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Long logs- bad form or a fun read?


Kissyfurs

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Here is something to check out about average 'Found It' log lengths. If the link doesn't work go to http://www.mygeocachingprofile.com and click on "Extras" at the top, then click on "Average 'Found It' Log Length".

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing. But I have to wonder how much copy and paste goes into producing some of those stats. I could log 100 caches each with a unique 500 character thoughtful story or I could do copy and paste and put in 2000 characters. And, thus, this is where numbers (words, characters, find count, etc.) deviate from quality count. I do not plan to say more than this on that tangent because I'm sure quantity versus quality has been a theme of more forum threads than I can imagine. Suffice it to say, geocaching is an activity with many small games you can play; as we cannot play them all, we choose or invent what's important to us and focus on that, sometimes creating justifications for ourselves after the fact.

 

Preferably, I'll just chuckle at my long logs and say I don't know when to shut up. But, secretly, I have my personal quality standards from which I do not like to deviate. And I'm not that terse.

Edited by Ranger Fox
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I think I'll contribute to this discussion as well. But, first off, one thing: I am not brief.

 

One thing that bugs the mess out of me is short, generic logs. If I'm having a difficult time locating a cache, I want to look at the logs to see if anyone else had the same experience. If all I see are generic logs, I can't tell if people had to call for a hint, they replaced the cache, the coordinates were off, etc. I have to wade through all that trash to see an honest log that specifically mentions that cache. This is one of the reasons why I don't like short logs.

 

Of course, I don't like receiving them. I don't put out park and grabs. If I see a copy and paste log on one of my rather creative caches or one that took me a few hours to place, I will be offended and not think kindly towards that person.

 

Yes, unique logs that required thought were the norm early in caching and seemed to phase out of style in my area some time between 2008 and 2009. I blame the brain dead park and grabs for this, ones that are placed on street signs or in parking centers. However, I also acknowledge those are the bread and butter of power caching, so it's difficult to argue against them. Yes, people just don't have the time to devote these days to spending ten minutes to type a log for a cache that took them a couple minutes to find. As long as I acknowledge that, that's fine; I can do so all I want because I'm not harming anyone's fun and I might even be contributing a little fun myself.

 

That said, save for my power caching trips, I write unique logs on everything I find. Besides, when someone calls me for a hint, all I have to do is read my log and I'll be able to remember the cache and direct them. No, I don't describe the container or area in my logs; I write what was going on and, perhaps, what I was thinking about at the time. All this will jog my memory and I'll be able to help people.

 

-----

 

Perhaps I should mention the term epic logging? If you like stories, sit back and peruse a few epic logs I have written:

Atop the Rock - 8 logs long - February 19, 2012

Bradley's Bottom - 8 logs long - July 4, 2012

The Sands of Time - 4 logs long - July 7, 2012

Wildlife - 13 logs long - February 16, 2013

Murphy to Manteo Challenge - 6 logs long - April 6, 2013

 

And, by the way, it seems my epic logging has inspired others to create some of their own on those caches. I take this as a compliment. I don't hear much feedback from my logs, but that's fine. I write them because it's fun to tell a story and my skills as a writer need exercising. None of these logs start out intentionally as an epic log and I do not aim for a certain log, page, word, or character count. I continue telling my story until there is nothing much left to tell. Only then do I stop. If what I've written maxes out the 4,000 character limit by a great deal, I split the log up and post it in as few additional notes as possible.

 

-----

 

I'll leave you with this thought: what is your geocaching legacy? What will you leave behind after you leave this game? For most of us, the only evidence we were here is a scribble on a log book and log online. When we're gone, only our words will be left to speak for us. I want my legacy to be rich and full. I want to have fun and express myself in the present.

I read part of your 13-page log! It wasn't too long - but your line at Hardee's sure was! A 10-minute wait! OMG, that's outrageous ! ;)

Edited by wmpastor
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Well...I'm no great story teller. I tend to get impatient when describing my "story" so I tend to be brief. That being said, I do have occasion to ramble. One particular cache (a multi) gave me A LOT of trouble. Missing or altered stages, my own inability to spot obvious clues and a final stage that was there, but muggled. At least the owner was good about keeping up with it...so I made sure to remark on this too. This log is my lengthiest log...not much compared to Mr. 13-pager up there!

