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The Lost Art of Logging


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When I first started geocaching and read all the how to's and what's the purposes....they all had one thing in common. When you log a visit to a cache, tell about your experience, record what you left and/or took, and thank the owner. Well I see people thank the owner all the time and that is great but rarely do I see anything else. I want to see all the great funny stories about the adventure people had when they found my cache. Was it hard, did you find it right away? Did you find it by accident? Did something funny or scary happen when you were looking? What did you take, ( I hand make personalized trinkets to leave behind, sometimes it would be nice to know who has one.), what did you drop off? Am I wrong or has the art of logging really been lost? I know when you are logging in the field it might be hard, but you can edit when you get home, I do.

Edited by froggymama3
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I would have to agree that I like reading previous cacher's logs. They're entertaining, and sometimes provide that one subtle hint I need to figure out where the CC is located. Granted, my wife and I are still brand new to this; so there haven't been any real 'adventures' so far to say... but I try to post more than just a TFTC when I can, and as the adventures get more interesting, you can bet my logs will.

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I'm a relatively new guy to this hobby, but I know what you're talking about. I enjoy reading through the other logs on a cache to see what brought people out, and to get a feel for the local GC community. I enjoy writing and can usually muster up a descriptive sentence or two on a log, even if it's done in an amended/edited log entry later on. Now, that said, I've also written some "TFTCSL" logs too. Those tend to come when we're left a bit uninspired by a cache, and the more lengthy logs tend to come after a fun find - whether that's because of the hunt, unique container, or the scenery.

 

I've seen a few logs that didn't make sense, and some that are confounding in their brevity. I usually give folks the benefit of the doubt on things, and presume they are in a hurry or perhaps just aren't people who like to write.

 

One thing I've seen recently are log entries that provide a bit of a written description, followed by 100 or so smiley faces in several rows and columns. Has anyone encountered that as well? If so, what does it mean? Perhaps a cache find count? To wit: :) X 100+

 

(LOL, the forum board won't let me replicate the smiley face entry I've seen in cache logs).

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Nobody cares. I tend to leave logs which describe my experiences as it pertains to finding that participar cache and and how it affects my overall day. Sometimes they are long winded, and sometimes they involve lots of photos. And mostly, none of the COs remember them, or acknowledge reading them, even if I just recently posted them.

 

If nobody cares to read them, then why bother?

 

I still leave good logs. I can't tell a story if your cache has a lame description, no difficulty to find, is just a film canister and in a lame location. But if the cache has any kind of worth, then I'll acknowledge it. Even if nobody notices...

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When I first started geocaching and read all the how to's and what's the purposes....they all had one thing in common. When you log a visit to a cache, tell about your experience, record what you left and/or took, and thank the owner. Well I see people thank the owner all the time and that is great but rarely do I see anything else. I want to see all the great funny stories about the adventure people had when they found my cache. Was it hard, did you find it right away? Did you find it by accident? Did something funny or scary happen when you were looking? What did you take, ( I hand make personalized trinkets to leave behind, sometimes it would be nice to know who has one.), what did you drop off? Am I wrong or has the art of logging really been lost? I know when you are logging in the field it might be hard, but you can edit when you get home, I do.

 

So, you are referring to writing in the logbook, correct? Or are you speaking of the online logs?

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If I have a story to tell I tell it. If your cache is cool or unusual I say so. If it's just another LPC then "TNLN TFTC" is how I log it.

 

Of course, when you do that, you also don't claim a smiley, right? <_<

 

Not directed at me, but....I have driven away from at least 50 LPCs, if not more. Once I get to GZ, and I see it's a LPC...off I go.

No smiley, no log.

 

Oh, I've found some pretty lame caches, including LPCs. But not anymore. Unless it is a really, really, really, really empty parking lot.

 

And then, your getting a "tftc"

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If I have a story to tell I tell it. If your cache is cool or unusual I say so. If it's just another LPC then "TNLN TFTC" is how I log it.

