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"Team" Caching


AmieLPW

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I am new to Geocaching and have a question..... I recently attended an out of state event in the northeast where a met a couple cachers from my home state. We met at a cache location and there were only two of them. While logging my find I noticed that other people on their "team" logged it as a find but were not present. This doesn't seem fair to me???? Is this how people get such large numbers? Get a bunch of people split up and then log each others caches?? If this is the case, what fun is that??

 

Thanks!

Edited by PoochWirth
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Nope, it isn't 'fair'.

 

But, if your name is on the log you get to claim your online smilie.

 

People do a lot of things (that us purists/puritans would never consider doing) to get their smilies.

 

All you can do is pray for their geocaching souls, since they are most certainly destined to receive only extremely poor satellite signal and short battery life if they continue down the path they are on.

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Nope, it isn't 'fair'.

 

But, if your name is on the log you get to claim your online smilie.

 

People do a lot of things (that us purists/puritans would never consider doing) to get their smilies.

 

All you can do is pray for their geocaching souls, since they are most certainly destined to receive only extremely poor satellite signal and short battery life if they continue down the path they are on.

 

:laughing:

 

Just goes to show that smileys are a personal thing and comparing and competing for smileys is rather futile.

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Nope, it isn't 'fair'.

 

But, if your name is on the log you get to claim your online smilie.

 

People do a lot of things (that us purists/puritans would never consider doing) to get their smilies.

 

All you can do is pray for their geocaching souls, since they are most certainly destined to receive only extremely poor satellite signal and short battery life if they continue down the path they are on.

 

I started Geocaching two weeks ago and was immediately hooked. I mainly go with my sister and it's quality time for us. We are always together when finding a cache so we both log it. I would never log something I didn't find as the best part for us is the excitement of finding one. I'm getting the gist of this "numbers" game :( What a shame, people are only fooling themselves.

 

Thanks Again, I'm sure this is a rather volatile topic, I appreciate your reply!

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Thanks Again, I'm sure this is a rather volatile topic, I appreciate your reply!

 

Indeed it is an EXTREMELY VOLATILE topic.

 

Hold yourself above reproach and (except under extremely limited circumstances) be sure to only post online logs for caches you actually signed the logs for. The temptations are many, but selling your integrity for a smilie is not the true path.

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I consider it silly. There are family teams like mine where there's 1 account and not everybody's always present. This is fine to me since it's just 1 acount.

 

However, I think you are talking about multiple accounts and someone makes the find on their behalf? That's kind of lame.

 

Anyway, I'm not going to lose sleep over it as it doesn't affect my find count. :)

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I consider it silly. There are family teams like mine where there's 1 account and not everybody's always present. This is fine to me since it's just 1 acount.

 

However, I think you are talking about multiple accounts and someone makes the find on their behalf? That's kind of lame.

 

Anyway, I'm not going to lose sleep over it as it doesn't affect my find count. :)

 

I am not sure what he is talking about. How does he know who is on the team? And is it one account?

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I am new to Geocaching and have a question..... I recently attended an out of state event in the northeast where a met a couple cachers from my home state. We met at a cache location and there were only two of them. While logging my find I noticed that other people on their "team" logged it as a find but were not present. This doesn't seem fair to me???? Is this how people get such large numbers? Get a bunch of people split up and then log each others caches?? If this is the case, what fun is that??

 

Thanks!

 

Is this how people get such large numbers? Not really, I'd say the case you describe is pretty rare. So people who weren't there, but consider themselves part of a "team" logged the cache? Cheesy, and very rare, I say.

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I've always felt that way as well. While it would be great if everyone "played" fair, who does it hurt if they don't? Honestly I couldn't care less about how many smileys someone has - even myself! We use them more as goals for the day than any sort of score. For us, it's all about the hunt. For others it's all about the smileys. Some people will feel the need to "work the system". I choose not to worry about it, and have fun with the adventure.

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But, if your name is on the log you get to claim your online smilie.

Where did you hear such nonsense?

 

The oft quoted (out of context) phrase in the guidelines says "Physical caches can be logged online as 'Found' once the physical log has been signed." I suppose that taken literally, once someone is first to find and the physical log has been signed, then anyone can log a find online. Of course, you could interpret it to mean "signed by you". If you had someone else signed your name or signed a team name and you weren't present then the cache owner would be well within their rights to delete your log.

