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Geocache popularity


Chrisy123

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Like in the movie "Field of Dreams", if you place it, they will come. Different people like different locations. I prefer rural locations, but I will find a cache in urban places as well. If your cache is a Difficulty 2 or lower, Basic Members can still see it on the App.

 

The main advice is to place a cache like you enjoy finding, and make sure to place it in a location where you can keep up with the maintenance as needed.

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1 hour ago, Chrisy123 said:

How do I get more people to visit my geocaches? Should I place them in urban or rural areas? Should I make them easy or hard?

 

I would say, rural and not very hard... but the real difference that I felt over my 12 years playing is related to types of caches.

Traditionals get the majority of visits... Multis, Mysteries and Letterboxs a lot less. Events are ephemeral, but very well Attended. :)

Earthcaches and Wherigos are in a league of their own, because you need a bigger level of expertise... and Virtuals are grandfathered, apart from the recent Rewards.

 

So... if you want a bigger audience... choose a sort of rural, not very hard Traditional, with a generous container. :)

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1 hour ago, Chrisy123 said:

How do I get more people to visit my geocaches? Should I place them in urban or rural areas? Should I make them easy or hard?

 

"More people" isn't always a good thing.  Odds say that when more people visit, they might produce more issues.

Look at the closest micros during a mega event.   :)

When you ask for permission (maybe on your latest one?) have you asked about foot-traffic ? 

 - Some park managers say they really can't handle even steady traffic,  that could possibly do damage to sensitive areas.

 

All caches we've placed were (at the time) caches we'd enjoy ourselves.  Most people who visited had similar interests.

I don't think we'd ever place caches created just to have frequent visits.   "More people" is temporary anyway...

Eventually the locals find them, and they sit until folks are either passing through, or they're there just for that cache.

 

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5 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

 

"More people" isn't always a good thing.  Odds say that when more people visit, they might produce more issues.

Look at the closest micros during a mega event.   :)

When you ask for permission (maybe on your latest one?) have you asked about foot-traffic ? 

 - Some park managers say they really can't handle even steady traffic,  that could possibly do damage to sensitive areas.

 

All caches we've placed were (at the time) caches we'd enjoy ourselves.  Most people who visited had similar interests.

I don't think we'd ever place caches created just to have frequent visits.   "More people" is temporary anyway...

Eventually the locals find them, and they sit until folks are either passing through, or they're there just for that cache.

 

ok yeah I understand your point

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Like most new caches you'll get the initial rush from the locals then visits will slow down A LOT. It could sit there for months without a visit. The thing is, don't be disappointed if that happens, you've given people enjoyment and, hopefully, you got enjoyment from placing it.

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Another thought if you want a steady stream of visitors is to pick somewhere that people passing through the area are likely to stop. By far the most popular of my hides (not including ones I've adopted), with 282 finds to date and averaging about one a week, is a short walk up a hill from a motorway rest area. I also have a few close to holiday camping grounds so they sometimes see a bit of activity during the school holidays. The rest get few visitors, with 10 of my hides not having had any this year, and once the handful of active local cachers have found them that's pretty much it. Hide them and they will come doesn't really work here.

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2 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

the most popular of my hides

The most visited cache of mine, is one on a bike path around Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. Lots of tourists bring their bikes to cycle around the lake. Published in 2013; it has had 230 visitors. (Now, my most popular cache; published this year, by favourites is  running at 61%, but it's only had 31 visitors. That was a little aside, but I only just realised how well it is being received and I was well pleased to discover that ?.)

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11 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

Now, my most popular cache; published this year, by favourites is  running at 61%, but it's only had 31 visitors.

 

My most favourited cache (percentage-wise) is currently sitting on 100% but that's from just 4 finds. It was hidden last October and most recently found in January. It's only a T3 (a bit over 3km of hiking along a mostly level fire trail) so I'm a bit surprised it's languishing so much.

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On 7/18/2019 at 11:50 AM, K13 said:

Like in the movie "Field of Dreams", if you place it, they will come. Different people like different locations.

 

On 7/18/2019 at 1:09 PM, cerberus1 said:

"More people" is temporary anyway...

Eventually the locals find them, and they sit until folks are either passing through,

We've found caches that were placed in 2010, 2012 - with a rush of locals, then they sit with a find every couple of months or so, then longer periods.  We are currently traveling and finding caches new to us, with jewels and clues inside, but not found since January or earlier.  The locals have already found these years ago, and we are seeking them out specifically for this promotion (and a few others, because they are large enough to drop the travel bugs we brought with us).

