Stop the Whoring of Geocaching!!!!

[BassoonPilot]

quote:

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Originally posted by Czarniecki314:

Glad to know I'm not the only grammar freak, although I think the antecedent to "it" was "GeoCaching", BP, although not directly stated.

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I make my share of grammatical errors, but I absolutely DESPISE the misapplication or overuse of pronouns.

 

I'm also still trying to figure out how "Evan" got mixed up in all of that. Is he the one leaking stories to them, or the one spreading it by word-of-mouth?

[+briansnat]

quote:

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totally agree. Too much publicity, then maybe some negative reporting or some incident being blown way out of proportion and BANG! The law-makers will be busy making more "ANTI" laws, since that's all they seem to know how to do.

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The authorities found out about geocaching and started banning it probably before the first newspaper article and TV news report. For the most part, public land managers are now aware of the existence of the sport and if not, will find out about it soon...media or none.

 

It's kind of hard to keep a sport where the particpants number in the tens of thousands "underground".

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

[+Czarniecki314]

Briansnat is probably right about people banning it prior to the media craze, however, I know that some places banned it because a knife was found on a cache.

 

I know this from reading a forum... I read the forums too much... but it's addictive!

[+Squealy]

And that is dumb - I think it was a multi-tool - as a matter of fact, that's a pretty nice thing to get in a cache. Feel free to visit my caches and put in your multi-tools that include knives. I'd love to get one. Perhaps I should be banned from caching since I have my knife with me when I go deeper into the woods. Perhaps I should just be banned period.

 

But it does make a point - someone sees something in them they do not like and it could cause a problem. I found an empty dime bag in a cache today. Godforbid someone puts in some white powder as a joke. Not good.

 

Anyway - I think we should get back to the BSnat action figure.

 

Shut up and cache!

[+Czarniecki314]

D rug dealers would get away with lots more if they'd geodeal... thanks for giving them the idea, Squealy.

 

Me and you and a dog named Boo...

[+Freight Pilot]

I dont think the media should be involved in caching at all.

 

My biggest concern now is the new codes for placing caches pushes to restrict each cacher to ONLY one cache each..........

 

Freight Pilot

[+briansnat]

quote:

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My biggest concern now is the new codes for placing caches pushes to restrict each cacher to ONLY one cache each..........

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What are you talking about?

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

[+Squealy]

Haven't been on the forums in DAYS thanks to work (thank God!) and thought I missed something - and amazingly I agree with BSnat on this one -

 

What are you talking about???

 

Shut up and cache!

[+Squealy]

When you're wrong, you're wrong and I admit it.

 

It isn't geocrashing.com it is piratecaching.com - pretty crappy if ya ask me.

 

So, people wouldn't go out and look to steal caches - nah. That'll never happen.

 

Shut up and cache!

[Mugsimus]

for those of you who didn'[t believe my insigfht into the future conscernig geocrashing.com -- wisit [piratecaching .com -- what a bunhch o f asdses

 

can't type -- majort finger injury... but fo your reseach

[+briansnat]

People have been stealing caches practically since day 1. The more exposure we get, the more jerks will be out there as well. Its a tradeoff. But, the jerks usually lose interest after stealing a cache or two. The pirate caching guy would have too, but for all the attention he's gotten.

 

However, without exposure and the new blood it brings, the sport would die pretty quickly.

Most of the locals have found my caches and the only hits nowadays are from newcomers. If it weren't for these, I might as well pull them.

 

Also, many of the old time cache hiders have dropped out, or slowed down and its the newer people who are placing around here.

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

[Time Out New York]

Hi all. I’m a little late to the party, but as the reporter of the Time Out New York story, I wanted to address a few concerns that came up on this thread over the last month. First off, thanks to all who took the time to find the cache and include your thoughts in the log book. You guys rock. A follow-up pictorial is now in the works.

