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Your Gratitude Underwhelms Me.


flask

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somehow i'm left cold by people who express their gratitude for a hunt with "TFTC". is graciousness dead? if i really like a cache, i write something about it. at the very least i take the time to actually write out the words "thank you".

 

maybe my next cache will be a simple sheet of paper tacked to a tree. it will have the heading "TFCSLP", and that will be it.

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somehow i'm left cold by people who express their gratitude for a hunt with "TFTC". is graciousness dead? if i really like a cache, i write something about it. at the very least i take the time to actually write out the words "thank you".

 

maybe my next cache will be a simple sheet of paper tacked to a tree. it will have the heading "TFCSLP", and that will be it.

Brie or Camembert???

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I feel silly asking this, but what does TFTC and TFCSLP mean?

TFTC = Thanks for the Cache

TFCSLP = Thanks for Cache (?) Sign Log Please

 

I always try to remember this is a game. How other people play it may be different from your own expectations but you can always try and be careful how your expectations may impact others.

 

Once you let your cache, TB or other memento go that may have invested so much emotional stuff in doesn't mean that other people may pick up on that.

 

Kind of a no harm no foul here in my thinking. You can always look at least people are making the effort to find your hard hidden cache!

 

vincit qui se vincit

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I feel silly asking this, but what does TFTC and TFCSLP mean?

Thanks for the Cache = tftc

 

Not sure about the other one.

 

Sometimes I think 'tftc' is meaningless, at least when the person 'stamps' it in every log it is. Personally, I don't care if the person say thank you, I want to know they had fun / enjoyed the cache. (Or maybe the story around why not) Not that one needs to blatter on, but I don't get much from "T- this L- that, TFTC" :unsure:

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I am usually relatively brief in the physical logbook and much more verbose in the virtual logbook.

 

The length of the log does not always correlate with my feelings about the caching experience, but I generally put more effort into my online log if the cache was especially well thought out and/or the location was awesome. A micro that might have been thrown out the window of a moving vehicle into a vacant lot may well receive a "TNLNSL TFTC" log from me.

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see, if you're short on time i'd just as well you sign your name and leave it at that. if all your logs end with "TFTC", it seems kind of a hollow thanks at best.

 

i'm similarly irritated by people who have one interesting line that they cut and paste in ALL their logs. they go through an area and EVERYONE who has those caches on watch knows they couldn't be bothered to write a real log.

 

they should save themselves the trouble and just sign their name.

 

fortunately i live in an area where people mostly take the time to write a nice note online or in the log. sometimes both. many of our conversations contain the phrase "i know. i read your log."

 

we probably have a higher-than-average number of people who actually read all the logs. we like to play "guess who wrote this": a person reads log entries to the other members of the group and everybody has to guess who wrote it.

 

if you ever see one of our logs that says TFTC, you'll know it's just one step above DPMDAM: it's about a quarter to twelve and although the clams have spoken to the choreographer, they're not feeling so well.

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When I started caching a few months ago I came to the forums and looked to see what those abbreviations meant. Since those were what I saw on the cache page logs, those are what I started using. It was "Hey..we have our own code we are SUPPOSED to use" I played along and did the same thing. Other new cachers might be in the same pattern...people repeat what they see first because they think it's correct - not because they want to "diss" the cache.

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When I started caching a few months ago I came to the forums and looked to see what those abbreviations meant. Since those were what I saw on the cache page logs, those are what I started using. It was "Hey..we have our own code we are SUPPOSED to use" I played along and did the same thing. Other new cachers might be in the same pattern...people repeat what they see first because they think it's correct - not because they want to "diss" the cache.

hadn't thought of that.

 

i still think it's a sloppy kind of gratitude, though.

 

and i don't need to look up the latin. and i know it's a game. it's much better to rant about something like this rather than, say, the state of education or government or world politics, which just gives me a headache.

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I'm with Muirwoody on this one...Being fairly new at this, I am still a bit thrilled to feel that I am "in on the secret" ---I tend to write longish on-line logs that usually end with "TFTC"--I guess I feel that after all that chatter, it is a nice celan way to wrap it all up..

I do understand the lament, though--It is disappointing to open a log and read only a string of "TFTC" Perhaps part of the reason is that many folks don't have confidence in themselves as writers, and stick to safe standbys (said the teacher, who grades papers that read like that all too often in the first part of the year, before the kids learn to open up).

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Wow, at first I thought Lapaglia response was more funny than appropriate, but not anymore.

 

I know a local cacher, he's been around longer than anyone, placed a ton a caches and found even more. He shows up for all events and answers all questions. And barely writes anything in his found postings.

