what do TB owners think of this?

[+sparklefingers]

I have had a thought.

 

It was suggested in the other thread that maybe visit should be disabled for other cachers only the owner can log a visit. Would it not be better to have the ability to choose when editing the tb page to disable the visit cache button. That way tb owners can make the choice as some like it and some don't.

 

It shouldn't be for any Tb. For the history the discover and visit options were completely coin driven. And honestly I do agree that they needed it due to the level of sharing numbers and Event visiting. Travel Bugs just got sucked along with those coin options and now we have what we have.

 

I understand that, problem is they did get caught up in it and as this thread has pointed out some cachers like it and some don't.

I do think the app should have auto visit removed and I also think there should be more options when making your tb page. (Like I said above the ability to remove visit so it kind of forces you to drop it... Or not drop it as the case is sometimes.)

If the tb doesn't let you log visits then it can't go on that journey round Europe with that cacher. Which means they can't track their miles if you get me, the only thing they can do is pick it up and move it on to the next cache. Well or they could just steal it but I would hope they wouldn't

[+jmoore623]

I had no idea that TB owners were bothered by me "visiting" caches until I could properly move their TB to a cache. I have logged all TB's in my possession as "visited" until I can drop so that they will gain miles and show that I haven't forgotten about it. I always have the best intentions when taking a TB and would love to help them to reach their goals always, however, I don't travel that much so I like to move them to maybe more popular caches so that they have a better chance to reach their goal eventually. It seems that no matter what you do someone has an issue with it, so I guess I will just keep doing what I do...

[+BlueDeuce]

I have had a thought.

 

It was suggested in the other thread that maybe visit should be disabled for other cachers only the owner can log a visit. Would it not be better to have the ability to choose when editing the tb page to disable the visit cache button. That way tb owners can make the choice as some like it and some don't.

 

It shouldn't be for any Tb. For the history the discover and visit options were completely coin driven. And honestly I do agree that they needed it due to the level of sharing numbers and Event visiting. Travel Bugs just got sucked along with those coin options and now we have what we have.

 

I understand that, problem is they did get caught up in it and as this thread has pointed out some cachers like it and some don't.

I do think the app should have auto visit removed and I also think there should be more options when making your tb page. (Like I said above the ability to remove visit so it kind of forces you to drop it... Or not drop it as the case is sometimes.)

If the tb doesn't let you log visits then it can't go on that journey round Europe with that cacher. Which means they can't track their miles if you get me, the only thing they can do is pick it up and move it on to the next cache. Well or they could just steal it but I would hope they wouldn't

 

I think auto-visiting shouldn't have been implemented at all, much less the manual visited option, but owner dissatisfaction will need to be a bit more substantial to make a difference.

[+sparklefingers]

I had no idea that TB owners were bothered by me "visiting" caches until I could properly move their TB to a cache. I have logged all TB's in my possession as "visited" until I can drop so that they will gain miles and show that I haven't forgotten about it. I always have the best intentions when taking a TB and would love to help them to reach their goals always, however, I don't travel that much so I like to move them to maybe more popular caches so that they have a better chance to reach their goal eventually. It seems that no matter what you do someone has an issue with it, so I guess I will just keep doing what I do...

 

I don't think it's an issue with some visits and then a drop. (As I do that to) it's more of the people that take the tb and then have it visit caches for a few months with no details other the visit cache1.

 

I was looking at some tbs and they have 3 pages of visit from the same guy, he's had the bug 6 months and no comments have been made. It does look like they auto visit logs which doesn't tell you anything. It makes the tb owner think do you still have the tb?

 

If you do a visit log put a little bit of info with it. Like I made tb visit rather than drop as this cache isn't found often. Will place in cache soon. It makes the tb owners happy

[Jarhead7481]

I have had a thought.

 

It was suggested in the other thread that maybe visit should be disabled for other cachers only the owner can log a visit. Would it not be better to have the ability to choose when editing the tb page to disable the visit cache button. That way tb owners can make the choice as some like it and some don't.

 

I could be wrong, but I think the smartphone app comes with the auto-visit feature enabled by default. I'm also guessing that most smartphone users have no idea that this feature exists or that it is enabled. A simple solution would be to have the feature disabled by default and anyone that wanted to robo-log bugs into every cache they visit would have to manually turn it on for it to work.

