Blue Sky Thinking: Make Geocaching Better?

[+Trail Slider]

This is a simple question that I haven't seen raised yet: How can geocaching be made better? I mean "better" as more fun and interesting.

 

Don't limit yourself to practical concerns, rather, if you rubbed an ammo can, a genie popped out, and granted you three wishes (it must be a three-stage multi-cache), what would you wish for? The reason I ask is that maybe some of our community can make wishes come true.

 

This isn't a place for discussing what you don't like (as in "I wish we could get rid of..."), but what would be cool if it really happened. I might have a thought or two, but I'd like to see what others think first.

[+mpilchfamily]

Aren't all the ideas to improve Geocaching being discussed and voted on in the Feedback Forum?

[+Trail Slider]

The feedback forum seems focused on the geocaching web site. I'm generally thinking beyond the web site.

[knowschad]

It would be really cool if I put $10 worth of swag in my new cache, and a year later, it had $11 worth of swag in it!

[+mpilchfamily]

Allot of it has to do with the guidelines. If some guidelines and the site don't change then Geocaching in regards to GS doesn't change. Recently a site update added challenges to the mix which has changed up Geocaching as a whole adding to the hobby.

[+CanadianRockies]

It would be really cool if I put $10 worth of swag in my new cache, and a year later, it had $11 worth of swag in it!

Are you nuts? We're talking about "blue sky" thinking here -- not purple sky.

[+SeekerOfTheWay]

Require all geocaches to have permission or permits. Only hide at scenic or historic locations. Only hide regular sized caches with gigantic logs.

[+FolsomNatural]

I get what you're saying.

I think there are several different approaches.

 

1. Make more interesting containers and puzzles.

Like you find a crank handle, and it pulls a string, and a bucket is lifted

from the bowels of a hollow tree, and music starts playing, and a loaded spring

pops out, and there's good swag and signature items inside, . . . etc.

 

2. Make adventures. Find your favorite hike, say a hill-top on a park trail,

and let the seeker see the vistas, enjoy nature, or provide some kind of historical,

social, or even spiritual reward for making the effort to get there.

 

3.Better rewards. I know you cannot legislate this, but I sure would like to

see caches with VALUE swag inside. Either take nothing or leave something that is

worth $5.00 or more. I've tried this - - leaving some really cool items in the

caches that I am CO for. It's really fun and rewarding for me, but eventually

all the $3 to $5 items are replaced by plastic buttons, paper clips, and broken toys.

I wish we could have a rule where if you want to participate in a particular cache

you have to maintain the quality of the contents.

[+dfx]

Allot of it has to do with the guidelines. If some guidelines and the site don't change then Geocaching in regards to GS doesn't change. Recently a site update added challenges to the mix which has changed up Geocaching as a whole adding to the hobby.

 

Geocaching isn't confined to Groundspeak services only. The Groundspeak guidelines only apply to listings on this website, not on others. Elsewhere, buried caches might be considered perfectly acceptable, for example. Ditto with challenges, they're a Groundspeak thing only and have nothing to do with geocaching per se.

[+mpilchfamily]

Allot of it has to do with the guidelines. If some guidelines and the site don't change then Geocaching in regards to GS doesn't change. Recently a site update added challenges to the mix which has changed up Geocaching as a whole adding to the hobby.

 

Geocaching isn't confined to Groundspeak services only. The Groundspeak guidelines only apply to listings on this website, not on others. Elsewhere, buried caches might be considered perfectly acceptable, for example. Ditto with challenges, they're a Groundspeak thing only and have nothing to do with geocaching per se.

Thats why i mentioned Geocaching in regards to GS. Meaning Geocaching as far as Ground Speak's version of it is concerned.

[+Trracer]

I get what you're saying.

I think there are several different approaches.

 

1. Make more interesting containers and puzzles.

Like you find a crank handle, and it pulls a string, and a bucket is lifted

from the bowels of a hollow tree, and music starts playing, and a loaded spring

pops out, and there's good swag and signature items inside, . . . etc.

 

2. Make adventures. Find your favorite hike, say a hill-top on a park trail,

and let the seeker see the vistas, enjoy nature, or provide some kind of historical,

social, or even spiritual reward for making the effort to get there.

 

3.Better rewards. I know you cannot legislate this, but I sure would like to

see caches with VALUE swag inside. Either take nothing or leave something that is

worth $5.00 or more. I've tried this - - leaving some really cool items in the

caches that I am CO for. It's really fun and rewarding for me, but eventually

all the $3 to $5 items are replaced by plastic buttons, paper clips, and broken toys.

 

I wish we could have a rule where if you want to participate in a particular cache

you have to maintain the quality of the contents.

