Time to fill in a new cache webpage

[+fab_seeker]

Hello!

 

For information, here is what I wrote to Groundspeak developers to improve the time to fill in a new cache webpage:

 

Here is fab_seeker, a french geocacher. I wanted to share with you an idea about the way to create a geocache webpage, and particularly when you want to create series of geocaches. It is very long to load the webpage each time when you pick the country... then the region/province... whereas I think many software tools could fill in these fields by checking the GPS coordinates. Is there any improvement plan on going in this way?

 

Some geocachers have the time to publish many geocaches and fill in the whole information about their geocaches, but some may be discouraged to set series because of the required time to create the webpages of their caches. It took me 6h last time for 30 geocaches. I would have loved spending much of this time making other geocaches! I love imagine and create new unique geocaches but much less spending the whole afternoon in front of my computer to fill in web information.

 

So if efforts could be done to lower the creation time of each cache web page it would be great! I think many other geocachers would thank you too!

 

Thanks for reading! Best regards,

 

fab_seeker

 

I hope this may help. Maybe they could also automatically remember the last country and region used... this would waste much less time!

[AZcachemeister]

So sorry to say, but I have the opposite opinion.

 

If you want to create 30 (or 60, or 150) caches you must take the time to create the write-up properly.

 

In fact, I would not be opposed to a time-out screen of thirty minutes (or even a full hour! ) to be imposed to discourage such mass cache placements.

 

If creating the pages for thirty caches takes too long, don't place thirty caches at a time.

[+cerberus1]

I feel that it's equally important to take the time for accuracy in the write-ups as placing the hide.

Whether it's one or a hundred, a good cache should have a proper, accurate write-up, however long it takes.

 

Just like some who would rather archive hides than do maintenance, not all would put a short-cut to good use.

[+geodarts]

I see too many caches where the description is nothing more than "there wasn't a cache nearby so I put one here." Not everyone is a writer or photographer, but the cache page may be the only chance to convince me that I should stop. I would rather people spend more time with it rather than introduce new shortcuts.

[+Beach_hut]

The OP isn't referring to the general process of writing out the cache page, but specifically to the fact that you need to specify which country and then which state the cache is in, after having specified the co-ordinates. Can the system calculate the country/state automatically from the co-ords?

 

It's a good idea, although I think it would be a lot of work for the server to do. I suspect the time you'll spend waiting for it to calculate where your co-ords are will negate the time you've saved not specifying it yourself?

[+T.D.M.22]

This is really weird...

 

I have just submitted 2 or three caches. The Country(Canada) and Province (Alberta) where already automatically selected.

[+cerberus1]

The OP isn't referring to the general process of writing out the cache page, but specifically to the fact that you need to specify which country and then which state the cache is in, after having specified the co-ordinates

I agree the first paragraph stated that, but the rest appeared to be only about shortening creation time, as evidenced in the last sentence, "Maybe they could also automatically remember the last country and region used... this would waste much less time!"

While I agree the Country or State you reside should be automatically written in (mine are and apparently T.D.M.22's too), making things too quick n easy might not be a smart idea.

[+fab_seeker]

Sorry if instead of "also" I should have written "another solution", that's what I meant.

 

Don't worry, I took time to write properly the descriptions, but I think the general information of cache webpage could be faster filled in, instead of reloading each time the page... and it can be very long when the server is saturated (and it can totally discourage to make proper descriptions!)

 

Please, could you indicate me how you proceeded to get automatically your country and region filled in?

 

I don't think that my caches placement is a "mass" placement... The containers are nearly all different, following a hiking circuit or besides places to see, and when I read enjoyed finders comments describing they would like to set several favorite points on a single cache because it would deserve it, I don't think it's a mass placement:

 

http://coord.info/GC4BYMN

http://coord.info/GC4C05W

http://coord.info/GC4BYPP

 

Another phenomenon is that geocachers don't go on the road for a lonely cache, they want to have several caches to find... and I would add that many people only automatically get coordinates and hints, and go seek those caches, without even looking at desciptions... that's another problem.

[+The A-Team]

Please, could you indicate me how you proceeded to get automatically your country and region filled in?

It most likely depends on the address portion of your Account Details. If you haven't already, go there, click "Edit" in the top-left section ("Your Profile"), and fill in at least the country and state/province portions. Don't worry, that information isn't visible to the public.

[+fab_seeker]

Please, could you indicate me how you proceeded to get automatically your country and region filled in?

It most likely depends on the address portion of your Account Details. If you haven't already, go there, click "Edit" in the top-left section ("Your Profile"), and fill in at least the country and state/province portions. Don't worry, that information isn't visible to the public.

 

Thanks a lot ! Even if it's not in the region I live, I'll use this in the future!

THANK YOU!

[+Beach_hut]

I've done the same and now it defaults to my home region. All this time, I've never known it did that Thanks all!

