Etiquette For Soliciting Favorite Votes

[+JBnW]

So far I've been solicited once for a favorite vote and 3 times for Feedback votes. I find both practices distasteful.

+1 for the Feedback vote solicitation. I didn't vote.

[+tozainamboku]

And to think I was considering bribing people to favorite my caches. After reading the responses here I'm starting to think that I may be perceived as somewhat tacky if I do that.

Being perceived as tacky by the majority of people in the forums had never stopped people from doing tacky things before. If people are going to do something tacky I don't believe anything that is said here will dissuade them

 

 

Here's another tacky idea:

 

I) "Encourage" people to pay for Premium Membership status, so there would be even more people to harass solicit.

You know that you can already give gift premium memberships very easily. I doubt Groundspeak is going to take that capability away just because someone might perceive it as a bribe for favoriting caches.

[+briansnat]

And to think I was considering bribing people to favorite my caches. After reading the responses here I'm starting to think that I may be perceived as somewhat tacky if I do that.

Being perceived as tacky by the majority of people in the forums had never stopped people from doing tacky things before. If people are going to do something tacky I don't believe anything that is said here will dissuade them

 

 

Well it certainly scared the bejesus out of me.

[+t4e]

if i ever get such email the cache will go on ignore right away

 

well maybe not so drastic, but that will definitely make me not give it any vote even if it deserved it

Edited January 22, 2011 by t4e

[+Chrysalides]

if i ever get such email the cache will go on ignore right away

Why would you ignore a cache that you've already found? You can't favorite a cache you haven't found.

[+skisidedown]

The idea of saying a general "thank you" to the people who gave my cache a favorite vote does appeal to me, but if someone were to ask me to favorite their cache, I think I would react negatively to it. Just because one person thinks a cache is amazing, doesn't mean the next person will. It is possible that I have found a bunch of caches that I just happen to like more than the cache in question.

 

I don't have many favorite votes, but the caches I have voted for so far are the ones that stand out to me for some reason - that when I found them made me go "wow, that was fun!" Asking for my vote will take the fun out of it for me, and be an automatic unfavorite.

[+Sol seaker]

If someone wants favorite votes then they should do so by improving their cache, so that it is so good people can't help but vote for it.

[+t4e]

if i ever get such email the cache will go on ignore right away

Why would you ignore a cache that you've already found? You can't favorite a cache you haven't found.

 

well i guess i should have said on "mental ignore"

[mtbikernate]

If I get a solicitation for a favorite, I'm going to edit my log to point out such solicitation so other potential seekers will know they will possibly also be solicited.

 

I will un-favorite it if I have favored it already.

 

I will put the CO's other caches on my ignore list.

 

I will contact the reviewer in hopes that they will tell the CO to cease and desist such tacky and obnoxious behavior.

 

If it gets bad, I will make a bookmark list of caches I have found whose owners solicit favorite votes.

 

That would be what I mean by "blacklisting" a cache.

[+cx1]

Some of the responses in this thread surprise me.

I would have though that the favorite cache system was supposed to be about the cache. It seems some are making it about the cache owner.

Why should the actions of the owner (outside of making and maintaining the cache) have any bearing on how one feels about the cache itself?

I know several cache owners that I like a lot and even consider one a close personal friend. But their caches are not above the norm enough to warrant my giving them a favorite vote.

There are other cache owners I dislike quite a bit, yet would have no problem issuing their cache a favorite point because the cache is really quite good.

I have not yet gone back to issue my accrued favorite points but when I do it is going to be about the cache not the cache owner.

While I do feel that soliciting for votes is in poor taste I don't feel it has any influence on what I think about a cache. Though if I do find a cache in the wild that actually asks for my vote I might just give it. A talking cache would amuse me

[+currykev]

Every time I log a cache find I get that stupid annoying green thing counting up points to my next favourite.

[edited]. It's getting on my nerves.

Is this a game for 6 year olds or what!!

Edited January 22, 2011 by Keystone
Potty language removed by moderator. This is not a forum for children trying out the dirty words they've learned.

[+rickjill]

A all the way.

 

About 90% of all caches are mediocre at best. Besides we don't get unlimited favor points to pass out.

I agree A. I do not agree that 90% of caches are mediocre or worse. If that were true I would not have been geocaching this long. The favourites are a way to help people not miss the top 10% as voted by the people that know. Soliciting for votes in any way is ludicrous.

