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Goundspeak are you kidding me?


BDZT

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Just got this reviewers note for a multi cache my family is trying to place. Its stuff like this that will push people away.

 

Hello, I am a volunteer for Geocaching.com and I have just reviewed your new cache submission. I am temporarily placing your cache “on hold” in the review queue while we address a problem with the cache.

 

I'm sorry, but Pokemon-Go is a competing location based game, and the staff at GC.com have determined that we cannot allow any direct or indirect references to Pokemon-Go on cache pages that are to be published on GC.com. You must remove all references to Pokemon-Go on the cache page, itself.

 

And what does the staff at GC.com a company called GameChanger have to do with geocaching.com. Per your published pages about guidelines https://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx there is no reference about not mentioning pokemon go. Heck i can do a search of active caches and find pokemon themed ones like a simple search brought up over 395 like https://coord.info/GC2K1DK or this https://coord.info/GC6ZCTY place 2 weeks ago.

 

 

This was my Geocache Description:

 

Quick…what team are you? Valor members train and bond with their creatures. Instinct members are all about trusting their instincts. Mystic members are interested in the biology of their creatures and stay cool and calm no matter what the situation. Our geocaching family is diverse as we have members on each team!

 

Adding smileys to our profile makes us happy, but “the other game” is fun for hanging outside together as a family when there are no more smileys in close proximity to be had. We hope you enjoy this cache as much as we do.

PS – At the final PLEASE use the existing concrete path so as not to destroy nature. Thanks!

 

What else can we not reference that is not listed. Do i just need to remove the Team Names or mention the Trading card game that is not location based. Will just removing "the other game" be enough. What is the difference between Pokemon Go and Pokemon reference?

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What else can we not reference that is not listed.

There's quite a bit, but compiling a comprehensive list of specific things would be far too much work. A general summary of the dos and don'ts can be found here.

 

What is the difference between Pokemon Go and Pokemon reference?

As the reviewer explained, Pokémon Go has been deemed to be a competing location-based game, so it's understandable that Groundspeak would want to avoid any mention of competitors. The Pokémon card game isn't a location-based game and therefore doesn't directly compete with Groundspeak's products, so a non-marketing-style mention of Pokémon appears to be acceptable.

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What else can we not reference that is not listed. Do i just need to remove the Team Names or mention the Trading card game that is not location based. Will just removing "the other game" be enough. What is the difference between Pokemon Go and Pokemon reference?

You should iron out these issues with the reviewer. At least some of the Forum denizens have no way to override your local reviewer.

 

Is the cache container decorated with Pokemon? By the description you posted, I wouldn't even know the theme. You could make the description more vague, and I wouldn't even notice.

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This likely runs afoul of the rules regarding solicitation and commercial content. You should have a civil conversation with the reviewer about bringing the cache page up to publication standard.

 

Remember also that there is no precedent, so throwing other caches under the bus isn't a reasonable reaction to this issue.

Edited by narcissa
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Under the listing guidelines for Solicitation and Commercial Content, there is a publicly documented exception for things that are a bit commercial but have been popular for so long that they're considered to be part of "Pop Culture." The classic Pokemon game (cards, anime movies, etc.) would fall into this category.

 

In contrast, Pokemon Go is a competing geolocational gaming activity that just started less than a year ago. There is no exemption for that.

 

So, I recommend reading the Help Center article on Commercial Content, which expands on the basic text of the listing guidelines.

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And what does the staff at GC.com a company called GameChanger have to do with geocaching.com.

 

This is a pet peeve of mine. People write GC.com all the time, and it has nothing to do with Geocaching.com.

 

It's particularly annoying on Facebook when people use it as shorthand and then FB expands it to a link to the GameChanger website.

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I get the peeve about Facebook and other third party websites. But in a private reviewer note from a GC.com Community Volunteer Reviewer on an unpublished cache listing submitted to GC.com for listing, is there seriously any doubt about what website is being discussed? :rolleyes:

I agree that the people themselves can easily figure this out. But with the all the 'helpful' features that are embedded in operating systems, phone apps, web browsers, e-mail, etc., a reference to GC.com could be interpreted by my computer, and the next thing I know the world thinks I actually care about sports.