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I am very new to this. I have actually been a member of GS for a few years now but only got into it seriously this year LOL. My daughter and I started looking and logging in May and I hid my first cache just a week ago. If someone finds mine I would prefer a long log as I like to read what other people have to say about the cache, location etc. We put a lot of thought into where to place a cache and it is usually a special place for us. I would like to know what other people think of the location etc of my caches rather than just TFTC. I have to admit I am bad myself at just writing short logs but in time will try to write longer ones for the CO and everyone to read. I don't see any problem with long logs. I also look at other logs if I have problems locating a cache. Most of the time they will help. I sure hope there are not too many people who have a bug up their bum!!

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I write long logs; my partner makes fun of me for it, often in his own logs.

 

But I've not been caching that long really, search in a fairly restricted area and have had six cache owners now email me to say thank you for writing something other than 'TFTC' on their caches. Which is nice.

 

Sometimes the DNF logs are easier to write than the smileys!

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-----

 

Perhaps I should mention the term epic logging? If you like stories, sit back and peruse a few epic logs I have written:

Atop the Rock - 8 logs long - February 19, 2012

Bradley's Bottom - 8 logs long - July 4, 2012

The Sands of Time - 4 logs long - July 7, 2012

Wildlife - 13 logs long - February 16, 2013

Murphy to Manteo Challenge - 6 logs long - April 6, 2013

 

 

Here is part 1 of an epic 11-part log, written across 11 caches in a series, culminating in a puzzle solution 5/5. First paragraph is an intro cut-and-paste, but everything else is unique.

 

Never heard from the CO, but the series was something I'd planned for a long time, and with all the care the CO put into the caches I figured that a long thoughtful log was the least I could do.

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I'm new to the game and didn't really have an opinion on cut/paste logs, until today, as I planned out my next trip. Someone hit many of the caches in that area, and if I have to read about how Texas grows snakes and poison ivy really big ONE MORE TIME, I'll start wishing and hoping that she hits a Texas-size pothole and bends a wheel. Friends don't let friends copy/paste.

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Just trying to figure out if I have bad geocaching etiquette or if someone just has a bug up their bum...

 

I started geocaching for fun- and what fun it’s been! For a few of my finds (or DNFs), it’s been a bit of an adventure. I’ve felt compelled to share those adventures in a few of my logs which, admittedly, may be a bit lengthy- especially compared to “TFTC, SL, TN”. After once such log, someone messaged me (not the cache owner) and told me that the log wasn’t a place for my life story and I should slim it down a bit.

 

If I owned a cache and someone had more than a quick park and grab, I’d love to hear their story in the log. I figured this was part of the adventure and thought the cache owner and future finders might like to see something a little different. If I’m putting too much or being rude, I can “slim it down a bit” but wanted to get other opinions before doing so.

 

Here’s the log that prompted the message:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c000fb00-cf76-4701-ba87-c7e2f391a9e2

 

I loved your log. To me it gives a sense of camaraderie among cachers letting people know everyone has their moments - good and bad.

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You know what's really surprising about all this? Just try confronting someone concerning their copy and paste habit. I've seen people act as if I verbally attacked something they held dear--or forced them to come to an intervention. It's just amazing how offended some people get if you disapprove of copy and paste. I've been there and the target of some of these lazy people, to the point where I was defending my position as if it was some sort of new, radical idea.

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To each their own. Over the 4 years I have been geocaching, I have found the real reason that I personally like geocaching is the writing of the log itself!

 

At first I thought finding something new in an area I'm quite familiar with was great... turns out that's what my wife really likes.

 

My 9 year-old is now turning 14 in a couple of weeks, so he's moved from the trading of trinkets to actually getting interested in finding the cache itself. He feels pride when he comes up with the cache first, and that's important to a teenager.