[+Don_J]

Do you have your home coordinates entered in the proper place on the website?

 

I've done this 195 times and it always defaults to USA/California.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The OP isn't referring to the general process of writing out the cache page, but specifically to the fact that you need to specify which country and then which state the cache is in, after having specified the co-ordinates. Can the system calculate the country/state automatically from the co-ords?

 

It's a good idea, although I think it would be a lot of work for the server to do. I suspect the time you'll spend waiting for it to calculate where your co-ords are will negate the time you've saved not specifying it yourself?

 

It's not especially hard or time consuming to determine the country/state based on a set of coordinates. It's called reverse geocoding and there a few services hosted by external sites that can be used (Groundspeak does not have to do the calculation themselves) such as Geonames that are fast and easy to use. The could also cache the results so that it only has to make one request to the external service for the first cache, then use those results of additional caches in a series.

 

That said, I agree with AZcachemiester when they wrote

 

If creating the pages for thirty caches takes too long, don't place thirty caches at a time.

I would add, if you think it takes too much time to fill out the cache submission page for 30 caches, how are you going to find the time to maintain 30 caches?

 

 

[+fab_seeker]

Maybe we could stay in the topic and not add remarks about hypothesis you make about my placements and maintenance (by misunderstanding the topic). 6h were nothing compared to the time of building, prospecting and placing... I invite you to seek my caches and see what kind of cacher I am. I won't have any other answer about that.

 

The best answer to the topic was written by The A-Team:

 

Please, could you indicate me how you proceeded to get automatically your country and region filled in?

It most likely depends on the address portion of your Account Details. If you haven't already, go there, click "Edit" in the top-left section ("Your Profile"), and fill in at least the country and state/province portions. Don't worry, that information isn't visible to the public.

 

Thanks for your remarks Beach_hut and NYPaddleCacher:

 

The OP isn't referring to the general process of writing out the cache page, but specifically to the fact that you need to specify which country and then which state the cache is in, after having specified the co-ordinates. Can the system calculate the country/state automatically from the co-ords?

 

It's a good idea, although I think it would be a lot of work for the server to do. I suspect the time you'll spend waiting for it to calculate where your co-ords are will negate the time you've saved not specifying it yourself?

 

It's not especially hard or time consuming to determine the country/state based on a set of coordinates. It's called reverse geocoding and there a few services hosted by external sites that can be used (Groundspeak does not have to do the calculation themselves) such as Geonames that are fast and easy to use. The could also cache the results so that it only has to make one request to the external service for the first cache, then use those results of additional caches in a series.

 

Edited May 23, 2013 by fab_seeker

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Maybe we could stay in the topic and not add remarks about hypothesis you make about my placements and maintenance (by misunderstanding the topic). 6h were nothing compared to the time of building, prospecting and placing... I invite you to seek my caches and see what kind of cacher I am. I won't have any other answer about that.

 

Sorry, but if you're going to propose a feature that has an impact on everyone that submits a cache for publication it can't be all about you. While you personally might be spending a lot of time preparing caches and placing a bunch of unique containers all at once you're most likely very much in the minority. While I agree that reverse geocoding to auto-fill country/state fields in submission forms would result in an improved user experience if you had promoted it as a UI improvement I would have fully supported it. However, you promoted it as a time saving device so that one could publish lots of caches because "geocachers won't go down a road for a lonely cache" and "they want to have several caches to find", and that makes me less enthusiastic about the idea.

When framed as a time saving device, I think that my comment that if you (the general you) think it takes too long to fill out the cache submission form then one has to wonder how you (again, the general you) will find time to maintain them is relevant. Frankly, I'd rather see features implemented that promoted quality over quantity.

 

[+Don_J]

Maybe we could stay in the topic and not add remarks about hypothesis you make about my placements and maintenance (by misunderstanding the topic). 6h were nothing compared to the time of building, prospecting and placing... I invite you to seek my caches and see what kind of cacher I am. I won't have any other answer about that.

 

The best answer to the topic was written by The A-Team:

 

Please, could you indicate me how you proceeded to get automatically your country and region filled in?

It most likely depends on the address portion of your Account Details. If you haven't already, go there, click "Edit" in the top-left section ("Your Profile"), and fill in at least the country and state/province portions. Don't worry, that information isn't visible to the public.

 

It seems that The A-Team was right on the mark. I just went into my profile and changed the state from California to Arizona, then opened a new cache form and it was set to Arizona. This seems to be the answer to your question.

 

As far as topic, you did suggest that the cache creation process be automated in some way to make the creation process for multiple caches quicker. This is a "discussion" forum as indicated in the title, "Feature Discussions and Suggestions". Many people do not think that this is a good idea. Accusing them of being off topic simply because they disagree with you is really not fair.

Edited May 24, 2013 by Don_J