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I get the peeve about Facebook and other third party websites. But in a private reviewer note from a GC.com Community Volunteer Reviewer on an unpublished cache listing submitted to GC.com for listing, is there seriously any doubt about what website is being discussed? :rolleyes:

I wouldn't have had a second thought about it, so I agree it's not a serious problem, but now that it's been brought up, it seems kinda lazy to refer to gc.com in an official communication such as a cache rejection. In this case, the message appears to have been hand written, so I can see not being too strict, but I hope reviewers don't typically use "GC.com" in their boilerplate messages.

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The potential conflicts are endless, so there's this general statement which is meant to be understood as "Do not involve other companies in descriptions or links in your cache page."

 

It's always a bit of a shock to get a rejection on a cache - particularly when you haven't placed a link and haven't specifically referenced a competing company or product - sometimes the perceived evil is in the eye of the beholder. I was requested to change some wording in a cache once, which I found utterly without merit, but did so because I don't control publish button.

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... but now that it's been brought up, it seems kinda lazy to refer to gc.com in an official communication...

 

I think this is the official Reviewer Recruiting tool used by the folks at Volunteer Services, and I think it's safe to assume that laziness is an attribute to be admired:

 

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Edited by Touchstone
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I get the peeve about Facebook and other third party websites. But in a private reviewer note from a GC.com Community Volunteer Reviewer on an unpublished cache listing submitted to GC.com for listing, is there seriously any doubt about what website is being discussed? :rolleyes:

I wouldn't have had a second thought about it, so I agree it's not a serious problem, but now that it's been brought up, it seems kinda lazy to refer to gc.com in an official communication such as a cache rejection. In this case, the message appears to have been hand written, so I can see not being too strict, but I hope reviewers don't typically use "GC.com" in their boilerplate messages.

 

Keep in mind that even though these are official communications, reviewers are regular geocachers who happen to also review caches. They are not paid professionals who are trained to adhere to a specific format when communicating with the public. They are likely to use the same lingo as you and me.

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I wouldn't have had a second thought about it, so I agree it's not a serious problem, but now that it's been brought up, it seems kinda lazy to refer to gc.com in an official communication such as a cache rejection. In this case, the message appears to have been hand written, so I can see not being too strict, but I hope reviewers don't typically use "GC.com" in their boilerplate messages.

Keep in mind that even though these are official communications, reviewers are regular geocachers who happen to also review caches. They are not paid professionals who are trained to adhere to a specific format when communicating with the public. They are likely to use the same lingo as you and me.

Yes, I had that firmly in mind when I posted my response. The reasons they shouldn't use GC.com have nothing to do with whether they get paid or not.

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Whilst the guidelines are clear in spirit, it becomes a judgement call by the reviewer on each case. The last paragraph which seems to be promoting the other game is the part that feels commercial to me. But if the reviewer recognises those names in the earlier paragraph that might be an issue too. You just have to work with your reviewer.

 

It happened to me once. This cache. It is OK to mention a baseball player and team, that is "pop culture". But I put a link to the team's internet site. I only did that to help people solve the puzzle. The reviewer was very kind and understanding, her message basically said "I know you didn't intend it to be commercial, but that site has advertising and so is commercial". In my case the fix was easy, I simply removed the link.

 

I understand it is always a bit of a shock to get your cache rejected... but just work with your reviewer to fix the issue.

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It's frustrating but I have to agree with the above poster about the last paragraph and the reference that seems to be too commercial with regard to Pokemon Go. I've never played Pokemon (either type) but even I knew that it was a reference to the newer game. I had a Halloween themed puzzle that was shot down because it referenced lots of different types of candy that my son got when out trick or treating. It was denied because it was deemed too commercial. Looking back, I think I might have had grounds for appeal but I was a newer cacher and didn't quite understand the whole process. It wasn't that big a deal.

 

I also had a puzzle that the reviewer thought was too commercial but I appealed it and the folks at Groundspeak just mentioned that I needed to change or delete 4 words that referenced the idea that you could purchase tickets to go inside to listen to the music. I made the change and the puzzle is still out.

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I have found that you can have a Pokémon-themed cache, as long as you don't directly promote the other game. I placed this puzzle cache and it passed review easily. In my case, the information is part of the card-based game and not the app game exclusively.

 

Gotta Catch 'em All!

 

It's been found many times and seems to work out nicely. As with anything, it's all in how you word things and present the information.