 

Normally, auto visits don't bug me that much but it is a pain in the neck if I notice that Cacher X has had my bug for months and I suspect it's either been dropped into a cache and never logged or that it's gone to trackable heaven, never to be seen again. Most emails to those cachers go unanswered. The ones that do answer almost always say they dropped the bug a long time ago but didn't log it into the cache. So now I have 300 different visit logs staring me in the face to try to figure out where the bug went. No thanks. I just mark it missing and hope that it gets picked up by someone who knows how to log trackables and gets put back into play. So far, none have ever returned from the Unknown Location

 

I just looked at my app on the i-phone and there isn't any way to turn this on or off. Just saying.

[+3Woofs]

I used to see this occasionally and thought it was kind of odd, but recently it seems that more and more I look at the history of a TB and someone has logged in into every cache they find, often a string of caches in the same park or trail. To me that's pointless and annoying, making it harder to scroll through the history or make sense of the maps. Two questions: How do TB owners feel about this?

And, WHY would someone take the trouble to do it? Do they think anyone really wants to see their personal caching history on someone else's TB page?

[+3Woofs]

Overall I agree with the post that says that once you launch the tb they are out of your hands. I like people to log them. usually it means they are still active. Frankly you can months without a log. Personally when I have tb's I do like to have them visit caches that I go to. I do not have them visit all of the caches, but try to pick a cache from an area I visit and log it one time. So if I did a trail series I might log the tb once or twice but not 15 or 20 timers. It helps to put some mileage on the tb and lets the cache owner at least know that it is getting logged. I generally try not to keep a tb over 2 weeks if I am actively caching or a month if not. Right now it is winter, I am vegging and I got rid of the tb's I had at the last event I went to.

[+hukilaulau]

would love to help them to reach their goals always, however, I don't travel that much so I like to move them to maybe more popular caches so that they have a better chance to reach their goal eventually. It seems that no matter what you do someone has an issue with it,

I don't see how you get that from what's been written. NO ONE would take issue with you moving a TB to a more popular cache if you can't help it reach its goal. The question is why do you feel you have to do the in between stuff?

[+sparklefingers]

 

I just looked at my app on the i-phone and there isn't any way to turn this on or off. Just saying.

 

My iPhone app had it a while ago but not now.

The app has a button saying log tb when you're logging a cache. When I press this button it doesn't auto log anything it brings up the tbs and gives you the choice to drop or visit etc.

[+attymom]

It seems that no matter what you do someone has an issue with it,

I don't see how you get that from what's been written.

 

Actually, that's exactly what I've gotten from what's been written. Some TB owners don't want visits and take it personally when you do. Some want visits. Some cachers have posted that this discussion has made them consider not picking up any more TBs.

 

With my TBs, I haven't seen pages and pages of visits, but I like to see them.

As someone who tries to move TBs around, I have the TBs in my geocaching bag so the TB is physically there when I note a visit. I don't see an option to "auto-log", I have to choose to log a visit or note a drop off each time I log a find. If I don't make that choice, nothing is logged for the TB. Is anyone sure there really is a way a TB can be "auto-logged"?

[+captnemo]

OK I admit it! My name is Capt. Nemo and I'm a TB visting offender! Until these posts I had no idea that anyone was upset with visiting all the TB in my bag at every cache I find.

 

Anyway I am changing the way I move bugs. From now on I will not visit them in every cache but only in those caches that are at least a few miles apart. I will also attempt to write something on the TBs page, no guanatee I'll do it everytime. Right now I'm headed crosss country by RV and will visit/log them as I go and drop them on my way back as close to there goals as possible. If I have one of yours just and you don't want this let me know and I'll drop it ASAP.

 

All of the TB's I have released have gone to the great TB graveyard except for one which was just picked up from the cache I placed it in a year ago. I haven't heard of it being placed, moved or visiting anywhere in the 2-3 weeks since it was grabbed, I would have loved to see it visited in caches but I'm afraid it gone. So if have one of mine go ahead and and visit log it all you want as at least I know it's alive.

[+E_ZIG_A]

I tend to visit TBs and GCs in each area as I go, or in every interesting Geocache in the area that I'm caching in; I write a little bit of a log with each "visit" and try to take a few photos somewhere along the way too. I like it when others do this with my travellers and that is why I do it with other people's. I get bored with visited logs with no detail yes, but in those instances it is actually fun to look at the map of where that piece has moved, even if only in the same area, so I guess it call comes down to your perspective.

