My 2 favourite geocaching.com features in 2010

As the year winds down I want to thank Groundspeak for introducing 2 features that I've found very useful and has enhanced my geocaching experience:

• Personal cache notes
    PCNs allow cachers to post notes on a cache page that are not viewable by all. It appears above each cache description. This is especially useful for 2 reasons: 1. to help me remember the cache - I add details about what the cache looked like and how it was hidden (information that would be considered spoilers in the log) 2. to add solved waypoints for puzzle caches and solved multies. Hopefully it will be incoporated into a GPX file.
  
• Favorites reward system
  Favorite votes are a simple way to track and share the caches that you enjoyed the most and reward the CO for a job well done.

A very good response in the forums to the new favorite system at geocaching.com

Groundspeak introduced some nice new features just in time for the holidays. My favourite new feature is the Favorites List.

A "rating" system has been talked about in the forums for about 6 years and more recently quite fervently. Now that the database has grown to over a million caches, people were looking for ways to separate the wheat from the chaff and also to reward cachers for a job well done and encourage better hides.

Groundspeak has come up with a system that pleases the vast majority. It's a reward system. Premium members get favourite points, 1 point for every 10 caches you log as a find. The 10% rule is turning out to be quite generous. Most people are pleased with having too many votes rather then not enough. In the last couple of days I've been going through my list of finds and have used 17 of my alloted 88 favourites.

I plan on going over the list again for good caches that deserve some recognition. I'm hesitant to bestow a 'favourite' on old cache finds (older then 2 years) that were great when I found them, but may have changed.  As an example, about 5 years ago I visited a cache that was in a hollow stump covered by a coon skin cap. At first it looked like a sleeping racoon (or dead racoon). Gave me a start and even though I was pretty sure it was an animal skin and not a real animal I poked it with a stick first just to be sure. A fun cache experience. Last year I re-visited but the coon skin cap is gone and the container is old and battered. Now it's a more average experience and the CO isn't doing much maintenance so it's not something I'd want to reward with a favourite ribbon.

So far I'm impressed with this new feature. One of the best things is that it's filterable. Do a search for a caches in a location then click the blue ribbon icon in the Favorites column to float the caches with the most favourites to the top of the list. Plans are in the works to make the FL filterable by pocket queries. FL PQs will be especially nice when planning trips to new locations.

You'll find the Favorite List discussion here:

http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=265640

Planting a cache is a responsibility not a lark . I'm in favour of small restrictions.

I was reading Head Hard Hat's blog entry: Placing a Cache -- would it be too much to ask?

HHH asks if it would be too much to ask to follow the guidelines and not place a cache on private land with 'no trespassing' signs. He has come around to the thinking that there needs to be a minimal cache find restriction before hiding caches. He got the typical response:

Jonathan said: "One of the most exciting parts of geocaching is placing your own hides. For me, I wanted to return the favor to all of the people whose caches I had found near my house so I was placing caches right after I started finding."

Here's how I feel about it:

As a CO for the last 9 years, I agree that being a CO can be the best part of geocaching. However, there's a responsibility to the caching community attached to hiding a cache. Placing a cache on private "no trespassing" land is not "returning the favor". There are so many who plant and do not read (or choose to ignore) the guidelines and their numbers are increasing.

There are also too many that plant, get bored and drop the game within days of planting. I'm also seeing new (usually young) COs who plant poorly then become argumentative via the cache logs when the complaints come in about poor placement. One new CO said "Screw private property" after people commented that the cache coordinates were taking them to the middle of an apartment buildings parking lot.


It's become too easy for anyone to plant a cache - online maps, google earth, cell phones.

First and foremost I'd like to see a time period of at least 3 months registration before anyone can plant a cache. Then allow one initial hide. After 3 more months, once the CO has experienced the responsibilities of ownership and hasn't become bored, restrictions are lifted. This should weed out the fly-by-nighters.

I'd also like to see a small amount of cache finds required.

