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Arrgghhhh, just got my first one


Mudfrog

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I'd wager that most of these 'newbies' do have an email address and have supplied it when signing up -- they just haven't validated their account. And if they delete the validation email or it gets sent to spam, then what? They may never know their account isn't validated. Does gc.com send reminder emails periodically?

It should. If an email is provided.

And if the reminder email bounces, disable the account.

 

This is of course more complex than simply requiring a validated email before being able to post logs :P

Edited by thebruce0
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I'd wager that most of these 'newbies' do have an email address and have supplied it when signing up -- they just haven't validated their account. And if they delete the validation email or it gets sent to spam, then what? They may never know their account isn't validated. Does gc.com send reminder emails periodically?

It should. If an email is provided.

And if the reminder email bounces, disable the account.

 

This is of course more complex than simply requiring a validated email before being able to post logs :P

 

Well if you delete the log, its not like they are going to email anyone to have it reinstated. Those logs probably should be interpreted as Needs Maintenance because a muggle with app found it. Checking on local NM logs, Ive noticed plenty that have it as the last log before being found out in the open, missing, or with the lid off.

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I can't imagine not going to the website! I love the website! Whenever I have any kind of trip planned - or even a trip to the grocery store, I like to see what is out there on the big map that I can find along the way!!! Love the big map!!!!

"Love" may be too strong a word for me with regards to the website, but I agree with your sentiments. Geocaching without the website is like trying to find a cache with one eye closed, arms tied behind my back, while hopping on one foot.

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I'd wager that most of these 'newbies' do have an email address and have supplied it when signing up -- they just haven't validated their account. And if they delete the validation email or it gets sent to spam, then what? They may never know their account isn't validated. Does gc.com send reminder emails periodically?

It should. If an email is provided.

And if the reminder email bounces, disable the account.

 

This is of course more complex than simply requiring a validated email before being able to post logs :P

 

Well if you delete the log, its not like they are going to email anyone to have it reinstated. Those logs probably should be interpreted as Needs Maintenance because a muggle with app found it. Checking on local NM logs, Ive noticed plenty that have it as the last log before being found out in the open, missing, or with the lid off.

 

I like that....MWA..Muggle With App.....we need to add that to the lexicon. More descriptive than "newbie cacher" 😀

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I can't imagine not going to the website! I love the website! Whenever I have any kind of trip planned - or even a trip to the grocery store, I like to see what is out there on the big map that I can find along the way!!! Love the big map!!!!

"Love" may be too strong a word for me with regards to the website, but I agree with your sentiments. Geocaching without the website is like trying to find a cache with one eye closed, arms tied behind my back, while hopping on one foot.

 

That would be an ALR, wouldn't it? 😋

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Gotta say, if some of these folks are treated kindly and welcomed to the clan, they might become friends and some of the best hiders in your area. We were all new once. Telling someone that what they've done is "insufficient" isn't gonna make any new friends. Just sayin...

 

If you aren't in favor of this version, you REALLY wouldn't have liked my first 7 drafts of this message. dry.gif

 

Thanks Michaelcycle for your supportive comment, I put a lot of thought into the message, and haven't sent it yet. I am, in the immortal words of Meatloaf, I'm going to "sleep on it, I'll give you an answer in the morning". :)

Did you sleep well? What wording did you dream up?

I wonder if the new cacher can even see what the default response is or do they just hit 'found it'.

IMO if a new cacher isn't told to check the rules or that this response or TFTC is not appreciated, they will never know. I'm all for passing on information.

 

I decided to skip the entire message at this time. In this brave new world of 'play the game any way you want', I will just let this one go.

 

That's one less confrontation for me. Thanks for hearing my rant.

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Gotta say, if some of these folks are treated kindly and welcomed to the clan, they might become friends and some of the best hiders in your area. We were all new once. Telling someone that what they've done is "insufficient" isn't gonna make any new friends. Just sayin...

 

If you aren't in favor of this version, you REALLY wouldn't have liked my first 7 drafts of this message. dry.gif

 

Thanks Michaelcycle for your supportive comment, I put a lot of thought into the message, and haven't sent it yet. I am, in the immortal words of Meatloaf, I'm going to "sleep on it, I'll give you an answer in the morning". :)

Did you sleep well? What wording did you dream up?

