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A mini rant from a relative newbie


gingersquee

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Cut and paste logs.

 

I've been doing this properly for just over 2 months now. Absolutely loving finding caches, having to hunt around GZs and exploring new areas I'd never previously known existed. I also take great care to leave messages that are specific to each cache that I find as I, perhaps naively, imagine that it might be of interest to the CO or other cachers.

 

There is what I believe is called a "powertrail" near where I live. Lots of very small caches, punctuated by the odd small or medium cache (many of which are placed by others in and around the area of the powertrail). I am working my way around the powertrail bit by bit - having a chronic illness, doing the whole thing in one go is not really feasible for me.

 

But one of the things I really enjoy is reading the cache logs subsequent to my find. I've enjoyed reading them prior to my finds as well, but I do like to look back at my cache finds and see how other people got on. Sadly, with such a significant powertrail near to me, so many of the logs I read are cut & paste, with nothing specific to each cache whatsoever.

 

I wonder if this is a GPS receiver vs smartphone issue. As I can log my finds immediately via smartphone app, and I always take care to write something unique for each find - and take a pic if I can (not usually of the cache, but of the nice view, or similar). So if that's the case I'd be glad if someone could just confirm that for me - ie, people go out with 100s of caches on their GPS receiver and no way to log them until they get home. But even if that's the case, just a few words about each individual cache would be of great interest to those of us who like to look back on previous caches.

 

That is all! Love this new hobby. /endrant

Edited by gingersquee
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I don't think it's a GPS receiver vs smartphone issue. I use field notes pretty much the same way regardless of whether I'm using a handheld GPS receiver or my smartphone.

 

I don't think it's a log in the field vs log at home issue either. Some people post unique logs in the field, but others post TFTC-only logs or copy-paste logs in the field. And likewise for those who post logs at home.

 

It's more of a numbers run vs finding specific caches issue, really. If there's a numbers run trail near you, then you're likely to get a lot more numbers run logs. Those are the ones that seem to become purely copy-paste, because each cache just becomes yet another +1 for someone's day of finding dozens/hundreds of caches. The logs are interchangeable because the caches themselves are interchangeable, at least as far as the finder's experience goes.

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Cut and paste logs.

 

I've been doing this properly for just over 2 months now. Absolutely loving finding caches, having to hunt around GZs and exploring new areas I'd never previously known existed. I also take great care to leave messages that are specific to each cache that I find as I, perhaps naively, imagine that it might be of interest to the CO or other cachers.

 

There is what I believe is called a "powertrail" near where I live. Lots of very small caches, punctuated by the odd small or medium cache (many of which are placed by others in and around the area of the powertrail). I am working my way around the powertrail bit by bit - having a chronic illness, doing the whole thing in one go is not really feasible for me.

 

But one of the things I really enjoy is reading the cache logs subsequent to my find. I've enjoyed reading them prior to my finds as well, but I do like to look back at my cache finds and see how other people got on. Sadly, with such a significant powertrail near to me, so many of the logs I read are cut & paste, with nothing specific to each cache whatsoever.

 

I wonder if this is a GPS receiver vs smartphone issue. As I can log my finds immediately via smartphone app, and I always take care to write something unique for each find - and take a pic if I can (not usually of the cache, but of the nice view, or similar). So if that's the case I'd be glad if someone could just confirm that for me - ie, people go out with 100s of caches on their GPS receiver and no way to log them until they get home. But even if that's the case, just a few words about each individual cache would be of great interest to those of us who like to look back on previous caches.

 

That is all! Love this new hobby. /endrant

 

Hi gingersquee, welcome to our hobby!

 

Not sure whether this phenomenon has sth to do with caching with a smartphone vs GPS. I'm a smartphone cacher, simply because that's what I started with. I later purchased a GPS, but I didn't manage to get accustomed to it.

 

I haven't noticed that smartphone cachers tend to write long logs while still outside. Mostly they just write short logs like "TFTC, more later". And the "more later" either never comes or is a copy-and-paste log. Also, internet connection is often poor in rural areas, forests, etc., so that's what makes logging while outside more difficult.

