Is there a way to delete Souvenirs?

[+disneyfan1313]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

[team tisri]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

[+Roman!]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

That must have been before they invented puzzle caches

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

That must have been before they invented puzzle caches

 

Finding caches is still the reward for puzzle caches, plus you get to challenge your mind by solving a puzzle first. As I see it, going out an finding caches and solving puzzles while at home are mutually exclusive activities and there are times when one can be out finding caches and times when its' not feasible to be out finding caches and that time can be used for solving puzzles.

 

 

[+cheech gang]

[That must have been before they invented puzzle caches

 

Now there is a REAL newsflash. Roman! does not like puzzles. I didn't know that.

[+J Grouchy]

[That must have been before they invented puzzle caches

 

Now there is a REAL newsflash. Roman! does not like puzzles. I didn't know that.

 

And apparently Clan Riffster doesn't like logs with fewer words than can fit on Rosie O'Donnell's backside...or something to that effect.

[+tozainamboku]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

There would certainly be many people who would be happy if geocaching remained a niche activity with only a few thousand participants.

 

By the time I started in February 2003 there were already people complaining that Jeremy and his Geocaching.com website had already ruined the sport. What with guidelines and "approvers" deciding which caches to publish, it just didn't have the underground feel that it had when it began. And the website had already attracted new players who were hiding too many cache in urban areas (film pots behind signs?).

 

Several times I've felt that geocaching was reaching saturation. If you talked to muggles they would give you a strange look and wonder why anyone would want to look for Tupperware with valueless junk where you had to leave something in exchange for what you took, let alone look for a container just to write your name on a slip of paper inside. Yet Groundspeak keeps coming up with ways to make this appeal to more and more people and get them to pay money for premium features.

 

The old-timers keep posting in the forum that the latest change by Groundspeak means the demise of geocaching, yet the keep being proved wrong. Once or twice, Groundspeak has admitted that some new feature was a mistake. They don't explain well what they mean, so I can only speculate that these are features that produce less new revenue than anticipated, and may have ongoing costs. Generally they are going to look at metrics like new memberships, rate of membership renewal, and number of logs to decide if some idea works, and not count the numbers of complaints in the forums.

[+nthacker66]

Yep, I'm one of those people. I would like to continue to cache during the month of August, but I don't want these silly souvenirs.

 

Is there some unpublished method to remove souvenirs?

 

Aren't they already well hidden? You have to physically click on a tab to see them right? I don't really understand all the souvenir bashing going on, seems kinda silly .

 

I realize that people do not have to look at their souvenirs and I hope that most users have better things to do with their time than to see what people have collected. But most souvenirs I have in my house are things I wanted, and I would like to decide if I want them on my profile or not. I do not understand why Groundspeak insists on forcing them on users.

 

There have been discussions about this (and the August souvenirs in particular) on the feature discussions and suggestions section, but Groundspeak has not enlightened me.

 

don't hold your breath

[+disneyfan1313]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

[+Kacher82]

Anyone else get souvenirs that they did not earn. I now have 2 souvenirs from Mega events, one from New Brunswick and 2 from Germany. I have never been near either place and never logged or even looked at the cache pages.

In the case of unearned, mistakenly awarded souvenirs, an email to Groundspeak should get them removed.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change.

 

Or instead of embracing change, just because something changed, examine and expressing your opinion on whether or not the change is good, offers no improvement, or degrades from the status quo.

 

 

 

[+bpwilldo]

This is something that i doesn't affect me one way or another but i thought i'd offer up an idea. It's not the perfect solution by any means but it might help some of you who want to see only certain souvenirs on a page. I just tried it with my PictureIt software. Added 10 souvenirs from my collection and then added captions under the first 4. This took about 10 minutes but i have no doubt that it will be faster once the basics are done.

 

Right click on the souvenir you like and "save picture as". Open up a blank page and then paste the souvi icons to it. Arrange the way you like, add a caption underneath if you like, then save the whole thing. You can save it to your computer or post it on the web. I may be totally wrong but i'm thinking this might be done in a word type program or on a webpage where links could be added as well.

 

Here's my sample page. Note that the image here is smaller than it's normal size.

 

 

Would the reverse work? I've been wondering about the puppet accounts collecting souvenirs then the account gets locked. Could someone save the souvenir then use this method to post on their profile?

 

Personally, I don't care about the souvenirs.

[Andronicus]

Crud, I accidentaly logged a Aug 2 find as today (aug 7). Now I have both the 2nd and 7th August souvenirs. maybe I will have to find one today...

[team tisri]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

 

I'd rather changes represented improvements rather than the insistence that things change and therefore all change is good. Some changes take something that was good and make it less good.

 

I see very little good about a hobby that once revolved around nice walks and containers in the woods and now revolves more and more around film pots behind signs. If you hate the great outdoors it's probably good for you, but I'd rather get away from the city and get bored of rummaging around in the urban flotsam and jetsam looking for a film pot that isn't there.