 

 

Put simply, less quantity - more quality.

[+JL_HSTRE]

Educate cachers to be better and more responsible seekers and COs. Quality not quantity.

[+AmphibianTrackers]

I think it would be awesome if we were contacted with a little message after we have dropped a trackable off in a new location that says thanks for helping this trackable, you moved it x many more miles towards its goal. I think it would be good positive reinforcement for people to keep them moving. Plus, I just like feedback.

 

I think it would be awesome if after someone left some great swag at a cache the next people to come would mention how nice the swag is rather than just logs like "" or "tftc".

 

I think it would be really nice if we had some waterfalls around here that I could put a cache at but in Florida, we are a little limited. We have a water drop off here but I would get people eaten by gators if I put a cache there.

 

I would really appreciate it if our COs were praised more for their efforts. A majority of the caches in my area are placed by just a hand full of people who do a tremendous amount of work to maintain them all. In a blue sky, rainbow and butterfly world, they would get a lot of appreciation for all that dedication.

[+L0ne.R]

Educate cachers to be better and more responsible seekers and COs. Quality not quantity.

 

+1

 

Common mistakes made by new COs:

• poor coordinates
  • not updating poor coordinates when reports come in from finders

  [*]planting on private property

  • parking lots (almost always private property and often caching activity at busy parking lots alarms the general public enough to get the bomb squad called out)

  [*]planting micros because they are cheap to maintain and easy to hide, rather then planting a larger cache that will fit the environment[*]using dollar store containers (made that mistake myself - haven't found one that was watertight, now I use authentic lock n locks and ammo cans)[*]planting too soon, sometimes without ever finding a geocache and without having read the guidelines thoroughly

  • get bored within days of planting their first cache(s) then abandoning them and their listing, making the Reviewer archive the cache

[+Markwell]

You know what? I had a great post with three of the things that bother me.

 

But they were "negative" in nature. They all centered on "remove this new development of what I think is a bad behavior". So I'm replacing that post with this one.

 

Here are the things I want to make geocaching better:

 

More time to pursue this hobby, more interest by those I love to participate in this hobby.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Markwell

[+L0ne.R]

More time to pursue this hobby, more interest by those I love to participate in this hobby.

 

Very positive and I totally agree.

[+Trail Slider]

I have two thoughts around a similar, perhaps the same, theme.

 

The first is getting people more into the CITO concept. When I visit a cache, I try to fill up a plastic shopping bag with trash. If I'm successful, that makes me feel good. If I'm not successful, that makes me feel good too (since there wasn't enough to fill the bag). I wonder if people got "CITO points," if that would spur activity. The more points, the better your karma.

 

The other thought is interweaving geocaching with doing good, as in benefiting charities. How, I don't know yet.

[+CanadianRockies]

The other thought is interweaving geocaching with doing good, as in benefiting charities. How, I don't know yet.

Our local geocaching community has a holiday event every December. We've attended the last two. Both had silent auctions with proceeds going to charity.

[+Ike 13]

Getting GS to change is very hard, getting people to change is very hard, changing your own habits is easy.

 

I think it would be awesome if we were contacted with a little message after we have dropped a trackable off in a new location that says thanks for helping this trackable, you moved it x many more miles towards its goal. I think it would be good positive reinforcement for people to keep them moving. Plus, I just like feedback.

 

I would not like a little cut paste automated message every time I moved a trackable. It would get annoying. BUT if I get a personal email once in a time from a TB owner that would be awesome. In fact I like the idea I may just do this when one of mine get dropped in a cool cache. This is something coin/TB owners could do for people who help the coin on it's true mission

 

I would really appreciate it if our COs were praised more for their efforts. A majority of the caches in my area are placed by just a hand full of people who do a tremendous amount of work to maintain them all. In a blue sky, rainbow and butterfly world, they would get a lot of appreciation for all that dedication.

 

I agree, and as a community it's very easy to do. Write nice logs, award favorite points, have an annual vote on best caches, have a cache placing competition that awards quality.

[+dakboy]

Educate cachers to be better and more responsible seekers and COs. Quality not quantity.

IMHO the best way to do this is to lead by example in your own cache placements, your online logging/reporting, and getting active with "education days" for newbies.

Edited September 20, 2011 by dakboy

[+Team Pixos]

To make my geocaching experience even better, the elimination of winter would be great.

[+dfx]

To make my geocaching experience even better, the elimination of winter would be great.

 

Gets my vote!

[Sivartius]

Not around here! Winter here is when it gets down below 90 degrees. Now, outlawing July and August would really help. No more 110+ degree weather!

