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What's the appeal of logging a trackable as discovered?


Carpincha

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Especially ones you didn't actually find.

(I'm posting a few of what might be noob questions, but I just started geocaching about a week ago - even if I initially registered here a long time ago -, so please be patient.)

 

I was just watching a video about trackables and the person on the video showed the code of a couple of their own, saying you could log them as discovered if you want to. I know that it's against the rules and can end up with the trackable page locked, but I also don't see why you would want to do that anyway. Sure, a number on the internet goes up, but it's meaningless, isn't it? If I moved a trackable, I played a small or larger part in something fun, but if I just saw it on a photo or video online?

 

Even if you found it in a cache but didn't move it, I'm not sure I get why you would log anything. Is that just so the owner knows it hasn't been stolen?

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For a traveling Trackable in a cache, a Discover log can be a way to get the good news to the Trackable Owner that it's still alive.  If I see just one log on mine, I may still wonder, but after two or more cachers log it, that tells me it's still out there and doing OK.

 

When I Discover someone's Trackable, I also post photos, even themed photos or logs (if there's a "theme" to the item), and some info about the discovery.  These things don't have much of a life expectancy, and many TOs receive very few nice logs with a story and photos, and then it's lost.  But post no photos that show the Tracking Code.

 

If I don't have time to research a Trackable, I make a Discover and leave it there, instead of taking it and intending to do a Retrieve or whatever.  If the logs are scrambled, it can be a lot of work getting it back in play properly.  And especially, I don't take it unless I have a safe, big cache in mind, and accept the extra work of Dropping it there.  Discover is suitable in most cases.

 

One fun benefit of "Discovering" a Trackable (which applies to other log types) is, you get the new icon in your Profile if it's a unique one that you didn't have.

 

But you may leave it in its cache and not log anything at all about it.  Same with those "online" codes where you never even held the item.

 

Edited by kunarion
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18 hours ago, Carpincha said:

I was just watching a video about trackables and the person on the video showed the code of a couple of their own, saying you could log them as discovered if you want to. I know that it's against the rules and can end up with the trackable page locked, but I also don't see why you would want to do that anyway. Sure, a number on the internet goes up, but it's meaningless, isn't it? If I moved a trackable, I played a small or larger part in something fun, but if I just saw it on a photo or video online?

Even if you found it in a cache but didn't move it, I'm not sure I get why you would log anything. Is that just so the owner knows it hasn't been stolen?

 

Pretty-much everything you need to know about Trackables.   :)

 

Not true.  It's up to the Trackable Owner if they'll accept virtual logs.  It's under 2.1 Trackable Etiquette...  It's okay if they say so.

I Discover dozens of Trackables yearly, where I find it's code online, and tell the TO where I saw it.  

Most don't even read my logs, or they'd realize I logged it to help them...

Most came from the TO's own Trackable page (showing the code), or even a Trackable they take a pic of in another's cache (as a Visit).

Can't be too upset when they did it...  :laughing:

 

If I don't Retrieve it to move on, I Discover every Trackable found in a cache.   Wrong cache listed, improper logging... Discover logs help.

Sometimes TOs just find out where their long-lost Trackable is by my Discover log.

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30 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

The video of the Giff entries had a lot of virtual trackables, and HQ was certainly aware of that.

 

HQ made its own Virtual Trackable and invited all comers.

 

I have a personal Geocacher card made almost every year, and these have a Tracking Code.  So I get a lot of Discover logs, most of which are like "I mass-Discovered a bah-zillion Cache Cards today, and yours is one of them!"   ...yay?

 

Anyway, lotsa people do that.  But I'd need an exceptional reason to log the Virtual kind, GIFF or not.  YMMV.

 

Edited by kunarion
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