 

In the end, all you can do is hope for an interesting log, but not get bent around the axle if you don't get one; just enjoy the ones you do get!

[+dprovan]

Actually, that's exactly what I've gotten from what's been written. Some TB owners don't want visits and take it personally when you do. Some want visits.

The ones that want as many visits as possible cannot reasonably get upset with someone that doesn't visit every single cache, because most people don't do that.

 

On the other hand, lots and lots of visit logs cause a very real problem when anyone, owner or not, is trying to scroll through the logs to figure out who had the TB when. So there's a reason to be against excessive visits beyond simple personal preference.

 

Some cachers have posted that this discussion has made them consider not picking up any more TBs.

I'm sorry to hear that, but I think a TB stuck in a cache because no one would pick it up out of fear of offending someone would surely upset owners in both camps more that the offense the would be caused by simply not doing any visits.

[+sparklefingers]

It seems that no matter what you do someone has an issue with it,

 

I don't see how you get that from what's been written.

 

Actually, that's exactly what I've gotten from what's been written. Some TB owners don't want visits and take it personally when you do. Some want visits. Some cachers have posted that this discussion has made them consider not picking up any more TBs.

 

With my TBs, I haven't seen pages and pages of visits, but I like to see them.

As someone who tries to move TBs around, I have the TBs in my geocaching bag so the TB is physically there when I note a visit. I don't see an option to "auto-log", I have to choose to log a visit or note a drop off each time I log a find. If I don't make that choice, nothing is logged for the TB. Is anyone sure there really is a way a TB can be "auto-logged"?

 

Are you an iPhone user? I'm beginning to think its the android app that auto visits.

[+kunarion]

Is anyone sure there really is a way a TB can be "auto-logged"?

Yes. I'm sure. It's well-documented here in the Forums. The "Auto-Visit" is not part of the official Geocaching App, but there are other Apps that have this feature, and of course it can be done manually.

Edited January 21, 2013 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

Are you an iPhone user? I'm beginning to think its the android app that auto visits.

It's not a feature of the official Geocaching App.

 

Here's a thread that covers the basics. There are several ways that Trackables "visit" every cache for months, even deliberately (as a "favor" ).

Edited January 21, 2013 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

I just looked at my app on the i-phone and there isn't any way to turn this on or off. Just saying.

It is not part of the Official Geocaching App. Just saying this for the thousandth time.

[+kunarion]

I tend to visit TBs and GCs in each area as I go, or in every interesting Geocache in the area that I'm caching in; I write a little bit of a log with each "visit" and try to take a few photos somewhere along the way too. I like it when others do this with my travellers and that is why I do it with other people's. I get bored with visited logs with no detail yes, but in those instances it is actually fun to look at the map of where that piece has moved, even if only in the same area, so I guess it call comes down to your perspective.

Logs with pictures and human text are good. A bazillion robotic "visits" are bad. In my opinion, that's a huge distinction that people seem to be missing.

 

I don't micro-manage my own TBs, and if someone hijacks one of mine for a world tour (or whatever the reason is), I don't complain that they're carrying it around forever, if it is in fact visiting the caches. My position is that accurate logs must be made. If you've added my TB to your backpack for the duration, and you're logging you did so, making the appropriate logs, that's OK. But if this is in fact (as is so commonly stated) that you're “doing me a favor”, please try to make a human log once in a while so I know it's not a computer glitch.

 

And if my TB goal specifically states NOT to “visit” caches for months (also, if I have NOT told you that I love a whole bunch of visits), do me a favor and drop it off.

 

In the end, all you can do is hope for an interesting log, but not get bent around the axle if you don't get one; just enjoy the ones you do get!

When is enough enough? Haven't you seen all the posts about "15 pages of visits over several months, no response from the Cacher logging them"? Should people wait for 30 pages? An even hundred? When does it get non-enjoyable? When would you begin to be concerned that it's a site glitch or an app setting?

Edited January 21, 2013 by kunarion

[+Don_J]

I just looked at my app on the i-phone and there isn't any way to turn this on or off. Just saying.

It is not part of the Official Geocaching App. Just saying this for the thousandth time.

 

Thanks for clarifying this. I do not own a smartphone so I can only take what I read on these forums, and from reading these posts, I was under the impression that it was a feature on the official app. I know that there is a Greasmonkey script that used to do this, but it got broken some time ago by one of the web site updates, and it can be done with GSAK 8, but I don't recall if the setting is "sticky" or if it has to be enabled for each individual found log.