I wonder if the new cacher can even see what the default response is or do they just hit 'found it'.

IMO if a new cacher isn't told to check the rules or that this response or TFTC is not appreciated, they will never know. I'm all for passing on information.

 

I decided to skip the entire message at this time. In this brave new world of 'play the game any way you want', I will just let this one go.

 

That's one less confrontation for me. Thanks for hearing my rant.

You probably won't be able to send them an email anyway. The best bet is to hide a few "educational" LPCs with that in the description.

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I'd wager that most of these 'newbies' do have an email address and have supplied it when signing up -- they just haven't validated their account. And if they delete the validation email or it gets sent to spam, then what? They may never know their account isn't validated. Does gc.com send reminder emails periodically?

It should. If an email is provided.

And if the reminder email bounces, disable the account.

 

This is of course more complex than simply requiring a validated email before being able to post logs :P

 

Well if you delete the log, its not like they are going to email anyone to have it reinstated. Those logs probably should be interpreted as Needs Maintenance because a muggle with app found it. Checking on local NM logs, Ive noticed plenty that have it as the last log before being found out in the open, missing, or with the lid off.

 

I like that....MWA..Muggle With App.....we need to add that to the lexicon. More descriptive than "newbie cacher" 😀

 

I dont know why, but i was actually going to capitalize it when I wrote that. It's likely to be eventually used anyhow..

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If computer users have to create an an account and provide an email address to access geocache info on the geocaching.com web site, then smartphone users should also be required to create an account and provide an email address.

 

DING! DING! DING!

 

We have a winner!

 

An intro type app is fine. But again, there needs to be more to it than download and go.

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Gotta say, if some of these folks are treated kindly and welcomed to the clan, they might become friends and some of the best hiders in your area. We were all new once. Telling someone that what they've done is "insufficient" isn't gonna make any new friends. Just sayin...

 

If you aren't in favor of this version, you REALLY wouldn't have liked my first 7 drafts of this message. dry.gif

 

Thanks Michaelcycle for your supportive comment, I put a lot of thought into the message, and haven't sent it yet. I am, in the immortal words of Meatloaf, I'm going to "sleep on it, I'll give you an answer in the morning". :)

Did you sleep well? What wording did you dream up?

I wonder if the new cacher can even see what the default response is or do they just hit 'found it'.

IMO if a new cacher isn't told to check the rules or that this response or TFTC is not appreciated, they will never know. I'm all for passing on information.

 

I decided to skip the entire message at this time. In this brave new world of 'play the game any way you want', I will just let this one go.

 

That's one less confrontation for me. Thanks for hearing my rant.

 

How did "play the game anyway you want" get into this conversation, anyways? They're not attending events 125 times for finding temporary caches 200 feet apart, or leapfrogging on Power Trails in the desert. They don't even know the very basics of the game their playing. They probably don't even know someone just like themselves hid that cache for them to find, in many cases. :blink:

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT it's also his own CHOICE to create the cache. I believe people have the right to log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

Edited by rainafyre
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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT I believe people can log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

 

I too have had some nasty emails from people I have never met and I find it disgusting, I play the game the way I choose, not too make people I never met or may never meet happy and do not understand why they feel the need to tell total strangers how to play the game.

 

Look at it this way, they have some sort of personality problem, don't make their problem yours, move their email to trash, that's where it belongs.

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I too have had some nasty emails from people I have never met and I find it disgusting, I play the game the way I choose, not too make people I never met or may never meet happy and do not understand why they feel the need to tell total strangers how to play the game.

 

I do not defend nasty language. The attempt to let a cacher know that TFTC logs are not appreciated by many cache owners makes however sense in my opinion.

Another option is of course to archive one's caches once the proportion of such logs gets too high. For me the threshold would be something like at most 4 out of 10 (probably rather 3 out of 10). Everyone can geocache as he/she wants, but that includes the cache owners.

