Those Badges and those Darned logs!

[Papa Bear_Left]

Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!

[Facitman]

Oh well.... another deflation for me.
A long time ago I was very particular about ensuring that in my logs I thanked the cache owner. I took great care to spell, capitalise, space, special character the cache owners name EXACTLY as registered on the site. Someone pointed out to me that some people would assume that I was using a GSAK special variable in a boiler plate log. So I wondered if I needed to miss spell names occasionally so as not to be accused of being a cut-n-paste'r
Now I find that my ramblings maybe interpreted as a deliberate inflation of my word count to gain a badge? Yes I have badges displayed on my profile but it had never occurred to me to write more words to get a better badge! I foolishly thought that writing a longer log might be appreciated by the owner, and to be honest it also gives me satisfaction as I'm finding quite a few urban park caches at the moment, some of which don't have a great deal to offer in way of amazing location or special container.
Oh woe is me...

Dang, now I written a long rambling post on the forum.... someone will think I'm trying to increase my GCA forum average words per post statistic.... Hey c@w can we add badges to the forum for that?

[covert]

That badge is not congruent was my boiler plate log for eclipse tins

"Eclipse tin "

[Happy Chappies]

You're not the only one who dislikes waffle in logs for the sake of word count - unless it is reasonably interesting and about the cache experience it shouldn't be in the log.

A little side-note here. Long logs aren't JUST for the benefit of the owner or a sign of thankfulness to them... Heck, I know quite a few owners who have groaned to me about 'those essays' that may, in their eyes, waffle on. But for me personally the logs are as much for me as the owner. I write a lot, about the cache, the journey in getting there, the context of how I came to be there and anything else relevant, not just to create an interesting log for my adoring public but also as a record for my future reference. So in years to come I can remember what we were doing when, and the feelings and experiences that went with that, but also when someone asks for a hint on a long-ago found cache the logs can help me remember better what/where it was...

It's your cache, so I write a long log to thank you for it. But it's MY log, so I'll write whatever the dickens I feel like (with the exception of spoilers and obscenities of course!)

(and in that light, I'll tolerate cut 'n paste logs if that's what floats your boat, but for me it'll always be individualised. And yes, sometimes that might mean a 200 word log on a tedious drive-by eclipse if enough happened around it for me to want to remember that)

[GhostGums]

You're not the only one who dislikes waffle in logs for the sake of word count - unless it is reasonably interesting and about the cache experience it shouldn't be in the log.

Funny we were just chatting about this recently!

I remember following some cachers around NZ and all their logs said was how they got a new car, and how great it was. There was nothing about them caching.

I write long logs on caches where there was something interesting to say, but generally I usually provide about 20 to 30 words. I will cut and past a line to say what the day was about (ie who I was with etc).

The problem is that the verbosity stat is another number for people to compare lengths. At the end of the day its not the length that matters its the quality.

[Browngang]

Have a go at the dribble in this log-I love reading a good log on my caches, but this? The cache was found at 11am and they still talked about the cold and flu tablets they'd just bought, and what they were having for dinner, and their laundry. Not really neaded They were obviously playing some kind of "verbosity" or badge game.-

As it was a bit later than normally due to the fact we watched the long movie “the Girl with the Dragon tattoo”, we did not went for the cache located on the rest area yesterday, but it was our first target this morning before driving to Port Macquarie. We could drive along the nice two-lane freeway and reached the city within 2,5 hours. Along the way we changed drivers and therefore we found also some caches on the rest areas . When we arrived at the city we parked our camper van near the city centre for 2 hours and had a nice walk with some caches and some shopping. Yeah, finally we found a BBQ and bought some medicines for *Ba’s cold. As we definitively needed to do the laundry we drove early to Melaleuca Caravan Park, where it started raining. The laundry is already done, even as the showering and in some minutes we will start making diner: asparagus with kangaroo steak and patties (vegetables has browns).

We found this cache today about 11.15 AM local time.
Just arriving at Port Macquarie, we had already solved an off set multi which was located very closing to our parking place. On our way to the final location of that multi we walked along this cache. *Ba looked down and saw the cache sitting, although it was camouflaged very well, but it did not belong there

In: -
Out:-

TFTC

"Soms gaat het om de reis, soms gaat het om het doel", is ons cachemotto

2012: Voor ons het jaar van nieuwe ervaringen opdoen

Cachegroeten uit Rotterdam, the Netherlands

[belken]

You're not the only one who dislikes waffle in logs for the sake of word count - unless it is reasonably interesting and about the cache experience it shouldn't be in the log.

A little side-note here. Long logs aren't JUST for the benefit of the owner or a sign of thankfulness to them... Heck, I know quite a few owners who have groaned to me about 'those essays' that may, in their eyes, waffle on. But for me personally the logs are as much for me as the owner. I write a lot, about the cache, the journey in getting there, the context of how I came to be there and anything else relevant, not just to create an interesting log for my adoring public but also as a record for my future reference. So in years to come I can remember what we were doing when, and the feelings and experiences that went with that, but also when someone asks for a hint on a long-ago found cache the logs can help me remember better what/where it was...

It's your cache, so I write a long log to thank you for it. But it's MY log, so I'll write whatever the dickens I feel like (with the exception of spoilers and obscenities of course!)

(and in that light, I'll tolerate cut 'n paste logs if that's what floats your boat, but for me it'll always be individualised. And yes, sometimes that might mean a 200 word log on a tedious drive-by eclipse if enough happened around it for me to want to remember that)

I think yourselves and Facitman have got the wrong gist. I didn't think the OP was bemoaning long logs. Just those longs that have a generic padding on every cache completed that day followed by the actual log that are designed to gain a "badge" for verbose length.

