Should it bother me to be frequently criticized by another geocacher?

[Guest highpointer]

Someone whom I know (I actually haven't met him before, but we contact via e-mail) is continually critizing me about almost every note that I put in a cache log . He writes that I am "bugging" him because he apparently doesn't like the comments that I put in some of the cache logs . It's making me think that I shouldn't mention anything about my visit when I enter a log for a found cache, in order to avoid receiving criticism from him .

 

What should I do about this? Should I just blow him off and not worry about this? I think he is going overboard with his criticism of me. I don't think it is justified. I'm a great person and I am considerate of my environment and of the land and surroundings. I've also constructed and hidden four caches to date - a couple of easy ones, a moderate one, and a difficult one. I'm also new to geocaching, being active in this only since Dec. 27.

 

Thanks for advice and input.

 

Ken

[Guest Dan]

I just looked at a few of your cache logs, and I don't see any problem. So therefore I'd conclude that this guy's a jerk. I think you should deal with him however you normally deal with jerks, whether that's ignoring them, hitting them with a flyswatter if you see them, etc... I think most cachers are nice people, but it looks like you've found a bad apple.

[Guest Dan]

er if you see them, etc... I think most cachers are nice people, but it looks like you've found a bad apple.

[Guest T-storm]

ur public image is what bothers you about the criticism. Perhaps it's one of those situations in which we aren't entirely comfortable with what we see through another's eyes? A niggling feeling that criticism may be justified can leave you sitting on the fence about yourself, and that can be an unhappy place to be. If you want specific feedback, maybe you should offer specific examples of your log and the content of the comments you received on it. Or maybe simple re-examining of both will be enough to resolve it for you...

 

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http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest T-storm]

Only you know what criticism/advice was offered, so only you will know how much it should "bother you." It doesn't seem to be publically posted criticism (in the cache logs), so I wouldn't think that your public image is what bothers you about the criticism. Perhaps it's one of those situations in which we aren't entirely comfortable with what we see through another's eyes? A niggling feeling that criticism may be justified can leave you sitting on the fence about yourself, and that can be an unhappy place to be. If you want specific feedback, maybe you should offer specific examples of your log and the content of the comments you received on it. Or maybe simple re-examining of both will be enough to resolve it for you...

 

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http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest AZMark]

Hey Highpoint;

 

Geocaching is a great personal sport, activity, game,,,whatever,,,but it does give us this great means to reach out and touch other who enjoy it. Obviously this other person enjoys being a pain, easy enough to just hit that delete key.

 

None of us did everything right when we first started playing. Luckily those of us that have been playing awhile didn't have to put up with any "know it all veterans". When some of us started even Jeremy was a bit of a novice and took lots of advice to learn how to grow the sport.

 

Delete what this guy writes. Figure out if your doing things right and having fun. Enjoy the personal part of the sport, and take some of the public criticism that is boud to come to each of us.

 

AZMark

[Guest dan_edwards_1966]

I sat down and read each and every one of your logs. I kept thinking there must be something in one of these logs that would set of a logical person. NOPE.

 

Unless you have edited them, I can't see anything worth commenting about. If this person can find stuff to grip about in these logs, I would imagine they find something wrong with every log entry on the planet.

 

On a side note. I am from Colorado now and Lived in the Portland Oregon area for 34 years. So I watched the Fiesta Bowl. So which person were you in the crowd ;-) And could they have worked the Tostitos logo into the broadcast any more? I am sure they could but I am afraid to wonder how!

 

Dan

[Guest Mopar]

batteries of my GPS went dead while en route to the summit, so I replaced the batteries and put the old batteries in the cache, along with a variety of other trinkets and business cards. The trinkets include a small empty Southern Comfort bottle that I found near the first location and a Grand Canyon token.

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What's acceptable to leave in a cache might be different out there, but I would consider dead batteries and an empty bottle of booze to be garbage, not treasure.

Aside from that one incident though, about the only thing that I could see anyone in the world complaining about in all the other logs is a few of the other trades don't appear equitable. "I traded a keyring for the Sony headphones" sounds like trading down, but the keychain could be very cool and expensive, and the headphones could have been a broken set someone tossed to the side of the road. In reality, it might have been a trade up, not down.

All in all, I'd say put the trash in a garbage can, not a cache, and ignore the geojerk (to use a term from another thread) who's harrassing you.

 

[This message has been edited by Mopar (edited 30 January 2002).]