[FaithCacher22]

I've always visited every bug I have with me, on hand when caching, in each cache. If I forgot it at home, it doesn't visit cause it wasn't there. I don't plan to keep bugs more than a few weeks and usually don't, but I do have a couple in hand as I've not been caching in the 0-10 degree weather (without windchill) and snow. This threads brought me to realize, it has in fact been awhile, so im going to send them a note saying as such.

 

I'm with the ones who live visit logs on my bugs, but wouldn't be angry if others do not visit my bugs to every cache. I have 2 bugs out in a race that get points for things, one for visiting a cache or being discovered, more for pick ups and drops, pictures with catchers and lots of other things.

 

If a bug stated on their page a dislike for visit logs, I would try to respect that...not gonna hurt me any! But if I have multiple bugs I may forget which one it was, or just forget entirely if I'm logging in a rush, as its habit.

[+t_smallbone]

I released a TB Called 'Holiday Bug' with a mission to travel through Europe. Wherever it ends up in July, me and my girlfriend will go and collect it. So effectively we don't know where we are going on holiday yet.

 

My problem is that i put instructions on a the tag in English, German and French and on it's page to please move on within a reasonable time and do not hold onto it for too long.

 

It has been kept by 2 different people who have kept it and repeatedly logged a 'took it to' for weeks instead of moving it on.

Currently it has been with someone almost a month and i have just had to email them asking them to move it on.

Considering it only has 6 months to travel, a whole month is quite damaging to it's mission.

 

I just think people should read the Goal.

If it asks you to take it with you on your travels then dipping it in caches in fine.

But when people like me ask you specifically to move it on, and you just ignore it. It is very frustrating.

 

 

(Personal message. Big thanks to Speakers-corner for helping me launch the bug in Europe)

Edited January 28, 2013 by t_smallbone

[+The Blorenges]

I released a TB Called 'Holiday Bug' with a mission to travel through Europe. Wherever it ends up in July, me and my girlfriend will go and collect it. So effectively we don't know where we are going on holiday yet.

 

My problem is that i put instructions on a the tag in English, German and French and on it's page to please move on within a reasonable time and do not hold onto it for too long.

 

It has been kept buy 2 different people who have kept it and repeatedly logged a 'took it to' for weeks instead of moving it on.

Currently it has been with someone almost a month and i have just had to email them asking them to move it on.

Considering it only has 6 months to travel, a whole month is quite damaging to it's mission.

 

I just think people should read the Goal.

If it asks you to take it with you on your travels then dipping it in caches in fine.

But when people like me ask you specifically to move it on, and you just ignore it. It is very frustrating.

 

 

(Personal message. Big thanks to Speakers-corner for helping me launch the bug in Europe)

 

I see that you have just posted a Note log on the TB's page, asking the current holder to please move it along.

 

It's quite likely that the current holder won't see that Note log - They won't get any email notification of it unless they happen to also have the TB on their Watchlist. If you haven't already done so, it may be more effective to email the cacher directly through their profile with your request.

 

MrsB

[+t_smallbone]

I see that you have just posted a Note log on the TB's page, asking the current holder to please move it along.

 

It's quite likely that the current holder won't see that Note log - They won't get any email notification of it unless they happen to also have the TB on their Watchlist. If you haven't already done so, it may be more effective to email the cacher directly through their profile with your request.

 

MrsB

 

Thanks MrsB.

 

I did send them a email as well as i wasn't sure if they would be notified of the log entry. I'm glad i did it now.

Edited January 28, 2013 by t_smallbone

[+Don_J]

I released a TB Called 'Holiday Bug' with a mission to travel through Europe. Wherever it ends up in July, me and my girlfriend will go and collect it. So effectively we don't know where we are going on holiday yet.

 

My problem is that i put instructions on a the tag in English, German and French and on it's page to please move on within a reasonable time and do not hold onto it for too long.

 

It has been kept buy 2 different people who have kept it and repeatedly logged a 'took it to' for weeks instead of moving it on.

Currently it has been with someone almost a month and i have just had to email them asking them to move it on.

Considering it only has 6 months to travel, a whole month is quite damaging to it's mission.

 

I just think people should read the Goal.

If it asks you to take it with you on your travels then dipping it in caches in fine.

But when people like me ask you specifically to move it on, and you just ignore it. It is very frustrating.

