Opinion needed

[christyglpn]

I thought about doing a series on a slightly controversial

Topic nothing illegal or to my knowledge against rules.

 

Here's info suggestions opinions are appreciated. Please no rudeness

I do have a decently genuine reason

 

What a political named cache but not themed. For all ages

Reasoning to commemorate in 2012 knocking on 3000 doors

I would be putting caches along my walking rout not in yards

Also in 2 places marking significant events that year.

 

This area has very few geocaches. Once again non theme with good

Items

[jholly]

I thought about doing a series on a slightly controversial

Topic nothing illegal or to my knowledge against rules.

 

Here's info suggestions opinions are appreciated. Please no rudeness

I do have a decently genuine reason

 

What a political named cache but not themed. For all ages

Reasoning to commemorate in 2012 knocking on 3000 doors

I would be putting caches along my walking rout not in yards

Also in 2 places marking significant events that year.

 

This area has very few geocaches. Once again non theme with good

Items

This is not the place to discuss it. The place to discuss it is via private email with your reviewer.

[christyglpn]

I thought about doing a series on a slightly controversial

Topic nothing illegal or to my knowledge against rules.

 

Here's info suggestions opinions are appreciated. Please no rudeness

I do have a decently genuine reason

 

What a political named cache but not themed. For all ages

Reasoning to commemorate in 2012 knocking on 3000 doors

I would be putting caches along my walking rout not in yards

Also in 2 places marking significant events that year.

 

This area has very few geocaches. Once again non theme with good

Items

This is not the place to discuss it. The place to discuss it is via private email with your reviewer.

I haven't posted a cache so no reviewer. Also new to caching.

[+briansnat]

Your series may or may not be OK. Read the guideline regarding agendas. Bottom line a factual cache page may be fine, but one that promotes something or urges some sort of action probably will be a no go.

For example:

 

Probably OK

 

The Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1910 and over 110 million boys have been members of the organization.

 

Probably not OK

 

Since 1910, Scouting has helped mold the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun.

 

 

Probably OK

 

The VFW was created on September 17, 1914 at a conference at the Schenley Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Members must be a U.S. citizen or national with an honorable discharge from the U.S. military, or currently serving in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, or Coast

Guard.

 

Probably not OK

 

The VFW strives to do good things for deserving people - our veterans, their families and their communities. When you find this cache please pause reflect on the veterans who have served our nation.

 

The fact that you are trying to commemorate something tells me that it leans toward the agenda side, so you may have difficulty with your reviewer depending on how the cache page is worded.

Edited April 3, 2014 by briansnat

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Your area reviewer can be found at the first log of just about any of your local cache pages, the log that says "Publish Listing".

[+Touchstone]

This part of your idea sounds great:

 

This area has very few geocaches. Once again non theme with good

Items

 

The rest of your post is a bit enigmatic to give a reply to.

 

Good luck!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I thought about doing a series on a slightly controversial

Topic nothing illegal or to my knowledge against rules.

 

Here's info suggestions opinions are appreciated. Please no rudeness

I do have a decently genuine reason

 

What a political named cache but not themed. For all ages

Reasoning to commemorate in 2012 knocking on 3000 doors

I would be putting caches along my walking rout not in yards

Also in 2 places marking significant events that year.

 

This area has very few geocaches. Once again non theme with good

Items

 

I think Brian covered the possible agenda issue. It typically boils down to the language used on the cache list. That's why it would help to run by what you want to cache page with a local reviewer. To find your local reviewer, go look at a couple of recently published caches and scroll to the bottom of the logs. The first log is usually from the reviewer.

 

In your original post you mention "this area has very few geocaches", that it would be "for all ages" and have "good items". While these sorts of attributes are nice to have for a a geocache, they won't be considered by a reviewer when reviewing a cache listing. Caches are *only* reviewed for compliance with the guidelines and the quality of the cache won't allow a cache which does not meet those guidelines to be published.

[+Walts Hunting]

A very ambitious project for someone so new to the hobby. Could you give us an idea of what exacty the issue and how you would word the caches.

 

There is nothing wrong with bringing the discussion here first to get information before taking it to a reviewer. They get pretty busy and probably appreciate someone doing research and being better prepared before going to them.

[Pup Patrol]

I haven't posted a cache so no reviewer. Also new to caching.

 

You can contact a local reviewer prior to placing a cache.

 

Gitchee-Gummee explained how to find a local reviewer in his post.

 

 

B.

[christyglpn]

OK after reading post will change it keep same title but

Make it factual. Believe in America and list different

Events in Ohio and us history saying why. The title alone

Is commemorative enough

 

Just seems like people these day give up

Edited April 3, 2014 by christyglpn

[+K13]

You mentioned placing caches along a rout [sic] you walked, knocking on doors, but not in yards. Where can you place the caches? Are there some parks along your route, to place the caches? Does that city allow you to place them in/on their street signs? I'm curious how this will work for you.