 

The presence of a name in the physical log is no more proof of a find, then the lack of a signature prove no find. However, Groundspeak has decided to allow a cache owner to require a signature if they so choose. But I will argue that the if the cache owner has good evidence that some has logged a cache without being there, that the log could just as easily be deleted and more than likely would not be reinstated automatically.

 

Mostly, however, it's not anything to get your knickers in a twist over someone's silly definition of a find. There may be a few situations, like qualifying for a challenge cache, where those who log finds on caches they didn't actually find get an "unfair" advantage. But unless you're the owner of the cache in question, it's probably not worth getting involved. And even if you are the owner, you need to decide if the effort to convince Groundspeak the find is bogus is worth it.

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I am brand new to geocaching and was simply asking a question, no knickers twisted here :) I enjoy leisurely caching with my sister and daughter and will never get involved in the politics. If it makes someone feel better to brag about 800 finds in a day then have at it. Thank you to all who responded!

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we all have our ways to play the game. and that's what we like about geocaching.

My user name is Cubby&Bigbear as i almost always cache with my GF.

There are times we meet up with our cache pals, (a husband and wife team who also cache under one name)to go do some exploring.

When we encounter long stretches of road with series caches along them, if we have two vehicles, we split up, and leap frog down the road so that a team member from each user name is present at the cache. in order to save space on the logs, we'll often sign on one line cbb&dk. For us, we like to at least be present and see the cache before we log it. I don't mind if i don't actually write on the paper myself as long as my gf does.

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shirtw.jpg

The “Puritan” people with the untwisted knickers have all the hard work helping others fix their stats, after the stats become all messed up due to "no definition of a find”. Thanks, Jeremy! :anibad:

 

I think there's a huge difference between my definition of a find, and having people cajole me into a unique definition of a find. The people who insist that cachers must "break rules because there aren't any rules because it's fun, or else your opinions are invalid", are nowhere to be found after the resulting chaos.

Edited by kunarion
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While logging my find I noticed that other people on their "team" logged it as a find but were not present.

I'm not quite sure what exactly you mean and how much you really know about it, but I'd just assume those other people found it earlier or later in the day, plausible given the proximity to an event. That assumption might very well be wrong, and you might have various reasons to suspect it's wrong, but it's easier for me to latch on to something like that instead of pondering why they'd do something that seems so odd.

 

By the way, the knickers comments were caused by you saying you didn't think it was fair, which you really can't deny is a twisted knickers thing to say. I'm glad to hear you weren't really as worried about it as raising the fairness question implies. "Is it fair?" has a simple answer in this situation: Yes, it's fair because there's no one for it to be unfair to.

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All I can say to this whole topic is WOW! All I asked was a simple question. Try to remember I am only about 2 weeks old. We all have to start somewhere, remember when you first started?

 

Please let me reiterate......I really don't give a hoot who does what!! I am simply trying to understand what this sport (as folks call it) is all about. There are usually rules and regulations in any sport. Sorry to have brought up a "knicker twisting" sore spot for everyone :( Someone..... save the Newbie from the guillotine LOL

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Sorry to have brought up a "knicker twisting" sore spot for everyone :(

Most of the twisting your knickers got were just people having fun with it, not really people whose knickers were in a twist about your knickers being in a twist.

 

I think you got fairly reasonable answers to your actual question.

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All I can say to this whole topic is WOW! All I asked was a simple question. Try to remember I am only about 2 weeks old. We all have to start somewhere, remember when you first started?

 

Please let me reiterate......I really don't give a hoot who does what!! I am simply trying to understand what this sport (as folks call it) is all about. There are usually rules and regulations in any sport. Sorry to have brought up a "knicker twisting" sore spot for everyone :( Someone..... save the Newbie from the guillotine LOL

 

OHHH OUCH.. My neck hurts now. Thank you very much. :lol:

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Sorry to have brought up a "knicker twisting" sore spot for everyone :(

Most of the twisting your knickers got were just people having fun with it, not really people whose knickers were in a twist about your knickers being in a twist.

 

I think you got fairly reasonable answers to your actual question.

Indeed.

