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Should Kids be allowed to post in the forums?


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I think there should be a Turing age test. Anybody that passes it can post, anybody that fails...

But you know most of us did not know about this rule until GeoGeebee posted about it. And most kids have done nothing wrong in the forums.

 

Back on June 25th, I posted the Terms of Use section regarding age, in a thread started by Coldgears and he didn't seem to clue in notice it then.

 

This thread:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=276732

 

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I think there should be a Turing age test. Anybody that passes it can post, anybody that fails...

But you know most of us did not know about this rule until GeoGeebee posted about it. And most kids have done nothing wrong in the forums.

 

Back on June 25th, I posted the Terms of Use section regarding age, in a thread started by Coldgears and he didn't seem to clue in notice it then.

 

This thread:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=276732

 

 

Sorry, bad wording...Should have wrote "A few of us" which includes me. :P

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Lets see... let me summarize

 

Quite a few kids are commenting (in a polite way) in the feedback forums that they have a right to talk about their geocaching experiences and share it in the forums. Someone even said they have over 1000 finds and they are 14, and they want to have the right to share his experiences online on the forums. Only one kid that I know of is posting bad things on the forums and not all kids should be punished for that one person. If one adult starts posting bad things on threads (and yeah, more adults post bad things than kids by a HUGE amount) not all adults are disallowed from posting in the forums.

 

 

TOU needs to be amended as you said in your subtitle. If kids were to go- and remember- they are tommorows adults- forums would not be the same. If you see the comments in the feedback suggestions many forum regulars have said no, and so have kids-politely.

 

So there...I say no.

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I feel like this whole thread is an attack against me (I think I know who the "bad kid" everyone is referring to is), and wouldn't have ever been brought up sans my actions. <_<

Actually, I wasn't referring to you. I was reffering to the user who said something very discouraging to a newbie...NOt gonna say who it is.

Edited by sword fern
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I don't have a problem with the general behavior of the underage people posting here.

 

My concern are the couple that come in here and then not only proclaim their age but their location and schedule as well without practicing internet safety. We're all strangers on here. I don't know anyone or their criminal history on here. They don't know who they're giving that information to when they go out and not use their better judgement (which they haven't developed yet).

 

If the moderators could control those issues I personally wouldn't care if they came on here but if you're going to allow or encourage kids to come here then at least make it safe.

 

This is a kid friendly site. This is not to say all people who use it are kid friendly.

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Perhaps Groundspeak just need to add a little box for the parents to tick, and send a mail to the parents' email for a response to take legal responsibility.

 

I think (for under 13 year olds) it would be a little more complicated then that.

 

From the COPPA Wikipedia article:

 

Website operators must use reasonable procedures to ensure they are dealing with the child's parent. These procedures may include:

 

* obtaining a signed form from the parent via postal mail or facsimile;

* accepting and verifying a credit card number;

* taking calls from parents on a toll-free telephone number staffed by trained personnel;

* email accompanied by digital signature;

* email accompanied by a PIN or password obtained through one of the verification methods above.

 

Operators who follow one of these procedures acting in good faith to a request for parental access are protected from liability under federal and state law for inadvertent disclosures of a child's information to someone who purports to be a parent.

 

While children under 13 can legally give out personal information with their parents' permission, many websites altogether disallow underage children from using their services due to the amount of paperwork involved.

I'm not advocating that children under 13 should be able to post in the forums. I wouldn't recommend that children of that age go out and cache at that age (although some would be fine with the right upbringing and environment, others would probably put themselves in difficulties, so I wouldn't want to encourage that for all.)

I was suggesting an age requirement of 16. 14 might be a better idea, and in fact there have been a number of 14 year olds contributing to the boards that I wasn't aware of. The game is family friendly, and so should the forums be. If that means we adults have to rein in 'adult' content and knee jerk humour or the chance to post a witty 'touche' then so be it.

 

This is not the place for parents to introduce young children (under 13) to the experience of using the internet and talking to strangers online, imo. There are plenty of websites and games which do that and have a lot of people working around the clock on keeping them safe. At 13 they can try out a lot of social messaging sites, and usually by 14 they are old hands at internet forum use and know what is acceptable. If not, a few temporary bans should help to clear it up!

 

I also have a problem with threads which ask about a person's location, age, name, job, and other information. (When will we be asked our mother's maiden name, the name of our first pet, and of the first street where we lived, just to round off the questions they can collect for identity theft? Again though, it isn't just younger people who are doing this, and it isn't just younger people who need protection from this kind of thing. Often younger people are internet savvy enough to lie about some of their personal details on public websites, while older people are not.)

