How does a cache get approved when there's no volunteer in the area?

[rienpost]

I've hidden my first Geocache but according to the volunteers map, the nearest volunteer is a few hundred kilometers and a 4 hour boat trip away. So how will my hidden cache ever get verified/approved?

 

Rien

[Keystone]

Hello, and thanks for hiding a cache!  Welcome to the world of cache owners.  I checked, and your cache is properly awaiting review by the Community Volunteer Reviewer for Greece, who lives in Alaska, USA.

 

Knowing that, you will understand that Reviewers do not actually visit the cache site to "verify" the geocache before they are published.  (That would be a full time job!)  We review the information on the cache page to confirm that the cache meets the Geocache Hiding Guidelines.  When it does, it's published, and when it doesn't, we let you know what needs to be done so that it can be published.

 

Also, Community Volunteer Reviewers do not "approve" geocache submissions.  I've published many geocaches that I do not approve of, because they meet the Guidelines. And, I've not been able to publish caches that I thought were very cool, because they did not meet the Guidelines.

[rienpost]

Hi, thanks for your explanation. I'm an idiot. I got the impression from the Geocaching site that new caches were actually physically checked.  (I did find that idea a bit odd but hey, what do I know, I'm new here). So the volunteer for Greece lives in Alaska? Wow. Maybe I should offer myself as a volunteer for Greece too, once I know the ropes better. I live there, after all. In any case, thanks again!

[+niraD]

2 hours ago, rienpost said:

Maybe I should offer myself as a volunteer for Greece too, once I know the ropes better.

You might find the "New reviewers" section of the Help Center article Community volunteer reviewers interesting.

[Keystone]

21 hours ago, rienpost said:

Hi, thanks for your explanation. I'm an idiot. I got the impression from the Geocaching site that new caches were actually physically checked.  (I did find that idea a bit odd but hey, what do I know, I'm new here). So the volunteer for Greece lives in Alaska? Wow. Maybe I should offer myself as a volunteer for Greece too, once I know the ropes better. I live there, after all. In any case, thanks again!

Please don't think you're an idiot!  You would have had to read this Help Center article in order to know for sure that the Reviewer doesn't actually visit the cache site.  Lots of new hiders think the same thing that you did.  I get reviewer notes all the time that say "make sure you put the container back after you review it" or "please don't take the FTF prize" or other statement that shows their impression that I will visit their cache in-person.  Some are surprised when I publish their cache at 11:00 at night from my armchair, a half hour after it's submitted, and they need to dash out and actually hide the container.

 

The reason why the reviewer for Greece lives in Alaska is an interesting reviewer trivia topic.  At the very beginning of geocaching, there were just a handful of volunteer reviewers who covered the whole world.  As the volume of cache hides increased in a particular area, like England or Germany or California, a local reviewer would be added to cover just that area.  For example, I joined the team in 2003 when the volume of caches hidden in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia increased to the point where the reviewers in neighboring states could not keep up with it.  The reviewers who covered "the rest of the world" not handled by a "local" reviewer dwindled down to just one person.  When he retired, the remaining countries were divided up among some very good reviewers who had extra time available.  One of these is Greatland Reviewer, who lives in Alaska.  If the volume of caches hidden in Greece grows to the point where he can't enjoy handling the workload, he might ask someone local for help.

[rienpost]

17 hours ago, Keystone said:

If the volume of caches hidden in Greece grows to the point where he can't enjoy handling the workload, he might ask someone local for help.

 

Considering my cache is in its third unpublished day, he might need a hand. ;-) Don't worry, I know volunteers have lives too, I'm not moaning. But assuming he doesn't only do Greece, I'll definitely make myself available as a 'southern Europe' reviewer once I'm more experienced. That gets rid of the timezone lag as well. Again, thanks for your answer!

[+Max and 99]

3 minutes ago, rienpost said:

 

Considering my cache is in its third unpublished day, he might need a hand. ;-) Don't worry, I know volunteers have lives too, I'm not moaning. But assuming he doesn't only do Greece, I'll definitely make myself available as a 'southern Europe' reviewer once I'm more experienced. That gets rid of the timezone lag as well. Again, thanks for your answer!

Three days wait is nothing!

 

Typically, review begins within 7 days of the date that you submit your cache. But reviews may take longer in the week before or after holidays and large geocaching events.

[rienpost]

2 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

Typically, review begins within 7 days 

 

I know, I've read it, but sooner would be nice, no?