 

Sure I would love to see him post more about his caching experiences but I would never criticize him for it. And I don’t think I would sit by while someone else dumped their own personal preferences on him.

Edited by Elf Danach
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Now I feel sillier, seing as everyone else knew what it meant. :unsure:

 

I feel like such a noob. :lol:

Oh how I... wait... is there a moderator around? :lol:

 

flask, do you mean online, or in the paper log? Oft times during bug season I am in a hurry. I try to write more than TFTC, and usually do, but sometimes I am being aerial assualted by the 82nd Mosquitoborne, or something.

 

Online I try to write a bit more if I have kept track. If I log later and forget, rather than make something up (I stink at lying), I'll just say thanks.

 

Of course sometimes TFTC=DPM, which really has only happened to me once. And I suppose I might not have been all that fair, as others liked the cache.

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ok - I am wondering how you feel about the way that I sign a log.

 

I have a printed address label that I use - pre numbered with the number of the find. I put the date on the label then add the took/left trading under that.

 

Now the reason I do this is that my handwriting sucks big time and it is very hard for me to write while squatting on the side of a hill or under a bush and trying to balance a log sheet and try to write.

 

But also I think it is kinda cool. Has my avatar on it too. I've heard some good comments from some of teh owners I've found. But on the flip side, I also try to write something of interesting in the on-line log. Sometimes I will do the tnln if that is the case. But I always spell out my trades on-line too.

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i'm not an author. i'm not there to write a thesis. i do most of my caching in the rain and snow. i also like to save some room for other people if the log is getting full. i have liked all the caches i've found. if they read more or less into my log that's their problem, not mine.

I don't think flask was talking about brief entries in the physical logbook. I think it is the online logs that are being referred to. (I've been wrong before though.)

 

--Marky

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I am one of those people that likes to ramble on and give all the details of my experience (although I do sometimes end with TFTC just because I think it's cool). I know as the owner of a whopping one cache hide (my second is in the approval process) I appreciate hearing about the experience others have in finding mine. I spend a lot of time creating a nice cache hide when I have done them and it is fun to hear others experience in finding it.

 

Hiding a cache has really changed my ideas about finding one. There is a new appreciation there for the work that goes into one. And there is often something neat that happens along the way. I enjoy posting pictures of the experience as well. If the cache isn't that great, a few sentences simply thanking the owner can't hurt. I usually do most of my writing back at home on the computer though, not in the log at the cache. That's usually a quick few sentences.

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i'm not an author.  i'm not there to write a thesis.  i do most of my caching in the rain and snow. i also like to save some room for other people if the log is getting full.  i have liked all the caches i've found.  if they read more or less into my log that's their problem, not mine.

I don't think flask was talking about brief entries in the physical logbook. I think it is the online logs that are being referred to. (I've been wrong before though.)

 

--Marky

i don't write long logs on line either. i just don't feel like taking up the space. i always say something nice, i just don't use very many words. the comment about putting a piece of paper on a tree sounds like a substitute logbook to me.

Edited by uperdooper
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i'm not an author.  i'm not there to write a thesis.  i do most of my caching in the rain and snow. i also like to save some room for other people if the log is getting full.  i have liked all the caches i've found.  if they read more or less into my log that's their problem, not mine.

I don't think flask was talking about brief entries in the physical logbook. I think it is the online logs that are being referred to. (I've been wrong before though.)

 

--Marky

i don't write long logs on line either. i just don't feel like taking up the space. i always say something nice, i just don't use very many words. the comment about putting a piece of paper on a tree sounds like a substitute logbook to me.

he was being sarcastic about having an abreviated cache with a log sheet on a tree.

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When I started caching a few months ago I came to the forums and looked to see what those abbreviations meant. Since those were what I saw on the cache page logs, those are what I started using. It was "Hey..we have our own code we are SUPPOSED to use" I played along and did the same thing. Other new cachers might be in the same pattern...people repeat what they see first because they think it's correct - not because they want to "diss" the cache.

You're spot on with that.

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I sometimes feel annoyed that I HAVE to write anything at all. When I write TFTC, that is what I mean. If I am not in the mood to say thank you, then all I put is TN SL (took nothing, signed log) or less.

 

When I hunt down a cache that’s in the middle of a patch of Poison Oak and various others have already pointed it out, then I would like the option of saying nothing. In real life, silence is a potent communication tool; too bad we can’t have that in the logs.

 

When I am at the receiving end (i.e. I get the message that someone found my caches) I am interested only in whether they had a good experience or whether a service call is in order. Sometimes interesting things are communicated, and I enjoy that. If you come to my cache and say “thank you”, regardless of how brief, you can be sure that I am saying “you’re welcome” at my end.