 

Of course, when you do that, you also don't claim a smiley, right? <_<

 

Why wouldn't he? I don't get the question.

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If I have a story to tell I tell it. If your cache is cool or unusual I say so. If it's just another LPC then "TNLN TFTC" is how I log it.

 

Of course, when you do that, you also don't claim a smiley, right? <_<

 

Not directed at me, but....I have driven away from at least 50 LPCs, if not more. Once I get to GZ, and I see it's a LPC...off I go.

No smiley, no log.

 

Oh, I've found some pretty lame caches, including LPCs. But not anymore. Unless it is a really, really, really, really empty parking lot.

 

And then, your getting a "tftc"

 

If I decide to hunt urban micros hidden in parking lots, I made that decision. I'm not going to get on someone because they hid it, nor am I simply posting THTC. Some of my logs are briefer than others but there is always something to say. If I took the time to find it, I'll take the time to write something.

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Your cache is one of the 40 caches I found today. Thanks!

 

I don't mind when this is added at the end of a log but I think it is tacky when the entire log is about the cacher's daily/weekly/monthly accomplishments and not a single word is about the cache.

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If I have a story to tell I tell it. If your cache is cool or unusual I say so. If it's just another LPC then "TNLN TFTC" is how I log it.

 

Of course, when you do that, you also don't claim a smiley, right? <_<

 

Why wouldn't he? I don't get the question.

 

The letters SL are not in his online log.

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To who asked, I ment logging on the website, after the fact. I'm not sure what an LPC is, lame placed cache? Ive not placed an urban cache, Im not a huge fan of micro's, I dont discrimanate but I have kids and what they enjoy is looking thru all the stuff in the cache, so I prefer regulars in the woods. Is it appropriate to comment on logs as the CO? I have always thought about commenting, but have just recently started hiding them. I would love to comment on some of the things people write. I do care about reading them, my children also enjoy reading about folks finding our caches. And like someone else mentioned, I enjoying reading others logs looking for that subtle hint to help me out. I know we live in a fast paced world where time seems to be in such short supply, but come on peeps this is supposed to be a leisure activity, so take an extra minute and share with your fellow cachers how you smelled the roses. :)

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Developed my "style" at a cache in NW New York CO's do appreciate when extra time is taken.

 

I give to you a description from cache GC2MJVW. I, as the honoree am humbled.

 

This cache may be wheel chair freindly. Finding the cache is easy, but, we are asking that you try to write a log in the style and voice of Humbolt Flyer. It is really fun. The best ones will be entered into the Caches " Hall of Fame" It should be fairly simple to find his logs around caches of the North State.

 

Dear Cache finder... I am so glad you are in search of your humble cache... or should I say Humbolt Cache...This little cache, as easy as it is to find may not be as easy for some to log. It is because; you see I am an homage to Hombolt Flyer. For the uninitiated, let me explain that Hombolt Flyer is, for those who ply their avocation time at finding cache of my ilk about, their Hemmingway, or E.e.Cummings, or their Dillon Thomas. He is the Prince of Prose, the King of kindly words, the superman of word smithery, the… well you get the idea. In short cachers who hail from the northern Californian climes will all tell you that we would be greatly diminished if Hombolt Flyer were not here with us and they say that freely and without reservation… Sooooo my Cache owners wish me to send their thank you to Mr. Flyer for all that he does for all of us… Remember, try to write in the style of Humbolt Flyer its just an option and have fun!!!

 

Rusty Bear you did a great job of showing all how to log this cache in a manor that befits Humbolt Flyer.. you are the FTF Congrats and have fun....