 

I always log at home after my tours. I don't do copy and past logs on powertrail-like caches, but I usually write only very short logs on most of them, unless there was sth special to mention. But I must admit that even though my highest Cache find number on a single day is only 49, and usually the number is much lower, I often forget what each single cache was like. But that's also because the caches hides on such trails are often similar (as you have said micros in tree trunks etc.). Only if there was sth spectacular I can remember that and also mention it in the logs.

 

A geocaching friend of mine takes short handwritten notes about each cache, so she can log more individually. Since I usually drop her at her house and she also logs immediately after the tour, she mostly logs earlier than I do, so when I read her logs I can also remember the single caches and log more individually. I don't like copy and paste logs either, they don't contain much Information for the Cache owner or following cacher. I don't read them at all.

 

So that's my 2 Cents worth on this topic!

 

Bye,

Flo

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I cache with my kids, so need to be prepared for the day, so I write up am ordered list of where we'll go and what caches we'll find. Tick them off as we find them, scratch a few notes about the condition of the cache and anything else to mention (full logs, interesting anecdotes, TBs absence/presence). Then at home I write up the logs, often a couple of sentences about the day, then some cache specific stuff. We just had finds on a couple of ours yesterday - 2 people found 2 caches, we got 4x TFTC..... mad.gif

When we found a FTF (once!) we did a quick field log then, with 'more to follow'.....

 

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Looked at a couple, and if all are similar, wonder what you'd expect for what amounts to a buncha 1.5/1.5 pretty-much nondescript hides.

 

For you this is something new, for others it's " done that...".

 

TFTC, or cut n paste seems sorta average for that cache type. :)

We've found the better logs are often with caches not considered numbers runs.

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I've been doing this properly for just over 2 months now.

 

Only two months, how would you know? :laughing:

 

Well, they are absolutely correct about the epidemic of crappy can't be bothered to do better cut and past at best logs. So it seems they do know something. :not laughing:

 

To save anyone the trouble of looking it up, I found my first cache more than 12 years ago.

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I really enjoy seeing individually written experiences even if it is only to say it was a cold day. Most of the copy and paste in my area read like a bad paragraph in a book and contain a list of cachers I have never met with details that are more personal to that group than to the experience of the cache. Often I have no idea what they are talking about since it is an in-group thing.

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The other day I mentioned something about this on the irks thread. I think any cacher of quality agrees that these cut and paste logs are tiresome, but what really concerns me is this new trend of stating - on every log - that the cache was in good condition, when you can see from other logs that it's not (or when it's a non-log cache like a virtual or an Earthcache). These giant cut and paste logs are already unhelpful and kind of impolite for other geocachers to scroll through, but now they are deliberately misleading people about the condition of the caches.

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I use a GPS to make most of my finds, and use GSAK to log them.

 

When the find or DNF logs are pulled from the GPS, a log template is applied to each.

 

From there I usually add additional information to each log.

 

I do this whether I am logging a single cache or 130+ following a Mega event, I do my best to add something extra to the templated log.

 

I don't like reading cut and paste logs on my own caches, and don't like leaving them on caches I find.

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Pretty much like looking in the mirror when reading the OP's post. :) You really enjoy the places and caches you visit, right? I do as well and I as well like to open listings of caches I have already found to see if others had the fun finding the cache as I did. So you are NOT naive.

 

I don't do power trails along roads but did a few in woods (better call it "series", usually up to 20 caches). We go on foot and eventhough the caches are close to each other (nearly 0.1 mile) there always happen unique things that I write down - we see an animal crossing the track, eat some forest raspberries, meet a weirdo on a motorcycle ;), find an interesting view etc. When one walks with eyes open he just cannot write identical logs. :)

 

So keep up the good practise of writing unique logs as you do now - I can see on Project-GC.com that your log similarity is 25%, just like mine. :)

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Sad to say, but the badge system is part of the problem. "The Author" badge to be precise. The easiest way to boost the word count is to write cumulative logs. Never the less, even when I write a cumulative log I always attempt to add a cache relative part relating to the camouflage, ease of find or maybe some ad-hoc maintenance if I did any.