 

For the record, I sought out team sranddboggny and they were gracious enough to agree to show me the ropes. I couldn’t have asked for better guides: They made sure I understood Geocaching etiquette and that respect for the environment was a main tenet. Some members have valid concerns about the way the press portrays Geocaching, and I have to echo the comments of BrianSnat and Team Zen: the media will continue to discover the sport, and the best way to deal with them is to make sure that they get the facts straight. If anything, the MORE time you give a reporter, the more you are helping to ensure that what results is a thorough and well-developed story. Yeah, if a reporter calls you for a quick quote, you can bet it’s for a short blurb. It sucks when we have to write those, but at least help us to get it right. And if you think we got something wrong (or if we nailed an issue) send a letter to the editor.

 

I digress. My point is, if you can, try to convince the reporter to go Geocaching with you. Infect them with your enthusiasm, give them the rules and make sure to cover relevant issues that they may not know to ask you about. (By the way, I’d be wary of a reporter who agreed to let you read a story before it went to press, it’s simply unethical. But a fact-checking phone call is certainly worth asking for.)

 

Squealy, I appreciated your comment about whether or not the entry was commercial, being that we referred to the magazine article that inspired the cache. When I first entered the cache details for approval, I made a note to the authorities that be, stating that if the last bit “To read more…etc” sounded like too much of a plug for Time Out, to go ahead and delete that part. But it was approved and the rest is history. (By the way, all Time Out articles eventually go online, it just takes a few weeks before they’re uploaded.)

 

That’s all folks…

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this a great experience for me and for the readers who were new to Geocaching and got to discover what it’s all about.

 

-Lisa Sweetingham

[RedShoesGirl]

quote:

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Originally posted by ZoomZoom:

A pictures tells a thousand stories... the media tells a thousand lies!

 

OOPS! Did I say that outloud?

 

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Yes you did and it was a pretty stupid remark.

 

Do you realize that the only thing that stands between you and a police state is a free press? A free press keeps the politicos and government agencies in check.

 

People in the media are human so therefore and not infallible - we make mistakes granted. But each and every journalist that I know and work with considers the truth to be sacrosanct.

 

Reporters don't lie - they report - but people do lie to reporters.

 

lara proud member of the press

[+JMBella]

Wow. I leave for a couple of hours and Squealy's gettin wrecked. This thread has gotten out of control. The way I see it some of the comments to Squealy were unprovoked and unnecessary. Sorry for coming in late here but here's my 2 cents. I'm kind of torn on this subject. I can totally see your point Squealy. I worried myself about the media overexposing the sport. But who am I to say, I've only been doing this for like 2 and a half months AND I found out about it in Newsday. Squealy you know I'm into this sport much as you are, but if not for that article.... Is it reasonable for the more experience cacher to make suggestions to newbie's when they do something to jeopardize the sport? For example a player decides to place a cracked gladware under a bush on the side of the road someone can say 'let me show you a great cache you could use as an example'

 

PS- I've done a few of Squealy's caches and he's done a few of mine. I would hardly call him a newbie. There are some players out there that have been doing this for a year or more that I concider more of a newbie.

 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Because now I am Lost.

[+Squealy]

Jeremy -

 

Can I change the title to "The thread that never dies"?

 

Thanks J&MBella - there has definitely been a lot of unprovoked nonsense in here - but whatever, school is back in session and I have no time to cache - let alone argue on here. Hope to hit some of the new caches on the Island soon -

 

I think I may be starting to lose my rep!!!

 

Shut up and cache!

[+Corp Of Discovery]

Originally posted by RedShoesGirl:

 

Yes you did and it was a pretty stupid remark.

 

Do you realize that the only thing that stands between you and a police state is a free press? A free press keeps the politicos and government agencies in check.

 

People in the media are human so therefore and not infallible - we make mistakes granted. But each and every journalist that I know and work with considers the truth to be sacrosanct.

 

Reporters don't lie - they report - but people do lie to reporters.

