Should "No Spoilers Allowed" be added to logging Guidelines

[+K13]

I realize many of the newer players don't read all the Guidelines, but shouldn't the one thing that can get their find log removed be in the Guidelines? 

As a CO, I don't usually delete logs with spoilers (unless it's on a tricky hide), but I often send a polite note asking them not to put spoilers in the logs because it takes away from the fun of the subsequent finders.

 

Shouldn't this be in the Guidelines section about logging your finds?

[+arisoft]

 

Is there a similar warning in the official app?

[+Max and 99]

Official app:

[Keystone]

The Help Center guide for new geocachers also covers this subject:

 

Quote

Tip: Write more than TFTC. A couple of sentences show the cache owner you appreciate the time and effort it takes to create a cache. But don’t spoil the fun for other cachers by revealing the hide in your log or photo!

 

It would be helpful if that same sentence were added to the "When you find a geocache" Help section in the Quick Guide on the official Smartphone apps.

[+cerberus1]

Curious... do any/all the other apps have a mention of spoilers?

[+arisoft]

11 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

Curious... do any/all the other apps have a mention of spoilers?

 

I think they do not mention spoilers. You have seen a new player using other app?

[hsiale]

23 minutes ago, arisoft said:

 

You have seen a new player using other app?

I've installed c:geo on the first geocaching trip. Then I found out that I need an account on geocaching.com to log in. So I did it, out in the terrain, via web browser in my phone. I've never used the official app. But of course this happened probably due to being introduced to geocaching by a friend who started a few months earlier who knew about c:geo (despite not using it himself as he has an Apple phone).

 

I don't post spoilers anyway as I never cache on my own so I don't log finds at my account, I use it for reading on caches I go to and creating hides.

Edited April 25, 2023 by hsiale

[Keystone]

@hsiale, the question you replied to was asking about official API partner apps, like Cachly.  Unauthorized apps, like the one you use, aren't proper topics for discussion in the Geocaching Forums.

[+brodiebunch]

Count yourself lucky to have a spoiler in a log and not a cut and paste over and over again. I read logs to glean any information on the geocache especially when there's no hint. I try to leave something descriptive in my logs. 

[+GeoElmo6000]

On 4/25/2023 at 4:20 PM, Keystone said:

@hsiale, the question you replied to was asking about official API partner apps, like Cachly.  Unauthorized apps, like the one you use, aren't proper topics for discussion in the Geocaching Forums.

 

I think it's relevant to mention the app-that-shall-not-be-named because new players often use it because it's free and allows them to access caches that the free geocaching app doesn't let them access.  I highly doubt they understand what's happening behind the scenes with it not being an official API partner app and data scraping and all that.  Most new players don't realize either that geocaches that the free geocaching app doesn't let them access aren't necessarily premium caches, and that they can access more caches via the website than they can via the app as a basic member.

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by GeoElmo6000
Fixed my grammar

[+JL_HSTRE]

13 hours ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

I think it's relevant to mention the app-that-shall-not-be-named because new players often use it because it's free and allows them to access caches that the free geocaching app doesn't let them access.

 

It's almost as if that restricted access actually has a useful purpose.

 

It's also probably the second-most popular app, only behind the official one. 

 

I also suspect that app being unsanctioned is part of its popularity. It's not just free; it's rebellious. "I'm not letting a corporation tell me how to play!" And if the last decade has taught us anything it's that alot of Americans are rabidly attached to their fuzzy, selfish interpretation of "freedom".

 

It's disappointing that, after a decade or so of the API and sanctioned apps, that this unsanctioned one is still around. No doubt Groundspeak has tried as much as they can to stop it. It's disappointing to know someone can create an app that scrapes your online database without permission and there's not really anything you can do to effectively stop them.