 

My one year old still dives into the trinkets with both hands, carefully inspecting them all before making his selection. I imagine as he grows older he will be quite proud of the collection he has in our geocaching pouch.

 

The thing is, because there's 4 of us looking for every geocache, I always have a lot to write in my logs. Hand on heart, I love writing meaningful descriptive logs that are as long as they need be because I have 4 stories to tell! I even try to make sure I log what the smallest Jibber traded in the cache just in case kids of other cachers read our log. It is not uncommon for us to spend 10 minutes writing a log for a cache that took us under a minute to find. My whole family realizes that our log is our contribution to the cache, whether we found it or not.

 

I know most cachers feel this way but actions speak louder than words.... er... more words speak louder than less words?

 

Heck, I'd even go so far to say I hate acronyms (and if you knew what I did for work you'd find that deliciously funny). Most of my finds I will type out "Thanks for the hide!" just because I can.

 

Again, this is only my 2 cents on the topic.

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To each their own. Over the 4 years I have been geocaching, I have found the real reason that I personally like geocaching is the writing of the log itself!

 

 

For me, I feel the same way. I started geocaching last year and did about 20 caches. I put the standard TFTC or wrote a sentence or two. By the end of summer, I lost my infatuation with the sport and quickly forgot about it. This summer, I decided to pick it up again, if for no other reason than to have something to do on my lunch hour at work. I've found that I really enjoy telling my story- from how I decided on that particular cache to all the follies that ensured on the way to said cache. Sometimes, writing about the cache is the most memorable part of the cache for me! It's good to see that my novels are not frowned upon! Since I rarely do more than one cache a day, there's no risk of cut-and-paste logs from me, either.

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I just came across this thread. My personal goal for the past 3 years or so has been to have every log be a minimum of 100 words. And yes, that includes P&G's. If I'm doing a group of caches on the same day, I may have an introductory sentence or two (like this past Sunday I did a bunch of fun WVTim caches with an old college friend of mine) that get cut and pasted, but the rest of the log is about the adventure at that cache. The only time I did a power trail (150, the Delaware power trail) I did use Cut and Paste for those, but for a few key caches along the trail, I also went into more detail. Besides, with over 1800 caches, those 180 wouldn't influence my average by much. I'm now at about an average of 164 words per log. A few of them I hit the 4000 character limit. I've had several cache owners write back to thank me for the log. Think about it, getting logs (either found or DNF) is pretty much the only reward a cache owner gets.

 

For me it all started with a log on a very fun cache: http://coord.info/GL4VXJE8 Because of the various adventures I had while doing this cache (including calling the CO twice), I had a pretty detailed log. At the end, as a joke, I put "In summary: TNLNSL, TFTC." But after that I thought about the contrast, and then started writing more meaningful logs for all my finds (and some DNFs as well). I even went back to some previous logs of caches I remembered and wrote more detail there too.

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I think I'll add to this thread, if for no other reason than to say again ... There's nothing wrong with either of your logs on this cache, and it's just too bad more folks wouldn't write better logs like yours! There are a bunch of TFTCs, and even just a smiley face on that logs page, and that's too bad! I like what Jibber00 said earlier in the thread Quote: My whole family realizes that our log is our contribution to the cache, whether we found it or not.

 

Seems like there are a lot of ungrateful cachers around these days.

Edited by BC & MsKitty
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I write LONG logs as much as I can. They aren't just for the cache owner, but for the cachers after me.

 

When the game started it was the norm, and still was when I joined in early 2002. Micros killed the well thought out log, but that is just how the game is. No one is forced to read them is they are soooo offensive. But really...if you can't slow down and enjoy reading a longer log, ask yourself: why are you in the game.