I generally agree with your response to his comment, altho I would not classify it as totally stupid. A free press is NOT the only thing keeping us from a police state. Once the press loses it's INDEPENDENCE from the powers that be they lose almost all use other than for a mouthpiece for those same powers. This is what many people DO perceive HAS happened already, I am not currently one of them but the balance IS tipping that way I think. In many ways we ALREADY are living in a police state and no I am not refering to the new laws enacted after 9-11 - there were already many in place before then to limit basic freedom. There are certain extemist, domestic terrorists if you will, who beleive there should be NO limits on freedoms and I am not among them, I believe we do need certain reasonable restraints- especially in this day and age. As to reporters not lieing that is totally bogus- reporters have lied in the past, lie now, and will lie in the future. This is not to say all, most or many do, but it does happen. Fortunately the vast majority of reporters are honest but as in any group you will have anomalies. Please do not take this as a personal attack as it was not meant as such. Just the ramblings of an observer. As to the actual topic I do believe there is not much we could do to keep geocaching out of the news and would not classify it as whoring. The reporters are just doing what they get paid to do. The articles I have seen have been fine. If you have seen a bad one write to the editor and see what they do to correct it. Well, time to get off the soapbox.

 

Remember, wherever you go- there you are!

 

[This message was edited by Corp Of Discovery on September 18, 2003 at 07:08 PM.]

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

quote:

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Originally posted by Squealy:

Jeremy -

 

Can I change the title to "The thread that never dies"?

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Mr. Mopar has informed us in several different threads over the months that the initiator of a thread can close it at any time without intervention from TPTB.

 

So what's keeping you from so doing?

[+Czarniecki314]

This is the thread that doesn't end

Yes it goes on and on, my friend

Ol' Squealy sat down and posted it not knowing what it'd start

And we'll continue postin' on it forever just because

This is the thread that doesn't end

yes it goes on and on...

 

* Bragging rights to the first person who can name from where I got that??

 

Me and you and a dog named Boo...

[+Squealy]

At work and a little stressed - just thought I'd stir up some trouble...

 

BUMP!

 

So many caches, why am I on the forums?

[+Team GPSaxophone]

And the thread lives on...Maybe we can get someone to post 5 words repeatedly and get the thread closed

 

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

[+Perfect Tommy]

A timely bump.

 

After seeing the news segment [read: Magellan promo] on local TV mentioned in this thread, I'd rather see the media on a hunt with dboggny (or even BrianSnat ) - that way there's at least a chance that they'll find a cache.

 

____________________________________________

 

I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused

[+briansnat]

quote:

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'd rather see the media on a hunt with dboggny (or even BrianSnat ) - that way there's at least a chance that they'll find a cache.

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Forget me, I already have a DNF with the media in tow.

 

Who was that geocacher featured in the story anyway? Anybody know?

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

[+southdeltan]

quote:

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Originally posted by Czarniecki314:

D rug dealers would get away with lots more if they'd geodeal... thanks for giving them the idea, Squealy.

 

Me and you and a dog named Boo...

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They already have this idea. A land manager who gave me permission to hide a cache asked me if I'd heard about what drug dealer were doing: He said that a dealer will hide his drugs somewhere, mark a waypoint, then sell the GPSr to th buyer (for a large sum of money) then that person will go find the drugs. Apparantly this has been happening for some time now.

 

I'm not sure if there are any stories online about this - but I assume that's where the land manager found out about it.

 

southdeltan

 

"Man can counterfeit everything except silence". - William Faulkner

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Cool...GeoCrack!

 

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

[+Marky]

Can we des palourdes mortes a thread?

 

--Marky

"All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr"

[+Mr. Snazz]

I think you should respect someone's profession, regardless of whether it meets up with your own moral standards. If someone wants to make money to pay for caching by whoring, I for one say more power to them.

[+Squealy]

quote:

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Can we des palourdes mortes a thread?

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There will be no DPM'ing of my thread!

 

So many caches, why am I on the forums?

[+Hysteria]

Always will be an element in geocaching that will attempt to ruin it for others in the sport. News about the hobby will spread the media notwithstanding. That's life.

[+DustyJacket]

quote:

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Originally posted by Czarniecki314:

This is the thread that doesn't end

Yes it goes on and on, my friend

............

 

* Bragging rights to the first person who can name from where I got that??

 

Me and you and a dog named Boo...