[+niraD]

Why should the actions of the owner (outside of making and maintaining the cache) have any bearing on how one feels about the cache itself?

One reason would be to discourage cache owners from soliciting favorites votes. If cache owners thought they might actually lose favorites votes, then they might not annoy others by soliciting favorites votes.

 

Another reason is that the solicitation becomes part of the cache experience. If the cache itself is just good enough to be considered a favorite, then a solicitation that is unpleasant enough might diminish the overall experience enough that the cache is no longer a favorite.

 

It's like a restaurant that has good food, but terrible service. If the food is good enough, you might put up with the terrible service and recommend the restaurant to your friends anyway. But if the food isn't good enough to make up for the service, then you won't go back and you won't recommend the restaurant. But you might recommend a restaurant with similar food and better service.

[+cx1]

 

Another reason is that the solicitation becomes part of the cache experience. If the cache itself is just good enough to be considered a favorite, then a solicitation that is unpleasant enough might diminish the overall experience enough that the cache is no longer a favorite.

 

So then using that logic even though you liked a cache but lost your walking stick in the process you wouldn't consider the cache a potential favorite because you had a negative experience (the loss of an item you value) associated with the cache?

 

The cache, which is what you would or would not be assigning a favorite point to did not cause you the unpleasant experience in your example or in mine.

[+dakboy]

 

Another reason is that the solicitation becomes part of the cache experience. If the cache itself is just good enough to be considered a favorite, then a solicitation that is unpleasant enough might diminish the overall experience enough that the cache is no longer a favorite.

 

So then using that logic even though you liked a cache but lost your walking stick in the process you wouldn't consider the cache a potential favorite because you had a negative experience (the loss of an item you value) associated with the cache?

I don't see how you reach that conclusion. The loss of the walking stick was not an action of the CO. Solicitation for votes is.

[+Borst68]

A. I could handle B if it were well written and didn't come across being desperate for votes. Honestly, the whole notion for stumping for votes is stupid. The dude in MO. probably has a great cache but acting like a tool does nothing to help it. I'm not sure what being "#1 cache" anywhere gets you. By stumping for votes is surely doesn't get you the respect of your peers.

[+niraD]

Another reason is that the solicitation becomes part of the cache experience. If the cache itself is just good enough to be considered a favorite, then a solicitation that is unpleasant enough might diminish the overall experience enough that the cache is no longer a favorite.

So then using that logic even though you liked a cache but lost your walking stick in the process you wouldn't consider the cache a potential favorite because you had a negative experience (the loss of an item you value) associated with the cache?

 

The cache, which is what you would or would not be assigning a favorite point to did not cause you the unpleasant experience in your example or in mine.

If you think it's reasonable to expect others to lose their walking sticks in the process of finding the cache and logging it online, then you might consider losing a walking stick to be part of the cache experience.

 

If you think it's reasonable to expect others to receive a solicitation for favorites votes in the process of finding the cache and logging it online, then you might consider receiving a solicitation for favorites votes to be part of the cache experience.

[+narcissa]

I find it pretty distasteful and intrusive when people use Groundspeak's mail system to email me privately about something that should be addressed in a cache description, cache log or in a forum thread. I don't want to be hassled by cache owners far and wide. If deliberately withholding a vote from an otherwise deserving cache helps get the message across to the owner that it's wildly inappropriate to bother people like that, that's what I'll do. I certainly don't want to lead other people to log a cache, knowing they'll be rewarded with similar hassle from the owner.

 

Bizzarrely enough, someone actually emailed me about this thread, trying to bring me to another thread to join in some uninteresting argument. *facepalm*

[+slukster]

I agree that soliciting for votes is very distasteful. If I think your cache is deserving I will add it to my favorites. I don't think I would get all mad at the CO and "blacklist" them or take away favorite votes but I might send them a friendly email in response asking them not to send me any more solicitations and mention I will surely favorite any of their exceptional caches. I carry this attitude over to adding caches to my favorites. I have a particular CO that I had some not too friendly email interactions with but he had one exceptional cache that I thoroughly enjoyed so he got a vote even though I am in no rush to hang out with him anytime soon. I think I am with cx1. Reward the cache, not punish the cache owner.

 

I do believe though that many people probably have not realized that there is a favorites sytem in place or haven't gotten around to using it. What do you think about something like this placed on a cache page:

 

 

Just a crude pic I quickly put together for an example. It is "promoting" the favorites feature without directly soliciting a favorites vote for a cache. I am not planning to add something like that to any of my caches but it is a more subtle way of "soliciting" votes. Or would it get me blacklisted?

