Drive-By Events

[+funkymunkyzone]

I've seen a few Drive-By events popping up lately. For the uninitiated (of which I pretty much am too, since I haven't been to one) this is an event held in a car park or on the side of the road where attendees simply drive past, perhaps stopping briefly to sign a log book, or not, and that's it - they have attended the event. The CO hangs about at the spot for some pre-determined period of time and then goes home, everyone who drove past gets a smiley.

 

To me this appears to be a new thing as I haven't seen them before, but I was wondering if this is a trend picking up elsewhere in the world also, or maybe events like this have been happening for ages?

[+The_Incredibles_]

[+Ambrosia]

I'm in physical pain, here.

[jholly]

And people complain about power trails ...

[+Manville Possum]

Dang! Sounds like fun to me. I may host one that requires an ATV to get to the location. I hate events hosted at bars, which is normal for the locals.

[+Ambrosia]

Dang! Sounds like fun to me. I may host one that requires an ATV to get to the location. I hate events hosted at bars, which is normal for the locals.

Must be regional. We've never had an event at a bar in this area. It's always either in a park, or at a restaurant.

[+Manville Possum]

Dang! Sounds like fun to me. I may host one that requires an ATV to get to the location. I hate events hosted at bars, which is normal for the locals.

Must be regional. We've never had an event at a bar in this area. It's always either in a park, or at a restaurant.

I guess a Sport's Bar/Pub would be more correct. I'm more into McD's on a family budget.

[+Ambrosia]

Dang! Sounds like fun to me. I may host one that requires an ATV to get to the location. I hate events hosted at bars, which is normal for the locals.

Must be regional. We've never had an event at a bar in this area. It's always either in a park, or at a restaurant.

I guess a Sport's Bar/Pub would be more correct. I'm more into McD's on a family budget.

We don't have very many sports bar/pubs. We try and go for a place that has a private(ish) room. Mostly pizza places or the chinese restaurant.

[+jellis]

That is crazy. But remember not as crazy as the ones a while back when cachers were logging remotely from a live streaming video at an event, yet not even be at the event.

[+Alkhalikoi]

In Soviet Union... Cache finds you!

[+lamoracke]

And people complain about power trails ...

 

We have flash mob events, what is the difference?

 

In the end, its just one smiley, and you had to drive to get there, a much smaller drop in the bucket than say 1000 finds in the same day all the same and one leapfrogged and container swapped the entire way through.

[+Ambrosia]

And people complain about power trails ...

 

We have flash mob events, what is the difference?

 

In the end, its just one smiley, and you had to drive to get there, a much smaller drop in the bucket than say 1000 finds in the same day all the same and one leapfrogged and container swapped the entire way through.

Overused words, I know - but this just shows the slippery slope. I was appalled when people started doing flashmob events. I have never been to one, and I hope to never go to one. This drive by event just shows where this sort of thing leads to.

 

An event is not for a smiley. You can get a million of those anywhere. An event is about people, and sharing. Can't do that in just a minute or two.

[4wheelin_fool]

this is an event held in a car park or on the side of the road where attendees simply drive past, perhaps stopping briefly to sign a log book, or not, and that's it - they have attended the event. The CO hangs about at the spot for some pre-determined period of time and then goes home, everyone who drove past gets a smiley.

 

Sounds like fun!

 

 

It reminds me of my new app idea. Just simply turn it on, set the proximity, and it will send an auto log to each cache nearby. Collect smileys by just driving around. No more fussing with cache pages and thinking up logs, the app does it all. During the trial period the initial proximity would be set to only 400 feet to see how much suspicion it arouses, as most caches close to the road are unlikely to have anyone audit the logs. Every 5th log or so will mention a pen not working, so the activity will seem legit. Perhaps virtuals will be filtered out, unless I can get it to determine if the owner has been active recently. Webcams would automatically take a previous posted pic and photoshop a user supplied one. Eventually there will be a set of rotating copy and paste logs, and much more..

[+DanOCan]

Overused words, I know - but this just shows the slippery slope. I was appalled when people started doing flashmob events. I have never been to one, and I hope to never go to one. This drive by event just shows where this sort of thing leads to.

I thought the same thing. "This is just the expected outcome of the flash mob craze."

