Fe: Watchers - List Who Is Watching

[+MtnGoat50]

Ya know, I think I'd just as soon see that little piece of info just disappear from the cache pages.

 

Not me. I don't need to know who they are but I want to know IF they are (and how many).

[+Markwell]

You do realize that MANY people now know that you can bookmark a cache (secretly) and get notifications just like a watchlist? AND the cache owner will never know.

 

So you really don't know how many are watching the cache.

[+CasheKicker]

Well I like the feature on a Premium Members cache where you can see who looked at the cache page, when they looked at the page, the first time they looked at it and how often.

 

Why something similar can not be incorperated with non-premium caches is beyond me.

[+geoSquid]

Well I like the feature on a Premium Members cache where you can see who looked at the cache page, when they looked at the page, the first time they looked at it and how often.

 

Why something similar can not be incorperated with non-premium caches is beyond me.

 

This is news to me. How do you get this info?

[+CasheKicker]

I do not see how this is a privacy issue. If a premium member cache can provide a detailed list of Who, when, and how many times the cache page is being looked at (watched) why cant a watch list be provided for a non-premium cache?

[+Prime Suspect]

Well I like the feature on a Premium Members cache where you can see who looked at the cache page, when they looked at the page, the first time they looked at it and how often.

 

Why something similar can not be incorperated with non-premium caches is beyond me.

Nobody said it can't be done. It's just that it won't be done.

[+CasheKicker]

Well I like the feature on a Premium Members cache where you can see who looked at the cache page, when they looked at the page, the first time they looked at it and how often.

 

Why something similar can not be incorperated with non-premium caches is beyond me.

 

This is news to me. How do you get this info?

 

If you OWN a premium member only cache, just under the Cache owners name is a link that says

 

"This is a subscriber-only cache.

Read the audit log (see who viewed your cache)"

 

When you click the link it takes to to the history of the cache page of every one who has opened the cache page to view it, when the first time was the viewed it, the last time they viewed it and how many times.

 

Example:

 

Last Visit..........First Visit.....................User................#Times

 

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

 

9/16/2006.....8:43 AM 3/26/2006.....CasheKicker..........239

Edited September 16, 2006 by CasheKicker

[+geoSquid]

Well I like the feature on a Premium Members cache where you can see who looked at the cache page, when they looked at the page, the first time they looked at it and how often.

 

Why something similar can not be incorperated with non-premium caches is beyond me.

 

This is news to me. How do you get this info?

 

If you OWN a premium member only cache, just under the Cache owners name is a link that says

 

"This is a subscriber-only cache.

Read the audit log (see who viewed your cache)"

 

When you click the link it takes to to the history of the cache page of every one who has opened the cache page to view it, when the first time was the viewed it, the last time they viewed it and how many times.

 

Example:

 

Last Visit..........First Visit.....................User................#Times

 

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

 

9/16/2006.....8:43 AM 3/26/2006.....CasheKicker..........239

 

ah, ok. Generally, I make my caches premium-only for the first find, then release them for general use.

[+geoSquid]

Here's a more compelling reason to allow watchers to be listed:

 

It is demonstrable that there are people watching caches waiting for travel bugs or geocoins to appear so they can nick them. I would conjecture that behaviour will drop to almost zero when the watch list can be called up. Ditto for people watching travel bugs/geocoins. If the watch list can be called up, people inclined to <ahem> collect travel bugs or geocoins will at least be forced to do more work by manually checking each cache rather than be sent emails... or they will risk discovery by cache and travel bug owners.

 

In fact, there's no good reason NOT to display who is watching. Obviously, there's a counter already programmed, it should be a simple matter to just display the names. To me, this seems like a much more worthwhile function than displaying what bookmarks a cache is a member of.

[+Markwell]

Did you miss my post? If someone wants to nick a TB, why can't they just put it on a bookmarked list called "Caches Where I Can Nick a TB" and have the Bookmark list notify them of logs?

 

Then they would not be on the Watchlist, yet they could still get the information.

 

Or they could get a Q of the caches in the area, and find the caches nearby that have Travel Bugs and go out and nick them. They wouldn't even have to VISIT a premium member cache to do that, so the audit trail on MO caches doesn't even apply to them!

 

 

I'd say do away with the Watchlist all together and roll it into a specialized version of a Bookmark List. The bookmark lists have more functionality anyway, and the list owner can choose to have it publically known that they are "watching" a cache or not.

