2.3k · November 17, 2010

I feel they were a huge waste of time and wouldn't mind opting out but it's not due to them being a waste of time but because of my own lack of interest in them in general. There's other applications and websites I can do that with. Don't have any desire to there or here.

1.4k · November 17, 2010

What my small sarcasm was about was in your lumping everyone that thinks that developing them was a waste of time with everyone that wants to be able to opt out. I think they were a horrendous waste of time, but I don't feel the need to opt out.

That was my fault. I wasn't clear that the two groups were not identical. How much the groups overlap is up for debate.

I do lump all of "them" into another group however, the whiners.

1.4k · November 17, 2010

I feel they were a huge waste of time and wouldn't mind opting out but it's not due to them being a waste of time but because of my own lack of interest in them in general. There's other applications and websites I can do that with. Don't have any desire to there or here.

So why not just ignore them then? I don't understand the need to opt out when simply ignoring them works just as well.

2.3k · November 17, 2010

For the most part I do ignore them. But I would prefer for the tab to not even be there and not tracking me. It's my preference. I don't like them. It's not a game I want to engage in.

If you like them and want to engage in that game that's super for you. I don't.

1.8k · November 17, 2010

I understand what you're suggesting, but I don't see a tab on your profile that gives anybody information that you're already broadcasting to the masses via your Found It logs as a privacy issue.

The very core nature of this website it this: this is where I was on this date doing this thing. If you don't want that information available, don't post logs on the cache pages.

EDIT: It would be like setting your Facebook and Twitter profile to not show your location, then tweeting every few minutes with "on the corner of 1st and 2nd, wearing a green shirt" or "Walking out of my empty house on 65th street".

It mostly comes down to the ease of assembling the data. If I had a way to shield my individual page from random folks, it would be a lot harder for people I don't know to assemble all of my information.

Certainly, they could theoretically find (say) every photo I've ever posted by going to every cache I've ever logged and looking through the galleries. But it would be hard for them to find every cache I'd ever visited if they couldn't go through the tabs on my profile without permission.

Impossible? No, not impossible. But pretty hard, and time-consuming.

I understand the "if you don't want the information out there, don't post it." But I think there is room for another solution like posting the information, but only making it easy to assemble by people I know and trust.

19k · November 17, 2010

What my small sarcasm was about was in your lumping everyone that thinks that developing them was a waste of time with everyone that wants to be able to opt out. I think they were a horrendous waste of time, but I don't feel the need to opt out.

That was my fault. I wasn't clear that the two groups were not identical. How much the groups overlap is up for debate.

I do lump all of "them" into another group however, the whiners.

Hey, if we didn't have whiners, the U.S. might still be a British colony! Whiners have their place.

November 17, 2010

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

4.2k · November 17, 2010

It mostly comes down to the ease of assembling the data. If I had a way to shield my individual page from random folks, it would be a lot harder for people I don't know to assemble all of my information.

Certainly, they could theoretically find (say) every photo I've ever posted by going to every cache I've ever logged and looking through the galleries. But it would be hard for them to find every cache I'd ever visited if they couldn't go through the tabs on my profile without permission.

Impossible? No, not impossible. But pretty hard, and time-consuming.

I understand the "if you don't want the information out there, don't post it." But I think there is room for another solution like posting the information, but only making it easy to assemble by people I know and trust.

Describe to me a scenario where somebody could take the information that is currently available on a profile and use it in a devious and harmful fashion. Sell me on the idea, cause I just not feeling it. Specifically sell me how revealing that a person cached in a state can used against them.

It's patently ridiculous and absurd.

Edited November 17, 2010 by Castle Mischief

4.2k · November 17, 2010

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

Yay!

Love the Georgia artwork!

Edited November 17, 2010 by Castle Mischief

19k · November 17, 2010

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

Yay!

Love the Georgia artwork!

Peachy!

14k · November 17, 2010

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

Yay!

Love the Georgia artwork!

I got the CT souvenir but I didn't start geocaching until a few months after I spent a week on Tybee Island in Georgia and I've never been to Berlin. I'm looking forward when the Germany state where Frankfurt is located is release for my first international Souvenir.

10.1k · November 17, 2010

I found a cache in Berlin (pronounced BURR-lin), New Jersey. Does that count?

2.2k · November 18, 2010

I have always been in favor of allowing people to "opt out" of having their find count displayed on one condition: they are not allowed to draw attention to the fact that they have "opted out" in any of the forums.

