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Lost a Good One


cosninocanines

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CO Last entry…11/13/11

Having been informed by Groundspeak that I can no longer require photographic proof of a visit to the site, while virtuals/challenges are back and you can require some one to get a photo with a flag pole, I am archiving my earthcaches because it is too simple to find the answers on other earthcaches listed after this one as well as online.

 

I hate this, but I will not let them be used as armchair caches : per Nicole / Groundspeak.

 

Thank you for your response. I am asking if you could please update the EarthCache to follow the current guidelines. You can change the questions and make it more difficult to prove they were actually there without taking a picture or finding information online.

 

Challenges are completely different and another aspect of the game to go outside and play. We are not asking users to play the game in specific ways, only giving more options.

 

OK… NOW I’M A BIT CONFUSED HERE.

1. Could someone explain to me how a photograph can be a required element in one type of cache but not another while both are containerless caches?

2. Also could someone please “translate” the intention or meaning of the last two sentences…Are not ALL CACHES part of a GAME?

It is starting to look to me as though Earthcaching is going downhill.

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I totally understand your feelings. I'm also confused on how the cache owner felt that a picture of my GPS would demonstrate some learning experience :laughing:

GC10DM8 Waving in the Coyotes

 

Granted the photo is not the only requirement here:

 

Please email me the estimated Depth and Width of the bowl at this area. Estimate means best guess, no surveying required, but your GPS can be used for the guesses

 

Perhaps since this is a “permit only access site” the CO may have been extremely liimited as to what are “acceptable” tasks.

 

BTW.. most finds appear to contain photos anyway so just why is it an issue on this one?

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The hike into the Wave is approximately 3 miles. It's hard to believe that the cache owner could not avail themselves of a better opportunity to demonstrate some Geologic lesson beyond measuring the depth and width of a single feature along the route.

 

The only issue with the photo is that appears to be a "Requirement". I've seen many Listings since the Guideline update that have very polite requests for photos without a single issue.

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The hike into the Wave is approximately 3 miles. It's hard to believe that the cache owner could not avail themselves of a better opportunity to demonstrate some Geologic lesson beyond measuring the depth and width of a single feature along the route.The only issue with the photo is that appears to be a "Requirement". I've seen many Listings since the Guideline update that have very polite requests for photos without a single issue.

Keep in mind you’re dealing /a federal govrnment agency. They know they have the upper hand and can severely limit what is envovled in an EC.

The required photo for a “Challenge” is in direct conflict w/the expressed non-photo requirement for Earthcaches. Thus the rub…

This is where I become confused on the photo issue and the response from Groundspeak futher muddys the waters. Does not the photo confirm visitation in both cases?

BTW... We here in PA have lost a number of geocaches in state parks since the have impossed a fee for the sake of making a quick buck... Gotta love government...

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Hey guys. There are no answers. Who said GS has to be consistent? I still believe that GS doesn't believe that ECs are "mainstream" geocaches, but they are sort of an oddity. Kinda like someone's crazy uncle. If you dig far enough in the forum archives, you can find where photos can be still be required for an EC log under certain circumstances. It not clear as to what those circumstances are. At the time of the discussion it was as clear as looking through a foot thick block of sandstone. I guess GSA got out voted by GS. Who knows. This is one of the reasons I have sort of given up on developing ECs. I hate inconsistency.

I gave up on the photo argument a long time ago!

:ph34r:

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Hey guys. There are no answers. Who said GS has to be consistent? I still believe that GS doesn't believe that ECs are "mainstream" geocaches, but they are sort of an oddity. Kinda like someone's crazy uncle. If you dig far enough in the forum archives, you can find where photos can be still be required for an EC log under certain circumstances. It not clear as to what those circumstances are. At the time of the discussion it was as clear as looking through a foot thick block of sandstone. I guess GSA got out voted by GS. Who knows. This is one of the reasons I have sort of given up on developing ECs. I hate inconsistency.

I gave up on the photo argument a long time ago!

:ph34r:

 

I fully understand… It seems that since the 1st of this year many EC issues, have been made as clear as 18 lb. drilling mud and the only consistency is inconsistency itself. Many cachers in my area are disappointed w/developing ECs and as a result have given up. If it wasn’t for the positive responses I’ve received, I too would have done so as well. So, as of now I’m truly sitting on the fence w/ECs.