 

ETA: We've found with our own hides that there's several finds early on (the FTF rush, then all the locals as they make their rounds for the new caches in the area), then sporadic finds here and there, then maybe several when there's a promo like the current Mystery at the Museum and our caches contain the needed items.  I've placed a few puzzles, in  series, with a final bonus cache.  I don't expect many finds; I realize not everyone likes puzzles, or a puzzle where you have to find three or more OTHER caches before you can find the final.  But these are they type I enjoy, so I figure there are others that do, too, and here's a series leading to a bonus for those that like that kind of experience.  As I said, I don't expect a lot of finds, but I do expect those that DO find the final to have something more to say than TFTC!!

 

 

 

 

Edited by CAVinoGal
Posted too quickly, I wan't finished writing!!)
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There are different ways to have people come visit more.

 

If you have a cool, unique container which would earn favorite points.

 

I however, had some interesting caches near me but not many caches overall and the ones there were not receiving much traffic. So I did something I like to do from time to time... I create a C&D power trail. I placed it last year and since these other caches are not far away, they are not receiving a LOT more traffic. Doing something like that could increase the traffic to this other cache or even if its in a park with a nice trail, put some others so instead of a mile hike to a cache and a mile back to the car for the next cache they can do 4 or 5 others in the same trip.

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One of the things I feel ruined the area here for me,  was people who thought they had to place caches every 528 feet "on the way to" to an older, highly regarded cache .

The claim was the distance for only one cache kept folks away, but all it did was effectively turn that nice hide at the end into just another part of someone's idea of a power trail.

I see it as riding on the back of another... 

Luckily this hobby is just a hidden container, so for many who like to walk (like me),  it's easy to simply pass by all those low D/T pill bottles along the way.    :)

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On 8/5/2019 at 2:07 PM, ADayinPA said:

There are different ways to have people come visit more.

 

If you have a cool, unique container which would earn favorite points.

 

I however, had some interesting caches near me but not many caches overall and the ones there were not receiving much traffic. So I did something I like to do from time to time... I create a C&D power trail. I placed it last year and since these other caches are not far away, they are not receiving a LOT more traffic. Doing something like that could increase the traffic to this other cache or even if its in a park with a nice trail, put some others so instead of a mile hike to a cache and a mile back to the car for the next cache they can do 4 or 5 others in the same trip.

 

It's not clear whether the other, older caches you reference were yours or not. Please understand that this comment is intended for situations where they are NOT.

 

In effect, this co-opts someone's cache into your series, and most likely compromised the original CO's intention.

 

If I put a cache at the end of a mile-long hike, it's because I want it at the end of a mile-long hike.

 

When someone "helps" me by placing a series of close caches leading to mine, then mine is diminished, and most people completing the 'series' might never even discern that my cache was a standalone destination worthy of a mile-long hike, or that there's anything distinctive about it at all. Just another smiley at the end of the line.

 

Have you 'helped' me? Not if my goal wasn't simply 'visit numbers'.

 

Now, I have no trouble with trails that organically develop, with perhaps different hide types, containers, owners, etc. and accept that that's the way it goes in an increasingly popular area. Encroachment is part of cache ownership. But, when a whole row of caches just quickly 'fills in the space' with the INTENTION of making my cache 'only a short walk away', there's a 'dismay' factor.

 

As encroachment happens, I can take my time to deliberate over whether I want to accept the situation, increase my local presence to preserve what I've created by perhaps setting other similar hides, or beat feet.  All valid decisions.

 

 

Edited by TeamRabbitRun
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We have an interesting "trail" near me - a stretch of frontage road along the freeway, 2-3 miles long, with about 15 caches placed.  However, they were placed by at least 10 different CO's, over a period of years, and encompass a WIDE variety of containers and hide styles.  So it's a fun road to drive or bike, and find caches if you are new to the area.  It's not intended as a power trail, by any means, there are just a lot of caches in a short stretch.  One puzzle, one TB hotel, and multiple container types and sizes.  That's a fun stretch of road!

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4 hours ago, CAVinoGal said:

We have an interesting "trail" near me - a stretch of frontage road along the freeway, 2-3 miles long, with about 15 caches placed.  However, they were placed by at least 10 different CO's, over a period of years, and encompass a WIDE variety of containers and hide styles.  So it's a fun road to drive or bike, and find caches if you are new to the area.  It's not intended as a power trail, by any means, there are just a lot of caches in a short stretch.  One puzzle, one TB hotel, and multiple container types and sizes.  That's a fun stretch of road!

 

Sounds great. That's what I'd look for in a trail.

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