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For me, terse little TNLNSL TFTC is code for "this cache really, really sucks."

Yeah, I'll second that. I tend to write chatty logs, both online and in the book. If I don't, it's usually because I disliked the hide but didn't want to tell some kid his cache sucks. Though I don't usually go in for acronyms.

 

"Found it without much trouble. Thanks!" translates to "pee-yoo! If this thing stank any harder, you'd had to slap a biohazard sticker on the Gladware!"

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somehow i'm left cold by people who express their gratitude for a hunt with "TFTC". is graciousness dead? if i really like a cache, i write something about it. at the very least i take the time to actually write out the words "thank you".

I suppose TFTC is better than TTFC. :huh:

 

Were you referring to logbooks or online logs? Perhaps the individual reserves their tales for one medium or the other. Other possibilities are the person is lazy, or didn't like your cache. To answer your other question, yes, graciousness is apparently quite dead. (How many of you Monty Python fans are imagining a high-pitched voice in the background saying "It's not quite dead yet.")?

Edited by BassoonPilot
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I guess I'd better start writing more so I don't leave the wrong impression :huh:

 

As a cache hunter I....

used to log all kinds of info in each find but now I don't. For example trade items. Unless something jumps out at me I won't take anything from the cache but I (almost) always leave a mini-carabiner along with my calling card showing the date Donna and I visited the cache and what number find it was. I prefer to leave comments in the paperlog rather than on the web site.

 

About the only comments I do make on the web that I don't make on the paper log are comments about the cache area or cache condition. If the cache was filled with water or covered with ants I'll be sure to post that on my web log to the next person going to hunt it and the cache owner are aware of possible problems with the cache.

 

As a cache placer I....

am happy that someone found the cache. I don't care if they say a whole lot or not. Just knowing they found it is good enough for me.

 

Zack

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When I started caching a few months ago I came to the forums and looked to see what those abbreviations meant. Since those were what I saw on the cache page logs, those are what I started using. It was "Hey..we have our own code we are SUPPOSED to use" I played along and did the same thing. Other new cachers might be in the same pattern...people repeat what they see first because they think it's correct - not because they want to "diss" the cache.

very true.i have done the same thing because that's what i thought was "the norm" in geocaching

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When I find a cache, I don't want to spend a whole lot of time writing in the logbook for a number of reasons; I don't want to take up more space than necessary, I have a number of additional caches to look for today, I save longer writing for the on-line log, I don't want to spend too much time drawing muggle attention, I'm trying to keep track of kids/dog, it's a quick "cache n dash" micro, etc.

 

I, along with others, have often used the acronyms because I thought that's what was expected, not as an insult. I usually put only a line or two about the hunt/find, my trade(s), and then finish off with TFTC. And when I write TFTC, I actually mean thanks for the cache, not "this cache sucks". "Sucks" is really subjective; a sucky cache for you may be the perfect cache for someone else, so why insult the hider when his cache is not your particular preference? Do some people believe that their own caches are perfect for every cacher? It's really annoying that people have taken a positive comment ("Thanks for the Cache" :huh: ) and turned it into an insult!? Why? Does this mean that TNLNSL actually means "took something, left something, didn't bother signing the log". Tell me, then, which acronyms are real and which are "opposites", and what level does a cacher need to achieve before he's given his secret decoder ring? :huh:

 

I've said it before in life, we'd all be better off if we would just say what we mean, mean what we say! And obviously, your mother's old advice of "if you can't say something nice..." also holds true. If the cache is not to your liking, then simply sign your name to the log and go away. As for the on-line log, at least try to say something nice or simply don't log it (it's not about the numbers, remember?).

Edited by 4x4van
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i'm not an author.  i'm not there to write a thesis.  i do most of my caching in the rain and snow. i also like to save some room for other people if the log is getting full.  i have liked all the caches i've found.  if they read more or less into my log that's their problem, not mine.

I don't think flask was talking about brief entries in the physical logbook. I think it is the online logs that are being referred to. (I've been wrong before though.)

 

--Marky

i don't write long logs on line either. i just don't feel like taking up the space. i always say something nice, i just don't use very many words. the comment about putting a piece of paper on a tree sounds like a substitute logbook to me.

I'm with Uper.... I'm less than verbose in my logs, both physical and on-line. No particular reason other than I'm not especially into writing. I always make sure that give my opinion of the 'cache and the hide, but beyond that....