 

I have attended a number of flash mobs (I try not to knock it until I have tried it) and, while fun, they have always struck me as a way to bag a cheap smiley. Much like power trails (why get one or two caches when you can get 50?) there is seemingly a quest to always get higher numbers with less effort. Why have an event for 15 minutes when you don't even need to stop?

 

If Groundspeak ever loosens the rules on event stacking, watch out! You can see people getting hundreds of smileys for simply driving down the road. It sounds crazy now, but people used to think that about power trails too.

[Mr.Yuck]

Overused words, I know - but this just shows the slippery slope. I was appalled when people started doing flashmob events. I have never been to one, and I hope to never go to one. This drive by event just shows where this sort of thing leads to.

I thought the same thing. "This is just the expected outcome of the flash mob craze."

 

I have attended a number of flash mobs (I try not to knock it until I have tried it) and, while fun, they have always struck me as a way to bag a cheap smiley. Much like power trails (why get one or two caches when you can get 50?) there is seemingly a quest to always get higher numbers with less effort. Why have an event for 15 minutes when you don't even need to stop?

 

If Groundspeak ever loosens the rules on event stacking, watch out! You can see people getting hundreds of smileys for simply driving down the road. It sounds crazy now, but people used to think that about power trails too.

 

Try and dispute me, but I have the numbers, right from the Flash Mob people themselves. Flash Mobs were actually dying out (because they are, after all, cheesy), but then the massive influx of millions of new users from "the app crowd" made them take off into the "craze" Dan refers to. WWFM history figures

 

And I don't know how many people noticed, but boatloads of the "Geocaching in Space" events were Flashmobs for the easy 10 minute souvenir.

 

I predict they will eventually loosen the rules on event stacking, as that's what their bread and butter (long-term highly active premium members) seem to want. That last one is just an opinion, though.

[+K13]

this is an event held in a car park or on the side of the road where attendees simply drive past, perhaps stopping briefly to sign a log book, or not, and that's it - they have attended the event. The CO hangs about at the spot for some pre-determined period of time and then goes home, everyone who drove past gets a smiley.

 

Sounds like fun!

 

 

It reminds me of my new app idea. Just simply turn it on, set the proximity, and it will send an auto log to each cache nearby. Collect smileys by just driving around. No more fussing with cache pages and thinking up logs, the app does it all. During the trial period the initial proximity would be set to only 400 feet to see how much suspicion it arouses, as most caches close to the road are unlikely to have anyone audit the logs. Every 5th log or so will mention a pen not working, so the activity will seem legit. Perhaps virtuals will be filtered out, unless I can get it to determine if the owner has been active recently. Webcams would automatically take a previous posted pic and photoshop a user supplied one. Eventually there will be a set of rotating copy and paste logs, and much more..

 

Your app may have just made me go get a smartphone! PM me when you get it going, so I can make the visit to Verizon.

[+JL_HSTRE]

This seems a great example of why the event stacking rules are being tightened. I for one wouldn't mind a ban on flash mobs - with an exception for WWFM weekend - with a rule that events have to be scheduled to last at least 1 hour.

[+mar1sa]

I went to my first one the other weekend, its just like any other event, as I couldnt stay it suited really well and I didnt feel rude, but I did meet people and they had a nice set up in a park with many people sitting around having coffee and talking, so I think its more of what you make of it.

[+Team Microdot]

It reminds me of my new app idea. Just simply turn it on, set the proximity, and it will send an auto log to each cache nearby. Collect smileys by just driving around. No more fussing with cache pages and thinking up logs, the app does it all. During the trial period the initial proximity would be set to only 400 feet to see how much suspicion it arouses, as most caches close to the road are unlikely to have anyone audit the logs. Every 5th log or so will mention a pen not working, so the activity will seem legit. Perhaps virtuals will be filtered out, unless I can get it to determine if the owner has been active recently. Webcams would automatically take a previous posted pic and photoshop a user supplied one. Eventually there will be a set of rotating copy and paste logs, and much more..

 

Love this - reads to me like the perfect epitaph for geocaching - although the gravestone would need to be pretty large to fit it all on

[Mr.Yuck]

I went to my first one the other weekend, its just like any other event, as I couldnt stay it suited really well and I didnt feel rude, but I did meet people and they had a nice set up in a park with many people sitting around having coffee and talking, so I think its more of what you make of it.

