Deleting armchair logs

February 4, 2015

I have a watch on a TB. It was my first TB find so I have an interest in its progress. Unfortunately, its number has found its way onto one of those lists and it gets quite a few 'discovered it' logs from (invariably German) loggers despite it being in Australia. The owner deletes those logs.

My question(s) is:

Does a deletion take away from the armchair logger's tally?
Is the armchair logger notified?

TIA

February 5, 2015

I have a watch on a TB. It was my first TB find so I have an interest in its progress. Unfortunately, its number has found its way onto one of those lists and it gets quite a few 'discovered it' logs from (invariably German) loggers despite it being in Australia. The owner deletes those logs.

My question(s) is:

Does a deletion take away from the armchair logger's tally?

Is the armchair logger notified?

TIA

The answer to both questions is yes. If the log is deleted, the number is subtracted from the total trackable number for the cacher. They also get a "log deletion notice" email.

3.9k · February 5, 2015

I have a watch on a TB. It was my first TB find so I have an interest in its progress. Unfortunately, its number has found its way onto one of those lists and it gets quite a few 'discovered it' logs from (invariably German) loggers despite it being in Australia. The owner deletes those logs.

My question(s) is:

Does a deletion take away from the armchair logger's tally?

Is the armchair logger notified?

TIA

The answer to both questions is yes. If the log is deleted, the number is subtracted from the total trackable number for the cacher. They also get a "log deletion notice" email.

Good. I deleted a bunch of virtual logs from my car TB today. I wish I could personalize the deletion notice.

CF30

5.7k · February 5, 2015

I have a few trackables that I allow virtual discoverys on.

That kinda of thing is popular with the Germans. :laughing:

3.9k · February 6, 2015

I have a few trackables that I allow virtual discoverys on.

That kinda of thing is popular with the Germans.

Yes, I know. And I have discovered that they backdate their logs to hide them in past pages of logs too...

CF30

5.7k · February 6, 2015

I used to buy nice geocoins, and still do, but rarely. None will ever be released anymore after losing 14 of 15 I did release. Now I have about 60 different icons in my collection. I'm thinking about sharing the tracking numbers to more of my collectables for other geocachers to enjoy. I don't attend very many events anymore, and never liked leaving my ammo can full of geocoins left unattended to be discovered. It just makes sense to me to post their photos and numbers on their page to share virtually. I think I will post them on my Flickr account with my geocaching pictures.

2.1k · February 6, 2015

...I'm thinking about sharing the tracking numbers to more of my collectables for other geocachers to enjoy.

(Que the screaming goat!) I had a feeling it was a bad idea to check in with this forum tonight.

It just makes sense to me to post their photos and numbers on their page to share virtually.

Makes sense? In a parallel universe maybe. Hey, that's it - the fake discovers and fake visits ARE in a parallel universe. Now that perspective should help me "get over it".

The trackable game as we once knew and loved it is not really dead as I suspected, there are simply two separate games going on.

I think I will be alright now as long as it is legal for me to delete unnecessary visit logs and I can come here to rant once in a while.

2.8k · February 6, 2015

How is it OK to log something you haven't found as found?

Someone needs to ban Germany from geocaching.

I heard only 5 people attended the Giga in person but 50,000 logged it from home.

6.8k · February 6, 2015

How is it OK to log something you haven't found as found?

I guess we need to live with the fact that for trackables Groundspeak has set no rules and allows everything the owners of the trackable want to do with their trackables.

Recently two of my proper logs for a TB (a retrieve log from cache A and a drop off log for cache from 2011 have been deleted by the owner of the trackable. The owner

apparently deleted all existing logs and seems to reuse the trackable from scratch for something else.

I dared to ask politely by e-mail why he deleted after 4 yours these legitimate logs (following all aspects of trackable etiquette) and received a very insulting reply.

Theoretically, all owners of trackables that I moved along in more than 12 years of geocaching could decide to delete my logs and there is nothing I could do against it.

It's about their trackables. Groundspeak does not interfere.

