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Remove event's as find's


bri13

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Groundspeak should remove cache events from the " numbers" . Seems there are way to many events and only 7-8 people attend ( atleast around peoria,il.). If it's a mega event, atleast 50-100 people attend that would be great. So many hide styles have been taking away do away with all these little events. Seems people are just trying to juke there numbers. It's time to get out and find good caches...

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Well this is in the wrong topic. But you find a geocache. You can't attend an event if you can't find it. By that logic It should still count as finds. I personally don't care, but some do. There are better ways to increase your numbers such as false logging(not recommended), power trails, logging your hides as finds. or the best way-just find more caches. In some cases events are put on to introduce and attract new cachers. Or to attract cachers from out of town. Our local 100 attendee event had people from 6-12 hours away and even someone from overseas. These types of large events-even with only 100 attendees can positively influence the economy. The CITO is also a good cause. The last-well only-CITO I attended we had helped out and in an hour did about 12 hours of work with the large group we had. I think that the positives outweigh the negatives and unless someone is trying to have an event every week I don't believe that it is only for people trying to pad their numbers.

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I'm also wondering why you think "So many hide styles have been taking away" As far as I'm aware it's just virtuals that have been taken. And there where issues with those such as obviously false/armchair logs and the CO's were not doing anything about it. It's the CO's job to make sure logs are correct. Also another problem with virtuals was they were everywhere. Like a garbage dump, or parking garage. Now when the events are being held because it's Tuesday, or because I need another smiley, then I can understand getting rid of them. I still fail to understand why you want to get rid of them.

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Using events for the numbers is a really SLOW way to increase your numbers. Not like you can find a power trail of events. Even if there are a few on the same day they are miles apart.

 

A number of people tried to log a few on some of the major caching days. People were on the road for hours to log 4 events. No, not a great draw for number hounds.

 

I think they take a whole lot more time and energy to log than a single cache. Why not get credit?

 

Besides, it draws more people to events to have them count toward your total.

 

More people at events mean more community, more people to meet, more fun.

I think it's a good thing.

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The find count should probably be renamed to "the count of Found, Attended, and Photo Taken online logs" - because that's what it is. But that's also a bit much to say and most people will still refer to it as the find count. If you personally only want to count geocaches that use the Found It log type found then feel to use Write Note to log Events and Webcams. You can even use a note to log EarthCaches and virtual caches if you don't want to count these. I know some cachers who don't log LPCs.

 

I'd also stop worrying about other people's numbers. If you insist on treating this as a competition, you will find it constantly irritating - sort of like walking around with your knickers in a twist. :mellow:

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If you're concerned about your own numbers, then you could just stop posting Attended logs. Post Note logs instead, and convert all your existing Attended logs to Note logs. You wouldn't be the first person to refuse a smiley by posting a Note.

 

If you're concerned about others' numbers, then you've got a problem. Numbers are meaningless. Some have taken years to find a few hundred caches, each unique and challenging in its own way. Others find a few hundred caches in a single day, each essentially identical and interchangeable with the others. So what do a few hundred smileys mean?

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Hmmm, nah, I had no beer tonight so I'm going to bed.

 

You put him up to it didn't you? I'll bet yesterday, before he made that post, he was a non-premium member, and you gifted him. :laughing:

 

I guess the decision was made early on to make this a "find", and they have just rolled with it since. I could be wrong, and it would take a real, real, big-time old-timer to verify, but the first event may have actually occurred before the different cache types (virtual, multi, traditional etc..) were designated, and everything was just a "cache". A quote from a history of Geocaching webpage out there in the internets:

 

The first recorded instance of a geocaching get-together (now known as an event cache) was held in Austin, Texas, on March 24, 2001. It was hosted by Eoghan and Pumpkin Princess. The "hide" date was set as the actual date of the event (which became standard practice) and the meeting location coordinates were used for the "cache coordinates".

 

By the way, I am a big user and supporter of an alternative Geocaching website. And gawd no, it's not Garmin. :) This website counts "events attended" totally seperate, not unlike Geocaching.com counts Challenges and Benchmarks totally seperate. So the concept is out there, and being practiced on a much smaller basis. But you know what? There have been a few complaints in their forum's "features suggestions" that they be counted as finds. :D

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If you're concerned about your own numbers, then you could just stop posting Attended logs. Post Note logs instead, and convert all your existing Attended logs to Note logs. You wouldn't be the first person to refuse a smiley by posting a Note.