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The first part of my log tends to be a copy and paste log but I always try to do a unique log for each cache. even if it's one sentence.

 

The thing is, if you are out for a long weekend, you do hundreds of caches and then you have to remember every single one when it comes to getting home and logging them. I make notes but some times they don't help days later.

 

Plus if you only put details about your trip on the first cache and then spend the day finding multiple cache owners caches they don't see the story only on the first cache you found.

 

As for powertrails. when every cache is behind post 161m from each other.... they're going to blur into one and you're not going to get decent logs on those caches....

 

All I am saying is sometimes those rubbish copy paste logs can't be helped.

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The first part of my log tends to be a copy and paste log but I always try to do a unique log for each cache. even if it's one sentence.

As soon as I realize it's cut&paste, I skip it, I don't bother to try to find the unique part. I suspect most everyone does the same thing.

 

The thing is, if you are out for a long weekend, you do hundreds of caches and then you have to remember every single one when it comes to getting home and logging them. I make notes but some times they don't help days later.

Look, if you can't be bothered to write real logs, then don't. That's OK with me. But don't bother me with the excuse that you found too many caches to remember them all.

 

Plus if you only put details about your trip on the first cache and then spend the day finding multiple cache owners caches they don't see the story only on the first cache you found.

The fallacy here is that you think anyone cares about your trip. If I knew you, I might care, but I still wouldn't care enough to wants to have to read the same cut&paste report over and over in every log in the area.

 

As for powertrails. when every cache is behind post 161m from each other.... they're going to blur into one and you're not going to get decent logs on those caches....

No one's expecting real logs on power trails.

 

All I am saying is sometimes those rubbish copy paste logs can't be helped.

Nonsense. You've just decided to use them, so own up to that decision. Don't pretend it can't be helped. In my opinion, TFTC is preferable to a cut&paste because it carries the same amount of information -- i.e., none -- in less space.

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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

As long as the information in the log is relevant and accurate, I really don't think it matters if it is long or short.

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The first part of my log tends to be a copy and paste log but I always try to do a unique log for each cache. even if it's one sentence.

 

The thing is, if you are out for a long weekend, you do hundreds of caches and then you have to remember every single one when it comes to getting home and logging them. I make notes but some times they don't help days later.

 

Plus if you only put details about your trip on the first cache and then spend the day finding multiple cache owners caches they don't see the story only on the first cache you found.

 

As for powertrails. when every cache is behind post 161m from each other.... they're going to blur into one and you're not going to get decent logs on those caches....

 

All I am saying is sometimes those rubbish copy paste logs can't be helped.

 

First of all, yes, they can be helped. The way you cache and the way you log is a choice.

 

The other people reading your log, i.e. cache owners and other geocachers, want to know if you actually found the cache and if you had any trouble while doing so. They want to read relevant details about your visit to that particular cache.

 

If you feel you absolutely must add the lengthy cut and paste stuff recounting your trip, why not put it at the end with the relevant information about the cache up top so people can get to the important details without having to skim over the rest?

 

Think about why you feel you need to add extensive details about the trip to each log. Who is it for?

 

1. In the immediate future it will be read by the cache owner, and by subsequent finders looking for timely details about the cache. Long, irrelevant logs are frustrating for cachers trying to look for help in the field.

 

2. In the long term, the logs will be read by you, or someone else interested in your caching history.

 

Are these lengthy cut and paste logs contributing anything to that? When you scroll back through this caching trip in 5 years, do you need to see the entire trip recounted in each log? Why isn't it enough to summarize the trip in a single sentence (i.e. This was find number 5 of an epic 2356377230462 cache weekend with so-and-so.)?

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I try to write something specific to the hide on every find. I take notes on my print outs so I can remember which ones were especially unique or were in a super cool place. I have done caches on Rail trails, which tend to be one bison tube hanging from a tree or bush after another, more or less all the same. Those are tough to write much about, especially by cache 25. I do my best on these but most of them are short and sweet. I do read the logs and find them helpful when I'm stuck finding a cache, so any small clue in addition to the hint is helpful (nothing that gives it away, just helpful). We can't control what other people may do or not do, all we can do is encourage people to be thoughtful. I didn't even know that this was an issue until I started reading things in the forums. The bottom line is we all have rants of one kind or another. All we can do as individuals is to do what we would like to have others do for us. So I do. Happy Caching!