Edited September 17, 2006 by Markwell

[+Prime Suspect]

Here's a more compelling reason to allow watchers to be listed:

 

It is demonstrable that there are people watching caches waiting for travel bugs or geocoins to appear so they can nick them. I would conjecture that behaviour will drop to almost zero when the watch list can be called up. Ditto for people watching travel bugs/geocoins. If the watch list can be called up, people inclined to <ahem> collect travel bugs or geocoins will at least be forced to do more work by manually checking each cache rather than be sent emails... or they will risk discovery by cache and travel bug owners.

 

In fact, there's no good reason NOT to display who is watching. Obviously, there's a counter already programmed, it should be a simple matter to just display the names. To me, this seems like a much more worthwhile function than displaying what bookmarks a cache is a member of.

The main reason not to display watchlists, is that it provides a list of people to accuse and persecute, if something happens to a cache. But if someone wants to be devious, they can simply keep track of caches via bookmarks and PQs. So what you'll end up with is a list of innocent people to harass.

 

Beyond simple curiosity, there's no good reason to display who's on a watchlist.

[+CasheKicker]

Is there a problem with supporting simple curiosity? Why are the watchers scared to be known? If you can see who is viewing the cache page for premium members how does this differ? I have nothing to hide and watch a few caches myself. The owner of a cache should have the choice to know who is watching him via their caches. Perhaps if GC.COM is considering removing the information from the cache page that someone is watchging, they should actually remove the ability to watch caches all together.

[+Prime Suspect]

Is there a problem with supporting simple curiosity? Why are the watchers scared to be known?

Why would people not want to be known? I believe I answered that in my prior post.

Edited September 17, 2006 by Prime Suspect

[+Two Retirees Caching In]

I recently inquired at Groundspeak about the possibility of notifying the cache

owner when someone puts a watch on their cache. I was told that this

was not done due to privacy issues. I don't understand how doing so

would affect privacy any more than the notifications we now receive.

Currently, cache owners are notified by e-mail if someone adds a log

(Found it, Didn't find it, Write note) to their cache page, and owners

of trackable items are notified when someone grabs or stashes the

item. Sending an e-mail to the owner when someone adds/removes a

"watch" on a cache or trackable item is a logical extension of the current

notices and would be a great addition to the geocaching web site.

Having to post a note on the cache page to solicit an e-mail from

"anyone who might be watching" is a hokey way to find out who's watching,

and would just result in a lot of superfluous e-mail traffic.

Suppose there are four (known) people watching, and a fifth (unknown)

starts watching. You then post another "who's watching" note on your

cache page, and that note would be sent to six people (you, plus the

five watchers). The four known watches would get an extraneous e-mail!

Now, add a sixth unknown watcher. You then post another "who's watching"

note on the cache page, and seven e-mails sent, with the five known watchers

getting an extraneous "who's watching" e-mail.

If someone adds or removes a "watch" for a cache or trackable item,

it would be so much simpler and better to send the owner one e-mail;

for example, "Team XYZ is watching your such-and-such cache (TB whatever)."

or, "Team XYZ is no longer watching your such-and-such cache (TB whatever)."

There's no harm done privacy-wise. and it would preclude having to post

"who's watching" notes on a cache page.

From personal experience, I discovered that a cacher who lives close

to one of our caches was watching it, and grabbed all the geocoins that were

stashed there, but didn't leave a log entry that he'd taken them. I became

concerned that the cache had been muggled! Perhaps if cachers knew that

the cache owner knew about their "watch" on a cache, they'd be less

apt to get "piggy" about grabbing trackables.

Please consider the above for a future enhancement to the geocaching

web site. But whatever you do, please don't remove the "watching" count

from the cache page.

Edited March 31, 2007 by Two Retirees Caching In

[+ke6n]

I recently inquired at Groundspeak about the possibility of notifying the cache

owner when someone puts a watch on their cache. I was told that this

was not done due to privacy issues. I don't understand how doing so

would affect privacy any more than the notifications we now receive.

 

<snip superfluous examples>

 

Please consider the above for a future enhancement to the geocaching

web site. But whatever you do, please don't remove the "watching" count

from the cache page.

 

Jeeze, is it any wonder Jeremy would want to remove the watch count feature?!

He wouldn't be bombarded, ad nauseum, by the same old tired posts!