[+Catydid]

I think there should be an on-line course, Puzzle Caching 101. I am eliminated from doing puzzle caches because I have no clue how to even begin solving many of them. Talk about elitist--it doesn't get any more elite than this. My town is filled with puzzle caches and they are beyond my capability--and I am not a dummie by any means. So, where is the primer for puzzle caching? I wouldn't have to travel so far if I could do puzzle caches. There, stepping down from soapbox . . . who knows, maybe I wouldn't like them anyway.

[Clan Riffster]

I think there should be an on-line course, Puzzle Caching 101.

Ask and ye shall receive.

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=37f3d8f3-62ba-40ac-b0ef-901807ba9c98

[+dakboy]

To make my geocaching experience even better, the elimination of winter would be great.

To make my geocaching experience even better, the expansion of winter would be great.

[+DanOCan]

This is a simple question that I haven't seen raised yet: How can geocaching be made better? I mean "better" as more fun and interesting.

 

1) An increase in the saturation guideline. 161m is too close.

 

2) A ban on caches in parking lots.

 

3) A lottery win so I could afford to retire and cache all the time.

[+dakboy]

This is a simple question that I haven't seen raised yet: How can geocaching be made better? I mean "better" as more fun and interesting.

 

1) An increase in the saturation guideline. 161m is too close.

 

2) A ban on caches in parking lots.

 

3) A lottery win so I could afford to retire and cache all the time.

 

4) Remembering that the most influential person in making geocaching better for you, is you. Don't like parking lot caches? They're easy to identify long before you get to the parking lot. Just don't go after them.

Edited September 21, 2011 by dakboy

[Clan Riffster]

2) A ban on caches in parking lots.

I wouldn't want a ban on them, but I would like to see Groundspeak enforce their guidelines regarding cache hides on private property. I believe this would result, long term, in the betterment of the game itself, and how it is perceived by the general public. It seems that, lately, every time one of our game pieces gets blown up, research reveals that it was on private property, (such as a business parking lot and/or landscaping), without the business owner's explicit permission.

 

I recognize that having explicit permission will not guarantee a cache will not get blown up, but I think it would help.

 

I also recognize that for every generalization, including mine, there are exceptions. No need to post them.

[+DanOCan]

4) Remembering that the most influential person in making geocaching better for you, is you. Don't like parking lot caches? They're easy to identify long before you get to the parking lot. Just don't go after them.

And, they will be even easier to not go after once I get MY three wishes and ban them.

[+niraD]

And, they will be even easier to not go after once I get MY three wishes and ban them.

Wrong thread:

This isn't a place for discussing what you don't like (as in "I wish we could get rid of..."), but what would be cool if it really happened. I might have a thought or two, but I'd like to see what others think first.

[+Ash McCloud]

#1 I would like each cache to be looked at when it comes to distance. For some things the .10 mile is fine.(Power Trails, Park and Grab) But what about some parks. I think in some parks it would be acceptable to be at 200 feet or 250 feet. Especially if both are across a water source. Or one is on a High Hill and the other is at the bottom. I think sometimes we waste some beautiful neat areas that could hold more caches and let people see more of the beauty. Or what if you are in a little town park that is not huge but instead of hiding only one you could put four in the area that are far enough. I know that I personally never go outside of 120 feet when looking for a cache. Usually don't go outside of 30 feet.

 

#2A I would like Multi's to count as five finds if it is a five part multi. I enjoy them and will continue going for them. But I think this would encourage more to go after them as well as for people hiding them. From what I understand if you have a part somewhere it is now taking the place of where a traditional could go. So this also junks up certain areas.

#2b Make Multi's count as half of their different stops. If odd divide by two and go to lower number. Six part multi = 3 Caches, Five part Multi =2.5= 2 Caches

[+DanOCan]

And, they will be even easier to not go after once I get MY three wishes and ban them.

Wrong thread:

This isn't a place for discussing what you don't like (as in "I wish we could get rid of..."), but what would be cool if it really happened. I might have a thought or two, but I'd like to see what others think first.

 

I have found a fairly large number of parking lot cachess o I'm not talking about something I "don't like" -- I'm talking about something that would make the game better.

If it would make you and the OP happier, let's not spin it as a ban on parking lot caches, let's use the "permission" tact that someone else mentioned.

 

"I wish every cache hidden in a parking lot was required to have explicit permission from the owner and that permission had to be stated directly on the cache page and reviewed on an annual basis."

 

There, that ought to take care of 'em without banning them.

[Clan Riffster]

"I wish every cache hidden in a parking lot was required to have explicit permission from the owner and that permission had to be stated directly on the cache page and reviewed on an annual basis."

Minus the strikethru bit, that seems like an excerpt from the guidelines that Groundspeak ignores.