I suspect that this would take the fun out of it for many. Same goes for souvenirs. If you opt out, you can't come to the forums to make sure everyone knows you have opted out.

1.3k · November 18, 2010

Properly stated it's that some people may see a privacy issue with souvenirs. Since most of the souvenirs are given for caching in a particular region, they provide an easy way for someone to see where you have been. Certainly one could look at the list of all the caches I've found and tell where I have been, but this is more effort than anyone would likely go through. Prior to the souvenir I doubt anyone except maybe one or two cache owners knew that I had cached in Pennsylvania. Now anyone looking at my profile can see this. As souvenirs become more specific this could make it easier for information that I'd prefer not to be widely known to be found. Imagine a souvenir for finding a geocache in the parking lot of an adult store

Just when I thought the world couldn't get any more paranoid...I'd be more worried if someone knew where I was going to cache next rather than where I've already been.

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

Is there a timetable for when state souvenirs are going to be produced? I'm actually digging these souvenirs more than I thought I would.

20.7k · November 18, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

As you can tell from my post, I was referring to those posters who believe that developing souvis was a waste of programming resources and are requesting more of these resources to be used to allow them to opt out.

Oh, really?

Of course, I knew that. What my small sarcasm was about was in your lumping everyone that thinks that developing them was a waste of time with everyone that wants to be able to opt out. I think they were a horrendous waste of time, but I don't feel the need to opt out.

I didn't lump everyone together. I only spoke to 'they' who are in both camps.

Frankly, I have trouble understanding why anyone would care about opting out of something so innocuous.

1.4k · November 18, 2010

Frankly, I have trouble understanding why anyone would care about opting out of something so innocuous.

Same here.

On XBoxLive you can see what other games other people have played, their overall gamer score and all their achievements. I've yet to hear about anyone complaining about this and there are a lot more people there than here.

I can't understand why people are so paranoid here.

Edited November 18, 2010 by Avernar

3.7k · November 18, 2010

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

Some of us received the Georgia souvenir without ever finding a cache there. :blink:

7k · November 18, 2010

Some of us received the Georgia souvenir without ever finding a cache there.

rollback!!!!!!1111oneone

2.7k · November 18, 2010

Some of us received the Georgia souvenir without ever finding a cache there.

rollback!!!!!!1111oneone

Then you get someone like me who has cached in 15 states and I have two state-souvenirs.

20.7k · November 18, 2010

The souvenirs for Berlin, Georgia, and Connecticut have been released and retroactively granted!

Some of us received the Georgia souvenir without ever finding a cache there.

You found a traveling cache that's based in Georgia.

19k · November 18, 2010

Isn't it ironic that those that are jealous of development time being used for something other than their preferred projects are demanding that more development time be used on the project that they resent so much?

Also, they don't care about the souvenirs they have but do care what others think about the souvenirs they have.

Who is "they"?

As you can tell from my post, I was referring to those posters who believe that developing souvis was a waste of programming resources and are requesting more of these resources to be used to allow them to opt out.

Oh, really?

Of course, I knew that. What my small sarcasm was about was in your lumping everyone that thinks that developing them was a waste of time with everyone that wants to be able to opt out. I think they were a horrendous waste of time, but I don't feel the need to opt out.

I didn't lump everyone together. I only spoke to 'they' who are in both camps.

Frankly, I have trouble understanding why anyone would care about opting out of something so innocuous.

I dunno... you seem to be expending quite a bit of energy here on something that you don't seem to care about.

19k · November 18, 2010

Some of us received the Georgia souvenir without ever finding a cache there.

rollback!!!!!!1111oneone

Then you get someone like me who has cached in 15 states and I have two state-souvenirs.

Patience, penguin. :huh:

4.2k · November 18, 2010

Properly stated it's that some people may see a privacy issue with souvenirs. Since most of the souvenirs are given for caching in a particular region, they provide an easy way for someone to see where you have been. Certainly one could look at the list of all the caches I've found and tell where I have been, but this is more effort than anyone would likely go through. Prior to the souvenir I doubt anyone except maybe one or two cache owners knew that I had cached in Pennsylvania. Now anyone looking at my profile can see this. As souvenirs become more specific this could make it easier for information that I'd prefer not to be widely known to be found. Imagine a souvenir for finding a geocache in the parking lot of an adult store

now that seriously made me LOL

please enlighten me, how exactly knowing were you've been is useful to anyone or how can it be used to "attack" you in any way?

meanwhile you continue to post in a public forum, use email and the web in general

why not stop logging your finds so that way nobody knows anything about your PAST whereabouts

i'd be more worried about someone waiting for me to get out of the house, or following me as opposed to knowing where's i've been last month

1.8k · November 18, 2010

Describe to me a scenario where somebody could take the information that is currently available on a profile and use it in a devious and harmful fashion. Sell me on the idea, cause I just not feeling it. Specifically sell me how revealing that a person cached in a state can used against them.