Edited by TheWeatherWarrior
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Long logs are nothing to ashamed of... According to my misc stats from mygeocachingprofile.com, my Found it logs are, on average, 312 characters long and 61 words. I don't write long logs for every cache, but I will tend to if something interesting happened, it was particularly difficult for me, or another valid reason I see fit. I try to write out thanks for the cache instead of TFTC. Also, since I initually log my finds from my phone, I will throw a short, quick log in from the phone, but if there is more to say, I will log in from a computer and edit that caches log and write a better log. As to the physical log at the cache, because I have found so many micro's and nano's, I tend to only sign my name and date. The other factor that goes into that is even on some of the larger caches I have found, the log book is still on the smallish side and does not have much room for a paragraph or 2 without filling up half the available log space. Here is an example of what I would consider to be about an average log for me http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=d35a5ec0-e98e-41f5-a8d3-1e969f1d8b4e. Keep in mind, this was a FTF for me, it was the middle of the night, about 30F out with a dusting of snow and ice on the ground. I probally could have wrote a longer log, but I wrote what I felt was appropriate at that time for the cache with out giving it away completly.

 

I myself am not opposed to long logs and look forward to them. As it has been stated, sometimes valuble clues can be found within the log, intentional or not. If someone complains about your long logs again, ignore them, and continue to do what you do. If it becomes to much of an issue, you can always move up here to my area and log caches here in upstate ny with me. I have a long list of caches that I still need to find and log. I know I am not the only one who writes long logs up here as they seem to be more common amoungst the community here.

 

As you can see, there is a lot of support for long logs rather than against it. And either way, I am gonna play the game my way, and log the way I want to log, even if it goes against the main stream norm because I am playing for my enjoyment, not theirs. As to the log that was in question, I did read it and saw nothing wrong with it in general, if anything it shows me that I am not the only one that goes against conventional common sense when it comes to caching or anything else. Good luck in your FTF hunt and hope you get one sooner than later. Keep writing your long logs and maybe it will inspire others in your area to do the same.

 

Remember, if you annoy someone, you were gonna do it anyway, at least you annoyed them with something that made you happy. Keep up the good work.

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One thought I had about website logs vs. handwritten logs...

The handwritten logs, by their very nature, only allow the writer to talk about his or her experience up to and including the finding of the cache. With the website logs, I often read a lot of interesting stuff about what happened AFTER the person signed the log. For me, reading about the COMPLETE experience is worth the loss of longer paper logs.

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One thought I had about website logs vs. handwritten logs...

The handwritten logs, by their very nature, only allow the writer to talk about his or her experience up to and including the finding of the cache. With the website logs, I often read a lot of interesting stuff about what happened AFTER the person signed the log. For me, reading about the COMPLETE experience is worth the loss of longer paper logs.

I think logs on the cache page are better a well, if only for the fact others wouldn't be able to read mine if I write them in the cache's logbook. :laughing:

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Just another though on long logs, as a cache owner myself, I am planning on using the logs as reference to see as stated, what people think about my hides and see if I can see open or hidden suggestions on how to make the hide, container, experiance better for the seekers. The "TFTC, TNLN" logs dont tell us anything.

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There's a power trail nearby that I'm going to take a crack at. My personal challenge is to enter a log for each cache on the trail that is different from the others.

I tried that over our most productive week, when I logged two power trails over the same long weekend. I ended up quoting emails from my spam filter and writing about what song was playing on iTunes at the time. But, by God, each log was unique.

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There's a power trail nearby that I'm going to take a crack at. My personal challenge is to enter a log for each cache on the trail that is different from the others.

I tried that over our most productive week, when I logged two power trails over the same long weekend. I ended up quoting emails from my spam filter and writing about what song was playing on iTunes at the time. But, by God, each log was unique.

 

When I have the time to grab more than a few caches at a time every so often, I will have to do this. till then it is one or 2 caches at a time with its own log about the journey to the find.

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A mundane cache can result in a good story, & a great cache may only produce a so-so story. The reverse situation is more likely, of course. If there's a story to tell, tell it. Many will enjoy it, & it's a nice reminder of your adventure. Anything with a long hike or high-level D and/or T rating will probably generate a story.

