Point's For Hiding A Cache

[+fan5]

Hello fellow geocaching friends,

 

I really think we are all trying to make geocaching as fun as possible.My family started geocaching in Sept,of 2004,and in a short time we have found just about every cache in our local area.So we started placing cache's,thinking there are other geocacher's wanting more in our area.

With the effort,and time we take away from finding a cache,to hide one,I think we should start giving one point for every cache that you hide.

If you think about it,this will also be an incentive for everyone to start hiding more, and it will make geocaching even more stronger.

You go to an event cache, and you get a point,so I think it would be a good idea to give some credit for those who take the time out to hide them.(Just a thought)

 

Have a great day,and happy geocaching,From Fan5.

[+JohnnyVegas]

You havn't found all mine, but then again, I havn't found all yours

[+TheWilkens]

To quote numerous people - "How many points do you need to win?"

 

I think that this may have the effect of "quantity not quality" taking over when the placement of caches is concerned.

[+mortaine]

*tries to figure out what the points are for*

 

What's wrong with just using your Geocaching.com stats, if you want to keep score?

[Mushtang]

If you mean that your number of Finds should increase by one for every hide, I disagree. Hiding a cache is not the same as finding one at all.

 

Every time you hide a cache you do get credit for having hidden one. Finds and Hides are different and should be counted differently.

 

Is that what you meant by "points"? If not, then I'm totally lost.

[+cache_test_dummies]

I think it would be a good idea to give some credit for those who take the time out to hide them.

Ah, but we already do! We write nice logs and tell the owners how much we enjoyed their caches, even when we can't find them!

[+Mr.Benchmark]

To quote numerous people - "How many points do you need to win?"

 

I think that this may have the effect of "quantity not quality" taking over when the placement of caches is concerned.

Many would argue that we're way, way past that now in some areas.

 

I agree that the count of caches found isn't intended to be a score. In fact, I'd say it's actively discouraged as being viewed as a score, both by Groundspeak and a great many in the caching community. The fact that many seem to desperately want to use it in this manner is a reality though. Contrary to so many negative postings about this, I believe there's nothing perverse about wanting some type of score. I've been chided by people for pointing this out - "No REAL geocacher cares about their find count", and then invited by the same person to go to an event cache luncheon to celebrate some milestone count of finds. (Or sometimes hides and finds - 1000 / 100 is typical.)

 

There's no need to add a "found it" smiley for a hide in any case. Our local hiders who care about this are in a race to see who gets to some milestone number of hides, and they simply compare the count of caches owned. Since no one will actually come out and SAY they are trying to compete to reach a milestone, this is kind of fascinating to watch from a distance.

 

The general concept of encouraging hiders to hide good caches in some way is a good one, and using the statistics to do this is an idea I've long felt has merit. However, that has a very low probability of happening here, so I'll not mention it further.

 

If someone wants to be in a race to be the top-dog, uber-hider in the area, they just need to compare the caches owned stat to someone else's caches owned stat.

 

People can and do compete with the existing statistics - anyone who thinks this doesn't happen is fooling themselves. The existing statistics absolutely favor quantity over quality if they are used in this manner, in my opinion.

[+Renegade Knight]

Dan's original stats site counted your hides along with your finds for a total.

 

You can split stats a thousand ways and do some cool non stats stuff with the information.

 

There are sites that track the top cache placers. Face it points or not, if nobody is placing caches then nobody can find them, let alone whine about them. Hiders make this game.

[+CT Trampers]

I've been chided by people for pointing this out - "No REAL geocacher cares about their find count", and then invited by the same person to go to an event cache luncheon to celebrate some milestone count of finds. (Or sometimes hides and finds - 1000 / 100 is typical.)

 

There's no need to add a "found it" smiley for a hide in any case. Our local hiders who care about this are in a race to see who gets to some milestone number of hides, and they simply compare the count of caches owned. Since no one will actually come out and SAY they are trying to compete to reach a milestone, this is kind of fascinating to watch from a distance.

 

You are SOOOO correct with that statement.

 

The "hip" thing to say is it isn't about the numbers, at least around here.

 

Kind of like no one wants to admit that they like watching TV.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

Hiders make this game.

I agree, 100%. I've long thought that hiders who do a really amazing job (as decided by the people who find and enjoy there caches) should get some type of special recognition, beyond the "I Found it" logs. (I always try to write a really good log if I enjoyed the cache and thought it was really well done. But not everyone does.) Some really do put an amazing amount of time, effort, and creativity in to their hides.