It's patently ridiculous and absurd.

The two profile areas that come up most often, for me, are making it very easy for people to see that I'm caching out of town (and that we are away from our home), and posting photos of my kids.

If I had the ability to keep strangers from viewing my profile, and only opening it to people I trust, it wouldn't be nearly as much of a concern. I could post logs on the fly with the geocaching app and know that it would be unlikely that folks in New York would be able to easily see that I was caching out of state and/or was on an extended vacation. They'd have to be watching the caches I was visiting in Colorado or France or wherever to notice my logs. As opposed to simply clicking on my profile and having our locations and dates laid out easy-peasy. I wouldn't feel I have to wait until I returned home to log everything, like I currently do.

Also, photos of my kids. There are times I've thought about posting photos of my kids with a cache they really like to the cache page, but I get a little iffy about people I don't know being able to line up a gallery of a bunch of photos of my family in one easy tab. A random photo from a cache here and there doesn't bother me as much; organizing it all in one place for someone who for some reason really wants to see addisonbr's family photos - that's something I'd rather have a little control over.

You may find it patently ridiculous and absurd, and I can understand that for you it feels that way. Some people are very comfortable with a completely open social networking experience. For me, I'd like to have a little more control over who sees my stuff. The same way that I can control my Facebook profile and can lock down my tweets if I want.

As far as souvenirs specifically go, I don't have any particular privacy concerns about them. I don't personally think people knowing that I once found a cache in Delaware matters much to me.

One way I would flip things around would be to wonder why someone has a specific need to easily view every cache log of mine, every photo, every trackable I own. I can't come up with a compelling reason that Joe Bagodonuts needs to access all of that information about me at one time in one easy place; I don't think it hurts anyone else's game to restrict that sort of organization of my own information to trusted Friends. Other people on Facebook don't seem to be negatively affected by my decision to restrict my Facebook profile to my Friends list, and I suspect that other geocachers would still fully enjoy geocaching without being able to easily access my geocaching data.

3.7k · November 18, 2010

Some of us received the Georgia souvenir without ever finding a cache there.

rollback!!!!!!1111oneone

Then you get someone like me who has cached in 15 states and I have two state-souvenirs.

Well, I've also cached in a bunch of states (but not Georgia), and Georgia is the only one to appear so far. But I suspect they are rolling out the states sequentially (as they finish them, there are 50 after all), so suspect the others will appear in due course. Appreciate sbell's comment that it's a Georgia-based traveling cache I found (elsewhere) - that makes sense, I guess.

November 18, 2010

Describe to me a scenario where somebody could take the information that is currently available on a profile and use it in a devious and harmful fashion. Sell me on the idea, cause I just not feeling it. Specifically sell me how revealing that a person cached in a state can used against them.

It's patently ridiculous and absurd.

The two profile areas that come up most often, for me, are making it very easy for people to see that I'm caching out of town (and that we are away from our home), and posting photos of my kids.

If I had the ability to keep strangers from viewing my profile, and only opening it to people I trust, it wouldn't be nearly as much of a concern. I could post logs on the fly with the geocaching app and know that it would be unlikely that folks in New York would be able to easily see that I was caching out of state and/or was on an extended vacation. They'd have to be watching the caches I was visiting in Colorado or France or wherever to notice my logs. As opposed to simply clicking on my profile and having our locations and dates laid out easy-peasy. I wouldn't feel I have to wait until I returned home to log everything, like I currently do.

Also, photos of my kids. There are times I've thought about posting photos of my kids with a cache they really like to the cache page, but I get a little iffy about people I don't know being able to line up a gallery of a bunch of photos of my family in one easy tab. A random photo from a cache here and there doesn't bother me as much; organizing it all in one place for someone who for some reason really wants to see addisonbr's family photos - that's something I'd rather have a little control over.