[+Prime Suspect]

I recently inquired at Groundspeak about the possibility of notifying the cache

owner when someone puts a watch on their cache. I was told that this

was not done due to privacy issues. I don't understand how doing so

would affect privacy any more than the notifications we now receive.

Currently, cache owners are notified by e-mail if someone adds a log

(Found it, Didn't find it, Write note) to their cache page, and owners

of trackable items are notified when someone grabs or stashes the

item. Sending an e-mail to the owner when someone adds/removes a

"watch" on a cache or trackable item is a logical extension of the current

notices and would be a great addition to the geocaching web site.

Having to post a note on the cache page to solicit an e-mail from

"anyone who might be watching" is a hokey way to find out who's watching,

and would just result in a lot of superfluous e-mail traffic.

Suppose there are four (known) people watching, and a fifth (unknown)

starts watching. You then post another "who's watching" note on your

cache page, and that note would be sent to six people (you, plus the

five watchers). The four known watches would get an extraneous e-mail!

Now, add a sixth unknown watcher. You then post another "who's watching"

note on the cache page, and seven e-mails sent, with the five known watchers

getting an extraneous "who's watching" e-mail.

If someone adds or removes a "watch" for a cache or trackable item,

it would be so much simpler and better to send the owner one e-mail;

for example, "Team XYZ is watching your such-and-such cache (TB whatever)."

or, "Team XYZ is no longer watching your such-and-such cache (TB whatever)."

There's no harm done privacy-wise. and it would preclude having to post

"who's watching" notes on a cache page.

From personal experience, I discovered that a cacher who lives close

to one of our caches was watching it, and grabbed all the geocoins that were

stashed there, but didn't leave a log entry that he'd taken them. I became

concerned that the cache had been muggled! Perhaps if cachers knew that

the cache owner knew about their "watch" on a cache, they'd be less

apt to get "piggy" about grabbing trackables.

Please consider the above for a future enhancement to the geocaching

web site. But whatever you do, please don't remove the "watching" count

from the cache page.

 

Simple solution - get over the fact that people have put your cache on their watchlist. It's meaningless. They're not plotting against you. They're not out to steal your cache. Therefore, there's no reason to post annoying messages to your cache in a pointless attempt to discover the watchers.

Edited March 31, 2007 by Prime Suspect

[+Wolf's Pack]

Just to put my 2 cents worth in, I am new to this. Just got a GPS'r, and am looking forward to getting involved in this activity. I'll admit I'm being a wimp for now, and waiting for nicer weather, but I am watching several caches in my area, just because they will be the first ones I go for, and I find it interesting reading other peoples posts when they find them. Makes me more anxious to get out there. I have no underlying scheme or plot.

[+sbell111]

... From personal experience, I discovered that a cacher who lives close to one of our caches was watching it, and grabbed all the geocoins that were stashed there, but didn't leave a log entry that he'd taken them. I became

concerned that the cache had been muggled! Perhaps if cachers knew that the cache owner knew about their "watch" on a cache, they'd be less apt to get "piggy" about grabbing trackables. ...

I think you've just made the perfect argument for not making this information available. You are making an assumption that one of the watchers grabbed all the coins, but you did not support that assumption.

 

If this information was made available, many innocent cachers would be wrongly accused. I believe that the damage that releasing this information would create outweighs any good that can come from it. This is especially true, given that no one has been able to give a good reason for this information to be made available.

[+ChileHead]

I'd like to see the feature removed since it is already displaying incorrect data. Many people (myself included) put caches on a "watch" bookmark list, and that isn't reflected in the number of people watching.

 

At best, the numbers are half right anyway.

 

And I don't want people knowing what caches I'm watching anyway.

[+mudsneaker]

[+Two Retirees Caching In]

So, the number of watchers is not all that meaningful, because if a cache is on a bookmark list, it's not counted as watched. Still, as a cache and trackable items owner, I'd be interested in knowing who is so interested in my caches and trackable items that they "flag" them.

 

Here's my suggestion: Just as the owner is notified when a log is posted for his/her cache or trackable item, the owner could be notified when his/her cache or trackable item is placed on a watch list or bookmark list. No link to a list of watchers/bookmarkers would be necessary. The onus would be on the owner of the cache/trackable item to keep/update his own list based on the notifications received. Simple!

[GOF and Bacall]

Wow! You should have wiped the dust off of this one before you parked it in the front row.