 

To the OP, stick around, we guys are fun to have around but our joking around can be taken the wrong way by some people. :ph34r:

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I rarely take things too seriously, I really am a lighthearted person with a great sense of humor. I do however, have mild sarcastic tendencies so forgive me in advance :)

 

Seriously, thank you all for your responses, I appreciate each of you for taking the time to voice your opinions and teach me a few things. I am definitely learning fast and furiously :) I just got another "spanking" recently when I put fireball candy in a cache :( and I now know that wildlife can smell through tupperware :o

 

On a lighter note... Do any of you have a words of wisdom for my family and myself who are just starting out? I was hooked on geocaching from day one and I have a tendency to jump right into things. I am not a read the directions first kind of girl LOL But to ease all your minds....I do know how to properly log trackables :P

 

Sincerely

PoochWirth (aka Amie)

Edited by PoochWirth
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I rarely take things too seriously, I really am a lighthearted person with a great sense of humor. I do however, have mild sarcastic tendencies so forgive me in advance :)

 

Seriously, thank you all for your responses, I appreciate each of you for taking the time to voice your opinions and teach me a few things. I am definitely learning fast and furiously :) I just got another "spanking" recently when I put fireball candy in a cache :( and I now know that wildlife can smell through tupperware :o

 

On a lighter note... Do any of you have a words of wisdom for my family and myself who are just starting out? I was hooked on geocaching from day one and I have a tendency to jump right into things. I am not a read the directions first kind of girl LOL But to ease all your minds....I do know how to properly log trackables :P

 

Sincerely

PoochWirth (aka Amie)

I think you are learning pretty good.

 

As for trackables, congrats, not everybody get it the first time around. I do wonder if its because they cant read the small letters on the coins or bugs. I got it the first time around too and thought, what the hell is this, so I took it home and google it and yep, its was a side game that I thought all along.

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I rarely take things too seriously, I really am a lighthearted person with a great sense of humor. I do however, have mild sarcastic tendencies so forgive me in advance :)

 

Seriously, thank you all for your responses, I appreciate each of you for taking the time to voice your opinions and teach me a few things. I am definitely learning fast and furiously :) I just got another "spanking" recently when I put fireball candy in a cache :( and I now know that wildlife can smell through tupperware :o

 

On a lighter note... Do any of you have a words of wisdom for my family and myself who are just starting out? I was hooked on geocaching from day one and I have a tendency to jump right into things. I am not a read the directions first kind of girl LOL But to ease all your minds....I do know how to properly log trackables :P

 

Sincerely

PoochWirth (aka Amie)

I think you are learning pretty good.

 

As for trackables, congrats, not everybody get it the first time around. I do wonder if its because they cant read the small letters on the coins or bugs. I got it the first time around too and thought, what the hell is this, so I took it home and google it and yep, its was a side game that I thought all along.

 

Much appreciated :) Funny, I googled travel bug as well. My 11 year old loves to look them up for me to see where they came from. At least for minute I don't hear "Mom, I'm bored"

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But, if your name is on the log you get to claim your online smilie.

Where did you hear such nonsense?

 

 

I heard it through the grapevine. :unsure:

 

No, wait! I heard it from some wacko named Dave Ulmer who said 'When you find the cache, sign the logbook'.

Lord knows he probably wasn't thinking about a website where a gazillion cachers would be looking for a bazillion caches...but he was pretty clear on the 'sign the log' thing.

 

Perhaps I should have wrote 'If you name is on the log, the cache owner won't have a leg to stand on if they want to delete your log and you press the issue with Groundspeak and have a picture of the log with your signature on it.'

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But, if your name is on the log you get to claim your online smilie.

Where did you hear such nonsense?

 

 

I heard it through the grapevine. :unsure:

 

No, wait! I heard it from some wacko named Dave Ulmer who said 'When you find the cache, sign the logbook'.

Lord knows he probably wasn't thinking about a website where a gazillion cachers would be looking for a bazillion caches...but he was pretty clear on the 'sign the log' thing.

 

Perhaps I should have wrote 'If you name is on the log, the cache owner won't have a leg to stand on if they want to delete your log and you press the issue with Groundspeak and have a picture of the log with your signature on it.'

Nonsense again.

 

Dave Ulmer posted instructions for his first geocache. Nobody had hidden one before and he wanted to tell people what to do when they found it. That was to: Take something. Leave something. And write about it in the log book.

 

Sure later when they were trying come up with "rules" for the game these instructions were adopted as the rules. I don't have the original quote in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it was to "write about your experience in the log book" and not "sign the log". In any case trying to imply that if you didn't follow Dave's instructions (or rules if you insist) you can't log a find online will only get you in trouble. From the start many people didn't do the trade stuff. And many people simply signed the log - they didn't write about their experience. While Groundspeak has adopted and adapted Dave's "rules" they have never explicitly made signing the physical log a requirement to sign online.

