Cache Review Times to get published

September 26, 2011

I'm new to caching. Just hid my first cache on Friday, I followed all the instructions, haven't heard a peep from whoever is reviewing it. Just curious, since I'm new, is this normal to go 72 hours+? Who becomes a volunteer reviewer and what is their process once they get the info? Do they physically go find it first, or just review the maps/coordinates, etc. from their computer? Curuious as heck how it works behind what I can see. How patient should I be?

2.8k · September 26, 2011

They just review your forum making sure everything falls within the guidelines. They also check the maps to ensure your cache is at least .1 miles from any other caches.

The reviewers try to review the caches in there que within 3 days. But they are volunteers and have a life outside of caching so they may not be able to get to it right away. If you didn't activate the listing then the reviewer won't see it. So go over your submission again and make sure everything is filled out right and activated.

8.3k · September 26, 2011

I'm new to caching. Just hid my first cache on Friday, I followed all the instructions, haven't heard a peep from whoever is reviewing it. Just curious, since I'm new, is this normal to go 72 hours+? Who becomes a volunteer reviewer and what is their process once they get the info? Do they physically go find it first, or just review the maps/coordinates, etc. from their computer? Curuious as heck how it works behind what I can see. How patient should I be?

The reviewers are all volunteers. You submitted on Friday and perhaps your reviewer was involved with family over the weekend. If I am counting correctly your 72 hour window does not expire until Monday, so give it a bit more time. The reviewers do not physically go and check the cache. They check over the listing for guideline compliance and, or course, the placement for saturation compliance. When you submitted your submission goes into a queue sorted by GC number. The reviewers work on the queue on a first in first out basis. One thing to check, did you check the box that said enable listing? If this is not checked your submission will not go into the review queue.

6.7k · September 26, 2011

Not normal, but it does happen.

They do NOT go out and inspect every cache placement. That would not be possible. They have many tools including maps and databases and most importantly that bit of grey matter between their ears.

Usually when a first time hider has problems it is something simple. Did you leave the box "Enable cache listing" ticked?

1.1k · September 26, 2011

They just review your forum

I hope they review your form if they review the forum posts there are those who would never be approved. :laughing:

Edited September 26, 2011 by captnemo

6.7k · September 26, 2011

I hope they don't review my form. It ain't what it was when I was younger. :laughing:

Oh! You meant the new cache submission form!

4.4k · September 26, 2011

Am I the only one who, upon reading that title (with its particular capitalization), thought that a new magazine or ezine was about to be published?

That would've been interesting.

This is an old topic.

September 26, 2011

Thanks for the responses. I've triple checked my listing and the enabled box is checked. I guess I'll just continue to wait. Sorry for the capitalization confusion in my post. :lol:

8.6k · September 26, 2011

Thanks for the responses. I've triple checked my listing and the enabled box is checked. I guess I'll just continue to wait. Sorry for the capitalization confusion in my post.

Rather than just wait, make sure there are no issues.

The reviewer generally does not "contact" you via email. They post a note on the cache page. Have you checked the cache page?

Ya gots to check the page if'n you go over the 72 hours.

7.3k · September 26, 2011

I'm new to caching. Just hid my first cache on Friday, I followed all the instructions, haven't heard a peep from whoever is reviewing it. Just curious, since I'm new, is this normal to go 72 hours+? Who becomes a volunteer reviewer and what is their process once they get the info? Do they physically go find it first, or just review the maps/coordinates, etc. from their computer? Curuious as heck how it works behind what I can see. How patient should I be?

You might like to read section 4. Review Process: Hiding a Geocache of the Knowledge Books:

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=1

The service goal is to have the cache listing reviewed within 72 hours of submission. That doesn't necessarily mean published within that time frame.

September 26, 2011

The only time I can think of that the reviewer took a bit more time to review my cache is if there were issues that he/she needed to address. That's a dead giveaway for me. Longer than a few days...and I'd better go back to the page to see what might be making the poor person scratch their chin.

Usually it's something simple. Just go back to the page and make sure that there isn't anything that might raise a red flag. (agendas, distance from another cache, business names on the page...etc)

2.1k · September 27, 2011

You know what would be totally cool? It would be totally cool if the forum had some kind of a search feature, so when people have a question that has been asked a million times before, they could read the answers that have already been posted instead of waiting for people to post new answers.

Oh, wait....

OK then, how about this: it would be totally cool if there was some kind of a posting pinned at the top of the forum that answered all of the frequently asked questions. Maybe call it something like "References and Help."

Oh.

Nevermind.

9.2k · September 27, 2011

You know what would be totally cool? It would be totally cool if the forum had some kind of a search feature, so when people have a question that has been asked a million times before, they could read the answers that have already been posted instead of waiting for people to post new answers.

Oh, wait....

