Jump to content

"local" Reviewers


KnifeMaker

Recommended Posts

I have been into geocaching less than a month so I'm pretty green but I was hooked as soon as I heard about it. After my first hunt I signed up for the premium membership and bought myself a new, top-of-the-line GPS. After another week or so I was really into it and couldn't wait to hide my first cache. I put a lot of thought and effort into what I thought was a very interesting and educational multi-stage cache that includes over 40 interesting items for the takning. I bought a travel bug and came up with a novel travel bug idea, which I placed in the cache. Then came the review......

 

After a week, my "local" reviewer finally responded, denying approval. Since then we have been in a very frustrating game of email tag, going back and forth over things like railroad tracks that are no longer there, following my cache route takes you too close to another cache, etc. To say the least, my "local" reviewer has been far less than helpful, answering very detailed questions with one-sentence, or even one-word responses that do not anwer the questions. And, my "local" reviewer isn't even in my state! Why are caches in Louisville, Kentucky being reviewed by someone in Tennessee who is not all familiar with the area?

 

I have found that geocaching is very big in this area. There are hundreds of caches within a few mile of my home. Surely there must be qualifed reviewers around here who are really "local".

 

So, what does it take to become a reviewer? I have read several posts about long waits for approval due to backlogs. The simple solution seems to be more reviewers. As much as people are into it around here I find it hard to beleive that some of them aren't willing to spend the time reviewing caches.

 

I'm sorry to be so long-winded. I thought caching was going to be great fun but his first experience in trying to start a cache has really just about put me off of the whole thing. :unsure:

Link to comment

It used to be if you asked you had a shot at it. Right now the explanation is that you should be a stand up cacher, and a member of your local organization or well known for doing good things with land managers. The theory is if you do these things Groundspeak will notice you and if they need a reviewer they will ask. In other words a variation of don't call us we will call you but here is what you can do to increase your odds.

Link to comment

How do you know he's not familiar with the area?

I'm sure you havent personally visited every park and open space in KY, have you?

The cache review team ihas found close to 40,000 caches, and hid thousands more. The average reviewer has found over 650 caches.in the areas they review. Your reviewer is quite familiar with caches in KY. Still, it's impossible to know every trail in every park. The reviewers must work with the info on the maps. If all the maps show a RR, it's hard to know that it's now a rails to trails area.

Looking at your cache, I see you were told the problem is your cache is only 240ft from an existing cache. You need to be at least .1 mile (528ft) from other caches. He told you to email him once you moved it away from the other cache and he would review it again. He mentioned the possible issue with the tracks for your own good. If it had been an actually RR right-of-way and not a trail, you could be trespassing. One cacher I know of was fined thousands of dollars for placing a cache too close to the tracks. Just keep working with your reviewer, I'm sure he wants to list your new cache almost as bad as you do. Gives him a new cache to hunt.

Link to comment
I have been into geocaching less than a month so I'm pretty green but I was hooked as soon as I heard about it. After my first hunt I signed up for the premium membership and bought myself a new, top-of-the-line GPS. After another week or so I was really into it and couldn't wait to hide my first cache. I put a lot of thought and effort into what I thought was a very interesting and educational multi-stage cache that includes over 40 interesting items for the takning. I bought a travel bug and came up with a novel travel bug idea, which I placed in the cache. Then came the review......

 

After a week, my "local" reviewer finally responded, denying approval. Since then we have been in a very frustrating game of email tag, going back and forth over things like railroad tracks that are no longer there, following my cache route takes you too close to another cache, etc. To say the least, my "local" reviewer has been far less than helpful, answering very detailed questions with one-sentence, or even one-word responses that do not anwer the questions. And, my "local" reviewer isn't even in my state! Why are caches in Louisville, Kentucky being reviewed by someone in Tennessee who is not all familiar with the area?

 

I have found that geocaching is very big in this area. There are hundreds of caches within a few mile of my home. Surely there must be qualifed reviewers around here who are really "local".

 

So, what does it take to become a reviewer? I have read several posts about long waits for approval due to backlogs. The simple solution seems to be more reviewers. As much as people are into it around here I find it hard to beleive that some of them aren't willing to spend the time reviewing caches.

 

I'm sorry to be so long-winded. I thought caching was going to be great fun but his first experience in trying to start a cache has really just about put me off of the whole thing.  :unsure:

To start with your cache starting point is 241 feet away from another cache. The reviewer said to let him know when you moved it and he would look at it again. He is doing his job and following the guidelines.

If someone wants to be a reviewer thats the first thing you need to be able to do. You indicated that you read the guidelines when you submitted your cache. So you knew about the 528 ft distance requirement. So if you want your cache approved, move it farther away from the other cache and let the reviewer know that the tracks are not there anymore.

