Required Test for newbies

[+GTTTM]

You can do all the tests in the world but how will that stop the muggles stealing them ? They may not remove the container if they come across it but I'd bet a number would remove the contents if it looked interesting enough..... Of course swotting for a test and pasing it doesn't mean you'll play by the rules afterwards either.

 

And with the "levels" idea - what happens when my oldest is old enough to have his own account, he's already better at me than finding them (I've got a habit of leaning against the hiding place going "hmm where could it be" while he walks over and finds it under my arm or something ha.

[+Shop99er]

You would think this topic would someday go away. It pops up every so often, and always with the same results.

 

There's never gonna be a test (or whatever term you want to use). Everyone has to learn the game (it IS a game, remember) on the fly.

 

And finally, how many would have taken this test if it had been around when they started? And be honest---none of this business "it would make the game better". Remember how you thought back then.

[+Off Grid]

The best thing about caching is that anyone can do it. The worst thing about caching is that anyone can do it.

 

A test isn't going to change much of anything.

For sure a test won't change much I mean look how many people can drive that prob shouldnt

[+PACSGUY]

My name is Goldstalker. This is my first post. So you can see I am new to this. All of the previous remarks are good. As I newbee let me say that We should all encourage and teach the newcomers. Every error should be a teaching moment.

 

A wise Geocacher...were all in trouble..

Much fun and success Goldstalker!!

Name sounds like your a metal detector guy

[+niraD]

How about divide the membership into another level. I know there are added benefits for Premium Members, but have Basic membership brought into 2 levels. Level one where they are allowed caches without trackables, and will have to show progress to get to Level 2, to actually seek out a cache with a trackable.

So if I want everyone to be able to see my cache listing, I need to keep clearing out the trackables people drop in it? Or perhaps I could just mark them missing...

[+MissMaygen]

I'm still a newbie, first cache was found on May 15, 2013. But even being new I try to learn as much as possible. I found a TB and didn't know what to do with it. So you know what I did? Left it in the cache where I found it and researched it. I don't know why anyone can claim being new as an excuse for making the kind of mistakes people complain about.

[+cerberus1]

I'm still a newbie, first cache was found on May 15, 2013. But even being new I try to learn as much as possible. I found a TB and didn't know what to do with it. So you know what I did? Left it in the cache where I found it and researched it. I don't know why anyone can claim being new as an excuse for making the kind of mistakes people complain about.

That's what we did when we first started too.

- Unfortunately, common sense isn't really that common and attention spans have seemed t ooh, a squirrel!

[+BlueDeuce]

I'm still a newbie, first cache was found on May 15, 2013. But even being new I try to learn as much as possible. I found a TB and didn't know what to do with it. So you know what I did? Left it in the cache where I found it and researched it. I don't know why anyone can claim being new as an excuse for making the kind of mistakes people complain about.

 

My kinda cacher. Thank you.

[+Mockingbird559]

well ignore that messy post. use the next one instead. My finger fat

Edited June 8, 2013 by Mockingbird559

[+Mockingbird559]

Now it is just a game, I agree. But there is also a very broad range of "everyone plays in their own way", which may in some cases may be a little too broad for most.

 

This sort of thing might instill a tiny bit of style or quality that might otherwise have been missed by the newby or the flash in the pan cachers that we see so much of today.

 

Maybe offer some sort of optional page, sponsored by Groundspeak that earns a smiley when completed 100% correctly?

 

Just a thought, I have them once in a while...never said they were any good.

 

Cache Happy

[+Grendel Khan]

As a noob to Geocaching I have to say that forcing anyone to take a test to play reeks of elitism and would serve only to drive away prospective cachers. I believe it is up to the community at large to educate the noobs and teach them the proper "etiquette". The information we need is out there, I spent a long time reading the FAQ's before I hit my first stash, but many people won't. There is a lot of information to have to process in a short time and many people want to play the game instead of spending a few hours reading about it. I think this forum, which encourages discussion and feedback, is the best learning tool for new players available! However, the forums are buried deep in a clustered tool bar and not easily accessible if you don;t know what to look for. I had logged around 20 finds before I even looked at the forums. Perhaps more ways to draw new people to the forums would be better than forcing them to take a test that is more about remembering which letter to choose than actually learning the needed information.

 

As it seems that the testing idea is most likely never going to happen, we may need to look for more pro-active measures to help with noob mistakes and breaches of "etiqutte". I would suggest that the long time cachers need to step up and be a part of the wider community. When you see noobs that have questions or are doing something they shouldn;t, take them under your wing and help them learn. Take a noob on a cache run so they can see how it is supposed to be done, instead of letting them figure it out on their own and berating them for it. Invite the noobs to regional group meetings so they can become part of the community. We all have to start at the bottom and we all make mistakes. If your solution is to get snarky on the fourms and demand that we have to pass a test to play your game, you are part of the problem, not the solution.

 

Sorry that my first post was such a downer, I am loving Geocaching and have had nothing but good experiences with the game and the people involved. This really is a great game (hobby? sport? past-time?) and I feel that limiting anyones access to it would be a travesty.

[+Amethyst Moon]

How about including a note with the trackable telling the newbie how to track it?

[+funkymunkyzone]

I read the first few posts and then I skipped to the end.

 

Test - no. Polite questionaire - no. Boring.

 

How about a tutorial that guides a new member through their first find, and perhaps even their first trackable? I've seen this done with computer/console/online games, where you're effectively guided click by click through the first level before being dropped into the game proper. It's not a test and it's not preachy, but it graphically shows and involves the new user.

 

Heck, such a tutorial could even reward that new user with a smiley for the "virtual tutorial cache" and a trackable discovered. As with many games, this tutorial could be skipped, but for a new player not really knowing what they're doing yet, the reward of a cache find on their profile might be motivation enough to do the tutorial.

 

I know if there was something like this when I started, I would have used it.

[+funkymunkyzone]

As a noob to Geocaching I have to say that forcing anyone to take a test to play reeks of elitism and would serve only to drive away prospective cachers.

(snip)

This really is a great game (hobby? sport? past-time?) and I feel that limiting anyones access to it would be a travesty.

 

I agree. Any kind of test or questionaire too easily comes off preachy and elitist, when really the point is to encourage new users, not push them away.

 

It's not flying a plane, or performing surgery, it's a fun game that just happens to have a few quirky jargony elements that confuse new players.

[+Amethyst Moon]

There is a video about finding your first cache. I wish there was one about trackables too!

[Pup Patrol]

A considerable amount of time and expertise went into the creation of the Help Center.

 

I'm baffled as to why more people don't avail themselves of the "beginner's basics" that can be found on Groundspeak's website.

 

Help Center:

 

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php

 

Geocaching 101:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx

 

 

B.

[+funkymunkyzone]

A considerable amount of time and expertise went into the creation of the Help Center.

 

I'm baffled as to why more people don't avail themselves of the "beginner's basics" that can be found on Groundspeak's website.

 

Help Center:

 

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php

 

Geocaching 101:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx

 

 

B.

 

When you know that stuff is there, sure.

 

How about if you're brand new to the game...?

 

The point being, if you don't know there's anything more to it than using a GPS to find hidden boxes, then you're not likely to go looking for more information.