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If your expecting a good log for every cache you hide then I suggest you stop hiding caches. I place caches to get people off the couch and give them something to do. I dont care nor do I expect every person to tell a story of their find. It's nice to read the details but I dont expect it nor should you. :rolleyes:. If your hiding to get a pat on the back then I think you're going to be disappointed more often then not. Get use to it. :laughing:

Edited by the4dirtydogs
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If your expecting a good log for every cache you hide then I suggest you stop hiding caches. I place caches to get people off the couch and give them something to do. I dont care nor do I expect every person to tell a story of their find. It's nice to read the details but I dont expect it nor should you. :rolleyes:. If your hiding to get a pat on the back then I think your going to be disappointed more often then not. Get use to it. :laughing:

 

Im am not simply talking about my caches, I am talking about all caches. Before I go out and find a cache I like to read if others had fun going for it or not. and just because a cache doesnt have alot of favorite points doesnt mean it isnt fun, so you cant rely on that always. and if it is my cache, not looking for a pat on the back, just opions, if it sucked, tell me so I can do something about it. This post was ment to get people thinking about what caching is supposed to be, not start a bicker fit amongest us all. So to future posters in this topic, please if you dont have anything nice, or at least not productive to say...dont say anything at all.

Edited by froggymama3
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When I first started geocaching and read all the how to's and what's the purposes....they all had one thing in common. When you log a visit to a cache, tell about your experience, record what you left and/or took, and thank the owner. Well I see people thank the owner all the time and that is great but rarely do I see anything else. I want to see all the great funny stories about the adventure people had when they found my cache. Was it hard, did you find it right away? Did you find it by accident? Did something funny or scary happen when you were looking? What did you take, ( I hand make personalized trinkets to leave behind, sometimes it would be nice to know who has one.), what did you drop off? Am I wrong or has the art of logging really been lost? I know when you are logging in the field it might be hard, but you can edit when you get home, I do.

 

So, you are referring to writing in the logbook, correct? Or are you speaking of the online logs?

 

I thought the same thing, although I think he's talking about the online log. I tend to be wordy when it comes to my logs, although the better the cache the more I have to say. I'd venture to say that the depreciation of online logs fall into the same catagory as the proliferation of roadside film cans.

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Your cache is one of the 40 caches I found today. Thanks!

 

This is one of the few things I think can honestly be blamed on numbers. Its not that numbers caches don't want to share their experience but when you have found a lot of caches it's that much harder to think of something unique to write for each one and you certainly don't want to spend hours in the evening composing long logs for all those caches. (That time is better spent posting on the the forums :ph34r: )

 

This applies to writing in the log book at the cache as well. When I started I would go on long hikes to find one or two caches and I would sit at the cache and write in the log book about my experience. Nowadays the trail has 10 to 20 caches and I just don't have the time to sit and write in all the logs. Fortunately most are small or micro and there isn't much of a log book to write in.

 

Some have suggested that instead of logging each find, it would be better to write a log of your day's activity and simply indicate which caches found. I know some numbers cachers who have blogs like this, and while their online logs are cut and paste, they actual write quite well in the blog describing the whole day's worth of caching.

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This applies to writing in the log book at the cache as well. When I started I would go on long hikes to find one or two caches and I would sit at the cache and write in the log book about my experience. Nowadays the trail has 10 to 20 caches and I just don't have the time to sit and write in all the logs. Fortunately most are small or micro and there isn't much of a log book to write in.

 

Actually, you probably have just as much times as you used to. But instead of limiting yourself to just 1 or 2 caches like you used to because you didn't have a choice, you now CHOOSE to hunt the other 8 or 12 additional caches rather than take the time to write longer logs.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not passing judgement one way or the other. But let's call a spade a spade. It has nothing to do with the number of caches out there. It has everything to how each cacher prioritizes the different elements of geocaching.

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Nobody cares. I tend to leave logs which describe my experiences as it pertains to finding that participar cache and and how it affects my overall day. Sometimes they are long winded, and sometimes they involve lots of photos. And mostly, none of the COs remember them, or acknowledge reading them, even if I just recently posted them.

 

If nobody cares to read them, then why bother?

 

I still leave good logs. I can't tell a story if your cache has a lame description, no difficulty to find, is just a film canister and in a lame location. But if the cache has any kind of worth, then I'll acknowledge it. Even if nobody notices...

