How are challenges recorded

[+Team_State]

Geocaching.com states:

Do Challenges increase my Geocaching.com find count?

Yes. Challenge completions and geocache finds are combined in your total stats count. However, you can hover over anyone's count to see how many caches and challenges the user has found and completed.

They may be added in your count but don't seems to be added to your stats. I happen to be on a streak and only did a challenge today so it looks like my streak is over. Maybe not got 6 hours left of the day to go find another catch.

 

I hope this is an oversite, if counted in your totals they should be counted in your stats.

 

Team_State

[+CanadianRockies]

Your cache finds and challenge completions used to be combined into a grand total "statistic." But completions never were included in your profile statistics pages.

 

A few days ago, Groundspeak removed the combined finds/completions total...except for one location.

[+DragonsWest]

Jeremy and his band o' Lackeys are using them to record your Karma - the more you meet challenges, the more they like you and will urge other geocachers in your area to hide better caches and make better log entries on their finds. And then on Cachemas, Signal Claus will fly through the night in a big red sleigh (with the Geocaching logo proudly displayed on the sides) and deposit ammo boxes and great trade items throughout the land near geocachers with outstanding Caching Karma.

 

 

Actually, I have no clue. I just got back from Washington and Oregon and was smacked down by a Summer cold. The last thing I felt like doing was reading.

 

They show to the right of your cache find count on cache log entries, for now anyway.

Edited August 29, 2011 by DragonsWest

[+Max and 99]

How can I find out which challenges another geocacher has completed? I see the number of challenges they have completed, but can't seem to find out which ones. Am I missing it, or is this not available?

[+CanadianRockies]

How can I find out which challenges another geocacher has completed? I see the number of challenges they have completed, but can't seem to find out which ones. Am I missing it, or is this not available?

This is not available...as far as I can see.

[+Fandango739]

Hi,

I am a tad confused on one point. Are the challenges coordinate-distance restricted like normal caches (.10 miles from another cache) or are they able to be placed near existing physical caches? Or even near another challenge?

Many thanks,

Fandango739

[+Max and 99]

As far as I know, there is no distance requirement for challenges! If I'm wrong, I hope to be promptly corrected.

[+CanadianRockies]

Are the challenges coordinate-distance restricted like normal caches (.10 miles from another cache) or are they able to be placed near existing physical caches?

Jeremy has stated that the saturation guidelines (and many other guidelines) don't apply to challenges because they do not involve containers.

[+Castle Mischief]

Are the challenges coordinate-distance restricted like normal caches (.10 miles from another cache) or are they able to be placed near existing physical caches?

Jeremy has stated that the saturation guidelines (and many other guidelines) don't apply to challenges because they do not involve containers.

 

Has any official word been spoken in regards to agenda and commercial challenges?

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Are the challenges coordinate-distance restricted like normal caches (.10 miles from another cache) or are they able to be placed near existing physical caches?

Jeremy has stated that the saturation guidelines (and many other guidelines) don't apply to challenges because they do not involve containers.

 

Has any official word been spoken in regards to agenda and commercial challenges?

 

I asked the same question a week ago and although I didn't get an "official" answer the more generic answer is that agenda and commercial challenges fall under the community review umbrella. If a challenge has an agenda or is commercial in nature it's up to the community to give it a thumbs down. There is, however, no category for agenda/commercial when flagging a cache. I'm also somewhat surprised that legality is not explicitly listed as an option for flagging a challenge.

[+Team Taran]

When it appears that the only purpose for the challenge is commercial or an agenda, I flag it as spam. For example go to xyz coffee shop and order a latte and take a picture of it. A challenge that asked to go to the original Starbucks location and take a picture of the plaque would probably not be flagged as spam but might get a thumbs down. Jeremy mentioned in an interview I think on Podcacher that he thought that community review would allow more flexibility in applying these guidelines in a less black and white way.

 

If I was aware that a challenge required doing something illegal, I would flag it as prohibited. This is broader than illegal but seems to include it.

Edited August 29, 2011 by Team Taran

[+CanadianRockies]

Do the geocache placement guidelines against saturation and commercial caches apply?

 

Since Challenges have no physical container, there is no guideline on the distance from each other or from geocaches. Regarding commercial content or other agendas, it is up to the community to decide whether a Challenge is appropriate or not. There is a "spam" flag option for this reason.