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I believe the prohibition of kids posting in the forums is legally required at least in the U.S. because of the ramifications of certain regulations. My personal opinion is that it is fine for kids to post responsibly but there is no reason anyone should know they are kids. Don't proclaim how old you are, don't ask for special considerations because of age, and don't behave like an annoying brat no matter how old you are. Problem solved.

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So I'm not supposed to use c:geo because it violates the TOU, but it's OK for someone under 18 to use the forums which is also against the TOU? I guess we can pick and choose which rules we follow now...

Edited by cb82
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I think there should be a Turing age test. Anybody that passes it can post, anybody that fails...

But you know most of us did not know about this rule until GeoGeebee posted about it. And most kids have done nothing wrong in the forums.

 

My post was basically agreeing with you. I was saying that if we cannot tell your age by the way you act, that you should be able to post. Turing Test.

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So I'm not supposed to use c:geo because it violates the TOU, but it's OK for someone under 18 to use the forums which is also against the TOU? I guess we can pick and choose which rules we follow now...

 

A police officer may choose not to pull anyone over for going 10 miles over the speed limit, so that means that it's safe to go as fast as you want? :D

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http://www.geocaching.com/about/termsofuse.aspx

 

4. Use of Publishing Tools and Forums

 

All features, functions and areas of the geocaching.com website, including the Groundspeak Forums (http://forums.Groundspeak.com), are governed by this Agreement and are also subject to such additional terms and conditions as Groundspeak may, from time to time, publicize. To participate in the Groundspeak Discussion Forums, you must be 18 years or older.

 

This particular bit of the Terms of Use has been widely ignored. Should it be enforced?

 

Vote Here

I know which kid you are talking about, and that person is not the only kid out there. You are suggesting one kid does one action affects all the other kids who have posted nicely in the forums. Believe me, all except one kid has been posting nicely.

 

Exactly!!!! and even that kid seems to be coming around just a bit.

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I feel like this whole thread is an attack against me (I think I know who the "bad kid" everyone is referring to is), and wouldn't have ever been brought up sans my actions. <_<

As the thread starter, let me say that you are not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

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The game is family friendly, and so should the forums be. If that means we adults have to rein in 'adult' content and knee jerk humour or the chance to post a witty 'touche' then so be it.

 

 

Nickelodeon is family friendly. But the shows are not written by kids.

 

I never suggested that kids shouldn't be allowed to read the forums, or that the forums should contain material that kids shouldn't see.

 

I'm on the verge of being convinced that it should be ok for people under 18 to post here. But if that's the case, the Terms of Use should be amended.

 

By the way, all you parents who are setting up accounts for your kids: the Terms of Use also state that you have to be 13 or older to have your own account:

By using the Site, you represent and warrant that you are 13 years of age or older. If we believe that you are under 13 years of age, please be advised that your account may be terminated without warning.

 

I'm just saying that if Groundspeak has rules that they don't intend to enforce, they should amend them. And if they are going to have rules, they should enforce them.

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The game is family friendly, and so should the forums be. If that means we adults have to rein in 'adult' content and knee jerk humour or the chance to post a witty 'touche' then so be it.

 

 

Nickelodeon is family friendly. But the shows are not written by kids.

 

I never suggested that kids shouldn't be allowed to read the forums, or that the forums should contain material that kids shouldn't see.

 

I'm on the verge of being convinced that it should be ok for people under 18 to post here. But if that's the case, the Terms of Use should be amended.

 

By the way, all you parents who are setting up accounts for your kids: the Terms of Use also state that you have to be 13 or older to have your own account:

By using the Site, you represent and warrant that you are 13 years of age or older. If we believe that you are under 13 years of age, please be advised that your account may be terminated without warning.

 

I'm just saying that if Groundspeak has rules that they don't intend to enforce, they should amend them. And if they are going to have rules, they should enforce them.

Thank you for bringing up the subject for discussion.

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I feel like this whole thread is an attack against me (I think I know who the "bad kid" everyone is referring to is), and wouldn't have ever been brought up sans my actions. <_<

As the thread starter, let me say that you are not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

As I suspected. This whole thread has the stench of personal vendetta all over it. Maybe you should address the issue you have with whoever this individule is in a grownup manner, not this backhanded slimy crusade.

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I feel like this whole thread is an attack against me (I think I know who the "bad kid" everyone is referring to is), and wouldn't have ever been brought up sans my actions. <_<

As the thread starter, let me say that you are not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

As I suspected. This whole thread has the stench of personal vendetta all over it. Maybe you should address the issue you have with whoever this individule is in a grownup manner, not this backhanded slimy crusade.

 

I agree. Besides, the party in question seems to be a pretty smart kid -- I'm pretty sure he knows you're talking about him. You don't like what he has to say, either contact him directly or take it to the frog -- this forum topic is like one big passive aggressive note.