[+TopShelfRob]

Your series may or may not be OK. Read the guideline regarding agendas. Bottom line a factual cache page may be fine, but one that promotes something or urges some sort of action probably will be a no go.

For example:

 

Probably OK

 

The Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1910 and over 110 million boys have been members of the organization.

 

Probably not OK

 

Since 1910, Scouting has helped mold the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun.

 

 

Probably OK

 

The VFW was created on September 17, 1914 at a conference at the Schenley Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Members must be a U.S. citizen or national with an honorable discharge from the U.S. military, or currently serving in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, or Coast

Guard.

 

Probably not OK

 

The VFW strives to do good things for deserving people - our veterans, their families and their communities. When you find this cache please pause reflect on the veterans who have served our nation.

 

The fact that you are trying to commemorate something tells me that it leans toward the agenda side, so you may have difficulty with your reviewer depending on how the cache page is worded.

 

Not wanting to hijack this thread or anything, but as somewhat of a newbie myself, I am having a hard time discerning that much of a difference in your two examples between the non-agenda OK example and the pro-agenda not OK example. It's okay to state that the Boy Scouts were founded in 1910, but not okay to state that the 'Boy Scouts mold future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun.'? And roughly the same thing with the VFW 'doing good stuff'? What if my "agenda" is to educate that the Boy Scouts were formed in 1910? How is that different than an agenda of educating that the Boy Scouts mold future leaders? Is that an opinion, rather than a fact? In whose opinion? Are there anti-Boy Scout people who do not believe that the Boy Scouts mold future leaders? Similarly maybe there are deniers that do not believe that the Boy Scouts were indeed founded in 1910?

 

Maybe these two examples were chosen to be deliberatly as simple as possible to illustrate that it's not "what the agenda" is but that any agenda at all is not apporpiate for a cache, or maybe these are just poor examples, but judging solely by these examples, I have a hard time seeing anything that much "pro-agenda" about the statment about the Boy Scouts or that the VFW merely "strives to do good stuff."

 

The wording in all caches seems that it could possibly be viewed as a "agenda", even if that agenda is to get someone to see that the Boy Scouts or the VFW do good things, or to get someone to see a nice view, or to get someone to lift a lamp post skirt. Maybe my agenda in hiding a cache is simply to "have something for you to find." That's still an agenda. I'm sure I could find plently of cache descriptions that have (alleged) "agendas". Many caches that bring people to great locations, sights, etc. have phrases in the description that are somewhat "agenda" even if it's just educating you about the guy that is honored with a statue at the cache location.

 

What if you place a cache near a library and say "this library loans books" that would be okay? But "this library loans good books" would not be okay, because maybe someone would be of the opinion that that library only has lousy books, and it must be an 'agenda' to promote the quality of this library's books?

 

I'm sure maybe this is just a matter of semantics, and I'm sure you guys can adequately explain the difference. I'm not intentionally trying to be obtuse or dense, I honestly just don't really see a difference here.

Edited April 5, 2014 by TopShelfRob

[+Walts Hunting]

Quite simple to tell the difference. One is an objective fact (history). One is an opinion that not everyone would agree with.

[+Touchstone]

Although your library example is a bit extreme, the substance of your statement is basically true. Facts are generally fine, opinions are not. Like your library example though, I suspect that few people would have an issue with saying that you thought the view from the cache location was exceptional.

 

The BSA and VFW examples could be construed as promoting those organizations and the causes/agendas that they support.

[+niraD]

Take a look at the no-solicitation guideline:

Geocaches do not solicit for any purpose.

Cache listings perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is intended to be an enjoyable, family-friendly hobby, not a platform for an agenda. Cache pages cannot require, and should not strongly encourage, the placement of new caches. This is considered an agenda and the listing will not be publishable.

 

I am not a volunteer reviewer, and I don't play one on TV, but in practice, the line is generally drawn between providing information (e.g., "More than 12 million units of whole blood are donated in the United States each year." would probably be okay) and encouraging others to do something (e.g., "Please volunteer to donate blood." would probably NOT be okay). But it's really about whether the cache listing appears to promote an agenda to the volunteer reviewers.

 

The exception are a few geocaching-related agendas, but even those are limited. For example, you can promote CITO (e.g., "Please take one of the CITO kits in the cache; you don't need to trade for them." would probably be okay), but you cannot promote the placement of new caches (e.g., "Please take one of the ready-to-hide containers and use it to hide your own cache." would probably NOT be okay).