I write about what we did that day, and who was with me, and anything interesting that happened (for my definition of "interesting"!), but I have no idea if anyone, CO or otherwise, reads them. Wait, I take that back, one CO did mention something I'd written in a log when I emailed him about a different cache.

 

I'd love some feedback, even if it's just a CO saying, "I'm glad you liked it." But I'm still going to write longer online entries; we do at most three a day (though we're shooting for the big leagues sometime and aiming for FIVE in one day! :P ), so it's not too hard to write out what happened to us. I will admit that when I'm logging for everyone else in the party, since they're big poopyheads who don't want to do their own logging, that I skimp a little, but at least one of our logs is wordy.

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If your expecting a good log for every cache you hide then I suggest you stop hiding caches. I place caches to get people off the couch and give them something to do. I dont care nor do I expect every person to tell a story of their find. It's nice to read the details but I dont expect it nor should you. :rolleyes:. If your hiding to get a pat on the back then I think your going to be disappointed more often then not. Get use to it. :laughing:

 

Im am not simply talking about my caches, I am talking about all caches. Before I go out and find a cache I like to read if others had fun going for it or not. and just because a cache doesnt have alot of favorite points doesnt mean it isnt fun, so you cant rely on that always. This post was ment to get people thinking about what caching is supposed to be, not start a bicker fit amongest us all. So to future posters in this topic, please if you dont have anything nice, or at least not productive to say...dont say anything at all.

You're preaching to the choir here. If you want to write a story go ahead, I was just saying don't expect it so you don't have to come here telling us how to log our caches with an essay. Some people play this game to find caches and not write stories for everyone else to read. It's just the way it is. :P

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We enjoy writing worthwhile online logs (five sentences or more) and adding pics as well. Writing in the physical logbook is another story (ha ha). Micros obviously don't have room for anything other than 6NH and the date. And some caches have small logbooks or sheets and are heavily visited so we try to be considerate to the CO and not take up a huge amount of space.

 

But if the logbook is a reasonable size and the area is a nice spot to sit and write without too much disturbance, we are happy to write about our adventures, the weather, current news, what-have-you. We see the logbook as a type of archive, a record that we were there, a planted flag, a marking of territory (for you dogs out there)... even if it is just symbolic.

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I write as short as possible in the logbooks,

my geocacher name, and if space a date,

 

But I write as long as I feel is needed in the online log !

where the information is shared with all people, and will not get lost or wet.

if I am on a VERY active day and find 40 caches, it is not possible for me to remember them all in detail,

I dont keep a little note book with me, and making fields notes on the GPS is simply not easy to make or to read out,

so I dont use that feature.

so most caches that day, get a copy-paste log with a short story of what we did and hos funny the day and trip was,

the special and cool ones get a little extra line. and the onew who deserve it, get a favorite

with explain of why it deserve my favorite point.

if a CO made a cache that is cool in anyway, it is also EASY to remember it, and to at least write a line about what I like about it,

so my point to you as a CO, if you get alot of TFTC, it is YOUR cache that is the problem..

ok some cachers dont care at all about a log, so just let them write what they like.

 

I prefer to log all finds the SAME day as they are found, when on a holiday this is not possible due to lack of time

or access to online service I can afford, so in that case logs gets shorter and shorter the longer I need to wait with the logs.

Edited by OZ2CPU
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please if you dont have anything nice, or at least not productive to say...dont say anything at all.

 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the very title of this thread criticizes the way other people choose to log. Which is neither nice nor productive. This thread is pretty much typical of most threads on this forum. People here are not afraid to state their opinions.

