Recently Viewed Caches

[+edscott]

man oh man, of all the things to gripe about this one has to be the pettiest yet! How many even look at that page often....... arg, crusty grumpy old men just gripe about anything.

It's probably the most viewed page (other than facebook) that I have. It has all the links. I'm not saying it's a horrible feature, but that the placement is bad and I personally have no use for it.

 

Yes a condensed version in the right hand column would work well....

[+edscott]

OMG at those complaining about having to scroll...scrolling is hard labor

 

I believe this is a big issue in web design. The important stuff should go "above the fold" because people don't like scrolling down.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold

 

If the page was full width the fold would be lower.

[+Castle Mischief]

EDIT: Never mind.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Castle Mischief

[+thebruce0]

OMG at those complaining about having to scroll...scrolling is hard labor

I believe this is a big issue in web design. The important stuff should go "above the fold" because people don't like scrolling down.

This.

Speaking as a professional web developer myself, UI and flow is a big issue - seems petty to general laypeople, but design is noticed by all, consciously or subconsciously. There are many elements of gc.com layout I'd personally change, but I've learned to live with. However, the gripes here about this section I feel are legitimate - this was, imo, an unimportant addition to a very widely used and accepted home page on the site, so while backlash might quiet down after a while, it's still the forced acceptance of a feature now in a high priority location on the page, with no customizability or opt-out feature. At the least, a "hide" link would have been one of the first things I'd have added to a new 'block' section on a vertically aligned list page.

 

Is it too hard to ask for a hotfix to allow hiding that section for those who do not want it?

Edited January 19, 2012 by thebruce0

[+Car54]

man oh man, of all the things to gripe about this one has to be the pettiest yet! How many even look at that page often....... arg, crusty grumpy old men just gripe about anything.

 

I'm not crusty. I'm not grumpy. I'm not a man. I may be old, though.

 

I noticed you replied to my question/request on the site update thread as well. I don't believe I "griped", nor did I poke even gentle fun at folks who like the feature. I simply made a polite request that the feature be optional. Please tell me how that is "petty". And FYI, I *do* look at that page often - so often that I have that specific paged bookmarked as an IE fave.

 

Mrs. Car54

not grumpy this morning

Edited January 19, 2012 by Car54

[+Frank Broughton]

haha "not grumpy this morning..... I'm not crusty. I'm not grumpy. I'm not a man. I may be old, though. "

 

That made me laugh out loud for real.

 

Someone has to drive the drivel, I took it to task.

 

Yo Geoff aka thebruce the professional web designer why are all your sites you have listed in your sig using third party WP templates? haha sorry had to ask? scroll down some and see all that white space....

[+thebruce0]

Yo Geoff aka thebruce the professional web designer why are all your sites you have listed in your sig using third party WP templates? haha sorry had to ask? scroll down some and see all that white space....

As this is off topic, yet I simply had to respond since I knew someone would do this (*snarky snort @ Frank*) it'll be my only response (contact me privately for anything further) - A professional web designer is not bound by oath to only program their own websites. A good web designer will also know how to use other tools, and a professional one will likely have a job, or career (if not running their own business), which would require priority of time making the development of their own packages and web systems a rare thing to do, if at all, unless explicitly given priority in non-work spare time - which in my case is taken up with geocaching, blogging, and Life In General. As for me, I maintain a network of my own sites, using tools which I'm in the process of learning in order to customize (such as Wordpress and Mediawiki), and expanding my web-based programming horizons, because everyone always has room for improvement. This is what a professional does and should continue to do on a daily basis, all while making a living

Now back to your regularly scheduled forum angst... (and me back to work; tsk @ self)

/ot

Edited January 19, 2012 by thebruce0

[+TerraViators]

yes, I agree, I think folks should give this feature a chance before condemning it. Aren't you glad to know developers try to give us enhancements on their own and not just the things we asked for. Its not like its a fundamental change or a takeaway.

 

Who's using the feature? Can anyone explain how this is a useful feature for them and how they use it?