This is precisely what I've done since I first began caching. For me, it's always seemed a bit silly to get a smiley that counts the same as a "Find" for just showing up somewhere. Even a muggle could find an event (well, most of them could :P).

 

Then again, there was the time I showed up for an event on the wrong day and was shocked to find there was nobody there. I tried to log a DNF, but that option isn't available for events. I did attend the event the next day, and logged my usual Note.

 

--Larry

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Then again, there was the time I showed up for an event on the wrong day and was shocked to find there was nobody there. I tried to log a DNF, but that option isn't available for events. I did attend the event the next day, and logged my usual Note.

 

--Larry

 

Same thing happened to us. The event was the wedding reception for Inspector Gadget. So we showed up for the wrong wedding reception. We snuck out quickly.

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Did you find your way to the event? Then it sounds like a find to me. Really, after all these years why the interest in changing it now?

Finding my way to an event is just not the same challenge as finding Tupperware in the woods, or even an Altoids tin under a lamp post skirt (even if I occasionally misread the date of the event). As far as I'm concerned, "showing up" does not equal finding. I'll continue to log my events as Notes.

 

I didn't advocate changing anything about how events are logged, I just stated my practice. My caching statistics aren't comparable to almost anyone else's (see my profile if you're interested), so I don't really care how other cachers log events.

 

--Larry

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Groundspeak should remove cache events from the " numbers" . Seems there are way to many events and only 7-8 people attend ( atleast around peoria,il.). If it's a mega event, atleast 50-100 people attend that would be great. So many hide styles have been taking away do away with all these little events. Seems people are just trying to juke there numbers. It's time to get out and find good caches...

 

Seems like the forums have been overrun with a propensity to ask for parts of the game to be banned recently??. Always with very spurious reasons given for the removal. Could it be some sort of muggle infiltration plotting the downfall of geocaching.

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Then again, there was the time I showed up for an event on the wrong day and was shocked to find there was nobody there. I tried to log a DNF, but that option isn't available for events. I did attend the event the next day, and logged my usual Note.

 

--Larry

Same thing happened to us. The event was the wedding reception for Inspector Gadget. So we showed up for the wrong wedding reception. We snuck out quickly.

:D

 

I was standing at the event site (a park picnic shelter) feeling bewildered, and not a little stupid, when another cacher drove up. He'd made the same mistake. Amazing how much better I felt knowing I wasn't the only one who messed up.

 

--Larry

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Did you find your way to the event? Then it sounds like a find to me. Really, after all these years why the interest in changing it now?

Finding my way to an event is just not the same challenge as finding Tupperware in the woods, or even an Altoids tin under a lamp post skirt (even if I occasionally misread the date of the event). As far as I'm concerned, "showing up" does not equal finding. I'll continue to log my events as Notes.

--Larry

 

Perhaps it's a bit telling that Groundspeak uses the term "Attended" for logging events instead of "Found It". "Attended", to me, implies some amount of participation and not just showing up, signing the event log book (if there is one) and leaving.

 

I don't expect that Groundspeak will ever remove the "Attended" log such that events no longer count towards ones total find count, but if people are just showing up at events to get credit for a "find" they're missing the point of geocaching events. If the incentive of the "find" were removed, it might reduce the number of attendees at events but if someone isn't there to socialize with other geocachers and participate in any of the other event activities I wouldn't really consider that a loss.

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OH please please dont remove my finds for events

 

All Event Cache Types 153

Event Cache 142

Cache In Trash Out Event 7

Mega-Event Cache 2

Lost and Found Event Cache 2

 

Actually I love the socializing aspect of geocaching: events, forums, group assaults on tough caches, day out on trails with buddies, etc. So not counting events would not affect our attendance.

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I guess the decision was made early on to make this a "find", and they have just rolled with it since. I could be wrong, and it would take a real, real, big-time old-timer to verify, but the first event may have actually occurred before the different cache types (virtual, multi, traditional etc..) were designated, and everything was just a "cache".

