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Makeing Geocaching Better


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My idea of the one thing that could make geocaching better? Redefine it.

 

I believe the biggest problem is the game is has too many rules trying fix problems that were loosely defined to begin with. I'd take a look at each rule and ask why it was implemented and try to fix that problem. I'm positive that in many cases several rules were implemented to fix one root cause. After the gameplay was redefined, I'd make sure I used all of my resources to make sure everyone was on the same page. Education in other words.

 

Yeah, so I've been called a micro-managing jack***. Funny thing is you don't see much of that in the letterboxing forums. Why? Because they have only a few, but well defined, rules and expectations. They keep these prominent. Here, it's not so simple and straight forward, nor is it prominent. People tend to be ignorant of many of the expectations. The result is complaints here in the forums.

 

So, without getting into the minutae, that's what I'd do. Redefine it. It would solve so many of the problems.

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Ban this phrase: "This has been discussed before, do a search and you will find many threads where this has been discussed many times before." Who cares if it has been discussed before? Maybe some would like a new perspective on the topic..

 

Ban the unofficial board police. Let the mods do their jobs.

 

Those are the two main reasons that I rarely visit the forums anymore.

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Ban this phrase: "This has been discussed before, do a search and you will find many threads where this has been discussed many times before." Who cares if it has been discussed before? Maybe some would like a new perspective on the topic..

 

Ban the unofficial board police. Let the mods do their jobs.

 

Those are the two main reasons that I rarely visit the forums anymore.

Yes please. Sometimes, when the new post is a request for information a re-direction to a previous post is good. But generally, with new people coming here all the time, a 'new' thread doesn't hurt.

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Ban this phrase: "This has been discussed before, do a search and you will find many threads where this has been discussed many times before."  Who cares if it has been discussed before? Maybe some would like a new perspective on the topic..

 

Ban the unofficial board police. Let the mods do their jobs.

 

Those are the two main reasons that I rarely visit the forums anymore.

Yes please. Sometimes, when the new post is a request for information a re-direction to a previous post is good. But generally, with new people coming here all the time, a 'new' thread doesn't hurt.

Amen brother!

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When somebody registers to be a geocacher, they would get a grand booklet/message by mail/email and it would have all of the rules, a guide to hiding and finding your first cache, a miniature dictionary with all of the terms, etc., etc.

I think that's a very good idea!!

 

Maybe some basic info, links to specific sections such as the FAQ, the forums to ask questions, etc. Help point the newcomer to likely areas that might help prevent them from going astray.

 

It's been a while since I registered so I don't recall what you get, if you get anything at all.

 

David

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Micros are for people who are to cheap to visit the dollar store.

I agree somewhat. I don't really see the point of micros. They are too easy to set out. Pick a bigger cache container and give yourself a challenge at hiding it, for pete's sakes! :blink:

 

Maybe micros should be no smaller than a film canister?

Every cache has it's place, and micros simply should not be placed in areas where a regular sized cache can be placed. Sticking a micro made out of tree bark to a tree in a 5,000 acre forest is just plain stupid. :tired:

One of my pet peeves is seeing the damage we do while grabbing caches, whetehe it's a micro in some courthouse shrubbery or a regular cache hidden in a bed of ferns.

 

A bit of common sense needs to dictate the placement of caches. The cache owner should ask himself, what kind of damage wil the finders do whien they visit. If you stick the cache WAY out of sight or bury it under a foot of leaves and branches try to imagine the squashed flora as the cachers tramp the area looking for your Tupperware.

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All caches must be placed in 'motorcycle friendly' areas. My poor Goldwing really doesn't like all them bomb crater littered, washboard, sand and gravel roads that invariably lead to pristine wildness areas. Who's bright idea was it to put nature so far off the nice, clean, orderly PAVED roads?

Seriously, caching on a motorcycle raises the terrain rating a bit some days. I may have to get a sidecar or trike to make my life more cache friendly<g>

 

Wulf

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if we had only 1 cache a month that my city would have like 5 geocaches. There is one main person who hides them and she does it very well and with great care  :rolleyes: . She has hidden over 130 caches. The more you find the better you get at hideing.