 

 

(Personal message. Big thanks to Speakers-corner for helping me launch the bug in Europe)

 

I see that you have just posted a Note log on the TB's page, asking the current holder to please move it along.

 

It's quite likely that the current holder won't see that Note log - They won't get any email notification of it unless they happen to also have the TB on their Watchlist. If you haven't already done so, it may be more effective to email the cacher directly through their profile with your request.

 

MrsB

 

Sounds like a good idea for a Feature Request. Notification on TBs if they are in your inventory.

[+shellbadger]

I fall into the camp of those not being bothered by my TBs making serial visits to caches between drops. I am very frequently pulling information from my TB logs and when I encounter recent logs on more than the first page, I just go to the view map page and scroll the list for the information I want. I don’t find that terribly inconvenient. It is essentially no different than a bug/coin residing in a cache for the same period of time, except (as others have pointed out) for knowing the traveler still exists. However, with the serial visits the bug/coin can pick up states or countries that might be missed with logging only drops. That matters to some people.

 

Secondly, in my view, the occurrence of 10 visits to caches by the same cacher is not the same as 10 drops into new caches by 10 different cachers. In the latter instance each of those drops represent a change of possession and the renewed possibility that the TB will go missing. I put far more stock in drops as a measure of the endurance of a TB than either age or miles traveled. But that is just me and what I deem important. Now on to something that annoys me.

 

People get to geocaching for a host of reasons, they stay with it for their own reasons and they drop out for many reasons. In my own case, I was visiting my son's family in Houston on a Thanksgiving. He had heard about geocaching so when his young children would get rowdy he had been taking them outside to find a cache in the neighborhood. I went along on one outing. My son had a GPS app on his phone and we found a small cache. No log was signed and we just put the cache back as we found it. There are some here who would take exception to that, but the kids were worn out, mission accomplished.

 

I later looked into geocaching because I had noticed there was a menu for it on a GPS I had purchased for another activity. I thought the concept was pretty interesting, but when I found out about travel bugs, I went all-in. That appealed to me on many levels. The making, dropping and tracking of TBs is what I do. I could care less about the numbers and dates games, but I understand why it is important to others.

 

Now my son’s son is into Scouting and working on his Geocaching Merit Badge. Their family is now fully engaged in the activity.

 

So what is the point of this narrative (rant?). Each of us has our own priorities and set of values but we irrationally expect those same priorities and values in others, and we expect them never to change. Moreover, there are entries in this thread and elsewhere throughout the forum suggesting some people aren’t content with just the assumption of their values in others, they want their values imposed on others. The folks at Groundspeak have their reasons for doing what they do and we each have our own reasons and methods for caching. In the vernacular of the day, it is what is. I once had a log from a person with an allergy asking me to desist from hiding caches in a large junipers. Seriously?? I had another log chiding me for the use of the term Orient in the description of the geographic range of the chestnut; Asians might be offended. Seriously?? I might have some suggestions about how Groundspeak could better handle issues important to me, but I would expect their response to be—Seriously??

 

Do I hate it that, after more than two years, over 40% of my travel bugs have gone missing, another 40% are in the hands of cachers (most of which will go no further) and only 15% are actually in a cache? Yes, absolutely! Not even counting my time, it is a nice piece of change down the drain. But it doesn’t keep me from doing what I enjoy, the making and distributing my own TBs, then watching where they go. I don’t wring my hands over the behavior of others, I lower my expectations and keep on going. If the time comes that I no longer enjoy geocaching within the framework available, I will move on to something else. That is an option available to everyone.

[+kunarion]

Secondly, in my view, the occurrence of 10 visits to caches by the same cacher is not the same as 10 drops into new caches by 10 different cachers. In the latter instance each of those drops represent a change of possession and the renewed possibility that the TB will go missing. I put far more stock in drops as a measure of the endurance of a TB than either age or miles traveled.

What about 10 pages of visits? The cacher may have lost the item a long ago. Ten pages of different cachers' logs means it's still in play.

 

I don’t wring my hands over the behavior of others, I lower my expectations and keep on going. If the time comes that I no longer enjoy geocaching within the framework available, I will move on to something else. That is an option available to everyone.

 

Another option is for everyone to insist that TBs get moved and logged properly. The suggestion that the victims of mis-handled TBs "enjoy" it or quit, is unacceptable.

