Feature request: Cache visitor log

[+lee737]

With the demise of the (half functional) audit log from premium caches, I'd like to propose the reinstatement of an anonymised version. Some of us are struggling in very quiet caching areas, yet are still publishing caches and thinking of puzzles. In the absence of found-it logs, sometimes seeing that people are at least looking at a cache is encouragement enough. I understand some people are concerned about privacy issues, so whatever is presented to the CO should not include the cachers ID (this is obvious given the reasoning behind the cancellation in the first place).

I would also like to see this apply to all caches owned by a premium member, and apply to access from all sources (ie phone apps.).

 

For your consideration.

[+radioscout]

39 minutes ago, lee737 said:

and apply to access from all sources (ie phone apps.).

 

So you would like to see each and every access to the cache listing? A log entry for every pocket query request? That will flood the visitor log with lots of entries from cachers who are not interested in your cache listing.

[+arisoft]

49 minutes ago, lee737 said:

I would also like to see this apply to all caches owned by a premium member, and apply to access from all sources (ie phone apps.).

 

Not possible because there is currently no way to report back usage statistics from any app and if reporting function is added in future it works only with apps made after this API-modification.Nevertheless, large number of views will be made with handheld GPS devices without any hope or reporting back any information about cache views.

 

Even this is not possible there is obviously need for some activity statistics because modern geocachers are not capable of reporting DNF, NM and NA status properly. When a cache has not been found for a long time the CO have no way to know whether anybody have even tried to find it.

 

Please, add a new souvenir for DNF levels. Bronze for 10 DNF logs, silver for 100 DNF logs and gold for 1000 DNF logs so they learn to play when trying to earn this unique souvenir.

Edited November 1, 2019 by arisoft

[+lee737]

I didn't mean PQ requests - just apps like Cachly etc

[+thebruce0]

To explore this a bit.. it would only work as a sort of analytics package. You cannot assume a 'visit' means a human has looked at the listing. But, statistically, there could be a theoretical report of the amount of times a listing's data has been, say... included in a PQ; added to a list; viewed on the web; retrieved via api, perhaps even which app; etc.  If the information is descriptive and accurate, it wouldn't imply the wrong meaning.

 

That said, it's highly unlikely HQ will build the scope of a system necessary to implement a worldwide 24/7 cache activity database to cover "access from all sources".  They're not google And there are bigger fish to fry, when it comes to what the community has requested...

[+cerberus1]

57 minutes ago, lee737 said:

With the demise of the (half functional) audit log from premium caches, I'd like to propose the reinstatement of an anonymised version. Some of us are struggling in very quiet caching areas, yet are still publishing caches and thinking of puzzles. In the absence of found-it logs, sometimes seeing that people are at least looking at a cache is encouragement enough. I understand some people are concerned about privacy issues, so whatever is presented to the CO should not include the cachers ID (this is obvious given the reasoning behind the cancellation in the first place).

I would also like to see this apply to all caches owned by a premium member, and apply to access from all sources (ie phone apps.).

 

I don't believe the GDPR  was created for just "some" people...  

 

I'd think if the audit function could have been easily "fixed" to include folks using means outside of the site to access, it would have been done . 

Most know the means to bypass the audit isn't something new ...       

I'm limited in this field, but I'm not so sure Groundspeak wants to get into this again.  

 

I've been arguing against that invasive audit function since 2006 or so, and know by emails I'm not the only one.  

 -  Guess I don't see why it's an issue now, and not the last dozen years, but I'll take it. 

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by cerberus1
forgot a mmmm

[+lee737]

9 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

 

 

That said, it's highly unlikely HQ will build the scope of a system necessary to implement a worldwide 24/7 cache activity database to cover "access from all sources".  They're not google And there are bigger fish to fry, when it comes to what the community has requested...

 

We had that (almost) last week - modification of the API could be made to allow reporting of access through apps.

[+daRAMA]

On 11/1/2019 at 9:46 PM, lee737 said:

In the absence of found-it logs, sometimes seeing that people are at least looking at a cache is encouragement enough.

You could simply add a counter to the HTML of your listing. There are countless services available that provide web counters, some even speciallized in GC listings.

Edited November 3, 2019 by daRAMA
typo

[+kunarion]

On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 5:42 PM, cerberus1 said:

I've been arguing against that invasive audit function since 2006 or so, and know by emails I'm not the only one.  

 -  Guess I don't see why it's an issue now, and not the last dozen years, but I'll take it. 

 

I know, right?  It looks less like a prompt adjustment to ensure privacy as soon as any issue is found, more like a burnt offering to the GDPR gods.  But I've been assured otherwise.  So that's that.

[+Mineral2]

On 11/3/2019 at 7:24 AM, daRAMA said:

You could simply add a counter to the HTML of your listing. There are countless services available that provide web counters, some even speciallized in GC listings.

Will counters work with apps? My intuition is that they won't, and there is a large base of geocachers who just don't use the website and don't open the web view of a cache listing in apps.

[+thebruce0]

6 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

Will counters work with apps? My intuition is that they won't, and there is a large base of geocachers who just don't use the website and don't open the web view of a cache listing in apps.

 

If the app is one that provides the HTML view of the description and the user is online (it's rare that's not true for phone app users) then it should count the view. What happens is typically an image is included in the HTML, and the website that provides the image keep track of each request for the image. So if a user sees the hit (usually a live counter of some sort) then the hit was tracked.  If the user is offline, then the image simply won't load, and the view isn't tracked. But again, for phones that's rare. And chances are a whole lot of online stuff isn't working, because they're not online

AFAIK, only very old phones and apps don't provide a live HTML view of cache descriptions.