See post #31.

[+t4e]

OMG at those complaining about having to scroll...scrolling is hard labor

 

I believe this is a big issue in web design. The important stuff should go "above the fold" because people don't like scrolling down.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold

 

i am all for simple, clutter free pages, but in this case your recent finds are still in a pretty good view there is no need to scroll that much to see the last, at least, 5 logged caches, and that is from where i am standing with a decent size monitor

 

but the issue is being taken care of

 

A few people on here have expressed the desire to not see the last 5 recently viewed cache list on the My Profile page. In our next release there will be an option to hide that section.

 

Going forward we'll try to make these types of things configurable.

 

-Raine

Edited January 19, 2012 by t4e

[+Trucker Lee]

I can see a purpose. When researching a trip, the last caches you looked at before you closed your browser and headed out the door should be gathered right there. Beyond that, no purpose.

[+Castle Mischief]

The simplest thing I can say is that I'd never use it and it's in the way. Nice that in the future I'll be able to make it go away.

[+thebruce0]

The simplest thing I can say is that I'd never use it and it's in the way. Nice that in the future I'll be able to make it go away.

That is a nice thing for you to say; it's good you said it in that way.

It can be useful for some who may use it productively for their geocaching play.

Many of us aren't mad that it there lay, just happy to soon have the option for it to stay!

(thank ye thank ye, I'll be here all day)

[knowschad]

I can see a purpose. When researching a trip, the last caches you looked at before you closed your browser and headed out the door should be gathered right there. Beyond that, no purpose.

 

Or you could have bookmarked them.

[+NanCycle]

YUCK! Get rid of it!!

Add Block to the rescue.

 

Thanks, but. . . .I have no clue what to do with this.

[+SwineFlew]

OMG at those complaining about having to scroll...scrolling is hard labor

 

I believe this is a big issue in web design. The important stuff should go "above the fold" because people don't like scrolling down.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold

I havent... I view so many cache pages and by the time I need it, its long gone.

 

GS, stop having a good time up in Seattle and do something useful for us paying members. We are all paying you. You know we dont go anywhere because you own the market shares but dont abuse it because it will backfire.

[+Lil Devil]

I don't like it. It gets in the way. Has anyone asked for this feature in the feedback forums?

 

Is there a greasemonkey script available to suppress the "Recently Viewed Caches" list?

Lil' Devil HELP!

see the ABP post by dfx.

I'm flattered you thought of me, but I'm just not seeing 5 logs as that obtrusive, and I've used some of the links several times now. The Ad Block Plus solution is really a good one. Besides, then you won't see all those ads on all the other sites you visit.

[AZcachemeister]

All I can say is http://www.geocaching.com/my/default.aspx is no longer my browser homepage.

 

Someday, when it is customizable to show me what I think is important, it might become my homepage again.

 

I'd still like to know where they got the idea to do this in the first place.

[jholly]

I'd still like to know where they got the idea to do this in the first place.

Nobody requested it so it was something they could do without actually having to do something we want.

[+Frank Broughton]

All I can say is http://www.geocachin...my/default.aspx is no longer my browser homepage.

 

Someday, when it is customizable to show me what I think is important, it might become my homepage again.

 

I'd still like to know where they got the idea to do this in the first place.

 

Too funny!

[+Lil Devil]

All I can say is http://www.geocaching.com/my/default.aspx is no longer my browser homepage.

 

Someday, when it is customizable to show me what I think is important, it might become my homepage again.

I suggest this page to be your new homepage. That's what I designed it for. It's even customizable

 

BTW I'm open to suggestions of other links to add to the static sections of the page.

[+Romir]

I do not like it, because it has no added value for me (it is containing my last logged mainly).

Maybe to have it somewhere else as specific view can be usefull.

I guess they want to do as many changes on pages as possible to:

1) show they are doing somenthing

2) block 3rd party applications developped to grab and parse pages

And as it is easier to provide this feature than something really useful, they do so.

