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Do Favorite Points Matter?


Poker70

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We don't use any formulas or ratios or supercomputers to decide what "quality" cache we might want to go for. We just read the cache descriptions and look at the logs. That's it. No magic, no smoke. If we see a good write up, and good logs from cachers we know have a similar mindset as ours, or an area we've never been to, we have a fairly high confidence it would probably be a good experience. And usually that works out.

 

Of course, at other times we simply want a cache or 3 to fill an craving that day. Or we need a day filled on the calendar. Or we want a quick numbers run... just because we can. We have no set rhyme or reason why we do what we do, caching wise. We just find caches, and let the chips fall. If it's less than a perfect time, we still had fun together, outside. And that's what's important.

 

YMMV. And that's fine too.

 

:D

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We don't use any formulas or ratios or supercomputers to decide what "quality" cache we might want to go for. We just read the cache descriptions and look at the logs. That's it. No magic, no smoke. If we see a good write up, and good logs from cachers we know have a similar mindset as ours, or an area we've never been to, we have a fairly high confidence it would probably be a good experience. And usually that works out.

 

Don't you wish the FP tool we've been given would reflect just that?^ :laughing:

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Favorite Points can only be awarded by Premium Members. A regular member may really love your cache but can't help you. Some cachers are unaware of the Favorites system or knowingly refuse to use it.

 

I think the Favorites Points system is fairly effective. I have almost never found a cache with 10+ Favorites that wasn't very much worth finding, and usually even 5+ will do. Are there some caches that probably don't get awarded the Favorite Points they deserve? Yes.

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I have almost never found a cache with 10+ Favorites that wasn't very much worth finding, and usually even 5+ will do.

 

In many countries in Europe the first or last caches of cache series and also of powertrails have a quite high number of favourite points and typically also a FP ratio of at least 30% regardless of how weak this individual cache is (sometimes the selected cache is considered as the weakest and worst) - the FP is just awarded as accumulation and sign of appreciation that a cache owner has hidden a larger number of caches and not only one or two.

 

The only thing that seems to work relatively well for me is selecting multi caches with a FP rate of more than 70% and at least 5 finders, but not more than at most 10 in average per year. These caches turn out to be almost exclusively longer hiking multi caches and among them I typically enjoy all. Apart from that I have not found anything based on FPs that really works for me in my country or in Germany.

 

For example, when caching in and around Vienna (where I have found very few of the available caches), I need the guidance of a friend who knows my preferences. Sorting by FPs or FP ratio would just lead me nowhere and select caches completely unsuitable for me and not even present me with a reasonable list of candidates from where I could proceed further by reading logs, the cache descriptions etc

 

I'd be interested into two things: What makes a cache worth to be found for you (I ask this in oder to understand how broad your caching interest is)? Does your "rule" apply regardless of the area and whether a large city is nearby?

 

 

Cezanne

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I've got a stash of a couple hundred favorite points. When they first came out, I went back through my finds and favorited several caches. I can't ever see me giving a favorite point to a 35mm stuck in a tree or in a lamppost. My criteria is that the cache be interesting like many of the virtuals, or the container is an ammo can. I believe both of these types of caches take us back to the beginnings of this pastime. To address the OP question regarding the use of favorite points to filter a cache trip on, I don't do that since not everyone shares my viewpoints.

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I see a bit of discussion of FP percentages, but except where the ratios are very high (say, over 60%) or the find count is low I don't understand what you can infer from just that ratio. Since only premium members can give FPs but any member can log a find, without knowing the ratio of premium to non-premium logs, what do you weigh the percentage against? Am I missing something? What is the ratio of premium members overall? Does GS reveal that statistic?

 

I'm still something of a novice and haven't paid much attention to FPs yet, as I live in a cache rich area and have plenty of choice and a lot to learn (and the forums are a great help with that). I have not yet awarded any of my points.

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I see a bit of discussion of FP percentages, but except where the ratios are very high (say, over 60%) or the find count is low I don't understand what you can infer from just that ratio.

For many of us (but not everyone), a cache with a higher FP ratio often means there's a greater likelihood that we'll enjoy the experience of going after that cache...assuming all other factors are equal. A cache with a 70% FPs is more likely to be enjoyed than a cache with just 60% FPs, which is more likely to be enjoyed than a cache with just 50% FPs.