[+J Grouchy]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

 

I'd rather changes represented improvements rather than the insistence that things change and therefore all change is good. Some changes take something that was good and make it less good.

 

I see very little good about a hobby that once revolved around nice walks and containers in the woods and now revolves more and more around film pots behind signs. If you hate the great outdoors it's probably good for you, but I'd rather get away from the city and get bored of rummaging around in the urban flotsam and jetsam looking for a film pot that isn't there.

 

I know we're getting off topic here...but I have a response to that comment (and others like it)...

 

I love every setting...from urban blight and urban might to the tangled overgrowth and majestic beauty of a natural setting. There's something worthwhile in all of it, so it's a little sad to me when I read so many comments about how someone dislikes caches in a city or in a natural setting.

Another great thing about even the lowliest of guardrail or light pole caches...I've gotten to know many parts of my town that I've previously never seen. I've been in metro Atlanta over 2/3 of my life, but only in the past year have I been to many back corners, scenic parks, hidden neighborhoods and odd, unused spaces that I never knew existed or passed over on a map. I don't see any cache that gets me out and about as a "bad" or "crappy" cache...even if it IS a corroded Altoid tin wedged into a railroad tie retaining wall...

 

My nickname may be J. Grouchy here, but sometimes I feel like the cacher with the most positive attitude in these forums...

[+Zop]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

Good for you! I wish I could give you mine. I think they are silly and wish I could get rid of them.

[+Bena+Mal]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

 

I'd rather changes represented improvements rather than the insistence that things change and therefore all change is good. Some changes take something that was good and make it less good.

 

I see very little good about a hobby that once revolved around nice walks and containers in the woods and now revolves more and more around film pots behind signs. If you hate the great outdoors it's probably good for you, but I'd rather get away from the city and get bored of rummaging around in the urban flotsam and jetsam looking for a film pot that isn't there.

[+Bena+Mal]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

Mine isn't a case of hating the great outdoors although I do hate the mosquitoes and snow that often comes along as part of the package. I love geocaching but I have arthritis and so my walking is limited to about 100' on a good day. I enjoy the ability to use my noggin and try to figure out where a cache may be hiding. For me, urban caches that are near a parking area and wheelchair accessible are perfect, especially if they are a higher difficulty level. I think it is great that there are level 5 caches at the top of Mt Everest, the bottom of the ocean and out in space but I, for one, won't be getting them. Same goes for the caches in Antarctica and by the North Pole. The great thing about geocaching is that is holds something for everyone, young/old, fit/disabled.

[+Bena+Mal]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

Mine isn't a case of hating the great outdoors although I do hate the mosquitoes and snow that often comes along as part of the package. I love geocaching but I have arthritis and so my walking is limited to about 100' on a good day. I enjoy the ability to use my noggin and try to figure out where a cache may be hiding. For me, urban caches that are near a parking area and wheelchair accessible are perfect, especially if they are a higher difficulty level. I think it is great that there are level 5 caches at the top of Mt Everest, the bottom of the ocean and out in space but I, for one, won't be getting them. Same goes for the caches in Antarctica and by the North Pole. The great thing about geocaching is that is holds something for everyone, young/old, fit/disabled.

[+Bena+Mal]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

Mine isn't a case of hating the great outdoors although I do hate the mosquitoes and snow that often comes along as part of the package. I love geocaching but I have arthritis and so my walking is limited to about 100' on a good day. I enjoy the ability to use my noggin and try to figure out where a cache may be hiding. For me, urban caches that are near a parking area and wheelchair accessible are perfect, especially if they are a higher difficulty level. I think it is great that there are level 5 caches at the top of Mt Everest, the bottom of the ocean and out in space but I, for one, won't be getting them. Same goes for the caches in Antarctica and by the North Pole. The great thing about geocaching is that is holds something for everyone, young/old, fit/disabled.

[+Kacher82]

Bena+Mal: Why 3 identical posts?

[+sduck]

Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change.

 

Or instead of embracing change, just because something changed, examine and expressing your opinion on whether or not the change is good, offers no improvement, or degrades from the status quo.

 

I've examined this, and can't find any problem. Doesn't degrade my caching experience in any way. It shouldn't affect anybody who doesn't like souvenirs - just don't look at them. It's not a big deal. There are easy ways to log caches and not even know you got the souvenirs. Just don't click on that tab over there, and you don't need to know about it. It's not like the challenge cache thing a few years ago, where you couldn't avoid them. I personally like them - they're a cool bonus feature that has really engaged my daughter, who's kind of meh about caching usually.

 

A lot about geocaching.com has changed over the years, but if you yearn for an old school experience, it's still available - you can still do lots of great outdoor caching, using just a gps, no iphones, no souvenirs, no silly trinkets, no lamposts, whereigos, or whatever type of cache you abhor - you just have to make the choice to do that, and do the minimal amount of work to ensure that you get the experience you want. It's all still there.