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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

As long as the information in the log is relevant and accurate, I really don't think it matters if it is long or short.

 

I agree and I expect that most COs also agree.

 

Here are some examples from our hides that were short but relevant:

 

Nice final in a place that was not too difficult to get to.
Nasty bushwhack with a big reward. Then a Muggle passed by on a nearby trail. It appears we used the wrong trail and suffered the lengthy bushwhack.
This one was straightforward and showed us a couple of really interesting headstones. Nicely done. TFTC.
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I try to write something specific to the hide on every find. I take notes on my print outs so I can remember which ones were especially unique or were in a super cool place. I have done caches on Rail trails, which tend to be one bison tube hanging from a tree or bush after another, more or less all the same. Those are tough to write much about, especially by cache 25.

 

That's when I stopped bothering with power trails. It got boring to find them and boring to think up something to say about each of them. There was no point to it except for the smiley points. Smileys aren't enough to keep me satisfied with the pastime. It's actually nicer to walk the trail without repetitively unscrewing a tiny container with a damp/wet/soaked tattered log that the owner could care less about. They will never look at that log and probably never set eyes on the cache again.

 

This Briansnat quote really struck a chord with me. It summarizes what the game and logging has meant to me from the beginning, and how powertrails take away that experience:

 

Shared experiences and a sense of community are a large part of the reason geocaching has taken off the way it has and the logs are the key to fostering that sense of community.
Edited by L0ne.R
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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

As long as the information in the log is relevant and accurate, I really don't think it matters if it is long or short.

 

I agree and I expect that most COs also agree.

 

Here are some examples from our hides that were short but relevant:

 

Nice final in a place that was not too difficult to get to.
Nasty bushwhack with a big reward. Then a Muggle passed by on a nearby trail. It appears we used the wrong trail and suffered the lengthy bushwhack.
This one was straightforward and showed us a couple of really interesting headstones. Nicely done. TFTC.

 

Good examples.

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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

I'm glad you made this point because it allows me to express two seemingly conflicting positions that I think taken together are the reasonable stand:

 

On the one hand, you shouldn't feel forced to write anything, and some people have even more severe problems entering a log than a mere lack of creativity. So I say to COs that they should take the "TFTC" as the positive it is and treat any longer logs as a bonus instead of acting as if "TFTC" ruins everything.

 

On the other hand, logs are a perfect place to practice your writing, so I encourage you to stop seeing your creative writing abilities as an excuse and start to see the chance to log your experience as an opportunity.

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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

Your last log was a good one (short but relevant/informative):

 

 

Log is full; had to sign in the side. All is well with the cache otherwise.

 

Thanks for the cache

Peace, Love and Cracker Jacks

 

 

 

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For me, it varies largely. I generally do try to write more than a sentence or two, but often struggle to do so for anything that doesn't stand out as unique or fun or challenging. Most of my longer logs are for puzzles/multis that have given me a lot of trouble/were the most challenging. I feel those often get very few logs anyway, so I make an effort for the benefit of the COs. I've also written some lengthy logs on seemingly lowly park-and-grabs...either because of trouble I had in finding them or because of something that may have happened along the way to/from the cache.

 

Then I just have those days when I'm not "feeling it" and just don't have it in me to feign enthusiasm for a guardrail cache. Either way, I pretty much always avoid a "TFTC"-only log. Mostly because I hate getting those.

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For me, it varies largely. I generally do try to write more than a sentence or two, but often struggle to do so for anything that doesn't stand out as unique or fun or challenging.

Another good point. A CO's just setting himself up for grief by assuming "I can't think of anything to say" is the same as "your cache is boring and worthless".

