A motto to follow when placing caches

[ian-and-penny]

So, if you wouldn't give your own cache a (hypothetical) favourite point - what does that really say about your handiwork?

Are you *really* satisfied with your cache, or is it just another hide?

[Dik:]

Would you give it a favorite point and is it a cache you would want to find are somewhat similar.

Not everyone likes the same caches and not everyone will favorite the same caches, not everyone will hunt for every cache.

But if you place a cache you think is worthy and you would give a favorite point to, and get 10% favorite points back on it, I think you can give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

(Disclaimer: 72% of my hides have not met the 10% favorites criteria)

[covert]

The ones who voted 'Yes' should make a stand and only log a find on the ones that are favorite point worthy !!!


It won't happen...

[Yurt]

Worthy of a pint! I'll drink to that!

[ian-and-penny]

The ones who voted 'Yes' should make a stand and only log a find on the ones that are favorite point worthy !!!


It won't happen...

It's not about logging, it's about the quality of hides, and taking some pride in your work instead of throwing a box under a bush just because you can.


I too will add a disclaimer: Today, my caches may not meet the same test either. But then again after 3000 odd finds I have a lot more experience to fall back on - and my future hides will be much better.

[Tuena]

If I could earn a pint for every cache I hid, I'd hide plenty. Cheers.

Seriously I wouldn't even think about applying a hypothetical, favourite point test to one of my proposed hides for the reasons I've already stated. I think I've over allocated favourites as when they were released I & many others I expect went mad. I have withdrawn some recently & should do another review me thinks. If GC had gold, silver & bronze stars then favouriting would have more meaning.

[Philipp]

If GC had gold, silver & bronze stars then favouriting would have more meaning.

You can always use GCVote http://gcvote.com/index_en.php

[...] This scenario is known as a causality dilemma.

Just change the original motto lemmy posted to

When placing a cache, if you wouldn't give it a 4 or 5 stars on GCVote, don't place it.

and you solved the dilemma. The message is still the same.

[CraigRat]

We have this on the start of a GCA cache listing:

Is this cache one you would do or would be proud to show others?
Will others want to seek this cache?

That's what I work towards.

Ironically the cache of mine I am least proud of is also my most found one.....

[Captain Terror]

We have this on the start of a GCA cache listing:

Is this cache one you would do or would be proud to show others?
Will others want to seek this cache?

That's what I work towards.

Ironically the cache of mine I am least proud of is also my most found one.....

I have found the same. There is a definite trade-off between number of finds and cache brilliance. I have two tricky little caches ready to fling out into the wild and I know they won't be found very often because they won't be an easy 1.5/1.5

But then again, if people don't want to find it, then their loss.

I voted Yes. I always think that exact thought before I build/hide/list a cache. I am sick of finding 1.5/1.5 eclipse tins under a tree. I want to see something different. I also like the idea that people haven't seen the cache hide I have hidden. If I think others would be inspired to copy my design also, then I think that is a credit to me. I know I copy other brilliant cache types.

[lemmykc]

No way. Look at it this way. I have 196 Fav points in total, 109 of those I have given to a cache. If I had only found those 109 geocaches in the time I have been caching, geocaching would not be a hobby of mine but something I did for a for a total of a few weeks in the last 2 years.

Besides Favorite points are given out 1 in every 10 caches you log. Effectively giving the favorite point a value of 1/10. If all geocaches you ever found where favorite point worthy you could only give one 10th of them a favorite point effectively raising the scale of what a favorite point means to a level where 90% of the cache's you have found are not favorite point worthy. This scenario is known as a causality dilemma.

I am sort of excusing variables such as this, it is not the point. The point is that would you only place a cache if you would say it is fantastic and stands above the rest?

[caughtatwork]

By definition 50% of caches will fall "above the midpoint" and 50% will be "below the midpoint". So the more caches that are hidden that are greater than the 50% split, the more caches fall into the less than 50% split.

Using this concept, if people continued to hide better caches than they found, sooner or later the cache you thought was brilliant, others will think is trash as the best of the best now far exceed yours.

I always hide caches that I would like to find. That does not mean others will enjoy finding them. So by the suggestions in this thread, I should never hide another cache. That makes me sad

[ian-and-penny]

I always hide caches that I would like to find. That does not mean others will enjoy finding them. So by the suggestions in this thread, I should never hide another cache. That makes me sad

Strange logic!

If you like to find certain caches - and you really like one of them - wouldn't you be prepared to allocate a favourite point?

If you hide a cache similar to the one you really liked in the statement above, wouldn't you be prepared to allocate a (hypothetical) point to it?

Edit: I just added some real points.

[caughtatwork]

I would, yes. Others probably wouldn't, so it would fail on others making my cache a favourite. I would only give half a dozen of my own caches a favourite point. I can't make them all 5 star winners. So I hide what I "like" not what I "favourite". Liking a cache is not favouriting it which is why the "one rank" of favourite doesn't work. It needs to be a range / score.

Now consider when you first started. You have found a dozen caches around your area. You have found a few that you thought were very cool. They were eclipse tins magnetised under a bridge. Real secret stuff you think. You would be willing to give it a favourite point. You then hide 20 more just like it because they are the coolest things to find.

Time passes and you find better things. Now you are quite embarrassed about what your originally hid because your experience tells you they are not actually that good.

"I hid what I would give a favourite point to" ... at the time I hid it. Now someone comes along and calls the cache crap, because it is.

The logic doesn't work until you have a wide range of cache finds under your belt.

Addressing this to a newbie doesn't get the desired result, it possibly creates the opposite in that people will throw down what they think is cool at the time they found it. They then move on to different likes / dislikes, but the cache is there because at the time it met the criteria.

My very first post in the thread gives the message. People need time to learn. Accept the new cachers and caches for what they are. You (generic) have learnt and now have the opportunity to reflect back. Just because you (generic) have learnt, don't force your thoughts on others. They need time to learn too. They may think an ammo can in the bush is the worst type of cache and a clever nano in the CBD is fun to find. The complain will go full circle because they are hiding crap. No, they are hiding what they like, which is not the same as what you like.

[Yurt]

I'd like to hide caches that never, ever get blank or one line meaningless TFTC logs.
For me that's almost as good as a favourite.