 

Oh, now I get it. I did know the OP was from New Zealand, but I forgot, and the thread migrated into a Flash Mob discussion (guilty myself). I don't know, I'd say that's DEFINITELY a regional thing. I don't know, has it spread to Australia?

[+funkymunkyzone]

We have flash mob events, what is the difference?

Personal like/dislike of flashmobs aside, I suppose this is a good point that I had momentarily considered also. I'm on the fence though. Maybe I'll drive-by one of these events sometime and judge for myself. I wish I had thought of this when I was planning our mega event last year... Would have saved a *whole lot* of organising!

Edited March 12, 2014 by funkymunkyzone

[+NYPaddleCacher]

This seems a great example of why the event stacking rules are being tightened. I for one wouldn't mind a ban on flash mobs - with an exception for WWFM weekend - with a rule that events have to be scheduled to last at least 1 hour.

 

I've only been to one flashmob (geocaching related or otherwise) and it was a WWFM event. Although the event "officially" only last 15 minutes, everyone gathered afterword for a half an hour or so for pictures and to drop off an "attended" card. There was also a CITO event earlier in the day and a sit down dinner event in the evening so there are a lot of geocachers in town throughout the day. I met several at caches before the flash mob event, went caching with a couple of people I met that day afterwords, and quite a few at the dinner event. The best part, for me, was that it was during a layover in Switzerland on the way to Tanzania. According to the CO for the WWFM event there were just under 500 attendees. That's quite different from a flash mob with only a handful of people that show up just to get the smiley (and the souvenir).

[4wheelin_fool]

this is an event held in a car park or on the side of the road where attendees simply drive past, perhaps stopping briefly to sign a log book, or not, and that's it - they have attended the event. The CO hangs about at the spot for some pre-determined period of time and then goes home, everyone who drove past gets a smiley.

 

Sounds like fun!

 

 

It reminds me of my new app idea. Just simply turn it on, set the proximity, and it will send an auto log to each cache nearby. Collect smileys by just driving around. No more fussing with cache pages and thinking up logs, the app does it all. During the trial period the initial proximity would be set to only 400 feet to see how much suspicion it arouses, as most caches close to the road are unlikely to have anyone audit the logs. Every 5th log or so will mention a pen not working, so the activity will seem legit. Perhaps virtuals will be filtered out, unless I can get it to determine if the owner has been active recently. Webcams would automatically take a previous posted pic and photoshop a user supplied one. Eventually there will be a set of rotating copy and paste logs, and much more..

 

Your app may have just made me go get a smartphone! PM me when you get it going, so I can make the visit to Verizon.

Cool! I'll call it the K13. Every time someone goes 400 feet within a cache, it will send a K13 autolog. I've even considered selling pens with "invisible" ink, that just simply don't write anything at all, in which I'll call the K13 Special. I also have planned to create some rudimentary pencils without lead that will be called "the K13 project". They are actually sharpened sticks painted yellow, so i should make a tidy profit. Nothing like some encouraging sponsorship with a catchy name. Thanks!

[+funkymunkyzone]

Sounds like fun!

 

 

 

Presumably the person that gets the CO the most wet is awarded "FTF of the event"?

[+K13]

this is an event held in a car park or on the side of the road where attendees simply drive past, perhaps stopping briefly to sign a log book, or not, and that's it - they have attended the event. The CO hangs about at the spot for some pre-determined period of time and then goes home, everyone who drove past gets a smiley.

 

Sounds like fun!

 

 

It reminds me of my new app idea. Just simply turn it on, set the proximity, and it will send an auto log to each cache nearby. Collect smileys by just driving around. No more fussing with cache pages and thinking up logs, the app does it all. During the trial period the initial proximity would be set to only 400 feet to see how much suspicion it arouses, as most caches close to the road are unlikely to have anyone audit the logs. Every 5th log or so will mention a pen not working, so the activity will seem legit. Perhaps virtuals will be filtered out, unless I can get it to determine if the owner has been active recently. Webcams would automatically take a previous posted pic and photoshop a user supplied one. Eventually there will be a set of rotating copy and paste logs, and much more..

 

Your app may have just made me go get a smartphone! PM me when you get it going, so I can make the visit to Verizon.