Edited January 24, 2011 by slukster

[+SwineFlew]

I agree that soliciting for votes is very distasteful. If I think your cache is deserving I will add it to my favorites. I don't think I would get all mad at the CO and "blacklist" them or take away favorite votes but I might send them a friendly email in response asking them not to send me any more solicitations and mention I will surely favorite any of their exceptional caches. I carry this attitude over to adding caches to my favorites. I have a particular CO that I had some not too friendly email interactions with but he had one exceptional cache that I thoroughly enjoyed so he got a vote even though I am in no rush to hang out with him anytime soon. I think I am with cx1. Reward the cache, not punish the cache owner.

 

I do believe though that many people probably have not realized that there is a favorites sytem in place or haven't gotten around to using it. What do you think about something like this placed on a cache page:

 

 

Just a crude pic I quickly put together for an example. It is "promoting" the favorites feature without directly soliciting a favorites vote for a cache. I am not planning to add something like that to any of my caches but it is a more subtle way of "soliciting" votes. Or would it get me blacklisted?

 

If I see that on any cache pages that I found, they will get a "TFTH" log no matter how good its.

[mtbikernate]

Some of the responses in this thread surprise me.

I would have though that the favorite cache system was supposed to be about the cache. It seems some are making it about the cache owner.

Why should the actions of the owner (outside of making and maintaining the cache) have any bearing on how one feels about the cache itself?

I know several cache owners that I like a lot and even consider one a close personal friend. But their caches are not above the norm enough to warrant my giving them a favorite vote.

There are other cache owners I dislike quite a bit, yet would have no problem issuing their cache a favorite point because the cache is really quite good.

I have not yet gone back to issue my accrued favorite points but when I do it is going to be about the cache not the cache owner.

While I do feel that soliciting for votes is in poor taste I don't feel it has any influence on what I think about a cache. Though if I do find a cache in the wild that actually asks for my vote I might just give it. A talking cache would amuse me

 

A cache owner's behavior absolutely plays a part in my experience with a cache.

 

If said cache owner is unhelpful if I'm having trouble with their cache and I ask for help, the cache owner has a direct effect on my experience with the cache.

 

If the cache owner fails to include some important information about the cache on the cache page, then that cache owner has a direct effect on my experience with the cache. If it was simple oversight and the cache owner rectifies the situation without throwing a fit, that will generate one outcome for me. If the cache owner throws a fit about it, then that will have another.

 

If that cache owner contacts me after I log the cache for some asinine reason like prodding me to give the cache a favorite point, that will diminish my opinion of the cache, and also the cache owner.

 

I already do my best to ignore cache owners who are a**holes on cache pages. For example, I was on a trip and found this on a cache page:

I ask that you to write a log telling a little about your adventure while hunting this cache. Writing a good log is the only payment for any geocacher. As owner of this cache I can delete the log for any reason and a poor log is one of them. Thanks

That's an automatic skip. In fact, the particular CO responsible for this has a similar statement on most caches they own in that area. So, I had to ignore (manually) every cache by this owner in the area.

[+narcissa]

 

I ask that you to write a log telling a little about your adventure while hunting this cache. Writing a good log is the only payment for any geocacher. As owner of this cache I can delete the log for any reason and a poor log is one of them. Thanks

That's an automatic skip. In fact, the particular CO responsible for this has a similar statement on most caches they own in that area. So, I had to ignore (manually) every cache by this owner in the area.

 

That's an automatic "Needs Archived."

[+narcissa]

What do you think about something like this placed on a cache page:

 

 

Just a crude pic I quickly put together for an example. It is "promoting" the favorites feature without directly soliciting a favorites vote for a cache. I am not planning to add something like that to any of my caches but it is a more subtle way of "soliciting" votes. Or would it get me blacklisted?

 

Hideous. Don't.

[+edscott]

Answer "A" all the way. The cache should stand on its own merits, not any politicking by the owner.

 

Agree... anything beyond "A" is unacceptable to me. But whatever others do doesn't affect me at all.

[+slukster]

What do you think about something like this placed on a cache page:

 

 

Just a crude pic I quickly put together for an example. It is "promoting" the favorites feature without directly soliciting a favorites vote for a cache. I am not planning to add something like that to any of my caches but it is a more subtle way of "soliciting" votes. Or would it get me blacklisted?

 

Hideous. Don't.