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Fear not about the length of your logs. I, for one, *refuse* to do a TFTC TNLNSL log...Ever. I figure that they put in the effort to hide the cache, and I got the pleasure of finding it, for free. The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log. Granted, some are more involved than others. LPC's are fairly straight forward, and get a fairly straight forward log. Others, on the other hand, are quite an adventure, and get one like this:

 

DazeDnFamily Hard Labor Creek State Park

 

I had to trim that log twice to get it to fit. The group we cache with here actually have us bookmarked, so they see the logs we post. We have fun with it, and are glad others enjoy reading about out (mis)adventures. At the end of the day, it's your game. Play it how you see fit, and how you have fun with it. It's easy enough for someone to scroll down if they don't want to read it.

 

Later!

Edited by DazeDnFamily
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The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log.

 

Could you move to my area, please? I recently published a puzzle which I put alot into and the logs have been really really boring and short. I even got a cut-and-paste log. The puzzle is very unique and the cache is an ammo can in a nice location. I don't think 1/2 of the people even solved the puzzle. Quite frankly, it's disappointing. Sometimes you think, why bother? <_<

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The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log.

Could you move to my area, please? I recently published a puzzle which I put alot into and the logs have been really really boring and short. I even got a cut-and-paste log. The puzzle is very unique and the cache is an ammo can in a nice location. I don't think 1/2 of the people even solved the puzzle. Quite frankly, it's disappointing. Sometimes you think, why bother? <_<

You bother because you know they enjoyed it even if they didn't write about it. (And if you're talking about An eXtra easy puzzle - HAG X, you also bother because lots of people enjoyed it even though they'll never be in British Columbia to log a find.)

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The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log.

 

Could you move to my area, please? I recently published a puzzle which I put alot into and the logs have been really really boring and short. I even got a cut-and-paste log. The puzzle is very unique and the cache is an ammo can in a nice location. I don't think 1/2 of the people even solved the puzzle. Quite frankly, it's disappointing. Sometimes you think, why bother? <_<

 

I'm starting to find that the logs in my area are beginning to improve, although it may be my imagination. We are starting to develop a tighter-knit local caching community, thanks to an active Facebook group and an increase in the number of events in the last year or so. So I guess more folks are getting to know each other personally, finding each others' caches, and if you find a friend's cache you're more likely to say something of substance. This looks like it might be having a positive effect on the logs of new folks outside the group, who are seeing better logs and beginning to change the status quo.

 

The biggest challenge now seems to be intro app users. I'm .still getting a lot of "That's one more find for me! Thanks so much for hiding this cache!" auto logs from newbies with only two or three finds showing on their profile. Unfortunately it seems a lot of these folks have never even visited the site and so have never been exposed to what a quality log should look like. To them Geocaching is nothing more than a "hit the Found button, move on to the next one" kind of game. If they stick around for awhile and get into the game for real, this tends to improve. It gets even better when they finally hide their first cache, and they begin to realize just how much effort goes into making a hide and what a bummer it is to get lazy logs on your own caches.

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The biggest challenge now seems to be intro app users. I'm .still getting a lot of "That's one more find for me! Thanks so much for hiding this cache!" auto logs from newbies with only two or three finds showing on their profile. Unfortunately it seems a lot of these folks have never even visited the site and so have never been exposed to what a quality log should look like. To them Geocaching is nothing more than a "hit the Found button, move on to the next one" kind of game. If they stick around for awhile and get into the game for real, this tends to improve. It gets even better when they finally hide their first cache, and they begin to realize just how much effort goes into making a hide and what a bummer it is to get lazy logs on your own caches.

 

Sounds like a great opportunity to welcome them to the community--both the local and the bigger ones--and help them with a bit of socialization. When I started caching I had two locals contact me to say "welcome to the game," which I thought was very nice. Now I do the same, and usually include a sentences about local practices, local gatherings, and a few other things.

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The biggest challenge now seems to be intro app users. I'm .still getting a lot of "That's one more find for me! Thanks so much for hiding this cache!" auto logs from newbies with only two or three finds showing on their profile. Unfortunately it seems a lot of these folks have never even visited the site and so have never been exposed to what a quality log should look like. To them Geocaching is nothing more than a "hit the Found button, move on to the next one" kind of game. If they stick around for awhile and get into the game for real, this tends to improve. It gets even better when they finally hide their first cache, and they begin to realize just how much effort goes into making a hide and what a bummer it is to get lazy logs on your own caches.