Do we really need COs who wouldn't wait 3 months before hiding a cache? Anyone who would quit geocaching because they had to wait a few months would likely not be a responsible owner. If you're really itching to plant a cache without experiencing this pasttime, use another caching service: 0penCaching.com, Opencaching.us but let's make geocaching.com about quality caches placed by responsibile, knowledgeable, caring COs.

Geocache containers - good advice from Clan Riffster

Clan Riffster

Post #20

(Isonzo Karst @ Dec 11 2010, 07:01 AM) Micro - bison type container Micro - Matchsafe Micro - soda preform Micro - Nalgene bottles Small - Nalgene bottles Small - Lock and Locks Regular - ammo can IK has compiled a great list of containers that work well, in almost every environment. I think the only thing I could add to it would be: Small: Therapak Canisters, which can be found here. The medium ones shown on that webpage are the ones I use. They are roughly 2.5" wide by 6" tall, made of durable plastic, and have a screw on lid with a gasket seal. They come 15 to a case, in that size, and sell for around $30 a case. I currently have 64 active hides, (I think), with a varied selection of containers. To date, my Therapak canisters are the only ones that have had no failures. I would also like to give you a list of containers that don't work well in most environments: Black & grey film cans. Gladware Fake Lock & Locks Prescription medicine bottles. (Yes, I know you said you used them) Coffee cans (metal or plastic) Altoids tins Hide-a-keys Cookie tins Baggies (as the primary container) When talking to folks about their hides, one question I like to ask is, "Did you use a baggie?". If the answer is "Yes", (which it almost always is), my next question is "Why?". Quite often, the answers are worded to the effect of, "To keep the log dry". A mantra I like to blabber is; "If you must use a baggie to keep your log dry, your container has already failed at a very basic level". I then promote the axiom of "Take Pride In Your Hide", part of which includes the ideal of never utilizing a substandard container.

Garmin's Opencaching - I give up

I had no further help from Garmin regarding my inability to access the forums. I've tried getting a new password. No luck. I get a new password. Plug it in. Says I'm registered then says I need to change my password. I do and it re-directs me to a page that says my username/password is invalid.3 days of this. Twice garmin staff have contacting me saying my access problems are fixed when it isn't.

I am sooooo frustrated. Someone has posted saying the proverbial, 'if you don't like it then go back to where you came from and don't let the door hit your backside' comment and I can't reply. Soooooo frustrating.

At this point I feel like dropping Opencaching for good and just hope that their existence will spur geocaching.com to improve their database. Maybe Opencaching will come around and create a site that works, but for now, until I hear that OC works as it should, I'm ignoring the OC database and their forums.

Garmin's Open Caching - my first impressions

My first impressions

Permission

This is my number one frustration with the site. When hiding a cache you must check the box:  "I have permission from the landowner or manager to hide my geocache."

Twice I've asked the question, does Garmin truly expect that each CO contacts a land manager to get explicit permission for each cache listed in their database? How do I know, as a finder that permission was granted?

I asked the question regarding permission in CacheMania's blog and once on the Opencaching forums. So far one person answered via the blog saying:

"why would you place something on someone else’s land without permission? Even if it’s public land, someone has to maintain it, and should know about the container."

And another person via OC's forum said:

"Pretty easy thing to do is go ask the park if it is ok." 

I highly doubt that each cache hide listed in OC has explicit permission. From reading other blogs about recent cache hides, one was placed in a hospital parking lot - no reference in the clues indicating they had asked permission of hospital management to place the cache.  I have my doubts that even 25% of caches listed in OC or GC have explicit permission, nor do I think they need to. It's going to depend on whether the cache is on private property or on public land that explicitly requires a cache permit.

"I have permission from the landowner or manager to hide my geocache" to me means you have contacted and received explicit permission in writing or verbally from a land manager whether it's private land or public land AND that you have the name of a contact person. If questioned by a finder or garmin officials regarding permission you can provide the name and contact information.