Edited February 1, 2013 by kunarion

[+Don_J]

I fall into the camp of those not being bothered by my TBs making serial visits to caches between drops. I am very frequently pulling information from my TB logs and when I encounter recent logs on more than the first page, I just go to the view map page and scroll the list for the information I want. I don’t find that terribly inconvenient. It is essentially no different than a bug/coin residing in a cache for the same period of time, except (as others have pointed out) for knowing the traveler still exists. However, with the serial visits the bug/coin can pick up states or countries that might be missed with logging only drops. That matters to some people.

 

Secondly, in my view, the occurrence of 10 visits to caches by the same cacher is not the same as 10 drops into new caches by 10 different cachers. In the latter instance each of those drops represent a change of possession and the renewed possibility that the TB will go missing. I put far more stock in drops as a measure of the endurance of a TB than either age or miles traveled. But that is just me and what I deem important. Now on to something that annoys me.

 

People get to geocaching for a host of reasons, they stay with it for their own reasons and they drop out for many reasons. In my own case, I was visiting my son's family in Houston on a Thanksgiving. He had heard about geocaching so when his young children would get rowdy he had been taking them outside to find a cache in the neighborhood. I went along on one outing. My son had a GPS app on his phone and we found a small cache. No log was signed and we just put the cache back as we found it. There are some here who would take exception to that, but the kids were worn out, mission accomplished.

 

I later looked into geocaching because I had noticed there was a menu for it on a GPS I had purchased for another activity. I thought the concept was pretty interesting, but when I found out about travel bugs, I went all-in. That appealed to me on many levels. The making, dropping and tracking of TBs is what I do. I could care less about the numbers and dates games, but I understand why it is important to others.

 

Now my son’s son is into Scouting and working on his Geocaching Merit Badge. Their family is now fully engaged in the activity.

 

So what is the point of this narrative (rant?). Each of us has our own priorities and set of values but we irrationally expect those same priorities and values in others, and we expect them never to change. Moreover, there are entries in this thread and elsewhere throughout the forum suggesting some people aren’t content with just the assumption of their values in others, they want their values imposed on others. The folks at Groundspeak have their reasons for doing what they do and we each have our own reasons and methods for caching. In the vernacular of the day, it is what is. I once had a log from a person with an allergy asking me to desist from hiding caches in a large junipers. Seriously?? I had another log chiding me for the use of the term Orient in the description of the geographic range of the chestnut; Asians might be offended. Seriously?? I might have some suggestions about how Groundspeak could better handle issues important to me, but I would expect their response to be—Seriously??

 

Do I hate it that, after more than two years, over 40% of my travel bugs have gone missing, another 40% are in the hands of cachers (most of which will go no further) and only 15% are actually in a cache? Yes, absolutely! Not even counting my time, it is a nice piece of change down the drain. But it doesn’t keep me from doing what I enjoy, the making and distributing my own TBs, then watching where they go. I don’t wring my hands over the behavior of others, I lower my expectations and keep on going. If the time comes that I no longer enjoy geocaching within the framework available, I will move on to something else. That is an option available to everyone.

 

I guess it's simply a matter of why you are putting that TB or coin out there. With the exception of my most recent two, which are for a mileage race created by our local group, I release TBs and coins to the wild so that I can share them with other geocachers. Regardless of the risks, I want as many different cachers as possible to hold the coin in their hand and hopefully get the same feeling that I did when I held it. The mileage and stats are inconsequential. If all that is important is racking up mileage and the security of the coin, then I can see how someone would want a responsible, well traveled cacher to grab it and never let go, all the while logging it into caches that it may have never been at.

[+kunarion]

If all that is important is racking up mileage and the security of the coin, then I can see how someone would want a responsible, well traveled cacher to grab it and never let go, all the while logging it into caches that it may have never been at.

But wouldn't that be a special exception? If a TO asks why someone won't let his TB go and is visiting cache after cache, it is by default not a case of the TO wanting it to happen.

[+fbingha]

Allow others to enjoy the trackable. Having them visit cache after cache does not excuse the fact that you are holding them hostage. Buy your own and take it to every cache if that is what floats your boat.

[+shellbadger]

I have just concluded the second of two days of cache maintenance and discovered three of my PMO caches have disappeared, none muggled, just disappeared. All were rural, one was a 50 call ammo can, the other two were specially-made containers. I am not in the best frame of mind right now but I will try to rationally respond.

 

10 pages of visits--as I said, go to the view map link and you can scroll through them as fast as you can move your hand.