You may find it patently ridiculous and absurd, and I can understand that for you it feels that way. Some people are very comfortable with a completely open social networking experience. For me, I'd like to have a little more control over who sees my stuff. The same way that I can control my Facebook profile and can lock down my tweets if I want.

As far as souvenirs specifically go, I don't have any particular privacy concerns about them. I don't personally think people knowing that I once found a cache in Delaware matters much to me.

One way I would flip things around would be to wonder why someone has a specific need to easily view every cache log of mine, every photo, every trackable I own. I can't come up with a compelling reason that Joe Bagodonuts needs to access all of that information about me at one time in one easy place; I don't think it hurts anyone else's game to restrict that sort of organization of my own information to trusted Friends. Other people on Facebook don't seem to be negatively affected by my decision to restrict my Facebook profile to my Friends list, and I suspect that other geocachers would still fully enjoy geocaching without being able to easily access my geocaching data.

I don't generally post pictures of my family on the interwebz but these days that's pretty much an "old folks" paranoia. They're likely there if your kids have computers..

Logging on the fly could be considered a luxury, cachingly speaking. If you're worried about thieves knowing that you aren't home there are many more possibilities than here to figure that out. In fact, a thief who depends on this website to target victims probably ain't very smart or successful.

I like looking at other people's profiles to see which caches they've found. Whether we have finds in common. Maybe caches I want to look for. I don't give a darn about your specific data, per se, but the absence of general stuff like that would make the game less interesting for me.

5k · November 18, 2010

Describe to me a scenario where somebody could take the information that is currently available on a profile and use it in a devious and harmful fashion. Sell me on the idea, cause I just not feeling it. Specifically sell me how revealing that a person cached in a state can used against them.

It's patently ridiculous and absurd.

The two profile areas that come up most often, for me, are making it very easy for people to see that I'm caching out of town (and that we are away from our home), and posting photos of my kids.

If I had the ability to keep strangers from viewing my profile, and only opening it to people I trust, it wouldn't be nearly as much of a concern. I could post logs on the fly with the geocaching app and know that it would be unlikely that folks in New York would be able to easily see that I was caching out of state and/or was on an extended vacation. They'd have to be watching the caches I was visiting in Colorado or France or wherever to notice my logs. As opposed to simply clicking on my profile and having our locations and dates laid out easy-peasy. I wouldn't feel I have to wait until I returned home to log everything, like I currently do.

Also, photos of my kids. There are times I've thought about posting photos of my kids with a cache they really like to the cache page, but I get a little iffy about people I don't know being able to line up a gallery of a bunch of photos of my family in one easy tab. A random photo from a cache here and there doesn't bother me as much; organizing it all in one place for someone who for some reason really wants to see addisonbr's family photos - that's something I'd rather have a little control over.

You may find it patently ridiculous and absurd, and I can understand that for you it feels that way. Some people are very comfortable with a completely open social networking experience. For me, I'd like to have a little more control over who sees my stuff. The same way that I can control my Facebook profile and can lock down my tweets if I want.

As far as souvenirs specifically go, I don't have any particular privacy concerns about them. I don't personally think people knowing that I once found a cache in Delaware matters much to me.

One way I would flip things around would be to wonder why someone has a specific need to easily view every cache log of mine, every photo, every trackable I own. I can't come up with a compelling reason that Joe Bagodonuts needs to access all of that information about me at one time in one easy place; I don't think it hurts anyone else's game to restrict that sort of organization of my own information to trusted Friends. Other people on Facebook don't seem to be negatively affected by my decision to restrict my Facebook profile to my Friends list, and I suspect that other geocachers would still fully enjoy geocaching without being able to easily access my geocaching data.

All this assumes that these unknown people know where you live. Only my closest and trusted friends know where I live. A bad guy may be able to learn from my online activities that I'm not at home, but what good will that do him when he doesn't know where my home is?

1.8k · November 18, 2010

I don't generally post pictures of my family on the interwebz but these days that's pretty much an "old folks" paranoia. They're likely there if your kids have computers..

They're not; we are pretty careful. We do have a few behind a restricted Facebook account.

Logging on the fly could be considered a luxury, cachingly speaking. If you're worried about thieves knowing that you aren't home there are many more possibilities than here to figure that out. In fact, a thief who depends on this website to target victims probably ain't very smart or successful.

We do other little things; stop newspaper delivery, etc. We may not stop a single-mindedly determined thief - but I like making things harder for opportunistic thieves too :blink:

Please explain the new "Souvenirs" feature

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