 

However they have adopted a guideline that might imply your claim of having no leg to stand on if you delete someone's online log and they can show their name is in the log book. I contend that it was not Groundspeak's intention to allow finds by proxy where someone writes your name in the log and you weren't anywhere around when they found it. My guess is that even if they had picture of their name in the log, if you could prove it was written by someone else and they were nowhere around when it was found, you do have legitimate reason to delete the log and a leg to stand on.

 

Over the years, Groundspeak has discovered that some cache owners will delete legitimate finds out of spite or for silly reasons. In dealing with this over and over, they have mostly left it up to the principals to come to an agreement. If they have to intervene, I'm sure they take all the evidence into consideration. Since they would like to see these disputes settled quickly they may in fact push for a decision made solely on the log. If this is true, I will argue that it's nonsense not to look at all the evidence. The oft quoted "Physical caches can be logged online as "Found" once the physical log has been signed" was meant to indicate that additional requirement for posting an online find beyond finding the cache and signing the log could not be enforced (with the exception of Challenge caches). It was not, IMO, a definition of how disputes over logs were going to be handled.

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I'd be willing to bet that the more people are willing to abuse the intent of Geocaching (find the log, sign the log) and justify why they deserve a smiley that their average IQ, income and general happiness decreases proportionately.

 

So when you come across these people instead of feeling angst look in the mirror and smile for you are not condemned to their existence.

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PoochWirth, there are many big numbers cachers that actually have the integrity to find the caches they claim as found. But there are also plenty who are just going through the motions. Kind of sad really.

 

When Groundspeak allowed some guy to log the ISS after a picture of him had been brought on board, they squandered whatever moral authority they might have had on this issue, so it's back to the basics: do what you know is right and then marvel at all the ways other people find to play make believe. They are the same people that cheat at Solitaire and they are legion.

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I got into this discussion with someone last spring. There's a huge geoart in the desert south of town here. Something like 300+ caches in it. He told me that him and 5 other guys spread out and each took a section of it, but they each logged as they had found every single cache.

 

Yes, it bugs me. Yes, I feel it's wrong. Yes. . . it doen't matter in the end of it all I guess. I dunno. Guess that's another reason why I won't go to any meetings nearby, and I won't deal with the local cacher population here, among many other reasons.

 

Anywho, you'll find things that bug you. . . things that drive you INSANE. Like when someone tells their friend about a cache they hid, gives them the coords, and then they post it. The friend logs the "ftf" about 10 seconds after the cache is posted and nobody else has a chance. Meh. . . let em.

 

I find ways to enjoy the game on my own or with close friends and family. Good luck. Stick around. Make the game as fun as you want.

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I got into this discussion with someone last spring. There's a huge geoart in the desert south of town here. Something like 300+ caches in it. He told me that him and 5 other guys spread out and each took a section of it, but they each logged as they had found every single cache.

 

Yes, it bugs me. Yes, I feel it's wrong. Yes. . . it doen't matter in the end of it all I guess. I dunno. Guess that's another reason why I won't go to any meetings nearby, and I won't deal with the local cacher population here, among many other reasons.

 

Anywho, you'll find things that bug you. . . things that drive you INSANE. Like when someone tells their friend about a cache they hid, gives them the coords, and then they post it. The friend logs the "ftf" about 10 seconds after the cache is posted and nobody else has a chance. Meh. . . let em.

 

I find ways to enjoy the game on my own or with close friends and family. Good luck. Stick around. Make the game as fun as you want.

 

How do you write a log for something like that? "I never saw the cache, in fact I was nowhere near it, but I found it, TFTC".

 

 

I rarely take things too seriously, I really am a lighthearted person with a great sense of humor. I do however, have mild sarcastic tendencies so forgive me in advance :)

 

Seriously, thank you all for your responses, I appreciate each of you for taking the time to voice your opinions and teach me a few things. I am definitely learning fast and furiously :) I just got another "spanking" recently when I put fireball candy in a cache :( and I now know that wildlife can smell through tupperware :o

 

On a lighter note... Do any of you have a words of wisdom for my family and myself who are just starting out? I was hooked on geocaching from day one and I have a tendency to jump right into things. I am not a read the directions first kind of girl LOL But to ease all your minds....I do know how to properly log trackables :P

 

Sincerely

PoochWirth (aka Amie)

 

Don't worry, you aren't alone. Any time someone comes here to ask about or opine on what they think is a questionable practice, you can be guaranteed at least one "Don't get your knickers in a twist" response. Some people seem to think that asking a question or having a opinion about something necessarily means your "knickers are in a twist". I don't get that mindset, but I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over it.

Edited by briansnat
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