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I have no problem with the cachers who are under 18 posting here. They seem pretty mature in their behaviour, and I am sure it will stay that way. I forget that one (who lives up-island from me) is "under age" as he seems very adult.

They know more about computers and their workings than I feel I ever will. Makes me feel like they are the teachers and I am the student - therefore young! I have to love that feeling...

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I feel like this whole thread is an attack against me (I think I know who the "bad kid" everyone is referring to is), and wouldn't have ever been brought up sans my actions. <_<

As the thread starter, let me say that you are not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

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I think there should be a Turing age test. Anybody that passes it can post, anybody that fails...

But you know most of us did not know about this rule until GeoGeebee posted about it. And most kids have done nothing wrong in the forums.

 

My post was basically agreeing with you. I was saying that if we cannot tell your age by the way you act, that you should be able to post. Turing Test.

Another reminder for me never to eat chocolate cookies at night. :P

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http://www.geocaching.com/about/termsofuse.aspx

 

4. Use of Publishing Tools and Forums

 

All features, functions and areas of the geocaching.com website, including the Groundspeak Forums (http://forums.Groundspeak.com), are governed by this Agreement and are also subject to such additional terms and conditions as Groundspeak may, from time to time, publicize. To participate in the Groundspeak Discussion Forums, you must be 18 years or older.

 

This particular bit of the Terms of Use has been widely ignored. Should it be enforced?

 

Vote Here

 

From the guidelines linked to the actual forums, (third paragraph).

In general, we will leave it to you, the community, to manage your own conduct. We ask that you treat other forum participants with respect. Please remember that this is a public venue read by many people of all ages, from around the world, spanning all walks of life. To post in the Groundspeak Discussion Forums, you must be 18 years or older, or under the supervision of your parent or legal guardian.

 

So which is it?

Edited by Don_J
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By the way, all you parents who are setting up accounts for your kids: the Terms of Use also state that you have to be 13 or older to have your own account:

By using the Site, you represent and warrant that you are 13 years of age or older. If we believe that you are under 13 years of age, please be advised that your account may be terminated without warning.

 

I'm just saying that if Groundspeak has rules that they don't intend to enforce, they should amend them. And if they are going to have rules, they should enforce them.

 

My children's accounts were started by me, and I have control of them and of my children. :anibad::ph34r:

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My children's accounts were started by me, and I have control of them and of my children. :anibad::ph34r:

Do you, or do you just think that you do?

 

Have you ever tried the Reagan idea of "Trust, but verify"?

 

I think most parents who 'know' what their kids are up to online would be stunned to see the reality once they install something like a key logger. :huh:

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My children's accounts were started by me, and I have control of them and of my children. :anibad::ph34r:

Do you, or do you just think that you do?

 

Have you ever tried the Reagan idea of "Trust, but verify"?

 

I think most parents who 'know' what their kids are up to online would be stunned to see the reality once they install something like a key logger. :huh:

We have. :ph34r:

 

But seriously, my earlier post was partly sarcastic/joking. I understand that kids will figure out how to get around parents, all the time. Our son is an artist at this. I joke that he should work for the CIA. He'd do an excellent job, too bad it wouldn't be a good idea to go into that field. We've caught a lot of stuff, but I know for everything we've caught, there's probably something we've missed. Just gotta do our best.

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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

While this post in question would have been rotf funny if it had been one of the regulars, it's not when it's a newbie. They have no way of knowing the "inside" jokes. In such cases we are laughing at them, not with them.

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...Interaction with 'adults'(other than family) is how the young develop life skills.

 

 

Yes.

 

I've seen some very good contributions by younger forum members and also some inaccurate and 'cocky, bordering on rude' ones. Maybe the older, more mature (ho ho ho) contributors can give a word of praise and/or agreement when appropriate, and a verbal clip-around-the-ear for the more inappropriate stuff. ;)

 

smack.gif<--- One of these. :lol:

 

MrsB

 

As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

 

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

Edited by Pup Patrol
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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

While this post in question would have been rotf funny if it had been one of the regulars, it's not when it's a newbie. They have no way of knowing the "inside" jokes. In such cases we are laughing at them, not with them.

Even I've been around a while in the forums lurking and posting. I'd still be offended if this was a response to my sincere post/question.

 

And to come back and say "...I was just helping him along..." demonstrates the disconnect. One needs to think about consequences; use judgement. Some people do mean things on purpose, some by accident. For an adolescent mind, those two often happen at the same time. ...And that's not meant as an insult. It's just how human development works.

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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

Nice. <_<

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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

You are not helping your cause. It's obvious that your response has created a lot of negativity among the regular users, so just imagine yourself as a new person looking for help and seeing that.