Cezanne

5.7k · February 6, 2015

Back in the day, a trackable was a minted geocoin, or a dog tag TB. Now, they have become a cheap AL stamping with an image on them, just like the proxys that come with the better geocoins sold on the market. Sorry, but I'm not paying $15 on average for a geocoin just to watch it dissappear. I have even grown tired of just collecting them. Once activated the price decreases. Geocaching has changed, it's all about the numbers. Power trails, Geoart, FTF, Challenge caches, the game is nothing like what it used to be. Now we also have Souvenirs to add to our profile stats and don't forget about the icon's to collect. Same goes for trackables and their icons, some geocachers love to virtually discover geocoins to collect the icons, and it is left up to the trackable owner to delete logs. At least the German's normaly leave a decent log and not just "yay", "tftvd" or ".". The logs that I am seeing usually state the it was virtually discovered on the web and the user includes where they are from. Groundspeak has gave us the option to put trackables in our collection to be diiscovered, or add them to inventory where others can use the grab or move options.

2.1k · February 7, 2015

...Power trails, Geoart, FTF, Challenge caches... ...we also have Souvenirs to add to our profile stats and don't forget about the icon's to collect. Same goes for trackables and their icons...

All this is "real" geocaching including the icons earned by actually geocaching.

...some geocachers love to virtually discover geocoins to collect the icons, and it is left up to the trackable owner to delete logs.

This is "fake" geocaching.

When you say "it is left up to the trackable owners to delete logs" that implies there is something fishy about this activity. We all know it is essentially not right, not what was intended and that we can now get away with if the trackab le owners don't object.

You say the game is not the same as "back in the day" but that does not have to become the justification for virtual logging of trackables.

At least the German's normally leave a decent log...

Yes they are nice and they truly love what they are doing. They also loved virtual logging of Virtual Caches that they never visited and when that was discouraged by HQ they switched to virtual logging of trackables. HQ does not have the resources to curb this bogus logging therefore it is, by default, becoming unbogus I guess you could say.

6.8k · February 7, 2015

HQ does not have the resources to curb this bogus logging therefore it is, by default, becoming unbogus I guess you could say.

I do not think that in this case it is about resources.

For trackables HQ never interfered. While e.g. for cache pages there are lots of rules (commercial guideline, family friendly, some ethical issues etc) it always has been up to the trackable owner how to deal with the trackables. For example, many years ago in Austria a trackable from the US popped up that glorified the Nazi times and after having contacted the reviewer it turned out that there is nothing that could be done.

Moreover, as "virtual" logs are regarded, there is difficult line to draw. There are cachers who do the following: They send a proxy on travel and show the original trackable to other cachers when they meet. So the discover logs can come legitimately from country A while the logs caused by the traveling proxy come from country B. The cachers moving around the proxy have never seen the original item (typically an expensive GC), but moving around the proxy is what they are supposed to do, so of course they log this accordingly.

It also becomes increasingly popular to send around little chips with a trackable number on it which are left as kind of personal caching token and can be exchanged against other personal tokens or swag or left in the cache. Typically the trackable to which the trackable number on the token corresponds to is in the hand of the owner and never is put into any cache at all.

When GS decided to sell trackables and trackable numbers (a huge part of their income), they apparently settled for the fact that owners will decide how to handle their trackables. A lot of money is earnt by GS because what I reported above is possible. It allows people to not lose their precious trackables and the same time share them to some extent with others and receive logs for their trackables.

5.7k · February 7, 2015

I even get bogus logs on my Waymarks, which I promptly delete. :anicute:

February 10, 2015

Does anyone know how to deactivate a travelbug, i asked the person who grabbed my bug to throw it away because the pleasure is gone because of all the "discovered" logs. My goal was to delete it afterwards but it looks like that is not possible.

Any suggestions?

21.9k · February 10, 2015

You can write to Geocaching HQ via the Help Center's email portal. Be sure to select "Trackables" as the category for your inquiry. Ask them to lock your trackable.