Cool! I'll call it the K13. Every time someone goes 400 feet within a cache, it will send a K13 autolog. I've even considered selling pens with "invisible" ink, that just simply don't write anything at all, in which I'll call the K13 Special. I also have planned to create some rudimentary pencils without lead that will be called "the K13 project". They are actually sharpened sticks painted yellow, so i should make a tidy profit. Nothing like some encouraging sponsorship with a catchy name. Thanks!

 

Glad I could help, I think....

[+sbell111]

It seems that the drive by events are more like traditional events than flash mob events. A standard event pretty much consists of the organizer and perhaps a logbook. People come during the posted time period, sign the logbook, and participate or not in any event activities. Isn't that what the drive by people are doing? They show up during the required time period, sign the log book, speak to the organizer who is present, and move on with their lives.

[+thebruce0]

hm.

 

Well, first, *sigh* (at people who somehow value a drive-by smiley events, if events are about people)

 

Second, why should we care if someone does that for a smiley? "It's not about the numbers" and "it's not a competition", remember? I wouldn't care if someone's find count is 50% events attended. So what?

 

Third, I really hope it's regional, as I've not seen any kind of event set up in that manner around here.

 

Fourth, Flash Mobs are what we make them. Every one I've been to has had a theme, has had people, has had fun and a bit of a fun rush; and usually had some kind of meet up afterwards, or heading out to do more caching with friends.

 

Fifth, stop it with the "app [smartphone] crowd" thing again. Correlation does not imply causation.

 

Sixth, there's technically nothing wrong with a 'drive by' event for a smiley, since technically not even a signed log is required to 'legitimately' post an Attended log (IIRC).

 

Seventh, the event organizer, really, decides what's required to attend an event. If they make it a drive-by, then people who decide to take part in the event can't be blamed for doing what's encouraged.

 

Eighth, make more events that better demonstrate what we feel to be 'quality' geocaching-related events, if we want to combat drive-by's.

 

Ninth, people will continue to push the bounds of what's "allowed" by GS's event guidelines. As far as I'm concerned, flashmobs were born of that - people pushing what attendance was required to log a valid Attended - so they embraced the short-lived attendance and encourage the theme (ie, Embrace and Extend?) - the official Flashmob class of event.

 

Finally, just do geocaching the way you like to do geocaching.

If someone's not 'breaking the rules' yet not getting their smileys the way you think they should be earned, just walk away, ♫ let it go ♫. Or, express your concern, and then avoid arrogant down-looking on such people because their preferences and methods of enjoyment differ.

 

FTR: I don't support these 'drive-by' events, but I support their right to exist by the current guidelines, if that's what they're announced and published as and approved by Groundspeak. Then again, if GS eventually decides that they don't want to allow that sort of guideline-pushing activity, they may even further muddy clarify the guidelines to discourage that.

[JASTA 11]

No matter how you folks try to justify it, it's simply just lame.

 

What's next? A power trail of drive by events? Remember, there's no requirement to sign a log at an event.

 

Here is an idea I had posted a while back: a geocaching 'transponder' (like the ones used to to pay highway tolls electronically IE: EZPass).

 

Just drive on by within range of the cache (event) and it automatically logs your find (attended)for you.

 

No hassles of getting out of your car and expending precious calories by walking. No tedious searching and the brutal task of actually using a pen and signing a logbook! You'll never have to be more than arms length from your cigarettes and oxygen tank in the climate controlled comfort of your car.

 

Hey Groundspeak, there's a buck to be made here!

[+thebruce0]

"It's simply just lame"

 

To you. To me. Heck likely to most people. Not to the people who enjoy them.

 

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

If you think it's something Groundspeak should not allow, then it's more likely they'll listen to reasoned discussion than emotional ranting.

[JASTA 11]

Brucie, you're the one showing the emotion.

 

I never said they couldn't do it, didn't suggest it was against any rules either.

 

It really doesn't matter to me. Don't care if they are allowed or not. Over the years I've learned that Groundspeak doesn't care to reason, so it's not worth the effort.

 

It's lame. There it is, cut and dried.

[4wheelin_fool]

Brucie, you're the one showing the emotion.

 

I never said they couldn't do it, didn't suggest it was against any rules either.

 

It really doesn't matter to me. Don't care if they are allowed or not. Over the years I've learned that Groundspeak doesn't care to reason, so it's not worth the effort.