 

Sounds like a great opportunity to welcome them to the community--both the local and the bigger ones--and help them with a bit of socialization. When I started caching I had two locals contact me to say "welcome to the game," which I thought was very nice. Now I do the same, and usually include a sentences about local practices, local gatherings, and a few other things.

 

I agree totally. I don't usually think about it, but I believe this year I will start making an effort to reach out to new cachers proactively, and offer welcome and assistance. But (and I don't mean to turn this into an intro app bashing thread), intro app users are not required to provide a validated email address and therefore in many cases there is no way to contact them.

 

I recently had an invalidated intro app user practically destroy GZ while hunting for one of my latest caches. This person still has no finds despite having searched for a few caches in the area that day. They obviously had no clue what they were doing. I would have liked to reach out to this person and offer some guidance (once I calmed down after seeing the chaos they had wreaked at my cache location), but there was no email address or any other contact info provided. Frustrating.

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I agree totally. I don't usually think about it, but I believe this year I will start making an effort to reach out to new cachers proactively, and offer welcome and assistance. But (and I don't mean to turn this into an intro app bashing thread), intro app users are not required to provide a validated email address and therefore in many cases there is no way to contact them.

 

 

Yeah, excellent point about the app being something that makes it more difficult to bring those people into the fold.

 

And, to bring it back on topic--but refrain from too much app-bashing--it isn't as easy to write longer logs with the app. I sometimes log via my phone, and will sometimes use the voice-to-text component to write the kinds of logs I like. I like my logs to tell a bit of the story of that cache. When I do power trails I usually cut-and-paste some portion of it and then try to customize it to each cache, if possible. That's harder to do on the phone.

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I agree totally. I don't usually think about it, but I believe this year I will start making an effort to reach out to new cachers proactively, and offer welcome and assistance. But (and I don't mean to turn this into an intro app bashing thread), intro app users are not required to provide a validated email address and therefore in many cases there is no way to contact them.

 

 

Yeah, excellent point about the app being something that makes it more difficult to bring those people into the fold.

 

And, to bring it back on topic--but refrain from too much app-bashing--it isn't as easy to write longer logs with the app. I sometimes log via my phone, and will sometimes use the voice-to-text component to write the kinds of logs I like. I like my logs to tell a bit of the story of that cache. When I do power trails I usually cut-and-paste some portion of it and then try to customize it to each cache, if possible. That's harder to do on the phone.

 

I agree, it's more of a pain to write long logs in the app. But that's the crux of the problem....new users seem to think of Geoaching as an app-based game rather than a website-based game. The new generation of cachers is growing up in an era where everything is done from your phone or other mobile device.

 

Just like for years everyone had a house phone, then affordable cell phones hit the scene. Having a house phone eventually became sort of optional....a great many folks these days don't even have one. Now, in the age of smartphones and other mobile devices, the home computer is starting to go the way of the landline house phone....nice if you have the means, but not absolutely necessary. There's an app on your phone for everything you need to do.

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I will admit, it would have been nice to have someone reach out to me when I first started and logging caches. I use an app only for caching right now, though I dont see anything wrong with it, I will admit that the longer logs can be a pain when logging from the phone. However, if I have more to say about that cache, I will log in from a computer, edit my log to tell more of my experiance, weather I find it or not. If it was one I found before, I will write a note saying what I dropped off (usually trackables) or if there was something signifigant when I took my kids back to find it for themselves.

 

When I started out, I would write the quicky log as that was what I saw most often on the site. I quickly grew tired of doing that way, and started writing longer logs. Especially after reading here in the forums about how things use to be. I like quality over quanity, so if I only find one cache a week and can write a short story about it, then I am happy with that rather than find 30 caches in a day and only write "X of Y TFTC." I have also noticed that logs in my area are growing in length. As much as I would like to think I had a hand in that, I dont think I did, and I am just seeing them more cuz I am doing them myself.

