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'Like'-button on logs


Vikan

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We have the 'Favorite'-count that can help us find great caches.

But what about finding good logs?

 

I love reading good cache experiences. A lot of logs are really fun to read, and good logs also help raise the expectation of a cache. A good log is like a 'favorite++'.

 

I wished I could endorse the good logs that I find so that others can find those logs too. And of cause - I wished I could find the logs others find worth reading.

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We have the 'Favorite'-count that can help us find great caches.

But what about finding good logs?

 

I love reading good cache experiences. A lot of logs are really fun to read, and good logs also help raise the expectation of a cache. A good log is like a 'favorite++'.

 

I wished I could endorse the good logs that I find so that others can find those logs too. And of cause - I wished I could find the logs others find worth reading.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=337112

 

B.

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I agree, we do not want another Facebook, but some kind of likes counter (only simple integer, no voters list like on FB) would be fine with possibility to sort logs by this counter instead of default time. I would like to have interesting stories right on top instead of having to scroll down through numerous "TFTC" and "Found quickly" which is pretty annoying.

 

Caches already have favorite points, why not logs. :)

 

But I guess that would be a great load for the database...

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We know few people who read online logs.

For many, once the cache is found, it's "on to the next", and don't look back.

I don't see an "interesting story" as part of finding a cache, which is what many who look at logs search through them for.

 

Times have changed, and it's kinda funny how fun, interesting logs in caches (with actual log books) have dwindled, while some call for a "like" in an online one.

 

As a CO, if I get a great log, I send the cacher a, "thanks for the kind words" email. :)

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I too am uncomfortable with a Like facebook type of button, but I would like to see a "Useful" type of button for logs that have actual information about the cache. To separate the TFTC and the cut n paste "Found 50 caches today with team megacachers." from "Great trail. Beautiful walk with my dog. The cache is in great shape." In the field I'd like to be able to click "See logs marked useful" and have only the useful cache logs show up in chronological order.

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I too am uncomfortable with a Like facebook type of button, but I would like to see a "Useful" type of button for logs that have actual information about the cache. To separate the TFTC and the cut n paste "Found 50 caches today with team megacachers." from "Great trail. Beautiful walk with my dog. The cache is in great shape." In the field I'd like to be able to click "See logs marked useful" and have only the useful cache logs show up in chronological order.

You don't think Team Megacachers would find those cut n paste logs "useful" and mark 'em so? :)

"Megacachers" being the key.

I believe it'd become just another stat in a few months.

Sites already have stats on log length, usefulness should be worth a few points...

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I too am uncomfortable with a Like facebook type of button, but I would like to see a "Useful" type of button for logs that have actual information about the cache. To separate the TFTC and the cut n paste "Found 50 caches today with team megacachers." from "Great trail. Beautiful walk with my dog. The cache is in great shape." In the field I'd like to be able to click "See logs marked useful" and have only the useful cache logs show up in chronological order.

You don't think Team Megacachers would find those cut n paste logs "useful" and mark 'em so? :)

"Megacachers" being the key.

I believe it'd become just another stat in a few months.

Sites already have stats on log length, usefulness should be worth a few points...

 

I was thinking of other sites I've visited that use a useful button (amazon, tripadvisor, yelp) the useful button doesn't appear to be abused.

 

But it's good to think about how cachers will abuse a system. Seeing how many geocachers will indeed turn a useful tool into a commodity, it's probably a bad idea.

Edited by L0ne.R
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But it's good to think about how cachers will abuse a system. Seeing how many geocachers will indeed turn a useful tool into a commodity, it's probably a bad idea.

Yep, I can see it now. A week after the feature is added, Project-GC.com adds a leaderboard of the users with the most logs marked as "useful". The next day, some central European cachers start getting together to mark their buddy's logs as "useful", or start creating dummy accounts to mark their own logs, quickly making a mockery of the feature.

 

I can definitely see that happening.

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It'll only become a metric if the API provides that stat.

If the API doesn't provide it, sites will have to scrape or find alternate methods of doing it. These days that's just not as common.

 

I honestly don't see the possible drawbacks of a 'useful' button even coming close to outweighing the benefits.

 

And no, no social media connection. Purely, merely, internal use.

 

...actually, never mind the API comment. If apps are going to display the vote count then the data has to be included in the API's log data :P

But, if you can't upvote your own comment, then really that vote count will be as useful, relevant, and beneficial as favourite points on caches. Again, still don't see the drawbacks outweighing the benefits.

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The recency factor would be a big issue with having 'like' or 'useful' buttons on logs. If people want to view the 'liked'/'useful' logs only, then they'll miss the more recent DNF logs that suggest the cache is missing.

 

Looking through previous logs is something I've done when having trouble finding a cache. I usually do that on my cell phone though, unless I don't have coverage and then I'm limited to the few logs in my GPSr. When I look at the logs on my phone, then I just scroll past the short ones that don't have much content.

 

Maybe if the option to view 'liked'/'useful' logs only applied to 'Found It' logs? For example, if someone chooses the option to see the 'liked'/'useful' logs for a cache, then they would see those 'Found It' logs along with all the other logs (DNF, NM, NA, OM, WN). The only types of logs that could be 'liked'/'useful' would be 'Found It' logs. Seems a bit over complicated though, especially if there's a desire to change the GPX files to accommodate. I'm not sure it's a worthwhile use of development time considering the other products that need work.

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"The recency factor would be a big issue with having 'like' or 'useful' buttons on logs. If people want to view the 'liked'/'useful' logs only, then they'll miss the more recent DNF logs that suggest the cache is missing."

 

Only if logs are explicitly hidden, which I don't think would be a good idea. It should merely be a way to highlight higher rated logs. Easier to scroll through, not a reduction filter (at least by default). Nothing removed, only info added.

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I prefer the positive over the negative :P negativity will raise angst; positivity will only raise angst if someone's is themselves envious of someone else's positivity :)

Boost the good, and the not-good will fall to the wayside. Ignore the feature, or even if the feature is abused (eg unuseful logs are boosted), at worst you're left with the log history exactly as it exists right now. No loss.

 

Now, having a personal feature to hide logs you don't want to see could be good. Or to hide logs from specific users. But I'm thinking there are already browser extensions for that, and I doubt GS would implement such a concept in the API.

Functionally adjusting data availability, vs adding one little number to existing data and allowing the requesting tool to decide how to handle it. (also, a bump count bit of data is easily ignored, and backwards compatible)

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I prefer the positive over the negative :P negativity will raise angst; positivity will only raise angst if someone's is themselves envious of someone else's positivity :)

 

Note to self: Next time use <sarcasm> </sarcasm> tags in post to make my point a bit more clear <_<

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It'll only become a metric if the API provides that stat.

If the API doesn't provide it, sites will have to scrape or find alternate methods of doing it. These days that's just not as common.

 

I honestly don't see the possible drawbacks of a 'useful' button even coming close to outweighing the benefits.

 

And no, no social media connection. Purely, merely, internal use.

 

...actually, never mind the API comment. If apps are going to display the vote count then the data has to be included in the API's log data :P

But, if you can't upvote your own comment, then really that vote count will be as useful, relevant, and beneficial as favourite points on caches. Again, still don't see the drawbacks outweighing the benefits.

 

I find this post 'Useful'.

Nice to see someone come up with a way that might work.

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