 

Cezanne

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I too have had some nasty emails from people I have never met and I find it disgusting, I play the game the way I choose, not too make people I never met or may never meet happy and do not understand why they feel the need to tell total strangers how to play the game.

 

I do not defend nasty language. The attempt to let a cacher know that TFTC logs are not appreciated by many cache owners makes however sense in my opinion.

Another option is of course to archive one's caches once the proportion of such logs gets too high. For me the threshold would be something like at most 4 out of 10 (probably rather 3 out of 10). Everyone can geocache as he/she wants, but that includes the cache owners.

 

Cezanne

 

If you feel the need to archive a cache due to too many TFTC logs, that's your option, to email someone you do not know and criticize them for posting TFTC is not acceptable IMHO.

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If you feel the need to archive a cache due to too many TFTC logs, that's your option, to email someone you do not know and criticize them for posting TFTC is not acceptable IMHO.

 

I agree with respect to criticizing as there are no rules for logging. The issue is just that the borderline between what is meant as an explanation from the sender and what might be understood in a negative manner by the recipient is narrow.

 

The value in writing to a newbie with TFTC logs might be that they become aware of the impact such logs might have on the cache owners. If caches get archived, there is another group of cachers that gets unhappy.

It's difficult to know whether someone writes TFTC logs intentionally or just because they copy what they might have seen elsewhere.

 

Cezanne

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Gotta say, if some of these folks are treated kindly and welcomed to the clan, they might become friends and some of the best hiders in your area. We were all new once. Telling someone that what they've done is "insufficient" isn't gonna make any new friends. Just sayin...

 

I consider the proposed reply by K13 to be instructional and appropriate. I think the word "insufficient" is the epitome of restraint in this circumstance.

 

I'd be more inclined to word it along the lines of "people who take the time to hide caches really appreciate a few words from finders about how they found the cache and their adventure" rather than something saying "what you did isn't good enough", especially when the official app using those words suggests it is good enough.

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT it's also his own CHOICE to create the cache. I believe people have the right to log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

 

I think you've summed up a lot in your (very good) post here.

 

With the best will in the world an email intended to come across as "it's great if you..." can often come across as a "you're stupid because you didn't..." - this applies across the board rather than just to geocaching. Throw in the way the official app seems to encourage new geocachers to cache in a way that annoys established cachers and it's easy to see why misunderstandings and annoyance result.

 

Personally I see a major party of the problem as the way caching seems to be seeking the lowest common denominator, and so those who want to put in a bit more effort would like a bit of reciprocation. When I find a film pot behind a sign it's often hard to think of much to say about it, so a log is unlikely to be much more than "3 of 4 today" and I'm more likely to comment on the glorious weather than the inventive hide. That said on the (increasingly rare) occasions when I do find something out of the ordinary I'm more likely to write something specific about it, not least because I still remember it when I get home. Remembering what made one film pot behind a sign different from the next film pot behind a sign is difficult, simply because so often there is so little different between them. If someone has taken the time and trouble to come up with a very creative hide and taken the time to find somewhere off the beaten track that people might not ordinarily find (and that people would be pleased to have found), it seems a bit lame to write "tftc" and leave it at that. Likewise if someone has hidden a film pot behind a sign it's hard to see how writing much more than "tftc" can be inspired, unless the sign has something unusual about it.

 

In many ways I'd think of it as being similar to our response to receiving a gift. If someone gives us a gift that obviously has a significant amount of thought and effort in it, we are likely to be more effusive in our thanks. If someone gives us something that looks like it came from a service station we may be less expressive.

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT it's also his own CHOICE to create the cache. I believe people have the right to log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

 

I think you've summed up a lot in your (very good) post here.

 

With the best will in the world an email intended to come across as "it's great if you..." can often come across as a "you're stupid because you didn't..." - this applies across the board rather than just to geocaching. Throw in the way the official app seems to encourage new geocachers to cache in a way that annoys established cachers and it's easy to see why misunderstandings and annoyance result.

