Overly revealing comments in logs

[Guest DARC]

cache logs, that?s just you.

 

Brokenwing replied.

quote:

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As to what my concern was with my cache, you are exactly correct, I did not want any paths discussed in the logs. I certainly don?t think that is too demanding, because I could care less how the cache was found. If you hunt that cache and discover an easy way, great. Just don?t share it in the logs. I don?t want the ?simple? solution given away. I firmly believe that what makes this cache standout a little from the average boring park-n-bag is the fact that the seeker is faced with a dilemma. Do I attempt one of the obvious hard ways, or do I look for an easier way? I think as you gain some experience in this sport, you will see that throwing someone a curveball like this is a way to keep the game interesting. If I let people give away the ?solution" to the easier way, it lessens the cache experience for those that follow.

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I somewhat agree with you on this. It is up to the hider to detail in their posting what elements of their cache should not be talked about in the logs. If a cache placement results in negative responses in the logs that contain spoilers, then the hider is in error for not addressing those problems beforehand. This gets back to my observation of low tolerance for negative logs.

 

I?ve noticed that a lot of recent 3+ difficulty caches try to earn their rating by adding a frustration factor. Hiding in a swamp, amongst infinite hiding places, inside a deep narrow valley with heavy tree cover, inside a ravine, and near private property are all recent examples that I can remember that earned a mention in the log. At the time, I thought they were spoilers, but I?ve come to recognize and emulate them as a corrective solution to a problem cache.

 

I?m writing this as a future cache hider. I?ve got my box all ready, goodies all loaded, and I?m still discovering potential problems to avoid.

[Guest brokenwing]

quote:

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Originally posted by DARC:

Brokenwing and myself seem so close, but she?s missing a few things.

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I'm not sure what you think I'm missing, but you definitely missed something! I'm a HE, not a SHE. If it weren?t for my need to correct that, I was just going to let this thread die. This seems to have become a hot-button topic when my intention was to try to prevent something I see as a growing problem.

 

Bottom line, I think this discussion has dragged on too long. We are just re-hashing the same old issues. At this point, I'm just going to agree to disagree with you. From what I can tell so far, at least on the point of logging, you believe that the end justifies the means. I don't. It?s just a simple difference of philosophy.

 

To restate my belief on this, I feel there is virtually no situation that could not be handled by a polite email to the hider first, or a little subtlety in the logs. To me, it doesn?t matter if there is a problem with a cache, or one just feels a need to list things not in the original listing. Please have the courtesy to email the hider first and discuss it. If they agree with your issues, the problem is solved, and you can post whatever you want without having to worry about bad feelings on the part of the hider, or those that read your logs.

 

In the end, I just hope folks that feel a need to post spoilers will understand that for me, and many others like me, such postings can ruin our fun. Please give that some thought. Also, if one thinks that spoilers are really needed, please encrypt them for the sake of others that may not want the spoiler in question.

 

 

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Brokenwing

http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest brokenwing]

DARC:

Brokenwing and myself seem so close, but she?s missing a few things.

---

 

I'm not sure what you think I'm missing, but you definitely missed something! I'm a HE, not a SHE. If it weren?t for my need to correct that, I was just going to let this thread die. This seems to have become a hot-button topic when my intention was to try to prevent something I see as a growing problem.

 

Bottom line, I think this discussion has dragged on too long. We are just re-hashing the same old issues. At this point, I'm just going to agree to disagree with you. From what I can tell so far, at least on the point of logging, you believe that the end justifies the means. I don't. It?s just a simple difference of philosophy.

 

To restate my belief on this, I feel there is virtually no situation that could not be handled by a polite email to the hider first, or a little subtlety in the logs. To me, it doesn?t matter if there is a problem with a cache, or one just feels a need to list things not in the original listing. Please have the courtesy to email the hider first and discuss it. If they agree with your issues, the problem is solved, and you can post whatever you want without having to worry about bad feelings on the part of the hider, or those that read your logs.

 

In the end, I just hope folks that feel a need to post spoilers will understand that for me, and many others like me, such postings can ruin our fun. Please give that some thought. Also, if one thinks that spoilers are really needed, please encrypt them for the sake of others that may not want the spoiler in question.

 

 

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Brokenwing

http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest WaylandersMA]

quote:

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Originally posted by brokenwing:

I'm not sure what you think I'm missing, but you definitely missed something! I'm a HE, not a SHE.

---

 

BWing,

 

I am soooo glad you cleared that up. I was not sure who was going to break it to T-Storm.

 

And I agree with sentiments and summary. If you think you might bum out the hider at _all_ by posting new coordinates, spoilers, the easiest thing to do is email. I know hiders who hate to look rude by deleting posts.

Geocachers all in and all are the least rude people I have never met.

 

(You know this gender thiing is going to float this to the top one more time )

 

 

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Paul M

[Guest WaylandersMA]

quote:

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Originally posted by brokenwing:

I'm not sure what you think I'm missing, but you definitely missed something! I'm a HE, not a SHE.

---

 

BWing,

 

I am soooo glad you cleared that up. I was not sure who was going to break it to T-Storm.