[+Quest Master]

Hiders make this game.

...and break it.

[+The Blind Acorn]

It's not about #'s, it's about fun. And I'm having fun!!!! Snow caching rocks.... too bad it doesn't snow more here. Nothing like having an excuse to go out and play in the snow!

 

[+Prime Suspect]

People quickly find out who the quality cache hiders are.

 

As for "points", I'm old enough to remember Bob Barker on "Truth or Consequences", from when I was a kid. The games on the show were totally bogus, and only existed as a way to prank someone. So Bob would always award "points" during the game, instead of money.

 

If anyone wishes, they can feel free to have one of Bob's points.

[+ShowStop]

I'm not usually very creative with my hides. I mostly drop a ammo can under a bush along a trail or magnetic micro in an urban setting. I just don't have the creative thought to make things too tricky.

 

Anyways, I do believe on giving back to the community. Personally I try to maintain a 2% hide to find ratio. That may seem low, but like I said before, I'm not the best at hides.

[+Mr. Snazz]

I cashed in my first 100 find points for a cool Geocaching.com wristband. We should get double points for hides 'cause they take longer, what with the planning and stuff. Then I'll hide 100 micros and have enough points for a new geocaching hat!

[+Mr.Benchmark]

Hiders make this game.

...and break it.

Also true. There's plenty of incentive to hide large numbers of very simple log-only urban caches. These don't have to be low quality - but the "hide large numbers" part tends to make that a more likely outcome.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

PrimeSuspect and Mr. Snazz - you can laugh about points all you want, and honestly, it's not my main motivation either - but there are people who want some competition. Look at the people who RACE to be FTF on a cache. Lots of times there's NO incentive to do this - the stat is not even tracked on this site, and for log only caches, my experience has been that signing first, second, or sixteenth was exactly the same.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with people who want to do this - the problem is that it's not supported, is actively discouraged by TPTB, and is the target of SNIDE comments from people in these forums. But people do it anyway, and the stats that are frequently used for competitive purposes tend to encourage quantity over quality. This isn't the ONLY reason this happens, but I think it's a factor.

 

But that's not the biggest problem - the major problem with denying that this happens is that it leads people to just flat out lie to themselves and others about what it is they are doing. It's fundamentally dishonest. I'm not saying everybody has to be involved in some kind of a competition against everyone else, but would it be so wrong to support those who want this, and be upfront that's what's going on?

Edited March 4, 2005 by Mr.Benchmark

[+wimseyguy]

Look at the people who RACE to be FTF on a cache. Lots of times there's NO incentive to do this - the stat is not even tracked on this site, and for log only caches, my experience has been that signing first, second, or sixteenth was exactly the same

.

The incentive for those people is that it's what they consider FUN.

I just wanted to point that out.

 

Gotta fly, a new one was just posted 1.3 miles away.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

The incentive for those people is that it's what they consider FUN.

Sure. I've got no problem with that - more power to them - but "competition" is almost a dirty word around here, or it seems that way to me. Sometimes I'll even decide it's fun and go for FTF myself.

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Sure. I've got no problem with that - more power to them - but "competition" is almost a dirty word around here, or it seems that way to me. Sometimes I'll even decide it's fun and go for FTF myself.

Competition bad? Um, I don't know where YOU live, but around here it's all about the numbers, baby. Not that I'm that way... my family and I have been caching since 10/01 and we still have just over 250 caches. Of course, if we lived in the Medford/Klamath Falls area, where Geocaches outnumber the entire state's Education budget numbers, we would have over a thousand caches just by leaving the house every day.

 

Personally, I'm all for a well-thought out cache, where it is obvious that the person hiding it took their time and put some thought into the location, the container, the contents or what it takes to find it. I'm a huge fan of puzzle caches.

 

I suppose my point is this: If you start giving some kind of extra points for cache placement, then there would be battles over whether a micro had the same point count that a ten-part puzzle multi-cache would.

 

We already get points for hiding. Just be kind and keep your hide/find ratio reasonable.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

Competition bad? Um, I don't know where YOU live, but around here it's all about the numbers, baby.

I meant "here" as in the Groundspeak forums. It seems to be about the numbers in DFW, too. I meant this was a practice that so many seem to engage in, but few admit to.