 

Personally I see a major party of the problem as the way caching seems to be seeking the lowest common denominator, and so those who want to put in a bit more effort would like a bit of reciprocation. When I find a film pot behind a sign it's often hard to think of much to say about it, so a log is unlikely to be much more than "3 of 4 today" and I'm more likely to comment on the glorious weather than the inventive hide. That said on the (increasingly rare) occasions when I do find something out of the ordinary I'm more likely to write something specific about it, not least because I still remember it when I get home. Remembering what made one film pot behind a sign different from the next film pot behind a sign is difficult, simply because so often there is so little different between them. If someone has taken the time and trouble to come up with a very creative hide and taken the time to find somewhere off the beaten track that people might not ordinarily find (and that people would be pleased to have found), it seems a bit lame to write "tftc" and leave it at that. Likewise if someone has hidden a film pot behind a sign it's hard to see how writing much more than "tftc" can be inspired, unless the sign has something unusual about it.

 

In many ways I'd think of it as being similar to our response to receiving a gift. If someone gives us a gift that obviously has a significant amount of thought and effort in it, we are likely to be more effusive in our thanks. If someone gives us something that looks like it came from a service station we may be less expressive.

 

Exactly! They were simple nanos on street signs(100 to be exact) throughout the countryside. It became repetitive and I was dodging tractors/cars, etc so I was trying to make quick logs before heading to the next. Constant stop & go while losing signal. I would say, "wet log, unable to sign, but tftc" in some(lol), but other than that what was I supposed to say?! He wanted me to copy and paste a story for each one. I suppose I could've said something like, "Beautiful saturday morning and enjoying the Wisconsin countryside. Thanks for this series." BUT I didn't know if owners really cared,as long as you found it. In my opinion, if he wants this kind of log, then add it to the description. He says he "doesn't play favorites" and that he sends his "TFTC" speech to everyone who logs it. In my opinion, it felt like he has to show off his superiority-complex.

Edited by rainafyre
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I was dodging tractors/cars, etc so I was trying to make quick logs before heading to the next. Constant stop & go while losing signal.

 

I think the fact that more and more cachers write their logs right at the cache location, has had a dramatic effect on the logs.

It was usual to write the logs at home. Even in the most idyllic scenario I would not want to spend many minutes to write a decent log

for a nice hiking cache. At home it can happen that I spend 30 minutes for a single log including loading up photos. Of course this will not apply

to every cache. My point is just that I would not write such logs in the field, but noone asks for logging in the field.

 

Even in the case of repetitive series hides, I do think however that status information (cache ok, log sheet full, wet etc) is very important

for the owner and should not be omitted.

 

Cezanne

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Here's a log from a new, unvalidated, never visited the site cacher. He has 21 finds, but some are multiple, 3 smilies on one cache. Now mind you, the name of the cache says it's just to boost your numbers so you know what to expect:

 

"I'm tired of the micros people!! We need some big ones!!"

 

So, not sure if that's better than just using the auto message.

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I was dodging tractors/cars, etc so I was trying to make quick logs before heading to the next. Constant stop & go while losing signal.

 

I think the fact that more and more cachers write their logs right at the cache location, has had a dramatic effect on the logs.

It was usual to write the logs at home. Even in the most idyllic scenario I would not want to spend many minutes to write a decent log

for a nice hiking cache. At home it can happen that I spend 30 minutes for a single log including loading up photos. Of course this will not apply

to every cache. My point is just that I would not write such logs in the field, but noone asks for logging in the field.

 

Even in the case of repetitive series hides, I do think however that status information (cache ok, log sheet full, wet etc) is very important

for the owner and should not be omitted.

 

Cezanne

 

I log my finds from home, but if I've found a series of micros and nanos the chances are I won't remember one from another so they'll all get a comparable log.

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT it's also his own CHOICE to create the cache. I believe people have the right to log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

 

I think you've summed up a lot in your (very good) post here.

 

With the best will in the world an email intended to come across as "it's great if you..." can often come across as a "you're stupid because you didn't..." - this applies across the board rather than just to geocaching. Throw in the way the official app seems to encourage new geocachers to cache in a way that annoys established cachers and it's easy to see why misunderstandings and annoyance result.