 

not a real, real, big-time old-timer, but I can verify that cache types were added in May 2001: Traditional, Multi-cache, Letterbox hybrid, Virtual, Unknown, Event

 

Events had already been held in Texas and Georgia.

 

Attended rather then Found it! for events happened in the late October 2004. For a while you could do either - even both...

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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More contention about numbers which are just about meaningless.....attending events is the hardest way to run up numbers I can think of.

Geocaching has become like baseball......like baseball, its fun to play but it has also become laden with statistics.

For those that like numbers/stats I say go for it....if you just like to hike and cache, go for it.

When someone tells me they found 11,000 caches in the past year I really don't know whether to offer condolences or congratulations...no kidding.

Occasionally a number will still grab me.....met a fellow the other day who has found almost 2000 earth caches...WOW !

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For those that like numbers/stats I say go for it....if you just like to hike and cache, go for it.

I like numbers/stats. A lot. I spent a good number of years, at a university and later a government agency, as a statistical consultant and analyst. You'll see a whole bunch of statistics in my profile. I'm just not that interested in running up my cache find numbers. Liking numbers is not the same as liking bigger numbers.

 

And I like to hike and cache even more. I guess I have the best of both worlds.

 

--Larry

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If you're concerned about your own numbers, then you could just stop posting Attended logs. Post Note logs instead, and convert all your existing Attended logs to Note logs. You wouldn't be the first person to refuse a smiley by posting a Note.

This is precisely what I've done since I first began caching. For me, it's always seemed a bit silly to get a smiley that counts the same as a "Find" for just showing up somewhere. Even a muggle could find an event (well, most of them could :P).

 

Then again, there was the time I showed up for an event on the wrong day and was shocked to find there was nobody there. I tried to log a DNF, but that option isn't available for events. I did attend the event the next day, and logged my usual Note.

 

--Larry

 

The option used to be available. Hmmmm, now you have me wondering if i'm the only person in the history of geocaching that has actually logged a dnf on an event. :o

 

GCGVVB - Southeast Texas TC Planning Meeting

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Then again, there was the time I showed up for an event on the wrong day and was shocked to find there was nobody there. I tried to log a DNF, but that option isn't available for events. I did attend the event the next day, and logged my usual Note.

 

--Larry

The option used to be available. Hmmmm, now you have me wondering if i'm the only person in the history of geocaching that has actually logged a dnf on an event. :o

 

GCGVVB - Southeast Texas TC Planning Meeting

Love it! I'm thinking there should be a special Souvenir for those who logged a DNF for an event before they removed the option. I'm sure it would be a rare and cherished memento. :D

 

--Larry

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Course, if you live in Ohio, some folks there will use events to increase their numbers. I see some folks log the same event over 100 times easy.

 

With a few exceptions, events are not huge # increases for folks so if you are worrying about true finds or noteworthy finds, the # of finds has changed meaning so many times over the years, why worry too much about 100. Folks now find the same bloody cache 600 times in a row on a power trail and you worry about 100 events over the course of a lifetime or decade?

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OH please please dont remove my finds for events

 

All Event Cache Types 153

Event Cache 142

Cache In Trash Out Event 7

Mega-Event Cache 2

Lost and Found Event Cache 2

 

 

Attend a few events in certain parts of Ohio, and that "all event cache types" could be in the Thousands. :ph34r:

 

+1. I live in the center of event hell, Ohio. I assume you are referring to logging of temporary event caches. There's an upcoming event closeby. You can get 80 finds in about a mile. They're all virtual... no containers.

Edited by St.Matthew
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Then again, there was the time I showed up for an event on the wrong day and was shocked to find there was nobody there. I tried to log a DNF, but that option isn't available for events. I did attend the event the next day, and logged my usual Note.

 

--Larry

The option used to be available. Hmmmm, now you have me wondering if i'm the only person in the history of geocaching that has actually logged a dnf on an event. :o

 

GCGVVB - Southeast Texas TC Planning Meeting

Love it! I'm thinking there should be a special Souvenir for those who logged a DNF for an event before they removed the option. I'm sure it would be a rare and cherished memento. :D

 

--Larry

 

Tee, Hee, Hee, I know that I cherish my DNF on a virtual that I drove 82 miles to attempt. (aaannnnnnnnnddd, I never tire of telling the story ... The Livermore Fire Department was out on a run and I never got to log the 100+ year continuously operating light bulb that they babysit)

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If you're concerned about your own numbers, then you could just stop posting Attended logs. Post Note logs instead, and convert all your existing Attended logs to Note logs. You wouldn't be the first person to refuse a smiley by posting a Note.