I just did a search from your latest cache and found 777 caches nearby! There could be no new caches for years and you wouldn't run out at your current rate.

 

I don't see how it is possible for anyone to maintain 130 caches, let alone take the time to place new quality ones as well.

 

Although I no longer live in San Antonio, I know who Team CP is referring to. Her profile is actually showing 119 right now. I didn't check to see how many are archived though. As is usual with blanket statements, there are always exceptions and she is one of the exceptions. Of the few of hers I found while I lived there, not one of them could be considered unmaintained. Nor would I consider any of them lame for placements or contents. She does an excellent job of placing caches where people would not otherwise go and in providing quality caches.

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Ban McToys

You can't ban McToys. Then there would be nothing for the kiddies. To a child, a McToy is as great a find as a TB, FTF or a GeoCoin is to the adults.

Well Said PandyBat :rolleyes: My kids totally agree.

Aside from that, many Asian families would starve if they didn't get the income from making those. McToys have a special place in the world.

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<<SNIP>>

I think Harrald defines trolls as anyone who doesn't agree with him<<SNIP>>

Actually you’re wrong. I would say a troll in the GC.com forums (other than the standard version) is someone who’s had their posts moderated, been banned from posting for a length of time (because they have no understanding of basic internet etiquette) and someone who uses other forums to complain about how unfair they are being treated (just because they’re having fun).

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<<SNIP>>

I think Harrald defines trolls as anyone who doesn't agree with him<<SNIP>>

Actually you’re wrong. I would say a troll in the GC.com forums (other than the standard version)

This may be enlightening :rolleyes:

is someone who’s had their posts moderated

Saxman was moderated for 3 days last summer/fall

been banned from posting for a length of time (because they have no understanding of basic internet etiquette)

Saxman was originally banned before the sentence was reduced to moderation

someone who uses other forums to complain about how unfair they are being treated (just because they’re having fun).

Saxman complained about the situation to the audience at Woody's place

 

 

Gee, Harrald...I think you just called me a troll :o

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Ban this phrase: "This has been discussed before, do a search and you will find many threads where this has been discussed many times before."  Who cares if it has been discussed before? Maybe some would like a new perspective on the topic..

 

Ban the unofficial board police. Let the mods do their jobs.

 

Those are the two main reasons that I rarely visit the forums anymore.

I'm all for freedom of speech, but you make a valid point.

 

As new people enter the sport the same questions arise. The same subjects are brought up and very rarely, is a truly new idea proposed. It's a natural progression and I have no need to stifle other’s enthusiasm with my vast knowledge of geocaching forums. This is why I post less and less. I feel no need to keep posting. I post when I'm compelled to post ONLY, but the "been there, done that," factor is ever growing for me. I have begun to judge threads by their titles and most don't interest me anymore. I used to read everything. Now I skim and look to see where my friends have posted. I can’t even keep up with abject silliness anymore.

 

I still come here as often as possible, but I bet if you averaged the content of my posting record over the past few months, a definite pattern would jump right out at you.

 

An average of my posting content would sound something like this:

 

Shut up about your and every other travel bug. (Undertone: I think you’re an idiot for investing your emotions in an inanimate object and trivial pursuits.)

 

Everyone plays their own game. There is no sense in trying to police another's mindset as long as it falls within the general parameters of the game. (In other words shut up about how everyone else plays and worry about yourself and PLEASE GAWD, stop trying to make more rules. BAN this, LIMIT that. JUST SHUT THE EFF UP AND PLAY YOUR OWN FREAKIN GAME AND STAY OUTTA MINE.)

 

The other 40 percent would be largely off topic. The Badger Speak was fun and it's not gone for good. Fair Warning.

 

I am conspicuously absent from complaint and argument threads. I hardly look at one unless the last post is from a user whose opinion I respect. (Or from someone I think is an idiot. Hey, we all need a laugh.)

 

Sn :rolleyes::o gans

Edited by Snoogans
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Yeah, it is...