 

Personally I see a major party of the problem as the way caching seems to be seeking the lowest common denominator, and so those who want to put in a bit more effort would like a bit of reciprocation. When I find a film pot behind a sign it's often hard to think of much to say about it, so a log is unlikely to be much more than "3 of 4 today" and I'm more likely to comment on the glorious weather than the inventive hide. That said on the (increasingly rare) occasions when I do find something out of the ordinary I'm more likely to write something specific about it, not least because I still remember it when I get home. Remembering what made one film pot behind a sign different from the next film pot behind a sign is difficult, simply because so often there is so little different between them. If someone has taken the time and trouble to come up with a very creative hide and taken the time to find somewhere off the beaten track that people might not ordinarily find (and that people would be pleased to have found), it seems a bit lame to write "tftc" and leave it at that. Likewise if someone has hidden a film pot behind a sign it's hard to see how writing much more than "tftc" can be inspired, unless the sign has something unusual about it.

 

In many ways I'd think of it as being similar to our response to receiving a gift. If someone gives us a gift that obviously has a significant amount of thought and effort in it, we are likely to be more effusive in our thanks. If someone gives us something that looks like it came from a service station we may be less expressive.

 

Exactly! They were simple nanos on street signs(100 to be exact) throughout the countryside. It became repetitive and I was dodging tractors/cars, etc so I was trying to make quick logs before heading to the next. Constant stop & go while losing signal. I would say, "wet log, unable to sign, but tftc" in some(lol), but other than that what was I supposed to say?! He wanted me to copy and paste a story for each one. I suppose I could've said something like, "Beautiful saturday morning and enjoying the Wisconsin countryside. Thanks for this series." BUT I didn't know if owners really cared,as long as you found it. In my opinion, if he wants this kind of log, then add it to the description. He says he "doesn't play favorites" and that he sends his "TFTC" speech to everyone who logs it. In my opinion, it felt like he has to show off his superiority-complex.

 

People like that make me want to go and find his nano, unroll the log and write "thank you so much for hiding such an imaginative cache in such an exciting location. I found it at half past three on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Cache in good order" along the length of it, then log that it needed maintenance because the log was full.

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Actually, I think logging in the field is a significant change in log habits. I can side with the idea that smartphone caching has encouraged people to log live while out, instead of saving and doing up logs at home. If someone gets the app, they may not realize they don't have to post their find log right then and there. Because of this, there'd be a growth of short&sweet find logs, instead of thoughtful (even copy/paste) logs done at home.

That's completely understandable.

And unfortunate =/

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT it's also his own CHOICE to create the cache. I believe people have the right to log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

 

I'm one of the all time biggest ranters against TFTC (around here, at least), And I'd never email a poor newbie and blast them for it on one of my caches. Although now that I think of it, I did make a wisecrack in a note after getting one on one of my caches with 30 or so favorite points. Never mind. :P

 

Seriously though, I wouldn't email, especially every single TFTC logger, like it sounds like this guy does. I do have a couple questions for you though. 1) Had you visited the website, and looked at any cache logs, and notice most people don't log with TFTC? (and the ones that do are almost always new). According to a Groundspeak employee in another thread around here, still less than 2% of logs are TFTC. 2)How the heck did you figure out what TFTC even meant, and started using it? Sometimes I'm amazed at how quickly a newb will start with the TFTC logs, and wonder how they know what it is. :D

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log. When I started, I knew no one else personally who geocached, so I learned logging by watching others and assumed the acronym was common practice. Well, this CO "suggested" in an email that I put more thought into my logs. It highly offended me because it made me feel talked down to and like I was an idiot. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought this was supposed to be a fun experience and there were no set "rules" in logging, so I defended myself(not in a mean way). His response was NOT friendly whatsoever - he ended up calling me a "lazy" logger and a "snot-nosed princess" who "shouldn't bother finding anymore of his caches if I'm going to write 'TFTC.'" That shook me up and I was really offended! We hashed it out via email for awhile and came to an understanding, but it's still bothering me. I understand the reasoning why CO's want to read about the experiences people have finding their cache. I get the hard work it takes to set these up and to continue the game, BUT it's also his own CHOICE to create the cache. I believe people have the right to log how they want until they get the hang of things. It shouldn't be reprimanded or make anyone feel inferior. It felt like he just wanted me to satisfy his ego and to show off how much more he knows about the hobby. *shrug* Either way, yes, I learned to put more thought into my logs from now on, but I refuse to kiss anyone's butt in logs - especially when they have 100 nano's every 500ft. Newbies are learning and our game will evolve, just be patient with us! :P