 

And I agree with sentiments and summary. If you think you might bum out the hider at _all_ by posting new coordinates, spoilers, the easiest thing to do is email. I know hiders who hate to look rude by deleting posts.

Geocachers all in and all are the least rude people I have never met.

 

(You know this gender thiing is going to float this to the top one more time )

 

 

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Paul M

[Guest BassoonPilot]

quote:

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Originally posted by brokenwing:

... Please have the courtesy to email the hider first and discuss it. If they agree with your issues, the problem is solved, and you can post whatever you want without having to worry about bad feelings on the part of the hider, or those that read your logs.

 

---

 

Well, since it's floated to the top again . . . if one e-mails a cache owner his concerns, the cache owner may or may not agree on the issues, and even if the owner does agree, nothing has been solved if the cache owner fails to take action. I could easily list 25 caches I've found where bad coordinates were never corrected by cache owners. (And I'm not presuming my gpsrs are the end-all. I'm thinking specifically of caches where several finders have noted the posted coordinates were way off, and other finders mentioned using coordinates posted by a well-intentioned finder to locate the cache.) And it's not just about coordinates; I was happy to notice this morning that a cache had finally been archived where finders consistently mentioned, over the previous 6 months, the extremely poor condition of the cache.

 

So obviously, I don't have a problem with logs that mention real or potential problems with a cache or offer "better" coordinates, as long as the new coordinates don't reveal information that the cache hider didn't want revealed . . . such as intermediate stages of multicaches, or a coordinate that must be derived from an equation or clue. I've seen so many positive examples where information provided by previous finders "saved" several subsequent searcher's adventure. While I agree the cache owner should be the party to make any necessary corrections, it would appear that sometimes cache owners have neither the time nor interest to deal with the situation.

 

Like many of the other posters to this thread, I also don't like the step-by-step logs that truly spoil the experience for those who read the logs before a search. I like the kind of log where one can appreciate the subtleties of what a finder wrote AFTER one has also found the cache.

 

 

[This message has been edited by BassoonPilot (edited 04 March 2002).]

[Guest JamieZ]

Ya'll are starting to make me wonder if I leave overly revealing comments in the logs. Sometimes I get a little overzealous when I'm writing a log, but I always try to stay aware that many of the readers have not yet searched for the cache. I've also encrypted a couple of logs for that reason.

 

On the note of "saving" future hunters from having to figure out a clue, a two part multi I recently found had the coords to the second cache listed in decimal degrees, but someone had converted it to DEG°MM.MMM and wrote in the logbook, "I've converted it to save everyone the hassle." I didn't think this was right, so I emailed the owner who thanked me, went to the cache and removed that particular log page.

 

...and as far as incorrect coordinates. This cache had repeated log entries mentioning coords that were off by a mile. Finally, just yesterday I emailed the owner and inquired about his intentions. He promptly emailed me back and told me he'd fix them right away. (and he did!)

 

Sometimes a few polite words in an email can work wonders.

 

Jamie

[Guest Opus P]

The phrase "since it floated to the top again" seems to be needed on all replies today to this old topic. I wasn't going to post, but . . .

 

I am what y'all like to call a neocacher, or maybe pre-neocacher would be good since I'm still waiting for delivery of my recently ordered eTrex Camo. But I wanted to add my thoughts.

 

Like DARC I have been reading here since August last year, and I am just now getting involved. And I feel a need to take the other side of the fence on this topic. Like Brokenwing and the others I hate to see spoilers in the logs. I'm lucky that there are no real spoilers on the logs I have already looked at for the caches I plan to visit first (this month for sure).

 

But for the future I plan to avoid reading all logs for caches I plan to visit, but rather I'll print out the cache page and logs to bring with me, and read them in the field if I need the help.

 

Hopefully that will work for me. Of course how to separate the devil from the details is a favorite hobby of mine anyway.

 

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Opus P

Crathvaf Ehyr

Visit my Buddhist Reading Room.

 

[This message has been edited by Opus P (edited 04 March 2002).]

[Guest Opus P]

or the caches I plan to visit first (this month for sure).

 

But for the future I plan to avoid reading all logs for caches I plan to visit, but rather I'll print out the cache page and logs to bring with me, and read them in the field if I need the help.

 

Hopefully that will work for me. Of course how to separate the devil from the details is a favorite hobby of mine anyway.

 

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Opus P

Crathvaf Ehyr

Visit my Buddhist Reading Room.

 

[This message has been edited by Opus P (edited 04 March 2002).]

[Guest 300mag]

So far I didn't have much problems with too much info in the logs. My only problem I think some people overdue it with their digital cams. Sometimes giving out clues with the pictures. A picture of the cache contents another one of the container another one of the area another one where to park another one of the cacher hidding it or finding it etc......

 

[This message has been edited by 300mag (edited 04 March 2002).]

[+Brokenwing]

posting to "fix" date...

 

Scott / Brokenwing

http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest kablooey]

It occurs to me that maybe there should be a way to post log stuff that can only be read by people who have previously found the cache. For example, everything between { } only gets shown to somebody who has previously logged the cache as found. That way it's okay to reveal your spoilers when you've got a great story to tell.