Your Statistics... is only half the story

6.2k · February 9, 2012

As you'll probably know, Premium Members* have a page called Your Statistics where you can see such details as:

Your Caching Chronology

You've found 5631 caches (5611 distinct) since your first cache find on 20 May 03.

You find the most caches in October and usually on Thursday.

Find Rate 1.7663 caches/day

Longest Streak 13 consecutive days with finds from 19 Jun 09 to 01 Jul 09

Longest Slump 66 consecutive days without a find from 26 Nov 03 to 31 Jan 04

Best Day 119 caches in one day on 21 Dec 11

Best Month 211 caches in June of 2010

Best Year 1254 caches in 2009

And Finds Per Month, Cumulative Finds Per Month and Yearly Breakdown by numbers found.

Then there's:

Finds for Each Day of the Year

You've found caches on 325 of 366 days of the year - with a pretty calendar grid to look at.

Plus:

Cache Types I've Found with another nice diagram, Container Types I've Found, Difficulty and Terrain of Caches I've Found - with the 'famous' 81-square 'D/T Grid'.

Stats conclude with:

My Home Location Statistics

Find Nearest to Home ...... (Cache ID is hidden from other users)

Find Farthest from Home GCE840 - Water Water Everywhere! (New York, United States)

34xx.xxx mi (Cache ID is hidden from other users)

Find Farthest North GC19G7E - Britain's Third Most Remote Event Cache (Unst) (Northern Scotland, United Kingdom)

N 60° 50.184 W 000° 53.134

Find Farthest South GCE840 - Water Water Everywhere! (New York, United States)

N 40° 42.296 W 074° 00.142

Find Farthest East(from Prime Meridian) GCF5D3 - Pine-wood in the Citypark (Budapest, Hungary)

N 47° 30.756 E 019° 05.396

Find Farthest West(from Prime Meridian) GC36ATZ - Countdown to the Geolympix #8 - New York (New York, United States)

N 40° 44.690 W 074° 00.540

Distance to Finds - with a another pretty graph.

My point is, I set caches too. Don't they count? How many 5/5s have I set? (I've found four. I may have set more than that!) Where are my furthest set caches, what's my setting-rate? Which is my most favo(u)red cache, and most found etc etc etc. Come on Groundspeak, give us cache setting stats geeks something to look at

*Non PM's can find their own stats online with a bit of searching via 3rd party sites. I'll find a list of links if anyone asks.

Edited February 9, 2012 by Simply Paul

February 10, 2012

But you haven't "found" your own caches, and those stats are all about "finds".

I don't think they're wrong, but if you want to include your own caches, then log them as found? (Cue hiss of indrawn breath from other cachers and mutters of "Steady on!", "Bad form!" etc )

February 10, 2012

But you haven't "found" your own caches, and those stats are all about "finds".

I don't think they're wrong, but if you want to include your own caches, then log them as found? (Cue hiss of indrawn breath from other cachers and mutters of "Steady on!", "Bad form!" etc )

I think SP is after a seperate section with the stats just for hidden caches, the same way they are listed seperately on your profile. Logging them as found would be pointless as they would just get lost amongst all the found caches, you wouldn't be able to look at (eg) My hidden 5/5 trads.

For PMs all these stats (and more) can be generated using GSAK and then added to your profile page if you want.

February 10, 2012

To be honest 'stats' don't mean too much to me personally...nothing more than a condensed form of an individuals caching history. Its often been said that "You can make stats mean what you want them to mean". I much prefer to enjoy the experience of finding a cache in my own way, i.e. on my own, setting my own targets & goals, and trying to impress no-one other than myself. But, I do of course acknowledge that is my own view, and each of us is entitled to express a different view or opinion, and thats exactly how it should be!!

(In my opinion!!)

1.7k · February 10, 2012

I suspect that Groundspeak think that 'placed caches' stats would encourage people to place caches and that is frowned upon :unsure:

Much the same as Curse of the FTF caches are not allowed because they encourage people to place caches...

and you can't set a Challenge Cache which requires people to place caches...