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Thanks everyone for so many interesting replies and discussion, and apologies for the delay in returning to the post - starting a new job tomorrow so it's all been a little mad! Also thanks to those who have welcomed me to caching :-)

 

Like many have said I don't think it has to be an essay - most of mine certainly aren't! - but I think that for most geocaches there is usually something unique you can say about them. If there's an interesting sight/view/sculpture etc, a photo can also help. I've noticed some people do a cut & paste around a powertrail but still add a brief comment about each individual cache, which I also think is nice.

 

And yes, cerberus, I realise 2 months isn't a long time compared to many, many cachers out there, but as L0ne.R and Briansnat said above, I can see how interesting logs help to generate that sense of community in the game. I'm sorry if writing an individual log - even a short one - on a cache is not worth it for you, but what I was trying to say is that anyone who does write an individual log creates added enjoyment for me (as well, hopefully, as themselves). Reading previous logs is an area of the game that I find really interesting - whether I'm reading them in advance while planning a day's caching, during the cache hunt or looking back on having found a cache - and I was interested to read others' views on this aspect.

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The first part of my log tends to be a copy and paste log but I always try to do a unique log for each cache. even if it's one sentence.

As soon as I realize it's cut&paste, I skip it, I don't bother to try to find the unique part. I suspect most everyone does the same thing.

+1

Not sure about most, but I agree. :)

One outta state visitor is here a lot, series mostly.

Most logs are 3-400 word cut n paste and a ton of emojis, with maybe a brief sentence of the cache somewhere within.

By the third log, it's already kinda annoying trying to find it.

After a couple months, we now skip right by theirs.

Always wondered how much hassle logs like that make for folks using phones, looking for more info...

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Always wondered how much hassle logs like that make for folks using phones, looking for more info...

 

Not as bad as using my Garmin 62s. That's a lot of scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and hoping that the next log isn't the same sort of log. I think I can see 3 logs per cache on my garmin (maybe it's 5 - which is not much). Good thing I also bring along my cell phone. But those long irrelevant CnP logs are still an irritating waste of time.

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This Briansnat quote really struck a cord with me. It summarizes what the game and logging has meant to me from the beginning, and how powertrails take away that experience:

 

Shared experiences and a sense of community are a large part of the reason geocaching has taken off the way it has and the logs are the key to fostering that sense of community.

 

+1

 

Logs don't have to be long. They just need to be unique and relevant. And if they contribute to the community, they are even better.

 

Like Lone.R, I don't do power trails any more. One of my reasons is that if I can't think of anything unique to say about a cache (or if I have already forgotten the cache within 24 hours of having done it) then why did I do it?

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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

You just wrote three sentences. That's a lot more than the four characters than it takes to write TFTC. I would imagine that pretty much anyone that has complained about TFTC only logs would quite happy with three sentences.

 

 

 

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Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

You just wrote three sentences. That's a lot more than the four characters than it takes to write TFTC. I would imagine that pretty much anyone that has complained about TFTC only logs would quite happy with three sentences.

 

Pretty much. Doesn't even have to be "creative". On a straightforward cache, sometimes on-site activity can be more what folks are looking for. Like on a guardrail hide...maybe someone writing "Quick find, but I had to wait out a police car idling nearby" would be useful, indicating that perhaps the area is a spot that police tend to sit, perhaps on a break or on the lookout for speeders, etc. I remember one LPC that I had the darndest time trying to grab because every time I drove by there were police parked right next to the light pole. I mentioned this in a couple notes and in my eventual Found It log, hoping to make others aware of the possibility of police sitting out at GZ.

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I cut and paste but add something to the ending if I find there is something to write about. This is way better than, TFTC or Found it or nothing at all.

 

This is what I do.

 

Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

Bingo.

 

I have a novel idea when it comes to how people log caches. Ready? Grab a pencil and write this down:

 

Don't worry about how people log their finds. Log how you want and let them log how they want.

 

Don't pet the sweaty things.

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Thanks everyone for so many interesting replies and discussion, and apologies for the delay in returning to the post - starting a new job tomorrow so it's all been a little mad! Also thanks to those who have welcomed me to caching :-)

 

Like many have said I don't think it has to be an essay - most of mine certainly aren't! - but I think that for most geocaches there is usually something unique you can say about them. If there's an interesting sight/view/sculpture etc, a photo can also help. I've noticed some people do a cut & paste around a powertrail but still add a brief comment about each individual cache, which I also think is nice.