Rating system

• It doesn't seem to work. I've rated caches both above and below 3.5 yet the Awesomeness rating stays the same, i.e.3.5 Sweet. 
• The 3.5 is the default rating. I think once one person rates the cache the rating should change to whatever that person rated it as. Then recalculate any time anyone else rates the cache. 
• Once I rate the cache I can't see what rating I gave it and 
• I can't change the rating or remove it - what if I made a mistake and clicked at the wrong time on the scale? 

I do like that it's filterable and I like the sliding scale which is interactive with the map. If only the ratings worked.

I'm used to GCVote where I always know how I rated the cache. I also see how many people have rated a cache. And when I click on  the stars I see a bar graph indicating the ratings given. GCVote is anonymous so I don't know who rated. With each passing day I'm appreciating GCVote more and more.

Language

I find the language to be teen-centric which gives the site an immature feel. "Awesome" "Sweet" "Fierce" are lame words - it feels icky, like when your parents are trying to be cool.

Personally, I think it's a mistake to have teenagers be your target audience. Most are not mature enough for the responsibility of cache ownership. I've seen enough evidence on geocaching.com that teens think messing with people is a "totally awesome" thing to do. "Screw PP [private property" is one of the comments left by a teen CO when finders complained that the cache was missing, on private property and not where the coordinates indicated (in the middle of a apartment building parking lot).

Forums

• I haven't been able to get into the forums with my Lone R account. 3 times I've contacted Garmin and they've told me they fixed the problem but everytime I try to login I get a fatal error message:
  

  Fatal error:

  • The email address you entered is already in use. If you have forgotten your password, please click here.
  • That username is already in use or does not meet the administrator's standards. If you are LONE_R and you have forgotten your password, click here.

  Unable to proceed with save while $errors array is not empty in class vB_DataManager_User in [path]/includes/class_dm.php on line 849

• I started a new account just to get into the forums. I still had to make a couple of attempts before it worked. However, I have to keep logging in anytime I want to post something. The preview button isn't working for me, I get kicked out and have to log in again if I click it. The submit button works. 

Positive impressions

• I like the maps
• I like the sliding rules for D/T, size and cache quality ("awesomeness")
• I like the increments especially in the cache quality scale. I can rate one cache a 3.0 because it's a decent cache experience and has a old somewhat tattered but still sufficient camo'd plastic peanut butter jar as a container and another cache a 3.3 for the same experience but a lock n lock in better shape then the peanut butter jar. 3.5 I might reserve for an ammo can hide with a decent overall cache experience.

My geocaching logbooks

I sometimes like to add a bit of creativity by making my own logbooks. Here are a few samples:

Covered the cardboard in camo duct tape and
bound the book with leather strapping.

This logbook cover is made with the wrapping paper
that was on a gift box of Laura Secord chocolates.

This long thin logbook was used for a tubular container.
The binding is a japanese-style stitch.

This cover was made from a kleenex box.
Pamphlet stitch binding.

Pamphlet stitched.
Stamped with my handcarved rubber stamps.

Open to show the pamphlet stitching.

Finally, Groundspeak is implementing a reward system

New Cache Rating System, From the Feedback site

Groundspeak has just announced that they will be implementing a 'Favorites List':

...we have decided to let people rate a percentage of their finds as their favorites

It will be a Premium member feature.

I'm hoping that the feature will be filterable.

Interesting that it should be implemented a day after opencaching.com's beta site was released. Garmin's site allows finders to rate a caches "awesomeness" as well at D/T ratings and cache container size.

Poll: Conduit, junction, electric boxes - have you ever opened a real one in error?

A great well-crafted LOL cache

Cool post about a life saving event while geocaching

A great log entry about a rescue in Georgia. Fanasfreak saved a life while on his way to the Tragedy geocache. Here's the log entry:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=ba271a53-56b7-4349-bf15-3b3d7bdec3c6