 

I will say what has been said about your posts before. Not funny and not appropriate.

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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

You are not helping your cause. It's obvious that your response has created a lot of negativity among the regular users, so just imagine yourself as a new person looking for help and seeing that.

 

I will say what has been said about your posts before. Not funny and not appropriate.

 

But not the worst thing to happen in these forums.

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Geocaching is a family-friendly activity. So by logical extension, the forums should be as well, to discuss geocaching with other geocachers - who are of all ages. To prohibit or ban an entire segment of society from participating in the discussion is ignorant IMHO. The real people we should be prohibiting is those who actually cause trouble.

 

I myself, am a student, and I can spell, I can write grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs (well, most of the time... :rolleyes: ), be modest, moderate, mature - and yes, go geocaching just as well (sometimes!) as those who are older than myself. Banning ME, along with others, such as Ambient Skater, from discussing geocaching with fellow cachers because of the fact that I was born less than some arbitrary number of orbits-of-the-sun ago is nothing more than ageism and stereotyping wrapped up with a little bowtie.

 

Geocaching is a great activity - I can climb mountains, run around cities, bike around the country side, hike in the forest, all in the name of caching - with my family and other cachers (all of them adults) that I have met and since regularly keep in contact with, why can't I discuss it with others too? :)

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...just imagine yourself as a new person looking for help and seeing that.

If I was a new person looking for help, I'd be careful not to write my first post like a 5yo who wants to be told I'm right and they're wrong quick or else I'm throwing a tantrum.

 

Most people, when digging a hole, will periodically stop digging and evaluate the situation, making sure that they are not digging so deep of a hole that they wont be able to get out of it.

 

You may now continue with your hole.

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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

Nice. <_<

 

That thread was started about a week before I was taking a trip to the OP of that thread's town. I've since taken that trip (last Saturday). Even though I threatened in their thread to find one or more of their caches, I did not have time for those after my already planned ones. But I just looked, and they did in fact not quit, found a cache 4 days ago, and all hides are active and being found. If it's any consolation. :D

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You may now continue with your hole.

I will! And once I'm done I'm hiding a cache in there. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!! :antenna:

Clearly... <_<

 

And yet...

"Geocaches are never buried. If a shovel, trowel or other pointy object is used to dig or break ground, whether in order to hide or to find the cache, then it is not permitted."

 

I'm noticing a fundamental disconnect with this grasshopper...

 

(I'm also struggling to see how the OP was threatening a tantrum...)

...Must be feeding time again

1 9-inch pie shell, frozen or chilled for an hour if freshly made. (See pie crust recipes.)

1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp molasses

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread pecans along the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over pecans. (No need for an electric mixer, you can mix by hand.) The pecans will rise to the surface of the pie.

2 Bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes until the filling has set. About 20 minutes into the cooking you may want to use a pie crust protector, or tent the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning.

3 Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Edited by NeverSummer
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As the thread starter, let me say that [Coldgears was] not the person I was thinking of when I started this thread.

Did the person you were thinking of tell a newbie to quit on a thread where the OP was asking what to do? Thats who I was thinking of...

He said he was thinking of quitting! I was just helping him along...

 

While this post in question would have been rotf funny if it had been one of the regulars, it's not when it's a newbie. They have no way of knowing the "inside" jokes. In such cases we are laughing at them, not with them.

 

Why would it have been any funnier with a regular than a newbie? If someone is upset enough to want to quit then its not funny.

 

The problem is everyone was laughing along with AS when he compiled his spreadsheet. Then due to bad timing someone happens to post a childish I want to quit post right after AS got all the laughs on his spreadsheet so he posted a poorly timed response.

 

He was wrong. But it had nothing to do with him being under 18. I think the forum regulars can shoulder some of the blame for making fun of "geocides" to begin with.

 

Maybe spend more time trying to make this place a more inviting place to come and a little less time making fun of people that you've pissed off to the point they want to quit.

 

Either way cut the kid some slack. He screwed up. But it really had nothing to do with his age. There are a bunch of you older people who are just as guilty with your snarky remarks on a regular basis.

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He was wrong. But it had nothing to do with him being under 18. I think the forum regulars can shoulder some of the blame for making fun of "geocides" to begin with.

 

Maybe spend more time trying to make this place a more inviting place to come and a little less time making fun of people that you've pissed off to the point they want to quit.

Word. +1. Yup. Affirmative. Oh Yeah. Etc.

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removing kids in forums = no kids geocachers = nearly 50% of cachers gone. I am 14 and love to geocache and would hate to be limited to the activities involved in it. As well am I a boy scout who have recently been majorly involved due to the addition of the merit badge

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