---

 

Sherri Lewis

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case...

[Cupajo]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hysteria:

Always will be an element in geocaching that will attempt to ruin it for others in the sport.

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mMMMMmmmm

[+Czarniecki314]

You sooo beat me to it...

 

Me and you and a dog named Boo...

[King Cyclops]

I think the media should have to find out about geocaching on their own. I have first hand experience with the media messing things up and tellling lies to make their story sound better. I am also afraid if the media writes articles on geocaching then the sport/game will be infiltrated by too many people that don't understand what this thing is all about. Geocaching could become dangerous if the wrong people learn about it.

[+SixDogTeam]

Geocaching could become dangerous if the wrong people learn about it.

Yeah, like democrats or Methodists...

[+flask]

oy. i've been quoted by media, and i've been misquoted by media.

 

on a nearly unrelated topic, the same reporter who did the geocaching piece for what passes as a prominent paper up here quoted us accurately on our geocaching, and she took our advice about what to have for lunch at another venue in another sport the month before.

 

so if you're at the eastern cup, be sure to have the jamaican lunchbox (also dangerous in the hands of the wrong people), but don't eat it just before you race.

 

there are lots of lovely new geocachers out here who found out about this from a media outlet. see, this is the way i got it doped out: i want more caches to hunt. i can't hunt my own, nor can i hunt any cache for which i was present at the hiding. it would be very nice if some more peope came along and created more caches, as well as a demand for geocaching land use policy.

 

rah, boo. very well done, that.

[4Mergansers]

Never too late to join in a good debate, right?

 

I learned about geocaching from a newspaper article in the Outdoors section of the Sunday paper where it's safe to assume there aren't too many evil people hoping to read about things to rip off.

 

I think articles about geocaching in outdoors/camping type genres are probably a really good way to recruit some quality geocachers.

 

I consider myself a good geocacher, CITO, Tread Lightly, and all that. I've only placed two caches, but both were high quality. I have only found I think maybe 15 or so caches, but I always trade up when I trade. (I will probably be geocaching a lot more now that my youngest child can handle longer lengths of time outdoors/walking.)

 

My first cache was muggled, but I am pretty sure it was NOT by someone who learned about the sport in the newspaper. I placed it in a much too obvious location. Cache and learn. That's what I'm doing.

[+Doggiewoggie]

Wound a little tight? Feeling a little fried and defensive? Using big, bad words like "whoring?" Mmm... Maybe you need to take a nice, long bath. Try a little zazen meditation. Listen to some Etta James. Smell a dandelion. But quit with the whining and trolling and self-congratulatory huffiness. You're giving poor pretty a headache.

Edited June 8, 2004 by prettynwitty

[+Doggiewoggie]

And how appropriate is it for an Assistant Principal to have a "moving to the cuntry" avatar? Real family-oriented, dude.

Edited June 8, 2004 by prettynwitty

[+GeoKender]

I too found out about the sport of geocaching thru my local newspaper's weekend E-style section. If it weren't for the media, I would never have been enlightened to geocaching. Since taking up the sport, I have purchased a new GPSr thru Offroute.com and have purchased other hiking necessities. I also have since become a member of a local hiking conference. And purchased hiking permits. If it weren't for the media, these establishments would never have received my new business. And if it weren't for geocaching, I would never consider hiking solo. Now my hikes are further away from home, longer and more adventurous with an incentive. I am now a better-in-shape hiker thanks to my local newspaper's weekend article about geocaching. Without the media, I would never have been informed.

 

Around here, I believe Geocaching is still considered "secretive" as water-witching.

Some of the local salespeople I came across, selling the GPSrs, are unaware or ignorant of this sport.

 

It would be naive and very unconstructive to blame the media for vandalism because of it's informative journalism. As with anything good, there will be jealous and miserable immature individuals who will cause anarchy just to have company (only in misery). Vandalism will happen. No way around it. Just hide the caches the same way you found them or better. Please be inconspicuous when actively searching for a cache around non-geocachers (muggles). Simple etiquette must be followed by us all.

 

Just my two pennies.