Alternatively, the reason could be because the stats are a direct port from mygeocacherstats (or whatever it was called) and they only used MyFinds PQ

Mark

1.6k · February 10, 2012

Get GSAK.....

You can do all sorts of things with stats and have them in your profile page.

2.6k · February 10, 2012

I think caching karma is a nice statistic.

So many folk these days find hundreds of caches and never put anything into the game with placement, running events etc., on the other hand there seem to be plenty of film pot in the woods advocates, where the cache gets maybe 10 or 20 finds before it dies.

Things ain't wot they used to be :laughing:

February 10, 2012

I think caching karma is a nice statistic.

So many folk these days find hundreds of caches and never put anything into the game with placement, running events etc., on the other hand there seem to be plenty of film pot in the woods advocates, where the cache gets maybe 10 or 20 finds before it dies.

Things ain't wot they used to be

The folk who find hundreds of caches put plenty into the game. If they didn't find caches, the COs would find it a pretty pointless task in placing caches to begin with.

2.6k · February 10, 2012

I think caching karma is a nice statistic.

So many folk these days find hundreds of caches and never put anything into the game with placement, running events etc., on the other hand there seem to be plenty of film pot in the woods advocates, where the cache gets maybe 10 or 20 finds before it dies.

Things ain't wot they used to be

The folk who find hundreds of caches put plenty into the game. If they didn't find caches, the COs would find it a pretty pointless task in placing caches to begin with.

Sure, so you're doing us all a service with over a thousand finds in under a year and not setting anything? Thanks so much for putting me right, who knew?

February 10, 2012

I think caching karma is a nice statistic.

So many folk these days find hundreds of caches and never put anything into the game with placement, running events etc., on the other hand there seem to be plenty of film pot in the woods advocates, where the cache gets maybe 10 or 20 finds before it dies.

Things ain't wot they used to be

The folk who find hundreds of caches put plenty into the game. If they didn't find caches, the COs would find it a pretty pointless task in placing caches to begin with.

Perhaps then there wouldn't be so many film pots in woods.

February 10, 2012

I think caching karma is a nice statistic.

So many folk these days find hundreds of caches and never put anything into the game with placement, running events etc., on the other hand there seem to be plenty of film pot in the woods advocates, where the cache gets maybe 10 or 20 finds before it dies.

Things ain't wot they used to be

The folk who find hundreds of caches put plenty into the game. If they didn't find caches, the COs would find it a pretty pointless task in placing caches to begin with.

Sure, so you're doing us all a service with over a thousand finds in under a year and not setting anything? Thanks so much for putting me right, who knew?

If they don't want to place any caches that is up to them..... They may not have the time or inclination to create and maintain a good cache, if pressurized to place caches then either they will leave the game, or more likely create film pot tossed by the side of the road caches (which of course end up completely unmaintained)

February 10, 2012

I think caching karma is a nice statistic.

So many folk these days find hundreds of caches and never put anything into the game with placement, running events etc., on the other hand there seem to be plenty of film pot in the woods advocates, where the cache gets maybe 10 or 20 finds before it dies.

Things ain't wot they used to be

The folk who find hundreds of caches put plenty into the game. If they didn't find caches, the COs would find it a pretty pointless task in placing caches to begin with.

Sure, so you're doing us all a service with over a thousand finds in under a year and not setting anything? Thanks so much for putting me right, who knew?

If they don't want to place any caches that is up to them..... They may not have the time or inclination to create and maintain a good cache, if pressurized to place caches then either they will leave the game, or more likely create film pot tossed by the side of the road caches (which of course end up completely unmaintained)

Ooooh, I seem to have rattled a cage.

Let me assure you of a couple of things, as a member of the sub species referred to above as "they"

1) As and when I have an idea for an original and creative cache, in a good location, I will place one. I would never place a "film pot in the woods / magnetic nano in the City Centre" type cache. I have found many ingenious caches in the last year, and appreciate them so much more than a 35mm / nano / tupperware box under stickoflauge. But, there's nothing wrong with "bog standard" caches, if it means that I go on a 10 mile walk in countryside that I would not have otherwise have visited.

