Photos of cache containers

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

I have a cache container which I spent a good amount of time trying to make it blend into the surroundings where I placed it. A recent cacher took a photo of himself holding the cache container in his hand. This obviously, I believe, is a spoiler since other cachers will now know what to look for. Am I going over the top to ask the cacher to remove the photo from his log?

[+MontyFam]

Nope - politely do it (I would anyways...)

[tomowens]

I would ask them to remove the picture.

 

I have taken pictures that are obvious spoilers for caches before, but I will not post them on GC.com. If a cache owner were to ask me to remove a picture, I'd gladly do it.

[+wiseye]

Show us a pic so we can tell...LOL Should be no problem asking cacher to remove pic...be nice.

[+niraD]

I'd ask them to delete the spoiler photo. Then, if they didn't delete the spoiler photo after a reasonable length of time (think days, not hours), I'd delete the log and invite them to log the Find again without the spoiler photo.

[+Catydid]

I saw this happen just recently, done by a super newbie. I figured the CO would be emailing him and letting him know this was not acceptable protocol. If I were you, I would remove the photo myself and send the poster an email.

[+Mushroom finder]

I'd ask them to delete the spoiler photo. Then, if they didn't delete the spoiler photo after a reasonable length of time (think days, not hours), I'd delete the log and invite them to log the Find again without the spoiler photo.

 

+1

 

If you are really worried about it being spoiled you could just delete, but immediately send a polite email explaining why. Sometimes people don't think about their pic being a spoiler and probably meant no harm at all. Just make sure you email them or you risk ticking them off.

 

I recently had that happen to me and it left a bad taste in my mouth. There is a cache in my area that is suspended from a rope in a tree. To get it down you have to trace the rope through the tree branches about 30 yards until it runs down another tree where it is tied off at the base. The cache has been in place for a few years so it has long since been found by most of the locals. The CO pretty much begs for finders to give up favorite points in the listing. After I found it I dutifully gave up a fav. point and wrote a really nice log (not merely a TNLN TFTC type either). One sentence of my sentence of my log read: "When Garmin told me to leave the trail there was too much PI on the most obvious path so I found a different spot to approach from and stumbled across the 'trigger' first." I didn't consider that to be a spoiler, especially since there is already a pic in someone else's log showing the cache hanging from the rope. Apparently the CO must have thought it was a spoiler though because he deleted my find a couple of weeks later without any explanation. If he had contacted me at all I would have happily revised my log, no harm, no foul. Not bothering to communicate with me felt like a slap in the face especially after giving him a fav. point. As a result I relogged my find with the dreaded blank log, retracted my fav. point and have chosen not to look for any more of his caches.

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

I just received an email from the cacher quoting me;

 

"It clearly states in the pictures on the website and on the apps that there may be spoiler alerts in the photos. Meaning fellow cachers take the risk by sneaking a peak at the photos."

 

It looks like he isn't going to respect my request. I am going to contact one of my local reviewers and see what they have to say first.

[+t4e]

I saw this happen just recently, done by a super newbie. I figured the CO would be emailing him and letting him know this was not acceptable protocol. If I were you, I would remove the photo myself and send the poster an email.

 

nope, can't do...as CO you can only delete entire logs, you can't remove the pictures only

Edited August 19, 2011 by t4e

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

I just received an email from the cacher quoting me;

 

"It clearly states in the pictures on the website and on the apps that there may be spoiler alerts in the photos. Meaning fellow cachers take the risk by sneaking a peak at the photos."

 

It looks like he isn't going to respect my request. I am going to contact one of my local reviewers and see what they have to say first.

Thanks for all the input. My first inclination was to delete the log, but I thought I'd better run it past others instead of a knee-jerk reaction. I'll let you know when I hear back from the Reviewer. I was hoping one of the moderators might also respond to this thread.

[+niraD]

You could point the finder to the terms of use, which state "You agree not to: [...] (m) Publish, in any form of media, the solutions, hints, spoilers, or any hidden coordinates for any geocache without consent from the cache owner." (emphasis mine)

 

You are the cache owner. By asking him to remove the spoiler photo, you are explicitly denying consent.

[+Darren V]

-whoa? a topic not realting to challenges?!-

 

I've messaged people before to remove spoilers from logs, just do it politely

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

-whoa? a topic not realting to challenges?!-

 

I've messaged people before to remove spoilers from logs, just do it politely

I was very polite. No name calling, no threats. I told him the reason why I would like it removed and I thanked him and signed my name. When he replied all he wrote was the reason he wasn't going to remove it, basically because of the "spoiler" warning on the Geocaching website. I don't believe the spoiler warning was put there to give cachers the right to place spoilers in their logs or photos.

[+Cliff's Notes]

-whoa? a topic not realting to challenges?!-

 

I've messaged people before to remove spoilers from logs, just do it politely

I was very polite. No name calling, no threats. I told him the reason why I would like it removed and I thanked him and signed my name. When he replied all he wrote was the reason he wasn't going to remove it, basically because of the "spoiler" warning on the Geocaching website. I don't believe the spoiler warning was put there to give cachers the right to place spoilers in their logs or photos.