 

It's lame. There it is, cut and dried.

 

I agree completely, although you did just steal my idea from post 13 and attempt to pass it off as your own. It is copyrighted and fully in the development stage. It tentatively will be called lamecaching - version K13.

Edited March 15, 2014 by 4wheelin_fool

[+Ma & Pa]

This seems a great example of why the event stacking rules are being tightened. I for one wouldn't mind a ban on flash mobs - with an exception for WWFM weekend - with a rule that events have to be scheduled to last at least 1 hour.

 

I've only been to one flashmob (geocaching related or otherwise) and it was a WWFM event. Although the event "officially" only last 15 minutes, everyone gathered afterword for a half an hour or so for pictures and to drop off an "attended" card. There was also a CITO event earlier in the day and a sit down dinner event in the evening so there are a lot of geocachers in town throughout the day. I met several at caches before the flash mob event, went caching with a couple of people I met that day afterwords, and quite a few at the dinner event. The best part, for me, was that it was during a layover in Switzerland on the way to Tanzania. According to the CO for the WWFM event there were just under 500 attendees. That's quite different from a flash mob with only a handful of people that show up just to get the smiley (and the souvenir).

 

I recall a flash mob event a few years ago that was part of a caching weekend in a nearby community and it was a fantastic weekend of socializing with fellow cachers.

 

PAul

 

.

.

[+Ma & Pa]

I tried to find a drive by event. This is the only one I found

 

http://coord.info/GC4T8YG

[Mr.Yuck]

A few testimonials on Flash Mobs here, but ultimately, I think it's just a quick, cheap smiley, my opinion, obviously. And I've been around for a while, this WWFM stuff started in 2007. And of course it's morphed into "31 days of flashing", i.e. daily flash mobs during the 31 days of caching last August, and boatloads of "Geocaching in Space" events turned out to be Flash Mobs, all for the 10 minute smiley and Souvenir. I couldn't care less, by the way, whatever floats people's boats.

 

Good thing most Geocaching Flash Mob's are not "real" Flash Mob's, so to speak, as all I ever hear about them locally on the news is about them being broken up by law enforcement.

[+thebruce0]

Brucie, you're the one showing the emotion.

erm, far from it

I'm with you, as I said - I think the idea of drive-by events is, as you put it, lame.

But I support their right to do them if they enjoy them and Groundspeak allows it. I was just saying that it's more likely to be effective (in the forum mainly) if you present well-reasoned arguments as to why this structure is not a Good Idea, instead of ranting or just emotionally calling anything you don't like stupid.

 

It really doesn't matter to me. Don't care if they are allowed or not. Over the years I've learned that Groundspeak doesn't care to reason, so it's not worth the effort.

Part 1? Great. part 2? See, that's an emotional response and rant.

Groundspeak does care to reason. You just don't like their reasoning ;P (pretty much anyone who doesn't like a decision will say they're being unreasonable; heck I've been there myself ) I decided a while back rather to simply try to understand their logic, instead of get distraught and angry about anything they say that I don't like...

 

It's lame. There it is, cut and dried.

Signed, sealed, and delivered. Will someone accept the package, though?

[+Walts Hunting]

This google search produces scads of them. I stopped paging after the first three pages of them.

 

site:www.geocaching.com drive-by

 

A project-GC returned 32 in the US and one was an Earthcaches

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?key=Drive-by

Edited March 16, 2014 by Walts Hunting

[+NYPaddleCacher]

This google search produces scads of them. I stopped paging after the first three pages of them.

 

site:www.geocaching.com drive-by

 

A project-GC returned 32 in the US and one was an Earthcaches

 

http://www.geocachin...px?key=Drive-by

 

There's another "drive by" Earthcache in Denmark that can also be done while riding the train between Copenhagen and Malmo, Sweden.

[+Ma & Pa]

This google search produces scads of them. I stopped paging after the first three pages of them.

 

site:www.geocaching.com drive-by

 

A project-GC returned 32 in the US and one was an Earthcaches

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?key=Drive-by

 

.

 

I checked the above links and found lots of drive-by caches but did not find any drive-by events.

 

.

As I said, this is the only drive-by event I found. I assume there are more, and maybe lots have been archived and would not show up in a search

.