2) I have no intention of leaving the game. However, if DorsetGal & Geodog would kindly advise me of the location of all of the caches they have placed, I'll make sure that I don't find them. I'm sure they wouldn't want their logs tarnished by a one dimensional member like me.

1.2k · February 11, 2012

However, if DorsetGal & Geodog would kindly advise me of the location of all of the caches they have placed, I'll make sure that I don't find them. I'm sure they wouldn't want their logs tarnished by a one dimensional member like me.

Hereyou go. I think you'll find Wendy has contributed more than many over the years to Geocaching.

February 11, 2012

Thanks for the info, caches will duly be avoided!

I don't suggest anywhere in any of the above posts that DorsetGal isn't a valuable member of the geocaching community. I am merely defending myself from the fairly blatant suggestion that, in her opinion, I am not.

2.6k · February 11, 2012

Thanks for the info, caches will duly be avoided!

I don't suggest anywhere in any of the above posts that DorsetGal isn't a valuable member of the geocaching community. I am merely defending myself from the fairly blatant suggestion that, in her opinion, I am not.

Avoid my caches all you like, however, I suspect the 7,365 other finders feel differently.

7365 smilies given to others, 1,746 smilies for myself, caching karma = 4.29

I'm happy to be judged by that :laughing:

The title of this thread was about the current statistics show only half the story, it seems that in your case they show the whole story, so naturally you would be happy with them.

6.2k · February 11, 2012

It's been established in the past that people contribute to caching in different ways. Some people like to hide caches, others don't. The ones who don't shouldn't be pressured or forced to - hence the stopping of the Curse of the FTF type caches (where the FTF was expected to put out their own Curse cache) if Delta68's right - I don't doubt it; I've just not heard they'd been banned from an official source. It's perfectly possible for a cacher who cleans cache boxes and replaces damp logbooks as they go, and rehides them with care, and posts a good log, to be contributing more to the game than a 'micro sprinkler'

Dragging the thread back onto topic, if the Groundspeak Stats tab did include Hidden as well as Found info, which stats would you want included?

Mine would be: Caching Karma, because as Dorsetgal says, it's an interesting one and does give a feeling of warmth to setters. I'd like a D/T Grid, total set, total live (all by size and type too), total number of finds on my hides (as distinct from Caching Karma, which is a ratio), busiest setting month and day, longest non-setting streak? Best setting month and year? Furthest from home (of each type; trad, event etc) and furthest north, south, east and west hides. There must be lots of others though, perhaps with an eye on quality: Most favo(u)red? Do I hide a disproportionate number of micros, against the national average?

Yes, I could use GSAK to get all these (with some effort) but I'd rather just press a link on my profile page. Stats geeks have busy (so-called) lives

1.1k · February 11, 2012

7365 smilies given to others, 1,746 smilies for myself, caching karma = 4.29

I'm happy to be judged by that

Unfortunately for comparison purposes, or for "judging", it is as meaningless as most other stats. A superb cache by someone like abanazar, with maybe only a dozen finds, takes a lot more time, effort and imagination than dropping 50 micros at the bases of 50 posts.

You can't judge someone just on the numbers.

Rgds, Andy

February 11, 2012

I can't comment on Caching Karma, all that I can say is that when I broke down the other week I wished there'd been a Caching Karmachanic around :rolleyes:

February 12, 2012

I agree with both points of view. I am a self-certified stats geek. There's something about a list of numbers or a grid or a ranking which compels me in the worst sort of OCD way to want to complete it - usually with style!

I'm sure I could get help for this condition, but as I don't seem to be the only one, I'll live with it and "share" my problem among fellow sufferers! So yes, I'd like to see some interesting stats on hides too - number of people who've found my caches etc etc. (Oh and while we're at it, Groundspeak, could we have milestones more often than every 1000 finds above 1000. What's even worse, I'm given to understand that above 10,000 finds, you only get milestones every 10,000 after that).