 

Instead of asking for him to remove the picture try asking him to blur out the cache in the picture. That way the only thing folks will see is him posing next to some pixels, which now that I think about it is kinda cool.

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

I have heard back from the Reviewer and as mentioned above, under the Terms of Use it is a violation to place spoilers in logs and I have a right to delete the log if the cacher refuses to. However, the Reviewer also pointed out that we all like subtle hints from time to time in logs when we come across those difficult to find caches where it makes a difference between a smiley or a frowny. That is why I hesitate. Since I posted this another newby cacher posted a picture of them holding the cache. I have contacted them too and haven't gotten a reply nor any action as yet. So, if I may, let me ask this question. Have any of you requested that a cacher remove a "spoiler" from a log of one of your caches? What kind of response did you receive?

[+Mushroom finder]

Is your difficulty rating appropriate? Reason I ask is because the response you got from the finder seems like he clearly intended for it to be a spoiler. Perhaps he/she thought it was too hard and wanted to save others a headache. It might be worth re evaluating your difficulty rating. Another thing you might try is writing something in the cache description asking finders not to post spoilers.

[+briansnat]

I have heard back from the Reviewer and as mentioned above, under the Terms of Use it is a violation to place spoilers in logs and I have a right to delete the log if the cacher refuses to. However, the Reviewer also pointed out that we all like subtle hints from time to time in logs when we come across those difficult to find caches where it makes a difference between a smiley or a frowny. That is why I hesitate. Since I posted this another newby cacher posted a picture of them holding the cache. I have contacted them too and haven't gotten a reply nor any action as yet. So, if I may, let me ask this question. Have any of you requested that a cacher remove a "spoiler" from a log of one of your caches? What kind of response did you receive?

 

I've had to request a few spoiler pics be removed and in every instance the person complied. If they refused then I would not have hesitated to delete their log, while letting them know they were welcome to re-log without the spoiler.

[Kegetys]

It would be nice if you could mark your log images as "spoiler" images and such would only be visible to users who have already logged that cache as found. It would allow sharing interesting photos ("This is me climbing to the lamp post") with others who have already been there without spoiling anything to those who haven't.

[+BStheTech]

I looked up the cache you are referring to. Very well done, but to show it

on the website is definitely an over the top spoiler. The finder could show

it in another thread and just draw attention to the awesomeness of your

container without letting people know which cache it is from.

 

Seeing as this site goes through regular updates maybe a suggestion to let

Cache owner's edit their page might be in order.

 

As for the finder..... the British have a saying to describe this situation;

 

"That's not cricket"

 

B.

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

Is your difficulty rating appropriate? Reason I ask is because the response you got from the finder seems like he clearly intended for it to be a spoiler. Perhaps he/she thought it was too hard and wanted to save others a headache. It might be worth re evaluating your difficulty rating. Another thing you might try is writing something in the cache description asking finders not to post spoilers.

No as a matter of fact only a few have not been able to find the cache and for the most part they were newbies. After I saw the photo had been posted I checked the finder's profile and saw that they only 95 finds. So I clicked on all their finds for the day they found mine and saw that they had a picture posted for every cache they found. Geocaching. com already has it as part of their Terms of Use that spoilers are not to be posted. They are traveling and and posting using their iPhone. They told me they couldn't delete the photo until they got home. Posting a photo of a well camoed cache container or a cache container's hiding place will land you in a lot of hot water no matter how hard you think it is. If you think the hide it more difficult then the cache owner has determined it, you can contact the cache owner and request they raise the level and tell they why you think it should be raised, but never post a photo.

[Clan Riffster]

I wouldn't let it bother you. In a few logs, it will slide off the screen. For those who DNF your cache, the picture will be on the cache page if they are willing to hunt for it. Sort of a free hint. If this were a 5/5, I might feel differently, but from what you've described, it seems like most folks are going to find it anyway. Not worth waking the Angst Monster, in my opinion.

[+ventura_kids]

I noticed when using the android phone with the geocaching app...or the cgeo app... pictures automatically pop up on the screen as we approach the coordinates.

I wouldn't want a spoiler pic to pop up.

I think it's just a pic that is placed in the cache page description...and not the logs.

 

anyways.... I'm trying to guess why a newbie would refuse to delete his picture. So...putting myself in their shoes....

...they went thru a lot of effort to take the picture, and then figure out how to actually upload said picture onto the website...only to have some grumpy cacher tell them to remove it. Wasted time, wasted pic...

I would probably just let it go...but if it was one of my very clever hides.... I'd delete the entire log if they refused to blur it out.

 

I suggest you try another tact. Thank them for finding your geocache, and once again explain that it ruins the fun for other finders. Ask them to blur it out....as that would make it more fun for others.