7.3k · February 10, 2015

Does anyone know how to deactivate a travelbug, i asked the person who grabbed my bug to throw it away because the pleasure is gone because of all the "discovered" logs. My goal was to delete it afterwards but it looks like that is not possible.

Any suggestions?

You could offer to adopt the trackable to the person, if they actually have it in their possession.

Help Center → Trackables → Owning Trackables

4.6. Adopting or Transferring a Trackable

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=249

B.

2.1k · February 11, 2015

You could offer to adopt the trackable to the person, if they actually have it in their possession.

I adopted out some of our trackables around 2004, or so, but that caused us to lose that bit of history on our profile page. I want it to be known (to whomever might ever wander into that corner of our profile) that we were in the game.

As for retiring trackables I was wondering if transferring them to our collection would lockout any or all logs from being posted to the tb page. I've never quite understood the collection feature.

1.9k · February 13, 2015

Do you mean discovered logs, or visited logs?

Discovered is when someone sees the coin and discovers it (or finds the number on a list).

Visited is when the same person logs it to every cache they go to, just visited, and but doesn't drop it off.

If we are talking about a lot of visited logs, I would contact him (once) and ask very nicely that he place the bug in a cache so that someone else can have a chance to move it.

After he does that, then you can go back and delete the unwanted visit logs, if you feel strongly about them. Realize that he will get an email for each of your deletions, and might get upset by it. Or just let them be, and feel better that at least it is moving forward in its life.

2.1k · February 17, 2015

Realize that he will get an email for each of your deletions, and might get upset by it.

Oh, I've deleted a lot of visit logs and I know the owner gets a notice for each one. The trackable game has changed and perfectly nice folks are now piling on visit and trackable-fest discovered logs and hopelessly cluttering the pages.

What I want to know is if it is possible to "retire" one or more of my travelers that are not in my possession in a way that prevents visit, discovered, grabbed and placed logs.

Would my moving it to my inventory or other action I can do accomplish this?

If it can only be done by Groundspeak staff then I don't want to do it. They have important things to do with their time and this is a low, low priority.

February 19, 2015

I just found this thread in the forum. I guess I'm not the only one then! One of my Travel Bugs' tracking codes has apparently been posted on a German Geocaching web page. The online log (and my inbox) are filling up with 100's of discovered claims from Germany. Meanwhile the actual trackable is somewhere in the U.S. currently. I have translated some of the German logs these people are writing and they often come out something like

"I found your travel bug on a list somewhere. Thanks for sharing. Delete this if you don't like it"

Looking at their profiles, these geocachers typically have found a small number of caches but have logged many thousand Travel Bugs. So maybe they enjoy "armchair" geocaching but,

1) Is there any way to block a TB from being "discovered".

2) It there a way to bulk delete a bunch of discover logs or do I have to work through them one-by-one?

Still enjoying the sport immensely and finding that my travel bugs don't disappear nearly as frequently now that I try to send out only boring ugly ones.

1.4k · February 20, 2015

If I retrieve a trackable from a cache part-way through a day's caching it will stay with me until I get home and can research its mission. I will sometimes keep it for a few days or even a few weeks until I can release it into the wild again.

I will visit the trackable to very cache I visit until I drop it off. This seems logical to me as it represents the history of its travels. Is there something wrong with this approach?

7.5k · February 20, 2015

I will visit the trackable to very cache I visit until I drop it off. This seems logical to me as it represents the history of its travels. Is there something wrong with this approach?

I can't say there's anything "wrong" about it, and it's very common, but many people -- including me -- aren't interested in the fact that you had the TB in your inventory when you visited a cache. They think the focus shouldn't be specific caches but rather the broader areas. The idea is that 10 visits along a 2 mile trail are no more valuable that 1 visit on that same trail, so the other 9 logs are just wasting log space.

My preference is for a visit to actually reflect the TB visiting the cache as opposed to the carrier visiting the cache, meaning that there's some reason that you can explain for that TB to visit that cache specifically. The reason could be that the cache fits the TB's goal, obviously, but it's also fine to visit a cache to show that the TB was in this area. My rule of thumb is that if you can't think of anything that makes it worth your while to go edit the visit log to say why the TB is visiting that cache, then you shouldn't bother to log the visit to begin with just to leave an empty visit log.