OK then, how about this: it would be totally cool if there was some kind of a posting pinned at the top of the forum that answered all of the frequently asked questions. Maybe call it something like "References and Help."

Oh.

Nevermind.

:rolleyes:

:laughing:

1.8k · September 27, 2011

Hey Ccaster, welcome to the game!

Sounds like you are doing the right thing. It's true that the reviewers don't physically check the cache - the 72 hour rule of thumb is mostly to allow for the fact that as volunteers the reviewers have to squeeze in cache publication when they can. The weekends can be funny - some reviewers use weekends as a time to get a lot of cache-related business taken care of, while others may reserve the weekends for family time and table their publication duties for a day or two.

Waiting for a response from the reviewer for the first two or three days is fine. (Although the reviewer would likely leave a note on the cache page if there were any issues, you shouldn't *have* to check the cache page to see it because as the cache owner all logs to your cache get delivered to your email address). At this point it's Tuesday night and it doesn't look to me like your cache has been published, so I'd consider dropping your reviewer a polite note asking if there's anything you've missed. You may not know who the reviewer is assigned to your area, but from spot-checking a few finds I am guessing it is Old CU - a contact page is here: http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=7c830f4b-c9a5-4b33-9984-1a3df48ee114 (clicking on the email address will bring up a geocaching.com email form, which is the generally preferred way to message a reviewer directly).

Good luck! If it turns out that there were some problems with the listing that you aren't sure about, report back here and I'll see what I can do to help you figure out what's going on. (And don't worry about the occasional snarky response you'll get in these forums - I see a few in the above replies, but know that there really are a bunch of people here who are eager to help out new players.)

Cache on -

2k · September 27, 2011

You know what would be totally cool? It would be totally cool if the forum had some kind of a search feature, so when people have a question that has been asked a million times before, they could read the answers that have already been posted instead of waiting for people to post new answers.

Oh, wait....

OK then, how about this: it would be totally cool if there was some kind of a posting pinned at the top of the forum that answered all of the frequently asked questions. Maybe call it something like "References and Help."

Oh.

Nevermind.

And maybe someone could write a knowledge book about such things, especially since we now apparently agree to them when we submit caches.

5k · September 28, 2011

You know what would be totally cool? It would be totally cool if the forum had some kind of a search feature, so when people have a question that has been asked a million times before, they could read the answers that have already been posted instead of waiting for people to post new answers.

Oh, wait....

OK then, how about this: it would be totally cool if there was some kind of a posting pinned at the top of the forum that answered all of the frequently asked questions. Maybe call it something like "References and Help."

Oh.

Nevermind.

Even better, a list of the most current topics so that we can see a redundant one, and not open it.

Oh, wait...

September 28, 2011

Thank you Addisonbr. That was kind of you and helpful. I've checked everything on my form very very carefully, I've been checking the log for any comments from the reviewer, so I took your advice and e-mailed Old CU. Hopefully, it will all get resolved soon and I won't feel so out of sorts about the whole process.

October 3, 2011

Still can't get my cache published and it's been sitting there since Sept. 23. I contacted OldCU, as suggested and very nicely asked what I can do to get my cache published. the response I got was "I just went through and either approved them all or disabled them, with the exception of a select few. If I did not publish yours, let me know and I will track it down for you." So I responded, mine still was not published and no response. It shouldn't be this hard, should it? :mad:

October 3, 2011

Oh, and I've checked my form numerous times, as suggested, the enabled box is checked and no reviewer has made any post comments.

1.8k · October 3, 2011

Still can't get my cache published and it's been sitting there since Sept. 23. I contacted OldCU, as suggested and very nicely asked what I can do to get my cache published. the response I got was "I just went through and either approved them all or disabled them, with the exception of a select few. If I did not publish yours, let me know and I will track it down for you." So I responded, mine still was not published and no response. It shouldn't be this hard, should it?

It shouldn't be... but weird things happen. Can you do me a favor? Can you please take a screenshot for me of the page where you edit the info for your cache, and shoot it over to me in email (might take a couple of screenshots)? Contact me through my profile and I'll shoot you back my email address. I am thinking that there is something funky that is checked or not checked or blank or *something* that we just aren't thinking of, and maybe by looking at the form as best I can I'll be able to spot it.

We'll get it figured out. If Old CU hasn't published it or added any comments to it, my best guess is that it's because Old CU hasn't seen it - I just need to try to figure out why that is.

October 4, 2011

I wonder if a new person to the forums, might be a little unfamiliar with all the pages that are out there, might be insulted by some people who instead of trying to help them make fun of them. Great job to Addisonbr for going the distance to help a new person out. I would assume that ccaster is like a few others of us who when they released there first cache were a little nervous about if they did everything right. What some people really want is just to make sure they are not forgetting something.