 

If you're concerned about others' numbers, then you've got a problem. Numbers are meaningless. Some have taken years to find a few hundred caches, each unique and challenging in its own way. Others find a few hundred caches in a single day, each essentially identical and interchangeable with the others. So what do a few hundred smileys mean?

 

+1

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Hmmm, nah, I had no beer tonight so I'm going to bed.

 

Come on Roman ... jump in ... you know you want to. Tee, Hee, Hee, LOL, LOL

 

He's just miffed that he didn't think of this first. :P

 

Groundspeak should remove cache events from the " numbers" . Seems there are way to many events and only 7-8 people attend ( atleast around peoria,il.). If it's a mega event, atleast 50-100 people attend that would be great. So many hide styles have been taking away do away with all these little events. Seems people are just trying to juke there numbers. It's time to get out and find good caches...

 

I don't see any justifiable reason to remove event attendance from the count at this point in the game. It encourages cachers to get together and that is a good thing.

Either there are too many events or not enough cachers in your area? Around here a routine weeknight meet up at a pub draws 25-50. Annual events like Festivus and Fall Fling draw hundreds, but not the 500 needed for Mega status.

I don't understand how hosting/attending a social event has anything to do with a hide style being (dis)allowed? Have people stopped hiding flat magnets or survey stakes in favor of hosting events in your area?

Edited by wimseyguy
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The ability to log a DNF on events went away when the "attended" log was introduced. That was late October 2004.

Like Mudfrog, I've DNFed an event - unlike Mudfrog, I didn't get to log it as such. People really do DNF events pretty regularly - wrong day, wrong time, wrong place...

 

Much of the site coding around events is off. You can't add any of the hazard attributes to events - around here there are high terrain events with ticks, thorns, wading, etc as a general thing. Event cache owners have learned to submit as Trad, add needed attributes, then edit to event.

 

To the OP, as others have noted, if you don't like seeing events count to your totals, log notes, not "attended". Don't worry about other people's numbers, that's just silly.

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Did you find your way to the event? Then it sounds like a find to me. Really, after all these years why the interest in changing it now?

Finding my way to an event is just not the same challenge as finding Tupperware in the woods, or even an Altoids tin under a lamp post skirt (even if I occasionally misread the date of the event). As far as I'm concerned, "showing up" does not equal finding. I'll continue to log my events as Notes.

 

I didn't advocate changing anything about how events are logged, I just stated my practice. My caching statistics aren't comparable to almost anyone else's (see my profile if you're interested), so I don't really care how other cachers log events.

 

--Larry

 

Oh no problems here. I was replying to the OP. But right, no need to change how events are logged. Just don't log them if you don't want to. Hell, I seldom log anything.

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Way too many caches out there with only 6-9 finders within the first year.

If more people don't want to find them, they should be archived.

You know, if a cache can't get at least 50 finds in the first six months, then what's the point?

 

Who wrote that?

 

Its rediculus as remov'ing event's as find's. :blink:

 

irregardless.... [:P]

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Way too many caches out there with only 6-9 finders within the first year.

If more people don't want to find them, they should be archived.

You know, if a cache can't get at least 50 finds in the first six months, then what's the point?

 

Who wrote that?

 

Its rediculus as remov'ing event's as find's. :blink:

 

irregardless.... [:P]

 

Yer just provok'n the grammar nazis.

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Way too many caches out there with only 6-9 finders within the first year.

If more people don't want to find them, they should be archived.

You know, if a cache can't get at least 50 finds in the first six months, then what's the point?

 

Who wrote that?

 

Its rediculus as remov'ing event's as find's. :blink:

 

I did, in the other similar thread.

 

'Ridiculous' was the point. :lol:

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If you think an event won't be well-attended and that makes you not want to attend, then don't attend.

 

If you're whining about other people getting a smiley because they attended an event, and you didn't, mind your own business.

 

I feel challenges are kind of silly, so I don't do them. But if you want to, knock yourself out!