However, I am also a great believer in Karma. What goes around comes around. But the sort you can't POSSIBLY measure in any statistical way. I really don't think you can measure true Karma in terms of my finds divided by the number of people who have found my caches, nor is it necessarily a good way to judge a good cacher.

For example while I've found over 1400 caches, I've only hidden 20 or so. Does that mean I haven't contributed enough to the game? If we see geocaching karma only in terms of how many people have found my caches, then I'm no great shakes.

But, like Paul says, I'll always wipe out a damp cache with my handy geo-tissue that I keep for the purpose (and if there isn't a bin handy, I'll bury it under plenty of leaf litter so it can compost along with the leaves... out of sight in a few weeks). I've started carrying 35mm film pots with me and paper to repair nibbled ones or those with missing lids (happened twice the day before yesterday). I carry a handful of IKEA pencils for smalls without a writing implement (this is slightly also in penance for the odd occasion when I've accidentally walked off with someone's cache pencil! - I'm no angel!) and I'll happily send a cheery message of encouragement and aid back to anyone who mails me for help with a cache I've found and they can't. I respond to maintenance requests in a timely way and perform routine maintenance on my caches without waiting for stuff to go wrong. Oh, and I take trouble with my "found" logs too. They're all different and spookily enough one of the bespoke profiles sites Paul mentioned tells me that they average about 120 words per log. I try to be the sort of geocacher I'd hope I'd encounter along the way.

I've encountered such kindness and friendliness and consideration along the way from people I've never even met, through geocaching, who do all of the above regularly too and their behaviour inspires me to be a better person (oh my god, she's gushing now, somebody stop her!). But I think that's what Karma is about. I've been shown such kindness and help that I want to give some of it away too.

Here's an interesting thought. How could you actually measure all of that? After all, as so many cachers are wont to point out, it's not JUST about the numbers (I'd like to add at this point, though, that the geek in me thinks the numbers are a pretty good place to start!)

1.3k · February 13, 2012

if Delta68's right - I don't doubt it; I've just not heard they'd been banned from an official source.

I didn't realise they were not allowed any more until I tried to set one a couple of months ago, the reviewer replied with a link to a forum post....kind of official...

2.6k · February 13, 2012

For the OP: Yes, I guess it would be nice to have some hiding stats; though I think there is far less applicable stats compared to finding.

There are lots of stats for finding which don’t apply so much for hiding. For example: there are many finding stats around location: furthest from home, how many countries/states, etc. While some people have hides in multiple countries; generally people hide close to home (and are encouraged to do so). Also time related stats; which day of the week you find the most, days of the year, consecutive days finding, etc apply to finding only.

I guess you could have stats on the types and containers of hides, and stats on the total number of finds. Stats on the average D/T… I guess you could even have a hidden D/T grid…

As for “Karma”..I agree with the view that people contribute in different ways. While I appreciate owners with lots of (quality) hides, not everyone is a keen hider; and there is nothing wrong with finding 1000 caches in a year and not setting any. I also don’t think the Karma stat tells you much. As Amberel said, elaborate caches such as the ones by abanazar take much more effort per smiley. Because it takes more effort to find his caches, they have far less finds… but that doesn’t take away from his contribution.

Now, you can see from my stats I’m not a keen hider; I have 2000+ finds and only 8 active hides (about to launch a 9th). I’m no abanazar; but my caches get relatively few finds as most are not Trads, and they all require some walking and time to find. My last 2 caches are Wherigo caches – which took many, many hours to create. The first one only has had 4 finds in its first month. And I’m just releasing another. If I made it a Traditional, it would get many more finds. So why did I spend all that time to create a Wherigo? Because I think we need a variety of caches, and I hope that those who do find it will enjoy it.

Lastly, hiding carries with it responsibility. Cachers should only hide what they can maintain. Some cachers may travel a lot, and have lots of finds that way; but as they are seldom home can’t maintain a large set of caches.