Edited by Arthur & Trillian
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"Adding smileys to our profile makes us happy, but “the other game” is fun for hanging outside together as a family when there are no more smileys in close proximity to be had. We hope you enjoy this cache as much as we do.

 

As a reviewer, this statement would become an issue in light of the previous text. It appears to be a promotion. Delete it and I think your cache is good to go. I really don't see the issue.

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I have found that you can have a Pokémon-themed cache, as long as you don't directly promote the other game. I placed this puzzle cache and it passed review easily. In my case, the information is part of the card-based game and not the app game exclusively.

 

Gotta Catch 'em All!

 

It's been found many times and seems to work out nicely. As with anything, it's all in how you word things and present the information.

 

Dude, you are a true Rebel. You are good at what you do.

Me. I'm just setting here out of Pokemon balls in a Walmart parking lot.

 

Thank goodness I found the Pokemon sightings category on the Waymarking site.

 

Nice puzzle I guess, but I have no idea where to start, and I'm a Pokemon GO player.

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I have found that you can have a Pokémon-themed cache, as long as you don't directly promote the other game. I placed this puzzle cache and it passed review easily. In my case, the information is part of the card-based game and not the app game exclusively.

 

Gotta Catch 'em All!

 

It's been found many times and seems to work out nicely. As with anything, it's all in how you word things and present the information.

 

What do you make of this ?

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That is so weird cause there is a puzzle in our area that is all about pokemon go.

 

Yeah, and I was told flat out NO. My idea was to Waymark Pokemon GO stops, then I found a category for Pikachu sightings. :laughing:

 

Just doesn't seem fair does it? :(

Neither does going back and scrubbing the site when a pop culture franchise goes big/bigger time commercially. The Pikachu Category was one of the first Categories if I remember correctly.

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That is so weird cause there is a puzzle in our area that is all about pokemon go.

 

Yeah, and I was told flat out NO. My idea was to Waymark Pokemon GO stops, then I found a category for Pikachu sightings. :laughing:

 

Just doesn't seem fair does it? :(

Neither does going back and scrubbing the site when a pop culture franchise goes big/bigger time commercially. The Pikachu Category was one of the first Categories if I remember correctly.

 

I love the category, and have listed several new WM's once I found out about it. :D Maybe you misunderstood me. :unsure:

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Just got this reviewers note for a multi cache my family is trying to place. Its stuff like this that will push people away.

 

Hello, I am a volunteer for Geocaching.com and I have just reviewed your new cache submission. I am temporarily placing your cache “on hold” in the review queue while we address a problem with the cache.

 

I'm sorry, but Pokemon-Go is a competing location based game, and the staff at GC.com have determined that we cannot allow any direct or indirect references to Pokemon-Go on cache pages that are to be published on GC.com. You must remove all references to Pokemon-Go on the cache page, itself.

 

And what does the staff at GC.com a company called GameChanger have to do with geocaching.com. Per your published pages about guidelines https://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx there is no reference about not mentioning pokemon go. Heck i can do a search of active caches and find pokemon themed ones like a simple search brought up over 395 like https://coord.info/GC2K1DK or this https://coord.info/GC6ZCTY place 2 weeks ago.

 

 

This was my Geocache Description:

 

Quick…what team are you? Valor members train and bond with their creatures. Instinct members are all about trusting their instincts. Mystic members are interested in the biology of their creatures and stay cool and calm no matter what the situation. Our geocaching family is diverse as we have members on each team!

 

Adding smileys to our profile makes us happy, but “the other game” is fun for hanging outside together as a family when there are no more smileys in close proximity to be had. We hope you enjoy this cache as much as we do.

PS – At the final PLEASE use the existing concrete path so as not to destroy nature. Thanks!

 

What else can we not reference that is not listed. Do i just need to remove the Team Names or mention the Trading card game that is not location based. Will just removing "the other game" be enough. What is the difference between Pokemon Go and Pokemon reference?

 

I agree with what someone else said here that it's a shock to see your cache denied.

 

The main thing is to not take it personally.

 

Just read the guidelines before you write up a cache. As often as we automatically check boxes when working on websites, this is a good one to not automatically check. There really is good information in there that you need.

 

So read the stuff on placing caches and most of the problems will be eliminated.

 

Don't take it personally, just adjust your text.

 

It's kind of like not going into Target and advertising for Walmart; just not cool. So keep your games separate and you'll be fine.

 

Have fun!!

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