 

enjoy mishandling of TBs--I said nothing of the kind. There is a lot of clueless/thoughtless/bad/illegal behavior out there and making new rules isn't going to change any of it. It is sort of like saying that locks only keep honest people honest. Furthermore, any new rule is sure to upset someone else with a differing set of priorties. The main point is that if something hurts when you do it, why keep doing it?

 

simply a matter of why you are putting that TB or coin out there and Allow others to enjoy the trackable--It doesn't really matter why you put the bug out because after it leaves your hands, what happens to it is a crap shoot. I would venture to say that no more 10% of cachers read the mission statements anyway. And each new handler views your bug in their own way. I recently had an email from a person who declared my TB was their first and wanted to know if they could keep it. I responded that I preferred not, but I am willing to bet it is in their pocket.

 

Am I cynical? I suppose so. But in my defense, if called upon to do so, I could cheerfully list the conscientious cachers here on the Southern High Plains of Texas and the distant regions of San Antonio and Houston who have handled several of my TBs. When they pick up one of my bugs, I am assured the traveler will get to at least one more cache. I know they are good gals/guys, but I have not knowingly a met a single one of them.

[+kunarion]

enjoy mishandling of TBs--I said nothing of the kind.

 

It sure looked like you did, unless you're saying that someone would stop "enjoying" Geocaching due to properly moved and logged TBs.

 

There is a lot of clueless/thoughtless/bad/illegal behavior out there and making new rules isn't going to change any of it. It is sort of like saying that locks only keep honest people honest. Furthermore, any new rule is sure to upset someone else with a differing set of priorties. The main point is that if something hurts when you do it, why keep doing it?

 

There aren't new rules. When you pick up a TB, place it into another cache, do not keep it. That is not new. If someone's taking a TB on "Visits", it needs to be something other than a hijacking -- it needs to be genuinely worth it to the TO. Since it's being kept and not dropped, the TO at least needs to be informed of what's going on. Making an actual human log isn't new, either. If those impositions upset the offender, so be it. Taking a TB and keeping it forever with robot logs, never letting the TO know what's going on, is obnoxious. Or it's a computer error, auto-logging after the TB's long gone. Which is also obnoxious.

 

And when people come to this forum asking for help when their TB has pages of Visits with no reply to email, there's no way I'm telling them to lower their expectations. If it's been decided that people may take and keep TBs they don't own and log them forevermore, I will get the word out. But if there's ever any doubt, read the TB dogtag, where it says "Don't keep me". It's not a new rule. And if people knew that their TBs would be hijacked, they'd be much less likely to buy or release them.

 

Sorry about your lost caches. I know what that's like.

Edited February 2, 2013 by kunarion

[+313JTG]

I did that with one TB before and looking back I can see how annoying it would be.

 

I'd say if you use a visit log on a TB, you should have moved it at least 10 miles from the last cache, or you're taking it to a popular/well known cache.

[+desmognathus]

I wouldn't even mind the robo-visits if they took lots of pictures...

[+shellbadger]

I agree, most complaints you and others have made are valid, and cachers who do these things are, as you say, in the wrong. I think almost everyone who posts or regularly visits this forum is a Premium Member. As such we do know and abide by the rules as we understand them. In effect our complaints on the forum are like preaching to the choir. What are the chances that even the majority of the millions of other cachers know or even care about the rules, much less have throroughly read the guidelines on Geocaching.com or visited this forum. I believe most of them just learn to do what they need to do in order to do what they want to do. I am pessimistic about our ability to reach these people and change them. This issue is compounded by the fact that there is so little accountability at the cache. I am a solitary cacher (as I think are many others) and what I do with cache contents is known only to me. I don't have a solution. I just accept the situation as it is and go on doing what I want to do.

 

Re the missing containers, this has happened to me before. The caches disappear in bunches. It is almost like someone is targeting my containers. Once it was four 50 cal ammo cans. The same thing has happened with travel bugs. Some of my TBs are art-based and I had, I think, three Eschers dissappear from local caches within the span of a week. That was before I changed all the caches to PMOs. But I guess this is fodder for another thread.

[+kunarion]

I wouldn't even mind the robo-visits if they took lots of pictures...

The apps that have auto-visit should take and post auto-pictures! Have it make a "Visit" to some nearby place, once in a while. The robot could also log random phrases like "TB's having fun, wish it was here!"