But, just to repeat, that's just one way to look at it. Others, including both some TB owners and many TB carriers, feel that the TB should visit every cache that can be justified. The one absolute is that if the TB page asks you not to do that, then you shouldn't. Beyond that, I have to concede, is a matter of opinion, but just know that when I see all your empty visit logs, I'll sigh.

2.1k · February 20, 2015

My preference is for a visit to actually reflect the TB visiting the cache as opposed to the carrier visiting the cache,

Yes!

A "real" visit where the trackable stays in the cache and the cacher moves on without it.

My rule of thumb is that if you can't think of anything that makes it worth your while to go edit the visit log to say why the TB is visiting that cache, then you shouldn't bother to log the visit to begin with just to leave an empty visit log.

Oh yes!!

A refreshing but oh so logical point of view.

I suspect that most visiting trackables are actually in a bag in the car or sitting on a desk at home rather than being at the visited cache.

...but just know that when I see all your empty visit logs, I'll sigh.

And mutter unmentionable words at your profile on the computer screen. :mad:

13.7k · February 20, 2015

I suspect that most visiting trackables are actually in a bag in the car or sitting on a desk at home rather than being at the visited cache.

+1

2.1k · February 20, 2015

I will visit the trackable to every cache I visit until I drop it off. This seems logical to me as it represents the history of its travels. Is there something wrong with this approach?

Apparently, from what I am learning in this forum recently, there is nothing wrong with any kind of log posted to a trackable's page.

Most visit logs, I'm sure, are well intentioned and since most people probably don't ever read the traveler's history it is, by default, a harmless activity. But when I have to sift through pages and pages of visit logs that many trackables get in order to see where the bug made "real visits" or to see if it met its goal it get very annoying very fast.

A few of what I call fake visits by several cachers spread throughout pages of real visits doesn't get in the way but dozens of visits by one person followed by dozens of visits by the next handler is a big turn off. By then I stop caring what the goal is and just drop it anywhere which might be 700 miles the wrong direction during our travels.

9.2k · February 20, 2015

Groundspeak Travel Bug®

A Travel Bug is a Trackable that moves from place to place, picking up stories along the way.

It would seem a lot of cachers read the "A Travel Bug is a Trackable that moves from place to place" and never get to the "picking up stories along the way." part...

1.4k · February 20, 2015

I will visit the trackable to very cache I visit until I drop it off. This seems logical to me as it represents the history of its travels. Is there something wrong with this approach?

My rule of thumb is that if you can't think of anything that makes it worth your while to go edit the visit log to say why the TB is visiting that cache, then you shouldn't bother to log the visit to begin with just to leave an empty visit log <snip>....but just know that when I see all your empty visit logs, I'll sigh.

Thanks to everyone who replied. The comments by dprovan quoted above make a lot of sense. I'll definitely take them on board.

Cheers

Tony

7.5k · February 21, 2015

I suspect that most visiting trackables are actually in a bag in the car or sitting on a desk at home rather than being at the visited cache.

If you're lucky! Some visiting trackables are lost and forgotten.

10.1k · February 25, 2015

I will visit the trackable to very cache I visit until I drop it off. This seems logical to me as it represents the history of its travels. Is there something wrong with this approach?

My rule of thumb is that if you can't think of anything that makes it worth your while to go edit the visit log to say why the TB is visiting that cache, then you shouldn't bother to log the visit to begin with just to leave an empty visit log <snip>....but just know that when I see all your empty visit logs, I'll sigh.

Thanks to everyone who replied. The comments by dprovan quoted above make a lot of sense. I'll definitely take them on board.

Cheers

Tony

We have a local who visits all his owned trackables, and all he is in possession of, into every cache he finds, does not find, or leaves a note for. "Before I go looking for this, the owner should perform maintenance."