Edited August 8, 2013 by sduck

[team tisri]

I feel the need to jump in here and say that I feel the souvenirs are awesome. I hope Groundspeak continues to do more things like this since it encourages people to be more active in caching and helps OUR hobby flourish! I know it has motivated me to cache more than I normally would and I have noticed more people visiting my cache over the past few days also. We HAVE to stay relevant in order to attract new and younger users/players.... and getting Souvenirs/Badges/Whatever are what is currently used in video games/apps to keep people actively playing.

 

There was a time when finding a cache was the reward, and geocaching was more like an outdoor sport than a video game.

 

Right - and there was also a time where phones were rotary and TVs were black and white... things change! Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change. And don't forget that people cache for many different reasons. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person at all - in fact I pretty much hate the wilderness. I love doing "urban" caches... does that make me less of a geocacher?

Mine isn't a case of hating the great outdoors although I do hate the mosquitoes and snow that often comes along as part of the package. I love geocaching but I have arthritis and so my walking is limited to about 100' on a good day. I enjoy the ability to use my noggin and try to figure out where a cache may be hiding. For me, urban caches that are near a parking area and wheelchair accessible are perfect, especially if they are a higher difficulty level. I think it is great that there are level 5 caches at the top of Mt Everest, the bottom of the ocean and out in space but I, for one, won't be getting them. Same goes for the caches in Antarctica and by the North Pole. The great thing about geocaching is that is holds something for everyone, young/old, fit/disabled.

 

If you have difficulty getting about it's easy to see why you like urban caches. But wouldn't you still rather find something that's a bit inventive, maybe a clever puzzle paired with a clever hide? I'd have thought when you're restricted to certain areas because of mobility issues you'd be even more keen for more interesting hides than approaching a road sign to find the film pot among all the spider webs behind it.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Instead of getting mad at change, try embracing it and finding the good in the change.

 

Or instead of embracing change, just because something changed, examine and expressing your opinion on whether or not the change is good, offers no improvement, or degrades from the status quo.

 

I've examined this, and can't find any problem. Doesn't degrade my caching experience in any way. It shouldn't affect anybody who doesn't like souvenirs - just don't look at them. It's not a big deal. There are easy ways to log caches and not even know you got the souvenirs. Just don't click on that tab over there, and you don't need to know about it. It's not like the challenge cache thing a few years ago, where you couldn't avoid them. I personally like them - they're a cool bonus feature that has really engaged my daughter, who's kind of meh about caching usually.

 

The fact that you don't have an issue with something that has changed doesn't change the fact that someone else might have an issue with it. There must be a dozen or so different threads going on now related to the souvenirs and most of them were started by people that don't like that change. I'm not sure that I recall a feature (even geocaching challenges) that had this many concurrent threads on the subject. It's clearly a contentious issue despite the fact that you don't see a problem with it.

 

In almost everyone someone suggests "if you don't like them just don't look at them" That same strategy was suggested when unsolicited commercial email started to become rampant on the internet and I think it's pretty obvious how well that worked out. In any case, it almost every thread someone has explained that "just don't open the souvenir tab" is not a solution for those that wan't to look at other types of souvenirs, such as the U.S. or country based souvenirs.

 

A lot about geocaching.com has changed over the years, but if you yearn for an old school experience, it's still available - you can still do lots of great outdoor caching, using just a gps, no iphones, no souvenirs, no silly trinkets, no lamposts, whereigos, or whatever type of cache you abhor - you just have to make the choice to do that, and do the minimal amount of work to ensure that you get the experience you want. It's all still there.

 

Yes, it's all still there but it's becoming harder and harder to find. The trend toward quantity over quality has become so prolific that quantity is saturating areas to the point that there is little room for anything else. Quantity over quality has changed the behavior of those that play the game. A proper thank you to a cache owner that spends time, effort, and money to create a memorable cache has turned into the obligatory TFTC required to get credit for the find and increase ones find count. Events all used to be opportunities for geocacher to meet and socialize with other geocachers. Now, you've got to entice geocachers with a dozen hides (or a souvenir) in order to get people to show up, sign a log (to make sure they get credit of the find) and leave. If someone prefers quantity over quality then, yes, they're not going to find a problem with these changes. However, there are still a lot of geocacher that do prefer quality over quantity, and shouldn't embrace change just for the sake of change.

 

 

[AZcachemeister]

...

By the time I started in February 2003 there were already people complaining that Jeremy and his Geocaching.com website had already ruined the sport. What with guidelines and "approvers" deciding which caches to publish, it just didn't have the underground feel that it had when it began. And the website had already attracted new players who were hiding too many cache in urban areas (film pots behind signs?).

...

 

 

The original concept of 'Geocaching' has long since been permutated out of recognition.

 

The only issue now is can Jeremy and his cronies ride this tiger long enough to retire with sufficiently fat 401K portfolios.

 

And who can blame him? He saw an opportunity, embellished it, marketed it and made a profit from it...the American Dream, just like Andrew Carnegie...but where are the Jeremy Irish libraries?

[+tozainamboku]

...but where are the Jeremy Irish libraries?

They're called souvenirs

Edited August 9, 2013 by tozainamboku