I’ve caught wind of something known a Opencaching, perhaps it’s time to look into it a bit more?

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Hey guys. There are no answers. Who said GS has to be consistent? I still believe that GS doesn't believe that ECs are "mainstream" geocaches, but they are sort of an oddity. Kinda like someone's crazy uncle. If you dig far enough in the forum archives, you can find where photos can be still be required for an EC log under certain circumstances. It not clear as to what those circumstances are. At the time of the discussion it was as clear as looking through a foot thick block of sandstone. I guess GSA got out voted by GS. Who knows. This is one of the reasons I have sort of given up on developing ECs. I hate inconsistency.

I gave up on the photo argument a long time ago!

:ph34r:

 

I fully understand… It seems that since the 1st of this year many EC issues, have been made as clear as 18 lb. drilling mud and the only consistency is inconsistency itself. Many cachers in my area are disappointed w/developing ECs and as a result have given up. If it wasn’t for the positive responses I’ve received, I too would have done so as well. So, as of now I’m truly sitting on the fence w/ECs.

I’ve caught wind of something known a Opencaching, perhaps it’s time to look into it a bit more?

 

Opencaching doesn't have earthcaches. 99% of the caches listed on it are copied from this site anyway.. it's an incomplete, imperfect clone of this site.

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True... but they are virtuals are they not? Perhaps the requirments could be used much like answering the questions in the old virts? To the best of my knowledge there doesn't appear to be any limitations on types of caches say waterfalls, springs and others.

 

I don't think soliciting for other geocaching sites is a good idea. Just saying.

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To the best of my knowledge there doesn't appear to be any limitations on types of caches say waterfalls...

 

Kind of off topic, but I completely agree. I've even taken advantage of this aspect of Challenges myself, where duplicate EC's already existed. No harm, no foul in my book. It's still an interesting spot that I'm sure people will enjoy.

 

Do I miss not being the "owner" of the Challenge and policing the log entries. Ya, about as much as a toothache :anibad:

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Hey guys. There are no answers. Who said GS has to be consistent? I still believe that GS doesn't believe that ECs are "mainstream" geocaches, but they are sort of an oddity. Kinda like someone's crazy uncle. If you dig far enough in the forum archives, you can find where photos can be still be required for an EC log under certain circumstances. It not clear as to what those circumstances are. At the time of the discussion it was as clear as looking through a foot thick block of sandstone. I guess GSA got out voted by GS. Who knows. This is one of the reasons I have sort of given up on developing ECs. I hate inconsistency.

I gave up on the photo argument a long time ago!

:ph34r:

 

I fully understand… It seems that since the 1st of this year many EC issues, have been made as clear as 18 lb. drilling mud and the only consistency is inconsistency itself. Many cachers in my area are disappointed w/developing ECs and as a result have given up. If it wasn’t for the positive responses I’ve received, I too would have done so as well. So, as of now I’m truly sitting on the fence w/ECs.

I’ve caught wind of something known a Opencaching, perhaps it’s time to look into it a bit more?

 

I don't think the photo requirement is that complicated. Don't request photos anymore, unless it's to record something unique.

A photo of you and your GPS? No

A photo of an outcrop? No, as it will always be pretty much the same photo and doesn't add to the learning.

A photo of a tidal wave passing though a narrow gorge? Possibly as it will be different every day depending on the moon and other factors. I suppose you could make a question asking for a photo of such wave and ask the cacher why he thinks this wave has such height/shape/whatever at the very moment the photo was taken. (leaves the question if tides are a suitable topic for an EarthCache anyway, but I can't come up with a better example at the moment. I guess it shows that there aren't many occasions where you can actually ask for a photo. :laughing: )

 

Mrs. Terratin

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A good example of where a photo could be requested is to record the retreat of a glacier - when the photo provides a way for one cacher to measure the change from the previous cachers...

 

Requesting a photo of a person (dog, gps, car etc) at a site can only be optional.

 

The vast majority of people are asking for cachers to log a photo as an optional extra - and people seem to be doing it happily.

 

From my reviewer perspective, I no longer have to deal with the many many (many) fights between cachers because of photographs and my guess is many more people left the game because of those fights than because they can't have a photo as a requirement!

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