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Illegitimi Non Carborundum

 

remember - it's only a game

----------------------

check out google for 'latin' above -

http://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&...orundum&spell=1

ROFLMFAO! I have had a coffee mug with that phrase on it for over 20 years. After you take the first sip the translation is revealed on the inside. :huh::huh::o

It's one of the two latin phrases I know. : :(

um flask was it ok for me to abbreviate ROFL.....? :o

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My logs in the logbook are usually short and sweet, mainly for reasons already stated. I'm getting eaten by bugs, I don't want to risk compromising the cache by exposing it to muggles, I don't want to take up too much space in the logbook, nobody can read my handwriting anyway, etc.

I can't say I keep it short because I'm in rush to get to the next cache though. If the muggle factor is low, I like to browse the cache (even though I rarely trade) and read the logbook. I take lots of pictures, both at the cache and on the way in and out. I enjoy the cache experience, not the smiley count, so I'd rather take my time enjoying 1 cache then rush to find 3. But that's just me, as always different people get different things out of this game.

 

As a cache owner, I like to read about people's experiences with my hides, and I try to keep then in mind when I'm logging my finds.

Even on those 15-20hr long caching marathons that I find 20-40 caches, I still try to write my experiences about each one in the online log, rather then just a cookie-cutter log. Of course, between that, sorting/editing/uploading all the pics I took, and my painfully slow typing speed (WPM? Ha! More like Words Per Hour for me!), most of my cache logs take 15-30 minutes apiece to post. Guess that's why there are running jokes about how far behind in my logs I am. Right now I think I'm only about 15 or so behind, but that will probably increase to over 50 by the end of the weekend.

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When I started caching a few months ago I came to the forums and looked to see what those abbreviations meant. Since those were what I saw on the cache page logs, those are what I started using. It was "Hey..we have our own code we are SUPPOSED to use" I played along and did the same thing. Other new cachers might be in the same pattern...people repeat what they see first because they think it's correct - not because they want to "diss" the cache.

I'm with muirwoody here. I thought the abbreviations were the thing to do. I have written little so far because I just didn't feel witty or whatever. Now that I know what's expected, I will likely change. It is, however, possible that thanks for the cache really means THANK YOU!

Edited by greende
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I'm like Mopar. Usually my log in the logbooks are short-and-sweet. Here in Colorado, most caches are closely guarded by hordes of blood-sucking, West Nile carrying mosquitoes. I remember one cache I was signing the log book and I think I lost 2-3 pints of blood to the little varmin. My handwriting got worse and worse as I started getting light-headed from the loss of blood.

 

So, I tend to keep my logbook entries short. I say what I took, what I left, and usually thank the hider for the cache.

 

When I log the find online, I tend to write more. I usually explain what I saw along the way, who I met, what wildlife I saw, etc.

 

To me, the logbook in the cache is kinda like a time-stamp record. It shows when people found the cache. The online logs tell the story about their finds. (but that's just my opinion)

 

Bradtal

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Just going to chime in with a "me too"

 

My physical logs are usually nothing more than "Markwell" the date/time and a smiley face. I would have to be really moved by something to put pen to paper in the woods.

 

However, I tend to be much more verbose online. Caches inspire me to write about my experiences, and most of the time, I write long logs (not as long as one of Genius Loci's logs).

 

So, if you see me write something as short online as TFTC, you can probably bet that my experience was sub par.

 

As a cache placer - it's nice to hear nice things about my caches, but it's not going to spoil my day if I get a TFTC.

Edited by Markwell
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As so often, I'm with Mopar on this, no need for me to rephrase.

 

The difference between the physical log and the online log has been mentioned, and this leads me to a question I have always wondered about: who are we writing them for, and what happens to them? When a cache gets archieved without having been muggled, what do cache owners do with the log books?

 

I don't want to derail this thread, so I'll start a separate one...

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somehow i'm left cold by people who express their gratitude for a hunt with "TFTC". is graciousness dead? if i really like a cache, i write something about it. at the very least i take the time to actually write out the words "thank you".

 

maybe my next cache will be a simple sheet of paper tacked to a tree. it will have the heading "TFCSLP", and that will be it.

Brie or Camembert???

Gouda or Blue actually <_<

 

Personally I wouldn't say TFTC if I didn't mean it. And if you don't think I mean it then it sucks to be you. It's irrelevant if I take 1.2 seconds to type TFTC or 8 seconds to type 'Thanks for the cache" either way I say what I mean. If I somehow thought the cache sucked or could be improved then I'd tell you. And if in that part of the log I can use a abreviation or short form for something I will as well. Should I be upset that people don't snail mail me or email me directly when they like my cache?

 

Thorin

Edited by thorin
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