[Dulce-Joy]

I vote for a toggle switch to be able to turn on and off the display for 'Recently Viewed' caches. --Dulce-Joy

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I vote for a toggle switch to be able to turn on and off the display for 'Recently Viewed' caches. --Dulce-Joy

 

There was a suggesting made in the now-defunct feedback site that I and several others commented on that would effectively do what you're asking for and much more.

 

It would require a fairly significant amount of development (but probably less than, say, developing Challenges) but essentially it would be to turn the "My Profile" page into something more like iGoogle. If you think of the various pieces on that page as a block of content (or one might call them widgets) you the current page has blocks for "Recently Viewed Caches", "Last 30 Logs", a block that has "Hello, {user name" and your basic stats, the stat bar, favorites, Search Options, premium features, account options, your gps, user routes, field notes, geocache google earth viewer, and your inventory. Now, think of wrapping each of those blocks with a "box" which has controls in the same manner that iGoogle works. It could have collapse/expand controls for hiding/showing content within a block, and perhaps an edit control that could be used to "delete" the block from your MyProfile page (I find the "Hello, {username} and bar sections to be redundant). Each of the "blocks" or "widgets" could be kept in a "Widget Library" so that one could Add or Remove a widget at will. The page itself could have a two column layout (under the navigation bars and above the footer) and adding a widget would place that block of content at the bottom of the left column. Clicking and holding on the title bar for a widget would allow you to drag and drop the widget anywhere in the two column layout. So, for example, a quick click and drag could reverse location on the page of the "Last 30 Logs" and "Recently Found Caches" widgets. Of course, the layout of the page would have to be saved so that it's the same when you come back to the page. A design like this would would also open the opportunity to create a lot of other "widgets" such as a local map of unfound caches, a list of the 10 nearest caches not yet found, a Challenges widget, etc. etc. If the Geocaching API becomes more open to casual developers community contributed widgets could be developed and made available throught the widget library.

Although I haven't developed a Google gadget (what I'm calling a widget here) the code is typically pretty simple.

[+L0ne.R]

I vote for a toggle switch to be able to turn on and off the display for 'Recently Viewed' caches. --Dulce-Joy

 

essentially it would be to turn the "My Profile" page into something more like iGoogle. If you think of the various pieces on that page as a block of content (or one might call them widgets) you the current page has blocks for "Recently Viewed Caches", "Last 30 Logs", a block that has "Hello, {user name" and your basic stats, the stat bar, favorites, Search Options, premium features, account options, your gps, user routes, field notes, geocache google earth viewer, and your inventory.

 

That's how it's done on Atlas Quest (the letterboxing database). I customize "My Page". I click the "Add Widgets" button and add boxes I'm interested in. I can drag the boxes around so that the boxes I use most often are at the top of the page.

 

[+Frank Broughton]

That is nice!

[AZcachemeister]

All I can say is http://www.geocachin...my/default.aspx is no longer my browser homepage.

 

Someday, when it is customizable to show me what I think is important, it might become my homepage again.

 

I'd still like to know where they got the idea to do this in the first place.

 

Too funny!

 

Yeah, I know...I should live so long.

 

But, I do recall such an idea was actually considered as a good one by the Jeremy...at one time.

[AZcachemeister]

I vote for a toggle switch to be able to turn on and off the display for 'Recently Viewed' caches. --Dulce-Joy

 

essentially it would be to turn the "My Profile" page into something more like iGoogle. If you think of the various pieces on that page as a block of content (or one might call them widgets) you the current page has blocks for "Recently Viewed Caches", "Last 30 Logs", a block that has "Hello, {user name" and your basic stats, the stat bar, favorites, Search Options, premium features, account options, your gps, user routes, field notes, geocache google earth viewer, and your inventory.

 

That's how it's done on Atlas Quest (the letterboxing database). I customize "My Page". I click the "Add Widgets" button and add boxes I'm interested in. I can drag the boxes around so that the boxes I use most often are at the top of the page.

 

 

I guess that's what you can expect with a 100 year head-start.