 

Of course, not all other factors are equal. For example, the oldest cache in a region tends to receive lots of FPs (and even a relatively high FP ratio). I'm not really into old caches just because they're old, so I usually discount a high FP ratio if it's for the oldest cache around.

 

Also, a cache with only a few finds might have an artificially high FP ratio because the FTFer might automatically give it a FP, as might the cache owner's friends. The higher the number of finds, the more useful the FP ratio tends to be.

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I see a bit of discussion of FP percentages, but except where the ratios are very high (say, over 60%) or the find count is low I don't understand what you can infer from just that ratio.

For many of us (but not everyone), a cache with a higher FP ratio often means there's a greater likelihood that we'll enjoy the experience of going after that cache...assuming all other factors are equal. A cache with a 70% FPs is more likely to be enjoyed than a cache with just 60% FPs, which is more likely to be enjoyed than a cache with just 50% FPs.

 

Of course, not all other factors are equal. For example, the oldest cache in a region tends to receive lots of FPs (and even a relatively high FP ratio). I'm not really into old caches just because they're old, so I usually discount a high FP ratio if it's for the oldest cache around.

 

Also, a cache with only a few finds might have an artificially high FP ratio because the FTFer might automatically give it a FP, as might the cache owner's friends. The higher the number of finds, the more useful the FP ratio tends to be.

 

Years ago, if I was traveling in the car between cities/towns, there would be 3-4 caches along the highway. If I stopped at these caches, there would usually be something notable there. Nothing spectacular, just something that made it different from the rest of the mind numbing highway. Now, you drive down my same example highway and there are 200 caches, most denoting nothing more than the fact that the last cache was 528' behind you. Should a historical plaque in the middle of nowhere get a favorite? Hard to say, but one thing about the favorites is that they are supposed to denote the cache that stands out in a group of ten, and those that are paying attention will usually give a point to that plaque which makes it stand out from the caches around it. Favorites points in themselves are not going to bring me to what I consider to be the best cache, but they are a tool that allows me to separate the wheat from the chaff so I don't have to look at 200 cache pages to find those 3-4 caches.

 

In the old days most of us would look at all the cache pages for the area we were traveling to and take note of how big the watch lists were. If none of the caches were watched except one which had 50 watching it, you knew that was the cache to go to.

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Since only premium members can give FPs but any member can log a find, without knowing the ratio of premium to non-premium logs, what do you weigh the percentage against? Am I missing something? What is the ratio of premium members overall? Does GS reveal that statistic?

 

 

Only logs from premium members are included in the percentage calculation. So a cache which has 100 finds, 50 by premium members, and all the premium members gave it a FP would have a percentage of 100%.

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Since only premium members can give FPs but any member can log a find, without knowing the ratio of premium to non-premium logs, what do you weigh the percentage against? Am I missing something? What is the ratio of premium members overall? Does GS reveal that statistic?

 

 

Only logs from premium members are included in the percentage calculation. So a cache which has 100 finds, 50 by premium members, and all the premium members gave it a FP would have a percentage of 100%.

 

Thank you. Now the whole percentage thing makes sense.

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When Mrs Poker70 and I travel (which is occurring with less frequency as this lousy economy drags out), I check our destination's Geocaches by Favorite Points. I figure that the caches with the most Fav points are the ones most interesting. What I have noticed is that more and more of the logs on my caches read that the finder really likes my cache, but doesn't give a Fav Point. I'm speaking mostly about my "Angry Birds" series.

 

Your 10 Angry Bird caches have favorite vote ratios ranging from 60 to nearly 80 percentage. That's a dadgum impressive number. Hell, 80 is almost unheard of for that amount of finds. You've obviously got some winners out there. Congrats!

 

As for the ones not leaving favorite votes, I wouldn't let it get to you. It totally depends on the type of cachers finding your caches. Some guys rarely ever give out favorite votes. That's just the way they are, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

 

And then, of course, you have the guys that never give out favorite votes. I believe I've brought up that topic once before. It went over really well on here. :laughing: But yeah, nothing you can really do about those folks. Just part of the game. Just be happy if they give you a great log and move on. :)

 

So don't sweat it man. It's quite obvious you got some great caches. Keep on hiding! B)

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