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OH please please dont remove my finds for events

 

All Event Cache Types 153

Event Cache 142

Cache In Trash Out Event 7

Mega-Event Cache 2

Lost and Found Event Cache 2

 

 

Attend a few events in certain parts of Ohio, and that "all event cache types" could be in the Thousands. :ph34r:

 

+1. I live in the center of event hell, Ohio. I assume you are referring to logging of temporary event caches. There's an upcoming event closeby. You can get 80 finds in about a mile. They're all virtual... no containers.

 

Not to drag the thread off-topic, but it's just out of control. Log 125 temporary "caches" 200 feet apart (which don't meet the guidelines, of course, the rule is 528 feet) or logging "virtual caches", which haven't been accepted on this website since 2005. But you know, play your own way, and it doesn't affect me or anything. Or something like that. :ph34r:

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Way too many caches out there with only 6-9 finders within the first year.

If more people don't want to find them, they should be archived.

You know, if a cache can't get at least 50 finds in the first six months, then what's the point?

 

Who wrote that?

 

Its rediculus as remov'ing event's as find's. :blink:

 

He did. I was going to comment on it in the other thread but didn't see it before it was locked.

 

It *is* a rather absurd suggestion. If a cache was archived if it didn't get 50 finds in the first 6 months it would eliminate most of the caches in Africa and South America. Geocaching isn't just a game that's played in placed where their are hundreds of other geocacher nearby to find the thousands of caches within 10 miles. It's a global game and in almost 2/3rds of the countries there are fewer than 100 caches and probably only a handful of geocachers in the entire country.

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OH please please dont remove my finds for events

 

All Event Cache Types 153

Event Cache 142

Cache In Trash Out Event 7

Mega-Event Cache 2

Lost and Found Event Cache 2

 

 

Attend a few events in certain parts of Ohio, and that "all event cache types" could be in the Thousands. :ph34r:

 

+1. I live in the center of event hell, Ohio. I assume you are referring to logging of temporary event caches. There's an upcoming event closeby. You can get 80 finds in about a mile. They're all virtual... no containers.

 

I too live in Ohio (northwestern), and as an monthly event host/organizer I can say that there are very few (if any) in my area that use evens to inflate their numbers. Within 5 miles of our monthly even location there are 105 physical cache containers (no other events or virtuals are included in this count).

 

We have a monthly Meet & Eat and usually have about 10 to 15 people attend and lasts 1 to 2 hours. This last M&E we were able to help new people with placing their first cache, helped someone get their cache fixed and enabled, talked about creating a group multi-cache, and event discussed a new county park opening soon and placing caches there.

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You've found 3512 caches (3512 distinct) since your first cache find on 05/07/2011.

 

That's not true as events are attended, not found so I have not found 3512 caches. I agree, events are fun and good for geocaching but they should not be counted as caches, firstly, like I said, you do not find event and secondly they are not placed for the long term as caches are supposed to be.

 

Also, although not that rampant, events are being abused for racking up numbers by posting temporary caches that break guidlines then the event is logged countless times.

 

Events = fun.

Events ≠ caches.

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It has been a long time since I have visited the forums. This thread was the first one I read upon my return. It reminded me why I've been away so long. Is it really worth so much discussion whether an event is counted as a find or not?

 

Play the game the way you want. If you want an event you attend to count as a find, log it as attended. If not, don't log it. In fact, if you want to count only great hides that you find as finds, log only those.

 

Some time ago, I suggested that there be an entry fee for caching. Whomever got the most finds in a given year would get the pot for the year. That would justify all of the worrying about what is or is not a find.

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Using events for the numbers is a really SLOW way to increase your numbers. Not like you can find a power trail of events. Even if there are a few on the same day they are miles apart.

 

A number of people tried to log a few on some of the major caching days. People were on the road for hours to log 4 events. No, not a great draw for number hounds.

 

I think they take a whole lot more time and energy to log than a single cache. Why not get credit?

 

Besides, it draws more people to events to have them count toward your total.

 

More people at events mean more community, more people to meet, more fun.

I think it's a good thing.

I agree except those cachers that only make an appearance and then duck out to go caching. I spend more then an hour at events, well give or take on Flashmobs. I do hang out and talk, and sometimes not cache at all. And I agree sometimes I can't find the event. :blink:

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