The above comment from the Challenges FAQ page appears to address the following three issues:

 

Has any official word been spoken in regards to agenda and commercial challenges?

There is, however, no category for agenda/commercial when flagging a cache.

Are the challenges coordinate-distance restricted like normal caches (.10 miles from another cache) or are they able to be placed near existing physical caches?

Edited August 29, 2011 by CanadianRockies

[+tozainamboku]

There is, however, no category for agenda/commercial when flagging a cache. I'm also somewhat surprised that legality is not explicitly listed as an option for flagging a challenge.

Challenges can be flagged as spam. My guess is that commercial and agenda is allowed but if the community feels it rises to the level a spam (blantant advertising) they can flag it.

 

I would think illegal challenges would be flagged as prohibited.

[+Castle Mischief]

Do the geocache placement guidelines against saturation and commercial caches apply?

 

Since Challenges have no physical container, there is no guideline on the distance from each other or from geocaches. Regarding commercial content or other agendas, it is up to the community to decide whether a Challenge is appropriate or not. There is a "spam" flag option for this reason.

 

Ah. Thanks for that. They must have added that when they added the spam option for the flags.

 

...or else it was always there and I didn't retain it. It's all 5x5.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

There is, however, no category for agenda/commercial when flagging a cache. I'm also somewhat surprised that legality is not explicitly listed as an option for flagging a challenge.

Challenges can be flagged as spam. My guess is that commercial and agenda is allowed but if the community feels it rises to the level a spam (blantant advertising) they can flag it.

 

I would think illegal challenges would be flagged as prohibited.

 

It seems to me that the drop down select list could have included Commercial and Agenda as options even if they resolved to the same value.

 

When flagging a challenge it includes Prohibited, Spam, Offensive or Unplayable. It doesn't explain what prohibited means. On the FAQ page for Challenges, for the "How do I report a challenge that is inappropriate?" section it has the following"

 

"On each Challenge page there is a link to flag the Challenge as spam, unplayable or for offensive or prohibited content. If a Challenge is flagged enough times it becomes permanently unavailable."

 

It mentions "prohibited content" which implies that the content of the challenge page (not the challenge itself) is the context for prohibited. Presumably, because the guidelines for placing a geocache specifically mention that it must comply to all local laws one could assume that a challenge that asks others to do something illegal would be prohibited but there are a *lot* of guidelines which must be met for placing a traditional cache that do not apply to challenges.

 

When a challenge *is* archived, it shows the following:

 

This Challenge was flagged as inappropriate by the Geocaching community and has been automatically archived. This may be for one or more of the following guidelines:

 

* Location-specific

 

The location of a challenge should be directly related to the action. "Take a picture of yourself with the Eiffel Tower" is location-specific, while "Take pictures of the night sky in Seattle" or "Find this/a geocache" are not. The goal of Challenges, and Geocaching, is to explore the world around you.

 

There should only be one location where you can complete the challenge. Worldwide Challenges are only issued by Groundspeak, but you can recommend new Worldwide Challenges on our feedback site

* Straightforward

 

The Challenge should be easy to understand and not too complicated to do.

* Appropriate

 

Keep Challenges clean so it reflects the family-friendliness of Geocaching.

* Fun!

 

Like geocaching, Challenges should be a light and fun activity. Create Challenges that reflect this.

 

There is nothing in there about what is prohibited, though it does say that a cache can be flagged as inappropriate if it's not appropriate. Basically, GS is asking the community to be post-creation reviewers but hasn't been real clear about the criteria for review.

[+Team Taran]

If Groundspeak thought it was possible to develop objective, universal guidelines for the challenges, I expect they would have created hard and fast guidelines and "hired" volunteers to apply them. They are asking the community to create them. Each individual decides what location specific or spam means and acts on their decision. The results should be acceptable to the community. Those who don't care, don't participate. Also I expect that it may well be that different regions may develop different guidelines and I expect the guidelines will evolve.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Team Taran

[+Cool Cow Cachers]

 

Has any official word been spoken in regards to agenda and commercial challenges?

 

Anyone who attended the GS Blockparty last weekend knows that 4 of the 5 challenges there were basically advertisements for the local businesses. That seems like a pretty official statement to me.