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There are times I log from my phone in the field, and then edit the log when I get to a proper keyboard. But, I usually note that when I'm doing it. Something akin to: "TFTC. I'm on my phone. More to follow." Then, when we go to eat/get home/get a room (LOL. Depends on the cache run...) I edit the log on my computer to do a proper one. Those usually happen if we drop off a trackable, so it gets logged before someone grabs it. I now have a passport, thanks to a deployment I ended up not going on, so I might make it up that way someday. :D

 

Later!

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There are times I log from my phone in the field, and then edit the log when I get to a proper keyboard.
FWIW, the CO receives email with your original log, but not when you edit it. That's part of why I use field notes to record shorthand memos to myself, and then use those field notes to post real logs later, when I have a real keyboard.
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The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log.

Could you move to my area, please? I recently published a puzzle which I put alot into and the logs have been really really boring and short. I even got a cut-and-paste log. The puzzle is very unique and the cache is an ammo can in a nice location. I don't think 1/2 of the people even solved the puzzle. Quite frankly, it's disappointing. Sometimes you think, why bother? <_<

You bother because you know they enjoyed it even if they didn't write about it. (And if you're talking about An eXtra easy puzzle - HAG X, you also bother because lots of people enjoyed it even though they'll never be in British Columbia to log a find.)

 

I guess they did. Pretty hard to figure out when they don't say much in their log. And yes, many other people did say they liked it. I just hoped for better logs, that's all. I put 5 scratch n win tickets in the cache for prizes and only 1 person mentioned anything. I dunno, I guess I need to lower my expectations. I think it's partly because 400 caches got published at the same time.

 

Maybe that's why logs have degraded, in general. There are just so many caches out there, it's not a big event when 1 is published. There are people here who can easily find 20 caches in 1 day. Unless they really enjoyed writing, it would be work to write interesting logs for each and probably hard to remember all the details at the end of the day.

Edited by The_Incredibles_
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Just trying to figure out if I have bad geocaching etiquette or if someone just has a bug up their bum...

 

I started geocaching for fun- and what fun it’s been! For a few of my finds (or DNFs), it’s been a bit of an adventure. I’ve felt compelled to share those adventures in a few of my logs which, admittedly, may be a bit lengthy- especially compared to “TFTC, SL, TN”. After once such log, someone messaged me (not the cache owner) and told me that the log wasn’t a place for my life story and I should slim it down a bit.

 

If I owned a cache and someone had more than a quick park and grab, I’d love to hear their story in the log. I figured this was part of the adventure and thought the cache owner and future finders might like to see something a little different. If I’m putting too much or being rude, I can “slim it down a bit” but wanted to get other opinions before doing so.

 

Here’s the log that prompted the message:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c000fb00-cf76-4701-ba87-c7e2f391a9e2

 

I wouldn't worry about the length of a log, as long as it's relevant to the cache you're logging.

 

I'm not keen on the kind of logs you'll occasionally see where it seems someone writes an extended account of their entire day's caching, then pastes it into every single log. I haven't seen it for a while now, but that seems like such a waste of screen space it's not funny.

 

I'd rather read a log that said a bit about the cache than endless "TFTC" entries.

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The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log.

 

Could you move to my area, please? I recently published a puzzle which I put alot into and the logs have been really really boring and short. I even got a cut-and-paste log. The puzzle is very unique and the cache is an ammo can in a nice location. I don't think 1/2 of the people even solved the puzzle. Quite frankly, it's disappointing. Sometimes you think, why bother? <_<

 

I'm starting to find that the logs in my area are beginning to improve, although it may be my imagination. We are starting to develop a tighter-knit local caching community, thanks to an active Facebook group and an increase in the number of events in the last year or so. So I guess more folks are getting to know each other personally, finding each others' caches, and if you find a friend's cache you're more likely to say something of substance. This looks like it might be having a positive effect on the logs of new folks outside the group, who are seeing better logs and beginning to change the status quo.