 

You only get to flame people for misspelling in Abject Silliness, and only when you're regulars like me and sax man... :rolleyes:

 

Edited to add the smilie so people would see it as the joke that it truely is...

Edited by TeamK-9
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Actually, the only thing that would make it better is for everyone to leave it alone and stop trying to make it better.

I tend to agree. Small changes over time become big changes. Trying to change things for the sake of change just typically alienates those that weren't having issues in the 1st place.

 

I do think that if something was setup to provide initial information dissemination to new cachers as well as first time cache hiders, many of the "I didn't know that..." problems would go away, or at the very least, allow those trying to help to provide a consistent link so everyone gets the same message.

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Allow me to express myself any Fudging way I want. :rolleyes:

 

Actually, the only thing that would make it better is for everyone to leave it alone and stop trying to make it better. :o

Brevity is the key to good communication.

 

Dang Crimi, I wasted my time with my last post. You summed it up in 23 words.

 

Sn :D:D gans

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<<SNIP>>

I think Harrald defines trolls as anyone who doesn't agree with him<<SNIP>>

Actually you’re wrong. I would say a troll in the GC.com forums (other than the standard version) is someone who’s had their posts moderated, been banned from posting for a length of time (because they have no understanding of basic internet etiquette) and someone who uses other forums to complain about how unfair they are being treated (just because they’re having fun).

Well, I looked up the definition of troll as it pertains to internet forums, and you are ABSOLUTELY, UNDENIABLY, AND COMPLETELY WRONG!!!!!

 

The definition has nothing to do with anything that you mentioned, so therefore, your suggestion to remove the forums has no merit whatsoever, and therefore, will not be discussed again.

 

Thank you for your input, now move along. :rolleyes:

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Stem, I could use some suggestions of what to place in caches as I have placed Mctoys in some.

Don't sweat it, Warbones....I've seen your logs, and you're doing just fine.....McToys are fine, so long as they're new and haven't been chewed by the family pet.....any toys, for that matter. I know my nephew was thrilled to find nice, new toys in a cache. He even passed up the matchbox cars for a couple of little plastic army men!!

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I'd ban ingratiating sycophants who I find more painfully annoying than anything else in the forums. Paradoxically they break guidelines while defending the crown, then move on to insulting newbies all the while convinced they are making the world or at least the forums a better place. Of course they do have their entertainment value so maybe I’d just have them moderated in the getting started forum and have recent newbies check the posts.

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I'd ban ingratiating sycophants who I find more painfully annoying than anything else in the forums. Paradoxically they break guidelines while defending the crown, then move on to insulting newbies all the while convinced they are making the world or at least the forums a better place. Of course they do have their entertainment value so maybe I’d just have them moderated in the getting started forum and have recent newbies check the posts.

Ooooo....I like that! :rolleyes:

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I'd ban ingratiating sycophants who I find more painfully annoying than anything else in the forums. Paradoxically they break guidelines while defending the crown, then move on to insulting newbies all the while convinced they are making the world or at least the forums a better place. Of course they do have their entertainment value so maybe I’d just have them moderated in the getting started forum and have recent newbies check the posts.

Whew, I thought you were talking about me until I got to the "insulting newbies" part. :rolleyes:

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When somebody registers to be a geocacher, they would get a grand booklet/message by mail/email and it would have all of the rules, a guide to hiding and finding your first cache, a miniature dictionary with all of the terms, etc., etc.

Ummm we have links to all that already on the front page. You can't force people to read it.... Well you could require that the take a test as part of their registration and have the test be based on the fundamentals of the game.... :rolleyes:

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When somebody registers to be a geocacher, they would get a grand booklet/message by mail/email and it would have all of the rules, a guide to hiding and finding your first cache, a miniature dictionary with all of the terms, etc., etc.