 

And yes, cerberus, I realise 2 months isn't a long time compared to many, many cachers out there, but as L0ne.R and Briansnat said above, I can see how interesting logs help to generate that sense of community in the game. I'm sorry if writing an individual log - even a short one - on a cache is not worth it for you, but what I was trying to say is that anyone who does write an individual log creates added enjoyment for me (as well, hopefully, as themselves). Reading previous logs is an area of the game that I find really interesting - whether I'm reading them in advance while planning a day's caching, during the cache hunt or looking back on having found a cache - and I was interested to read others' views on this aspect.

 

Your OP refers to power trails as context, but in reading it now I'm not sure you're saying that you're hoping for more interesting unique logs on every powertrail cache, or if the presence of powertrails nearby is influencing the quality of logs in general on every other cache in your general area.

 

I think the trail issue has been covered a lot already - for a power trail where most every cache is itself almost a cut-n-paste, it's rare you'll every find unique logs posted for every cache, beyond perhaps things that might uniquely stand out for specific caches, or issues or maintenance concerns. Most of the time there really just is nothing unique to say about a cache. Additionally, people doing the power trail as a single experience (as opposed to finding a cache as a single experience) will often use the same log for the whole trail, because to them it all blurs into one experience (usually the CO intended).

 

Now, I will agree on the c/p log phenomenon occurring outside of powertrails though as an annoyance, as expressed a lot in this thread. But, the biggest inflictors of this annoyance in my greater region are not smartphone users, but a group of older guys who go out a few times a week for numerous caches, and their c/p logs are even multiple paragraphs long, rarely ever with anything unique about the cache. Those are one instance of c/p logs that when I see it, I'll often skip the rest of that particular date when scanning the history.

 

Another culprit are enormous group caching events - often people will bulk log all the caches with c/p text for the day; usually it's only the one or few who actually found the cache who add something about it specifically. Those are worse because there could be 20-30 or more logs to wade through, so I usually skip that entire day as well. And that instance really has nothing to do with the device whatsoever.

 

Log content is really a caching mentality thing, not a hardware thing.

 

As others here, for long caching days/trips, I now typically give a paragraph summary and then visibly separate anything else I wish to add about the cache. I keep field notes, jotting anything that stands out; something, anything, whether it helps me remember the hide, or gives me something unique to add about that particular cache for the sake of the log. Then I'll write up the full log when I sit down to the catalogue of field notes :P

 

So, tl;dr: For powertrails, c/p is to be expected. c/p with no relevant cache info is indeed very annoying, but really is not directly related to the device the person uses, it's a distinct caching habit adopted by the individual for whatever reason.

Edited by thebruce0
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By the third log, it's already kinda annoying trying to find it.

You're more tolerant than I am. I find it annoying on the very first one I see. And that in itself is revealing: the first time you see it, you can tell it's a copy&paste log that's going to be repeated over and over.

 

Always wondered how much hassle logs like that make for folks using phones, looking for more info...

If anything, it would be easier on phones than on most GPSrs. The typical copy&paste intro means 3 pages I have to scroll through on my PN-60. Bad enough for one cache, but really painful on every single cache for the entire time I'm caching where a copy&paster has recently been.

 

I have a novel idea when it comes to how people log caches. Ready? Grab a pencil and write this down:

 

Don't worry about how people log their finds. Log how you want and let them log how they want.

I don't see anyone in this thread suggesting we stop people from writing vacuous logs. The CO in the OP did that, but not a single response here has supported his actions. The responses here are just explaining why people prefer relevant, interesting logs. If you aren't convinced, you can continue to post such logs all you want.

 

Ready? Grab a pencil and write this down:

 

Don't worry about what other people think about your logs. Think what you want and let them think what they want.

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No no, just for clarity, I don't want to say people shouldn't post what they want (if you were indeed referring to me as the OP dprovan). Just expressing my enjoyment of the logs that are more individual to the cache at hand. I like relevant, interesting logs. That's all I'm trying to say!