February 21, 2012

I'm sure I could get help for this condition, but as I don't seem to be the only one, I'll live with it and "share" my problem among fellow sufferers! So yes, I'd like to see some interesting stats on hides too - number of people who've found my caches etc etc. (Oh and while we're at it, Groundspeak, could we have milestones more often than every 1000 finds above 1000. What's even worse, I'm given to understand that above 10,000 finds, you only get milestones every 10,000 after that).

I agree that milestones should occur every 100 finds. Why is 5 finds a milestone, but 1100 (or 11,000 if whats is above is true) not considered a milestone?

8.6k · February 21, 2012

I'm sure I could get help for this condition, but as I don't seem to be the only one, I'll live with it and "share" my problem among fellow sufferers! So yes, I'd like to see some interesting stats on hides too - number of people who've found my caches etc etc. (Oh and while we're at it, Groundspeak, could we have milestones more often than every 1000 finds above 1000. What's even worse, I'm given to understand that above 10,000 finds, you only get milestones every 10,000 after that).

I agree that milestones should occur every 100 finds. Why is 5 finds a milestone, but 1100 (or 11,000 if whats is above is true) not considered a milestone?

I don't think Groundspeak have anything to do with setting "milestones" - Geocachers do that for themselves - If you wanted to have your own personal milestones every half century that's fine.

If you mean that the Achievement Geocoins and other similar milestone recognition coins/patches only go up in hundreds, then thousands, then you need to convince the designer/retailers that there would be enough demand for odder numbers - Maybe there should be a "Making progress" milestone?

MrsB

February 21, 2012

The folk who find hundreds of caches put plenty into the game.

Edited February 21, 2012 by castagnari

6.1k · February 21, 2012

I agree that milestones should occur every 100 finds. Why is 5 finds a milestone, but 1100 (or 11,000 if whats is above is true) not considered a milestone?

...I don't think Groundspeak have anything to do with setting "milestones" ...

They do on the Statistics tab on the profile page, where it identifies milestones every 100 caches up to 1000, but then it seems to be every 1000 from there on.

8.6k · February 21, 2012

I agree that milestones should occur every 100 finds. Why is 5 finds a milestone, but 1100 (or 11,000 if whats is above is true) not considered a milestone?

...I don't think Groundspeak have anything to do with setting "milestones" ...

They do on the Statistics tab on the profile page, where it identifies milestones every 100 caches up to 1000, but then it seems to be every 1000 from there on.

Ahhhh, OK, thanks! I rarely look on there.

MrsB

February 21, 2012

More stats please! I'd like to see cache setting stats.

How about combining the Favorites/Premium Logs percentage of a cache with all your other caches to get a combined mean score?

"X% of premium members gave your caches favourite points!" for example.

Perhaps some people would like to try and increase their score by setting more interesting caches or in more interesting places?

February 22, 2012

I agree that milestones should occur every 100 finds. Why is 5 finds a milestone, but 1100 (or 11,000 if whats is above is true) not considered a milestone?

...I don't think Groundspeak have anything to do with setting "milestones" ...

They do on the Statistics tab on the profile page, where it identifies milestones every 100 caches up to 1000, but then it seems to be every 1000 from there on.

As stated, I was referring to the Statistics tab on my geocaching profile page.

February 22, 2012

I agree with as much gusto as can be mustered !

As has Paul, [more in his case] , great effort is involved in the research, planning and placement of many new caches - especially his 'extreme location' and my 'extreme physical' caches.

Whilst I hope I am able to provide a little more of a challenge than the 'pot in the ivy' or foot of fence post' cache, I also hope that the finders appreciate them a little bit more [they certainly seem to

]

I also find that my caches neatly conform to many diff/ terrain combinations but as they are all my caches I cannot claim them.

For many of my caches I feel that finding them is considerably easier than placing them but under the Groundspeak systems no stats recognising this fact is in place.

I also feel for the cache setters who have put out hundreds of caches [and maintain them] - even if they are power trails.

Come on Groundspeak, what do you think about showing some appreciation to those who put out Quality caches ?

Your Statistics... is only half the story

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