Ummm we have links to all that already on the front page. You can't force people to read it.... Well you could require that the take a test as part of their registration and have the test be based on the fundamentals of the game.... :rolleyes:

I think a test would keep Sparky from geocaching :o

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I think I should have written my original suggestion about limiting people to one cache placement a month to include one forum post a day. If they were outside caching instead of typing all day they might have more fun at this! :o

 

Ten bucks says the first person to flame me on this has at least ten times the number of forum posts as they do cache finds. :rolleyes:

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I think I should have written my original suggestion about limiting people to one cache placement a month to include one forum post a day. If they were outside caching instead of typing all day they might have more fun at this! :o

 

Ten bucks says the first person to flame me on this has at least ten times the number of forum posts as they do cache finds. :rolleyes:

Who cares?? :D

 

Besides, I can do BOTH in one day! hehehe

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I think I should have written my original suggestion about limiting people to one cache placement a month to include one forum post a day. If they were outside caching instead of typing all day they might have more fun at this! :o

 

Ten bucks says the first person to flame me on this has at least ten times the number of forum posts as they do cache finds. :rolleyes:

Hmmm... Just over 10:1. Who would of thought tupperware was that interesting.

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I don't really see the point of micros. They are too easy to set out. Pick a bigger cache container and give yourself a challenge at hiding it, for pete's sakes!  :D

 

Maybe micros should be no smaller than a film canister?

Ok first let me say that I am not picking on you for being a newbie but come on. You are anti micro after finding ONE of them? I've found some micro's that took a heck of a lot more creativity than putting an ammo box in the woods in a stump\under a log\ under a pile of sticks. :rolleyes: One micro was so clever that I actually touched the container and didn't know it was the cache. To each his or her own but micro's have their place. I enjoy them as much as the level 4 cache that my wife and I hiked to today. :o

 

Geocaching is fine the way it is, it doesn't need changed or any more silly restrictions. :D

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I don't really see the point of micros. They are too easy to set out. Pick a bigger cache container and give yourself a challenge at hiding it, for pete's sakes!  :o

 

Maybe micros should be no smaller than a film canister?

Ok first let me say that I am not picking on you for being a newbie but come on. You are anti micro after finding ONE of them? I've found some micro's that took a heck of a lot more creativity than putting an ammo box in the woods in a stump\under a log\ under a pile of sticks. :D One micro was so clever that I actually touched the container and didn't know it was the cache. To each his or her own but micro's have their place. I enjoy them as much as the level 4 cache that my wife and I hiked to today. :D

 

Geocaching is fine the way it is, it doesn't need changed or any more silly restrictions. :D

No, I understand what you are saying. I'm not "anti-micro" by any means. But I have been reading several threads on them and I have to agree that anyone that leaves tons of micros all over the place just for the stats or hides breath strip micros in a haystack is just about getting to the point of ridiculousness. A couple nights ago, I printed off 38 of the closest caches from my house and about 75% of them are micros of some sort or another. Yeah...that's real exciting! :rolleyes: It's just too easy to set micros out all the time. And most are stashed in an urban setting. That's all I was saying. Micros DO have their place......I just wish so many of them didn't have their place around here. It doesn't make for a very exciting day of geocaching with the kids, ya know? If you have any, you will know what I mean.

When micros get so small that there is no room to even sign a log, well...........I'm not here to change the game or make silly restrictions, so I'll just leave it at that.

 

Geocaching, from my understanding and from what I read about it when I first discovered it in a search engine AND from all the promotion of geocaching that I have ever seen, is that the concept is to hide "treasures" called caches out in the wilderness or anywhere for that matter and for people to put co-ordinates into a GPS and enjoy a nice walk or hike while searching for them. Then you signed a log book and let the cache hider know that you were there and traded treasures. Sounded great! And I truly love those types of caches. I wasn't under the impression that most of those "treasures" would be thimbles hidden in a rockpile next to a construction site that don't have a log book big enough to sign the first two letters of my name on. :D

 

I haven't hidden any caches yet but I have a traditional one ready to go. I just need to find the perfect spot for it. I don't think I will ever hide a micro. I just don't find them that exciting or personal enough for what I think the geocaching concept means. But that's just me.

When all the the traditional caches are gone and all that's left are micros due to plundering, bad cache traders and peoples incessant need to stick a breath strip package into every sidewalk crack in town, I probably won't be as involved with geocaching as much as I would like. Again, that's just me.

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