 

I'm one of the all time biggest ranters against TFTC (around here, at least), And I'd never email a poor newbie and blast them for it on one of my caches. Although now that I think of it, I did make a wisecrack in a note after getting one on one of my caches with 30 or so favorite points. Never mind. :P

 

Seriously though, I wouldn't email, especially every single TFTC logger, like it sounds like this guy does. I do have a couple questions for you though. 1) Had you visited the website, and looked at any cache logs, and notice most people don't log with TFTC? (and the ones that do are almost always new). According to a Groundspeak employee in another thread around here, still less than 2% of logs are TFTC. 2)How the heck did you figure out what TFTC even meant, and started using it? Sometimes I'm amazed at how quickly a newb will start with the TFTC logs, and wonder how they know what it is. :D

 

1 - yes, I started on the website before going out looking. I looked around the area where I lived to try and find out where I should start and how to log. I read the way some people logged and noticed the trend of "TFTC" very often (around our area) and wasn't until after this incident that I noticed it was mostly those with under 1,000 finds who were doing this. It wasn't until the last week or so that I really started paying attention to these forums, so I'm learning more and more each day.

2 - it wasn't very hard to figure out what TFTC meant. :P

 

It's very nice to hear that you wouldn't act like that gentleman has, even though it does irk you. I even asked him, "Do you email all the people who write 'tftc?'" He replied that he pisses a lot of people off with the emails about it. He and I reached an understanding now and he offered his help if I needed anything, which was nice, but I'll never forget him calling me a "snot-nosed princess." lmao.

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Got another one today.....newb with 8 finds. He logged Found It twice, once with the "Thanks so much" drivel and once completely blank. I deleted the "Thanks so much etc. etc...." one and let the blank one stand, because it seemed more sincere 😉

 

Exactly! They've taken the effort to edit it, obviously the log they want. :laughing:

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Again, i'm not so bothered by the default wording of the app. It's just that i know when i see it, that there's a slight chance that my cache may not have been treated properly. Not saying this because the person is new, we were all new at one time. Just saying that i don't like the fact that the app is download and go without any requirements from the player. I figure there's a good chance that a person using the app may tend to go at it without trying to learn even the basics of geocaching. At the very least, a person should be required to register and validate their email at gc.com before being given caches to go find.

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I got a find on a challenge cache of mine (leave out the challenge cache drama plz =P) from someone with 10 finds. The challenge requires finding at least 100 in a day.

Yeah.... no. I emailed nicely to update them about challenges after removing the find - technically the cache is a Mystery, so likely they were just looking at any waypoint on the map, and because this happened to be a challenge with the cache at posted, they managed to find it. Haven't had a reply yet.

Just thought that was slightly entertaining when the log came through :)

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How the heck did you figure out what TFTC even meant, and started using it? Sometimes I'm amazed at how quickly a newb will start with the TFTC logs, and wonder how they know what it is. :D

A few years ago I had a chance to revisit the very first cache I found. It was really interesting to look back in the logbook and see I had signed in with our real names and said "Our first cache. Good location! TNLN" I was impressed I had already figured out "TNLN".

 

I don't remember how I learned it. I had been a member of the site for six days before finding that cache so I must have picked it up somewhere. Of course, I was always taught you never jump into any online community without first lurking and browsing and learning "the lay of the land" before you start actively participating.

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I recently discovered geocaching within the last month or so. This weekend I had my first run-in with an annoyed CO with my "TFTC" log.

Not knowing the contents of his original email, but just speaking in general, if anyone receives an email that they find offensive, contact Groundspeak and let them deal with it.

 

rainafyre, I'm glad that experience didn't put you off geocaching. Yeah, some take the game much too seriously. The best we can do is snigger at them and move on. Keeps our own blood pressure in check.

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