 

I tried to find a drive by event. This is the only one I found

 

http://coord.info/GC4T8YG

 

.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Ma & Pa

[+RobDJr]

 

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

That's just the thing, isn't it? Anything that degrades the quality of the game does potentially affect me.

 

Most changes don't have that effect, but there is a cumulative "trickle-down" effect that has undeniably changed the game from the way it was when I joined, to the point that I sometimes think that if I were joining the game today, I wouldn't find it nearly as appealing as I did back then.

 

An event, by its very name and nature, is a social event, intended for meeting and mingling. Eliminate that aspect and it doesn't deserve to be called an event at all.

[4wheelin_fool]

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

What Groundspeak allows is based on its user's feedback. What you are saying is our feedback should be based on what Groundpeak allows.

 

If I read this right, someone expressed an opinion, but by doing so they are not allowing someone to have their fun? In what way? In your opinion, someone should squelch their opinion, because it is overly critical? Eh, you both agree on the lame nature of these events however, and yet I agree with both of you.

[+briansnat]

Can you log them if you just drive by slow and beep, or do you have to come to a complete stop?

[+mar1sa]

Can you log them if you just drive by slow and beep, or do you have to come to a complete stop?

 

the one I attended, you had to get out of the car and go up to sign the log hubby stayed in the car (he doesnt cache) and left the car running while I got out, I also wanted to meet other caches even if it was quick.

but I guess if you sat in your car and waved someone over with the log book I guess that would count, but there is no way I would do that.

[+K13]

Can you log them if you just drive by slow and beep, or do you have to come to a complete stop?

 

Sure. It is a Drive-By event, not a stop-and-talk-to-geocachers event. You can even log two attendeds if your horn sounds like the "General Lee" from Dukes of Hazzard.

Edited March 17, 2014 by K13

[Mr.Yuck]

 

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

That's just the thing, isn't it? Anything that degrades the quality of the game does potentially affect me.

 

Most changes don't have that effect, but there is a cumulative "trickle-down" effect that has undeniably changed the game from the way it was when I joined, to the point that I sometimes think that if I were joining the game today, I wouldn't find it nearly as appealing as I did back then.

 

An event, by its very name and nature, is a social event, intended for meeting and mingling. Eliminate that aspect and it doesn't deserve to be called an event at all.

 

+1, as they say. Great post. If it degrades the quality of the game it does potentially affect me. Note that I'm not particularly talking about Drive by events in New Zealand or Flash Mobs. I'm sick and tired of being labeled a big meanie by the handfull of defenders of lame around here. We all know what is lame and cheesy and half-arsed be it in this game, any other game, or pretty much anything else in life. Am I a big meanie when my 14 yr. old does a half-arsed job of vacuuming his room, and I call him out on it? Is that just my personal preference of how vacuuming should be done? C'mon, you're killing me here.

[+sbell111]

 

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

That's just the thing, isn't it? Anything that degrades the quality of the game does potentially affect me.

I'm not seeing how thee described event stops you from having one at Pizza Hut.

 

Most changes don't have that effect, but there is a cumulative "trickle-down" effect that has undeniably changed the game from the way it was when I joined, to the point that I sometimes think that if I were joining the game today, I wouldn't find it nearly as appealing as I did back then.

 

An event, by its very name and nature, is a social event, intended for meeting and mingling. Eliminate that aspect and it doesn't deserve to be called an event at all.

Every player has the ability to make any event as social as they want it to be. A non-social person such as myself is not going to be very social at any event. A much more social person could certainly hang out with the organizer and have a long talk about whatever while meeting every single geocacher who comes to sign in.

[+sbell111]

 

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

That's just the thing, isn't it? Anything that degrades the quality of the game does potentially affect me.

 

Most changes don't have that effect, but there is a cumulative "trickle-down" effect that has undeniably changed the game from the way it was when I joined, to the point that I sometimes think that if I were joining the game today, I wouldn't find it nearly as appealing as I did back then.

 

An event, by its very name and nature, is a social event, intended for meeting and mingling. Eliminate that aspect and it doesn't deserve to be called an event at all.