October 4, 2011

Ash, I'm not insulted at all by any of the comments. I would agree that I am unfamiliar with where I should have placed this original post, but I'm glad it turned out this way. I was so lost and concerned -- I was glad to get any/all responses! I was nervous - read all the instructions twice before submitting my cache, checked everything multiple times and then when I didn't hear from a reviewer or get published, I got concerned. Still am -- but Addisonbr (to the rescue), is going above and beyond to help me get my issue resolved. It's just going to take a little more time to figure out what went wrong. I do appreciate those that recognize I'm new - everyone remembers their first.

7.3k · October 4, 2011

You should be contacting the reviewer. The rest of us are just guessing at what could be the problem. Contacting the reviewer should give you the answers you need.

4.2. Publication of Caches

It's been over 3 days. Why isn't my cache published yet?

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=81

October 4, 2011

Thanks Pup, Did that, but no results. It will all work out, I'm sure.

October 4, 2011

As I browsed through this thread one question came to mind: Have you gone to the very bottom of your cache page listing and checked the "Logged visits" section to see if there are any notes from your reviewer there? If the reviewer has an issue with your cache he/she would have disabled it and there would be a note there explaining why. As a cache owner you should have received an email with this information as well but it may very well have ended up in your junk folder.

October 4, 2011

Thanks Team Dennis - yep, I've been checking the log multiple times a day since I listed it for review. I know I enabled it in the check box, I got the e-mail response as soon as I listed it, I've contacted the reviewer (but that's not going any where yet). I have to say addisonbr has been my best life line so far. . . Hopefully soon we'll get to the bottom of the mystery. When it finally get's published I'll be jumping up and down and happy!! Thanks to everyone for suggestions and follow up. We'll get there. . . If anyone is in Lenexa, Kansas reading this, just go out and start looking for it. Ha Ha! :lol:

October 4, 2011

I'm a little surprised that someone like Keystone or mtn-man have not weighed in on this. Usually when there is a "my cache is not being reviewed" thread they will take a look and see if they can figure out what the problem is. They are both mod/reviewers that can find an unpublished caches and will give there insights as to why they think it's not being published or what the hold up might be. I could be wrong, bu tI think it is true even if the release this cache box is unchecked, you say yours is (and I don't doubt you) so I would think they would be able to find it.

Maybe that's part of the problem. Some weird database issue is keeping the reviewers from seeing it. Maybe if you just copied and pasted the descrition and reposted a new cache it would get released right away...

1.3k · October 5, 2011

Maybe that's part of the problem. Some weird database issue is keeping the reviewers from seeing it. Maybe if you just copied and pasted the descrition and reposted a new cache it would get released right away...

That would be my suggestion as well. From the response you received from your reviewer, your cache submission never showed up in his queue. It sounds like it took a left instead of a right and is now headed for Mars. Resubmit it as a new cache and if/when it gets reviewed, you can archive the other listing.

21.9k · October 5, 2011

This submission is properly awaiting review in the Kansas queue of listings that are not on hold. The cache owner is contacting the correct reviewer. There are no obvious listing guideline issues.

The cache owner should follow up by writing to Groundspeak as explained in the Knowledge Book helpfully linked to above.

There's no point in speculating about database errors, unchecked boxes, etc. The listing appears simply to have been overlooked. This does happen sometimes and I do regret the delay in service.

2k · October 5, 2011

Anyone else see the irony here?

Normally we see posts about late publishing/reviewer error and it turns out to be an impatient hider with a cache that has been initially reviewed but has errors/problems.

Here we have a cache that was really overlooked but one of the most patient, easy going hiders I've seen in a long time.

This guy (gal) is a poster child for how these concerns should be brought up

Bravo!

October 5, 2011

Thank's GeoBain and Keystone! Soon, I hope, soon!

7.7k · October 7, 2011

Congratulations!

http://coord.info/GC34NP8

5k · October 7, 2011

Congratulations!

http://coord.info/GC34NP8

Ccaster,

So happy to see you graduate to the status of cache ownership.

Something DID go wrong here. In fact, in my six years, I have never heard of a cache get lost as yours did. Your attitude about the whole experience has been very refreshing.

By the way, one of our very favorite, and almost famous local cachers started out hiding caches named "The Lonely [thing]". Over the years, we have played on the theme.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Don_J

1.8k · October 7, 2011

Boom!

Congratulations Ccaster. It has to be refreshing!

You did the right thing by bringing this situation to the forums, and I applaud your ability to stay positive (and to look past a few of the posts). There is a ton of information out there and it can be a lot to sift through - I hope to see you back here again if something else comes up you're not entirely sure about (or, if you just want to talk geocaching).

Welcome to the club!

October 7, 2011

Thanks to everyone who replied and helped me! I appreciate it all so much!! It's been published just in time for the weekend cachers to get out there and find it. I'm doing a happy snoopy dance this morning!

Thanks again, this has been an experience and I'm looking forward to #2, but I think I'll wait a bit. :lol:

Cache Review Times to get published

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