 

thebruce0, thanks for the reply. I live very near to a huge powertrail. Perhaps that is skewing things for me slightly. The trouble is that there are lot of individual caches very near to the powertrail and many of those get "sucked in" to the trail. For me that is a shame because they are, very often, sizeable caches (like ammo boxes), in beautiful locations (the powertrail itself is lovely, but mostly small tubes etc). For those it seems like a bit of a shame when they get caught as part of the powertrail and are subjected to the old C&P.

 

I get it - I'm new to the hobby, etc etc, maybe I am overthinking this. I just like reading peoples' logs, that's all :-)

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No no, just for clarity, I don't want to say people shouldn't post what they want (if you were indeed referring to me as the OP dprovan).

Oops, sorry, I got my threads crossed. I thought this was the thread that started with someone complaining about a CO deleting their "TFTC" log, as the two threads have converged on the discussion of vacuous logs. That CO, who hasn't (so far as I know) posted anything, was, in fact, imposing a restriction, but what I was pointing out was that no one here in the forums (in either thread) has suggested anyone should be prevented from posting whatever they want.

 

I get it - I'm new to the hobby, etc etc, maybe I am overthinking this. I just like reading peoples' logs, that's all :-)

As forum posters go, you're not even remotely close to overthinking anything. Your original position was reasonable, you came here for other opinions, and you seem to be absorbing them.

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I just like reading peoples' logs, that's all :-)

Me, too.

 

Back in the day, people used to write interesting logs in the physical cache as well, and those used to be fun to read. These days, even regular and large caches tend to have log books that only have room for name and date. Sad.

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I just like reading peoples' logs, that's all :-)

Me, too.

 

Back in the day, people used to write interesting logs in the physical cache as well, and those used to be fun to read. These days, even regular and large caches tend to have log books that only have room for name and date. Sad.

 

I can't imagine anything less fun than sitting in the middle of the woods in a Georgia summer, surrounded by ticks, poison ivy and mosquitoes while paging through a damp, moldy log book trying to decipher some stranger's poor penmanship.

 

No...I'm happy reading the online logs.

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I just like reading peoples' logs, that's all :-)

Me, too.

 

Back in the day, people used to write interesting logs in the physical cache as well, and those used to be fun to read. These days, even regular and large caches tend to have log books that only have room for name and date. Sad.

 

I can't imagine anything less fun than sitting in the middle of the woods in a Georgia summer, surrounded by ticks, poison ivy and mosquitoes while paging through a damp, moldy log book trying to decipher some stranger's poor penmanship.

 

No...I'm happy reading the online logs.

 

When I started in Germany, longer logs were still common. I always liked flipping through, scanning for English logs to find how many Amis had been there before me. As I got better at reading German, I understood more of the German logs, too. But I was caching at 49 - 50 degrees latitude then, not 32 - 33, so it was a more pleasant experience. This past summer, as I have returned to the South and its humidity and critters, I've not lingered over log books, either, but I hope to do so on some older caches out in the mountains next month.

 

The last good logbook I saw was on this cache along a narrow spur coming off a mesa at Los Alamos. It's a 2001 hide that had only been found 29 times before I found it and hadn't been logged in three years. Since I had a great view and a pleasant October day in New Mexico with great views, I took time to look through the cache and the log book. You could actually track exactly when most of the swag had been left.

 

J, I was going to recommend a fall trip up to go find Dukes Creek Falls Cache for a nice example of an original logbook and a nice spot to peruse it, but unfortunately it appears to be disabled. The new owner may still have the old logbook, though.

Edited by hzoi
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I cut and paste but add something to the ending if I find there is something to write about. This is way better than, TFTC or Found it or nothing at all.

 

This is what I do.

 

Some people just can't write long logs. Creative writing was never my thing in school. Asked to write a 3 page short story, I'd struggle to come up with more than a paragraph.

 

Bingo.

 

I have a novel idea when it comes to how people log caches. Ready? Grab a pencil and write this down:

 

Don't worry about how people log their finds. Log how you want and let them log how they want.

 

Don't pet the sweaty things.

Amen,

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