 

The biggest challenge now seems to be intro app users. I'm .still getting a lot of "That's one more find for me! Thanks so much for hiding this cache!" auto logs from newbies with only two or three finds showing on their profile. Unfortunately it seems a lot of these folks have never even visited the site and so have never been exposed to what a quality log should look like. To them Geocaching is nothing more than a "hit the Found button, move on to the next one" kind of game. If they stick around for awhile and get into the game for real, this tends to improve. It gets even better when they finally hide their first cache, and they begin to realize just how much effort goes into making a hide and what a bummer it is to get lazy logs on your own caches.

 

I think you're right. If people know each other personally, I think they are more likely to write better logs. In general, the logs here and pretty good, I think because we have a close-knit community. We've got someone here who writes ":)" for all their logs. I think they've only been to 1 event, but, in general, must feel disconnected from the community to write logs like that.

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The effort they put into it deserves a bit of effort from me on the log.

 

Could you move to my area, please? I recently published a puzzle which I put alot into and the logs have been really really boring and short. I even got a cut-and-paste log. The puzzle is very unique and the cache is an ammo can in a nice location. I don't think 1/2 of the people even solved the puzzle. Quite frankly, it's disappointing. Sometimes you think, why bother? <_<

 

I'm starting to find that the logs in my area are beginning to improve, although it may be my imagination. We are starting to develop a tighter-knit local caching community, thanks to an active Facebook group and an increase in the number of events in the last year or so. So I guess more folks are getting to know each other personally, finding each others' caches, and if you find a friend's cache you're more likely to say something of substance. This looks like it might be having a positive effect on the logs of new folks outside the group, who are seeing better logs and beginning to change the status quo.

 

The biggest challenge now seems to be intro app users. I'm .still getting a lot of "That's one more find for me! Thanks so much for hiding this cache!" auto logs from newbies with only two or three finds showing on their profile. Unfortunately it seems a lot of these folks have never even visited the site and so have never been exposed to what a quality log should look like. To them Geocaching is nothing more than a "hit the Found button, move on to the next one" kind of game. If they stick around for awhile and get into the game for real, this tends to improve. It gets even better when they finally hide their first cache, and they begin to realize just how much effort goes into making a hide and what a bummer it is to get lazy logs on your own caches.

 

I think you're right. If people know each other personally, I think they are more likely to write better logs. In general, the logs here and pretty good, I think because we have a close-knit community. We've got someone here who writes ":)" for all their logs. I think they've only been to 1 event, but, in general, must feel disconnected from the community to write logs like that.

 

At least you know they are happy when logging. LOL... But I will sometimes leave a "more to follow" if I plan on adding more. I never thought about using feild notes since I've never taken the time to figure out their purpose. I mean if I was on a dedicated GPSr and could write a field note, maybe, but since I cache from my phone, I can upload the "found it" log right away, never saw a real need or purpose for the field logs. In fact I had made a few earlier in my caching career and didnt know how which lead to some double finds on a few caches. It took a while, but I got it all straight and deleted all the double logs.

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I see nothing wrong with your log! As a cache owner, I enjoy reading about the cachers experience when they search for my hides.

 

On a personal note, when is first got into this hobby, a "seasoned" geocacher complained about my logs - they were either too short, too long, or not specific enough. I got so paranoid about my logs that I nearly quit. Then my husband (who doesn't cache) asked me why I cared what this stalker cacher said and I realized that I didn't care. So I ignored him and years later I still enjoy geocaching.

 

So write what you want!

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I see nothing wrong with your log! As a cache owner, I enjoy reading about the cachers experience when they search for my hides.

 

On a personal note, when is first got into this hobby, a "seasoned" geocacher complained about my logs - they were either too short, too long, or not specific enough. I got so paranoid about my logs that I nearly quit. Then my husband (who doesn't cache) asked me why I cared what this stalker cacher said and I realized that I didn't care. So I ignored him and years later I still enjoy geocaching.

 

So write what you want!

 

What she said.

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