 

+1, as they say. Great post. If it degrades the quality of the game it does potentially affect me. Note that I'm not particularly talking about Drive by events in New Zealand or Flash Mobs. I'm sick and tired of being labeled a big meanie by the handfull of defenders of lame around here. We all know what is lame and cheesy and half-arsed be it in this game, any other game, or pretty much anything else in life. Am I a big meanie when my 14 yr. old does a half-arsed job of vacuuming his room, and I call him out on it? Is that just my personal preference of how vacuuming should be done? C'mon, you're killing me here.

The basic difference is that you control the life and actions of your child. Attempting to do the same with a bunch of strangers is pushing your agenda too far. Edited March 17, 2014 by sbell111

[+funkymunkyzone]

That's just the thing, isn't it? Anything that degrades the quality of the game does potentially affect me.

 

Most changes don't have that effect, but there is a cumulative "trickle-down" effect that has undeniably changed the game from the way it was when I joined, to the point that I sometimes think that if I were joining the game today, I wouldn't find it nearly as appealing as I did back then.

 

An event, by its very name and nature, is a social event, intended for meeting and mingling. Eliminate that aspect and it doesn't deserve to be called an event at all.

While I'm still sitting on the fence on this one, I do think that the line I highlighted above is not quite right. It may just be semantics, but an event by name and nature is an event. Adding the word social is arbitrary and not part of the definition of event:

 

event

noun

1. something that happens or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, especially one of some importance.

2. something that occurs in a certain place during a particular interval of time.

3. physics in relativity, an occurrence that is sharply localized at a single point in space and instant of time.

(Note: I removed some less related definitions of event)

 

Nowhere does it define the social aspect that is only traditional to geocaching events, but is not part of an event "by its very name".

 

[+thebruce0]

As long as Groundspeak allows it, then let them have their fun, especially if it doesn't affect you.

 

What Groundspeak allows is based on its user's feedback. What you are saying is our feedback should be based on what Groundpeak allows.

 

If I read this right, someone expressed an opinion, but by doing so they are not allowing someone to have their fun? In what way? In your opinion, someone should squelch their opinion, because it is overly critical? Eh, you both agree on the lame nature of these events however, and yet I agree with both of you.

 

Read my comments again.

I said expressing the concern in well thought-out reasoned points for discussion will get more attention than emotionally driven blanket statements that insult others' opinions and preferences. At no point did I say people shouldn't express their opinion. But people in the forums quite often degrade opinion disagreements into insulting back and forths about how their preferences are better than someone else's and someone else's is "ruining the game". Big difference. And then, of course, the debate goes meta where people criticize others' discussion methods

 

Again, I state, I'd prefer that "drive-by" events not be allowed as it's really pushing the line of what events are all about, and yes it does encourage a sort of numbers-happy style of geocaching which, yes, can 'trickle down' into a generally lesser-quality selection of geocaches. Never have I disagreed with that sentiment. But if they can do it and Groundspeak lets them, then let them have their fun. The host has decided what the event theme is, how people are intended to 'attend', and only those who feel they'd like to attend will - no one is being forced to, and that event doesn't affect any others in the area. At worst, it provides an opportunity for a bunch of people to have some momentary joy and fun; and probably even encouraged some people to socialize and hang out afterwards.

 

So. Let'em have their fun, without degrading their geocaching experience preference. And let Groundspeak know, respectfully, why you think the event style is not a Good Idea. Maybe Groundspeak will make another amendment to event guidelines in that all attendees must remain in the posted coordinate vicinity and on foot (or, because you know it would come up, other necessary personal mobility vehicle) for the 15 minute 'flash mob' minimum.

Edited March 17, 2014 by thebruce0

[4wheelin_fool]

Eh, saying you don't like it, is not letting them have their fun? I suppose there could be someone who tosses the logbook to passing cars, and they could sign it and toss it back to another person up the road. Or, they could drive around the block and toss it back to the same person. Better yet, they could sign in ahead of time, place it in a film can and wing it at the host. Even better, the host could just place a 55 gallon drum and collect them all the next day without attending. At what point does someone realize its not really an event? It sounds like fun, but why should a smiley make it fun? If its not fun without the smiley, then its just silly.

[+SwineFlew]

Dang! Sounds like fun to me. I may host one that requires an ATV to get to the location. I hate events hosted at bars, which is normal for the locals.

Must be regional. We've never had an event at a bar in this area. It's always either in a park, or at a restaurant.

We had one here at a bar. Its not too common around here to do that.