[Guest Mopar]

I may not be a sane and logical person, because I only read 2 logs before I found one that might set me off.

quote:

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This is a fun cache. It is aptly named - the first location is low and the cache itself is high. The batteries of my GPS went dead while en route to the summit, so I replaced the batteries and put the old batteries in the cache, along with a variety of other trinkets and business cards. The trinkets include a small empty Southern Comfort bottle that I found near the first location and a Grand Canyon token.

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What's acceptable to leave in a cache might be different out there, but I would consider dead batteries and an empty bottle of booze to be garbage, not treasure.

Aside from that one incident though, about the only thing that I could see anyone in the world complaining about in all the other logs is a few of the other trades don't appear equitable. "I traded a keyring for the Sony headphones" sounds like trading down, but the keychain could be very cool and expensive, and the headphones could have been a broken set someone tossed to the side of the road. In reality, it might have been a trade up, not down.

All in all, I'd say put the trash in a garbage can, not a cache, and ignore the geojerk (to use a term from another thread) who's harrassing you.

 

[This message has been edited by Mopar (edited 30 January 2002).]

[Guest highpointer]

Thank you for the advice. I won't say much in my reports from now on in order to avoid offending anyone. I'll only put recognizable cache items in caches. What's one man's trash may be another man's treasure, so I have to think about what I may put in a cache.

 

There have been some caches (including one made by the person complaining about me) in which I put in some (presumably non-trash) items, yet I did not take anything.

 

I would like to be the best geocacher around - I just don't want to offend anyone or make anyone mad at me as I gain experience at this new activity.

 

Highpointer

[Guest Atlas]

Highpointer,

 

I, too had received some criticism from another cacher about some of my log entries. It bothered me to the point of deleting a log after he posted a note stating that I was able to make the find only because I watched him replace the cache after he had found it.

 

I've met many cachers, and exchanged e-mails with a few more, and except for this one, its a great bunch of people. I wish the odds at work were as good, I mean only one jerk per 100 employees, that would be utopia!

 

Atlas

[Guest JAMCC47]

Shrug it off, don't get mad, Get Even.

 

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JoseCanUSea

[Guest jonser]

there are mean spirited people everywhere.

who knows why they act the way they do?

i work with some. they cease to exist in my mind. people can't stand to be ignored. that is their karma.

jonser

[Guest Watson]

Since nobody else has offered this particular bit of advice....

 

Does your email agent offer kill filters?

 

If someone sends me hostile mail, they get the bozo bin faster than you can say boo.

 

Life is too short to allow jerks* to have their way with you.

 

*How did "jerk" change meanings?

Steve Martin starred in "The Jerk" which was a movie about a friendly half-wit.

[Guest infosponge]

Consider yourself lucky that you're just getting e-mails. I'm fairly certain that I've had at least one of my own caches vandalized because of a comment I made.

Just try to be a decent person and ignore those who are not.

[Guest YaesuMan]

I also have a geocacher sending me alot of hate mail and threats, it's kinda sad.

 

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I do radio.

Anything that is radio.

Yes, GPS is radio.

GO HAM RADIO!

[Guest Team Dragon]

Some ISPs have policies where if a member is told they are not to contact someone via e-mail, they must stop and many will terminate accounts if the member doesn't stop. If you know the user's e-mail address, pop over to the ISP and check out their ToS. If the person is doing it through the web site, let Jeremy know. While we all get on someone's nerves at times, there's no reason to put up with threats.

[Guest martinp13]

Highpointer:

 

Not sure why you'd put dead batteries in a cache box, but that's not a shootable offense. And I'd have been happy to take the empty Southern Comfort minibottle... I love those.

 

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> Martin

Magellan 330

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo !

[Guest briansnat]

Dead batteries aren't a good idea, another Geocacher might take them, thinking they're new and next time out, try to use them. Fresh batteries are an excellent item to leave behind.

 

I've also had a cache vandalized after I expressed my disappointment that some cachers used mountain bikes to get to it, in an area where they are banned.

[+JaimeeG]

We (my husband and I) just started caching in February. In that short amount of time, we have found that there are quite a few jerks involved in this hobby, but I think you will run across people you don't particularly care for no matter what you are doing.

 

In the area we live in, it seems there are a couple of people who pretty much "run the show", and if you don't belong to their crowd, then you are basically ignored or told what you are doing wrong.

 

It would be nice if everyone would just do their thing and not be criticizing and rude to the others who are trying to enjoy this also!

 

Jaimee

[lullabud]

man, it's just too bad that so many people have such bad experiences with a sport that attracts (usually) such loving, friendly people. i definitely agree with atlas though...

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Atlas:

...I wish the odds at work were as good, I mean only one jerk per 100 employees, that would be utopia!

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that would be sooooooo cool. =D