Its pretty easy. In fact one of the things that contributes to long cache approval times is have to go back and forth with a hider who didn't follow the guidelines in the first place. So if you would like to do your part to speed things up read and follow the guidelines.

 

[changed final to starting point]

Edited by CO Admin
Link to comment

The final cache IS more than 528 feet away from the other cache. The starting point of the offset cache was 241 feet away. The cache was designed to be dedicated to one of the Great Mayors of Louisville so I started the hunt at his statue and moved on from there, requiring the cache hunter to gather clues along the way to final destination.

 

I'm not going to get into all of the details of my communications with the reviewer. This is not about bashing him (or her). My point was simply that, in an area with a lot of geocachers, a local resident might be more familiar with the area and have a better understanding of the whole picture and that would expedite the process.

 

I think this is a great sport and that's why I immediately jumped in but my first experience in placing a cache has not been a very welcoming one.

Link to comment
The final cache IS more than 528 feet away from the other cache. The starting point of the offset cache was 241 feet away. The cache was designed to be dedicated to one of the Great Mayors of Louisville so I started the hunt at his statue and moved on from there, requiring the cache hunter to gather clues along the way to final destination.

 

I'm not going to get into all of the details of my communications with the reviewer. This is not about bashing him (or her). My point was simply that, in an area with a lot of geocachers, a local resident might be more familiar with the area and have a better understanding of the whole picture and that would expedite the process.

 

I think this is a great sport and that's why I immediately jumped in but my first experience in placing a cache has not been a very welcoming one.

its really not the end of the world.

 

I don't have much experience myself but I know in this small town there is a multi with 5 legs. and so I don't know where 4 of them are until I find them.

 

there is a good chance those 4 legs are in places I would want to leave a chace, being I'm in a small town.

 

anyway, I have to find them so I can place my own cache.

 

edited to add, it would be a bummer to do all that work to do a cache and have to move it because there is a leg of a multi in that little park.

Edited by amytincan
Link to comment
The final cache IS more than 528 feet away from the other cache. The starting point of the offset cache was 241 feet away.

I know that it doesn't come right out and say it in the guidelines, but in a multi-cache, every waypoint should try to be 0.1 miles from any existing cache. The waypoints of the multi-cache can be less that 0.1 from each other though. Note that this is a guideline and not a hard and fast rule, so if you can provide enough justification, it is possible to get the cache approved even if one of your intermediate waypoints is less that 0.1 from an existing cache.

 

--Marky

Link to comment

If the reveiwer in question is the one I think it is, that's just their style (short answers) when posting. I wouldn't take it personal, I've found them to be quite pleasant. Probably has a lot of emails to respond to every day also.

 

Don't let this deter you from the sport, it's every bit as fun as you've anticipated.

Link to comment

Welcome,

 

So, what does it take to become a reviewer?

 

Wish I knew the answer. :unsure:

 

I wonder just how many reviewers there are.

 

From what I can tell we don't have a reviewer that lives any where near my area.

I live in South Dakota near the Minnesota border and not to far from North Dakota.

 

I would be more then willing to help review new caches in my area if asked to.

 

This is off topic, but the photo on your profile page is preaty cool.

Looks like fun. ;)

Edited by Milbank
Link to comment

To answer some of the questions in this topic, there are more than 50 volunteer cache reviewers -- and more than a dozen of these are located in countires other than the U.S. Approximately 40 are based in the U.S. The distribution of reviewers is based on the volume of caches hidden. Thus, there are multiple reviewers in busy states like California, Texas, Washington and Pennsylvania. In areas where fewer caches are hidden, a single reviewer may cover multiple states. For example, in reply to Milbank's post, one reviewer presently covers North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska quite comfortably, as on an average day only five caches are hidden in all 3 states combined. If South Dakota cachers started hiding dozens of caches each week, then a dedicated South Dakota reviewer might be added to the team. On a summer weekend in California, the average is more like five caches per hour, so there currently are four volunteers there!

Link to comment
So, what does it take to become a reviewer? I have read several posts about long waits for approval due to backlogs. The simple solution seems to be more reviewers. As much as people are into it around here I find it hard to beleive that some of them aren't willing to spend the time reviewing caches.

 

My husband and I are still fairly new to caching. He has two hides and I have one (under our separate accounts) ---His caches, done in KY, took 2 hours for one and about an hour for the second. Mine, (in Indiana) took 40 minutes from submission to approval.

 

The "trick" I think was to read and re-read the rules to make sure that we had done everything just like it should have been. My cache had something peculiar about it that I was afraid might make it slow to be approved, so I went ahead and mentioned it in a note to the approver when I sent it review.

 

I am not sure that being local would really help all that much in approving caches. I am constantly amazed at the things I learn about this city every time I go caching---and I have lived in this general area for 32 of the last 40 years.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...