I notice each of your logs are separate and individual to the cache. From what I saw from Facitman your DNF's follow the same format.

I am not a supporter of putting up with whatever "floats your boat".

Then my don't care factor is fairly high. As I said in another thread I don't ask permission to do as I think fit. I just do. Haven't had an argument with a cache owner yet.

In this forum I do give my opinions but that doesn't mean it will always follow that my actions reflect those opinions.

[belken]

Have a go at the dribble in this log-I love reading a good log on my caches, but this? The cache was found at 11am and they still talked about the cold and flu tablets they'd just bought, and what they were having for dinner, and their laundry. Not really neaded They were obviously playing some kind of "verbosity" or badge game.-

As it was a bit later than normally due to the fact we watched the long movie “the Girl with the Dragon tattoo”, we did not went for the cache located on the rest area yesterday, but it was our first target this morning before driving to Port Macquarie. We could drive along the nice two-lane freeway and reached the city within 2,5 hours. Along the way we changed drivers and therefore we found also some caches on the rest areas . When we arrived at the city we parked our camper van near the city centre for 2 hours and had a nice walk with some caches and some shopping. Yeah, finally we found a BBQ and bought some medicines for *Ba’s cold. As we definitively needed to do the laundry we drove early to Melaleuca Caravan Park, where it started raining. The laundry is already done, even as the showering and in some minutes we will start making diner: asparagus with kangaroo steak and patties (vegetables has browns).

We found this cache today about 11.15 AM local time.
Just arriving at Port Macquarie, we had already solved an off set multi which was located very closing to our parking place. On our way to the final location of that multi we walked along this cache. *Ba looked down and saw the cache sitting, although it was camouflaged very well, but it did not belong there

In: -
Out:-

TFTC

"Soms gaat het om de reis, soms gaat het om het doel", is ons cachemotto

2012: Voor ons het jaar van nieuwe ervaringen opdoen

Cachegroeten uit Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Actuall that looks like BaJo who came here to the forums for advice on their honeymoon to Australia. The trip is special to them and I followed a fair bit of it as they moved through the country. I think it was more of a diary of their trip.

[EuDes]

There is also qualification for a smiley on Are You Verbose? (GA2628) that might be driving the practice. Given that one qualifies for a GA smiley on that cache for each average word/log length of 60, 80, 100, 120 and so on, there is certainly incentive to do this.

We have spoken about this situation in hushed circles too and came to the conclusion that if the log says virtually nothing about the cache found, then it's not really much different from a 'TNLN TFTC' log for the cache owner in the end anyway - particularly if the cache owner receives half a dozen of them because the finders found several caches by that owner during that particular find sequence !

To me, it defeats the purpose of the badge or the GA smiley. After all, Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V is hardly 'writing' a 180 word tome!

But as many wiser persons have noted, to each their own. As long as they've found the cache, they can log it anyway they like I guess from a "." through to a copy-and-pasted excerpt from "War and Peace".

[Big Matt and Shell]

Gee you're a hard crowd to please.

If there isn't a thread on too short logs, then there is one on too long logs. At the end of the day it's up to the finder to write about their journey as they see fit. If you want to read them, do so, of not just let them go. Life is too short to worry about if someone tells you what they had for dinner before finding your cache.

My 2 cents anyway...

[GhostGums]

Gee you're a hard crowd to please.

If there isn't a thread on too short logs, then there is one on too long logs. At the end of the day it's up to the finder to write about their journey as they see fit. If you want to read them, do so, of not just let them go. Life is too short to worry about if someone tells you what they had for dinner before finding your cache.

My 2 cents anyway...

Thanks for that, you are right, its not worth getting worried about.

[belken]

Gee you're a hard crowd to please.

If there isn't a thread on too short logs, then there is one on too long logs. At the end of the day it's up to the finder to write about their journey as they see fit. If you want to read them, do so, of not just let them go. Life is too short to worry about if someone tells you what they had for dinner before finding your cache.

My 2 cents anyway...

Heres some change.

[EuDes]

Hmmm, maybe this practice is uniquely 'Mexican' !

[Facitman]

I think yourselves and Facitman have got the wrong gist. I didn't think the OP was bemoaning long logs. Just those longs that have a generic padding on every cache completed that day followed by the actual log that are designed to gain a "badge" for verbose length.

Thanks belken, I do understand that the OP was particularly picking on inflated boilerplate cut-n-paste. My comments were more around the thought that people would game logs just to increase their verbosity score.
Subsequent posts have shown that some people would not appreciate a log that includes information not directly related to the cache and the hunt. Now, my logs often include information about why I was in the area or other such trivia. I like adding it in, sometimes for reasons similar to Happy Chappies explanation, and sometimes because for me that was part of my adventure, though I doubt that I would give a detail of my lunch choice!

At the core, I really haven't taken this beyond being an interesting side discussion and won't be changing my logging style. I could name many aspects of logging that please or irritate different players in this game but in the end the basic requirement is signing the logbook so the rest is moot ... whoops! hang on I've just skipped to the other logging "rules" thread

My 2c, whatever floats your boat, YMMV
Peter

[Browngang]

Gee you're a hard crowd to please.

If there isn't a thread on too short logs, then there is one on too long logs. At the end of the day it's up to the finder to write about their journey as they see fit. If you want to read them, do so, of not just let them go. Life is too short to worry about if someone tells you what they had for dinner before finding your cache.

My 2 cents anyway...

Very true Matt....very, very true.