On his last find, that was 103 trackables 'visited'. Including eleven "United for Diabetes" geocoins that he is holding on to. The one I checked, he has had since last June.

That is usually the majority of trackables logged into any of the caches. Pure and simple, it is meaningless clutter. I seldom check 'past trackables' because most of the listings are meaningless clutter. Those trackables have probably never been anywhere near the cache.

March 16, 2015

I don't know if this question is directly related, but it's bugging me right now.

I did T5 cache in northern Idaho a few years ago (GC1F6YC), which took a lot of work, planning, and time (and was a great experience). Because it's only been found a few times, I was surprised to get an email a few days ago stating that the CO was "parking" a TB in it for a friend.

What is "parking"? My understanding is that if you want to log a TB into a cache, then it needs to go into the cache (like the one I retrieved from the cache, and have special plans for this summer).

I realize it's not a "Found it" log, but I guess I'm a little jealous of someone claiming activity (even the CO) on a cache like this one.

13.7k · March 16, 2015

I don't know if this question is directly related, but it's bugging me right now.

I did T5 cache in northern Idaho a few years ago (GC1F6YC), which took a lot of work, planning, and time (and was a great experience). Because it's only been found a few times, I was surprised to get an email a few days ago stating that the CO was "parking" a TB in it for a friend.

What is "parking"? My understanding is that if you want to log a TB into a cache, then it needs to go into the cache (like the one I retrieved from the cache, and have special plans for this summer).

I realize it's not a "Found it" log, but I guess I'm a little jealous of someone claiming activity (even the CO) on a cache like this one.

Looks like a gag to me.

By the info: "A trackable bug tag on my Honda Odyssey."

Curious, you've really held on to a trackable, in anticipation of "special plans" for over four years?

March 16, 2015

Looks like a gag to me.

By the info: "A trackable bug tag on my Honda Odyssey."

Curious, you've really held on to a trackable, in anticipation of "special plans" for over four years?

I've held on to it for so long because it seems like it deserves a special home for it's next stop. I should have found something sooner, most likely.

13.7k · March 16, 2015

Looks like a gag to me.

By the info: "A trackable bug tag on my Honda Odyssey."

Curious, you've really held on to a trackable, in anticipation of "special plans" for over four years?

I've held on to it for so long because it seems like it deserves a special home for it's next stop. I should have found something sooner, most likely.

I can kinda see that.

Guess as long as you've been updating the Owner, and they're okay with it.

Could have been stuck up there for a few years. Not many are visiting.

Too far for me to play.

March 16, 2015

I can kinda see that.

Guess as long as you've been updating the Owner, and they're okay with it.

Could have been stuck up there for a few years. Not many are visiting.

Too far for me to play.

That's what vacations are for! Washington is great in the summer. You could come out and help me move Mr. Lederhosen into his next home - assuming this state's oldest unfound 5/5 (GC1G5BY) is still there, and we can find it.

2.1k · March 17, 2015

You could come out and help me move Mr. Lederhosen into his next home - assuming this state's oldest unfound 5/5 (GC1G5BY) is still there, and we can find it.

Why do you hate travel bugs? ( :lol: :lol:)

Looks like you and your family are having fun with this game and I loved your log and adventure at the chimney rock cache and I am curious too...

So after holding this travel bug for 4 1/2 years you want to put it into a cache that isn't likely to be found for a long time, perhaps years? Did I misunderstand something here?

March 18, 2015

Why do you hate travel bugs? ( :lol:)

Looks like you and your family are having fun with this game and I loved your log and adventure at the chimney rock cache and I am curious too...

So after holding this travel bug for 4 1/2 years you want to put it into a cache that isn't likely to be found for a long time, perhaps years? Did I misunderstand something here?

The Lederhosen bug needed to be rescued from it's lonely outpost in northern Idaho. I wanted to put it next somewhere worthy, and time has slipped by without me finding a time/opportunity to put it somewhere worthwhile.

If the TB owner asked me to move it along, I would.

Deleting armchair logs

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