[Keystone]

Yes, your cache has been pending review for nearly 54 hours.  That doesn't mean there's a reviewer shortage.   Perhaps, like me, your reviewer is having a busy week at their paying job.

[+terratin]

On 6/11/2019 at 3:54 PM, rienpost said:

Hi, thanks for your explanation. I'm an idiot. I got the impression from the Geocaching site that new caches were actually physically checked.  (I did find that idea a bit odd but hey, what do I know, I'm new here). So the volunteer for Greece lives in Alaska? Wow. Maybe I should offer myself as a volunteer for Greece too, once I know the ropes better. I live there, after all. In any case, thanks again!

 

Reviewers are all platinum frequent flyer card holders.... I wish.

Nope, what Keystone said

[rienpost]

2 hours ago, Keystone said:

Yes, your cache has been pending review for nearly 54 hours.  That doesn't mean there's a reviewer shortage.   Perhaps, like me, your reviewer is having a busy week at their paying job.

 

Quite possible. Like I said earlier, I'm not moaning. Don't get me wrong. Being a volunteer in various organisations myself, I'm fully aware that there are other things that are more important. I am slightly surprised though that a global game like Geocaching only has about 400 volunteers. To me that does sound like a shortage. Not because I'm waiting for a review but just statistically, considering the number of players and caches world wide. That's all, really.

Edited June 13, 2019 by rienpost

[Keystone]

There's been around 340 cache pages created in Greece so far this year, or about two per day.  In Hessen or Ontario or California, 340 cache submissions is called "a busy weekend."  Thus, reviews for Greece are part of the plate of a single reviewer who also covers other areas which do not have a heavy volume of cache submissions.

 

The problem is, if HQ added a reviewer just for Greece, there is a lot of training and coordination that needs to take place in order to position that person to review one or two caches per day.  The fewer reviewers there are, the easier it is to keep everyone on the team coordinated and consistent.  Reviewers are added when the volume of work causes the existing reviewer to raise their hand and ask for help. 

 

I see that your reviewer was busy publishing caches in Greece on June 10th.  It's likely that he checks the queue every few days.

 

Once again, congratulations on finding your first cache and on hiding your first cache.

[+Max and 99]

Congrats on your first hide. Looks like it only took 4 days to get published. Not bad at all. I hope everyone enjoys the cache you placed!

[Drspine]

I just got a cach approved. It is only for premium members. How do I get it for everybody?

[Keystone]

Drspine, there are no cache hides associated with your account.  Are you sure that your submission went through?

 

When submitting your cache, make sure that the box is UNchecked to the left of where it says "Make this cache premium-only."  You can return to the edit page post-publication to change that setting.

[+kunarion]

51 minutes ago, Drspine said:

I just got a cach approved. It is only for premium members. How do I get it for everybody?

 

A slightly high "D/T" is called "Advanced" by the Official Geocaching App, and it's for those who have become more familiar with the game.  "Advanced" is not to be confused with a "Premium Member Only" cache.  Which cache are you asking about?

 

There's a formula that the App uses to present a map of caches that brand new users may find (a cache above a certain D or T, etc.), just to test their phone and to see if they even like Geocaching, before deciding to subscribe.  Such a cache is shown to even new users, if they choose to visit the Geocaching.com web site.  So it requires a little more knowledge of the App and other Apps and devices and "Geocaching", in order to hunt that cache.

 

This cache (for example) has a difficulty of 4 out of 5, so it's not an easy one to find for someone who just now installed the App, who may not even know where to search nor what exactly to look for.  It's "Advanced".

 

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by kunarion

[+NYPaddleCacher]

On 6/12/2019 at 7:55 AM, Keystone said:

The reason why the reviewer for Greece lives in Alaska is an interesting reviewer trivia topic.  At the very beginning of geocaching, there were just a handful of volunteer reviewers who covered the whole world.  As the volume of cache hides increased in a particular area, like England or Germany or California, a local reviewer would be added to cover just that area.  For example, I joined the team in 2003 when the volume of caches hidden in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia increased to the point where the reviewers in neighboring states could not keep up with it.  The reviewers who covered "the rest of the world" not handled by a "local" reviewer dwindled down to just one person.  When he retired, the remaining countries were divided up among some very good reviewers who had extra time available.  One of these is Greatland Reviewer, who lives in Alaska.  If the volume of caches hidden in Greece grows to the point where he can't enjoy handling the workload, he might ask someone local for help.

 

Thanks for the update on this.  I'd always thought it was kind a cool to find a cache published by one of the global reviewers.  I didn't realize that both of the global reviewers that I knew of had retired.