 

As for your topic, some people hate to write. I get that. Can we really convince them to write more if they don't feel like it? Alot of people log their caches through their smartphones. It's not as easy for them to write long logs as if they were sitting at a keyboard. For me, personally I enjoy writing detailed logs. It's a way of sharing with others, but also a way of keeping a journal of my caching experiences so I can go back and remember that day. I sometimes add photos to my logs too. I also enjoy reading other people's logs. One of my caches gets alot of TFTC, I think primarily because it's easy to get to and a cache on a beach with a string of caches. It's kind of annoying, but I did notice that the logs have become more interesting since I removed the very specific hint. I think if people find the cache too quickly, they're bound to forget about it faster. :D

Edited by The_Incredibles_
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When I first started geocaching and read all the how to's and what's the purposes....they all had one thing in common. When you log a visit to a cache, tell about your experience, record what you left and/or took, and thank the owner. Well I see people thank the owner all the time and that is great but rarely do I see anything else. I want to see all the great funny stories about the adventure people had when they found my cache. Was it hard, did you find it right away? Did you find it by accident? Did something funny or scary happen when you were looking? What did you take, ( I hand make personalized trinkets to leave behind, sometimes it would be nice to know who has one.), what did you drop off? Am I wrong or has the art of logging really been lost? I know when you are logging in the field it might be hard, but you can edit when you get home, I do.

 

My partner and I like to check the logs to learn if the cache is still viable - has been found in the last couple of months. If there are are lots of DNFs with explanations of efforts to find that helps us decide if there is value in searching for a the cache. Sometimes the description of the adventure is too long we just skip it and go on with the search. As mentioned previously, the log can provide valuable clues to the location of challenging hides. I am new to Geocaching and am still learning the abbreviations so if there are a lot of those I get a little frustrated.

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I found two caches recently, less than a mile apart. One was well thought out, with a clever container, in an interesting location (where permissions was explicitly obtained and stated).

 

The other was a small (1") vial stuck out in the open in an area that I'm SURE they didn't have have permission. The container will probably fill with water during the next rain, completely soaking the log scroll. A side note, on this cache: the description was 23,727 characters long, and was directly copied from a wikipedia article, and had absolutely nothing to do with the cache or the cache site.

 

The former online log had very good words to say, although brief.

 

The latter's online log said "It is there"

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If your expecting a good log for every cache you hide then I suggest you stop hiding caches. I place caches to get people off the couch and give them something to do. I dont care nor do I expect every person to tell a story of their find. It's nice to read the details but I dont expect it nor should you. :rolleyes:. If your hiding to get a pat on the back then I think your going to be disappointed more often then not. Get use to it. :laughing:

 

Im am not simply talking about my caches, I am talking about all caches. Before I go out and find a cache I like to read if others had fun going for it or not. and just because a cache doesnt have alot of favorite points doesnt mean it isnt fun, so you cant rely on that always. and if it is my cache, not looking for a pat on the back, just opions, if it sucked, tell me so I can do something about it. This post was ment to get people thinking about what caching is supposed to be, not start a bicker fit amongest us all. So to future posters in this topic, please if you dont have anything nice, or at least not productive to say...dont say anything at all.

 

Well, what I'm about to say probably isn't "nice" to the hoards of "TFTC" only loggers out there. :P What is happening here, is plainly and simply Smartphone logging. It came out of absolutely nowhere, without warning, in 2009. As a matter of fact, I can still rememember the first time I ever commented about in an online log! I was on my way to one of the worldwide 10 years of Geocaching Events (which of course occured early May, 2010) about 50 miles from home, and one of the caches I found had 3 or 4 consecutive "TFTC" logs before mine. My log was something along the lines of "First person to log more than TFTC in a month. What's up with that?" :D

 

Go ahead and look through the online logs of any older cache in your area, and tell me how many "TFTC" logs you see from 2000-2008. Well, maybe not the really, really easy park-n-grabs. In most cases though, it will be none at all. So I'll never buy any of this "some people just aren't very wordy" stuff that comes up in these threads every time. And of course well-established John Q. public who joined in 2004 chimes in every time with "If it's parking lot lamp post cache, TFTC is all they get".

 

Now that it's come up again, I have also noticed a few smartphone-era joiners that have stuck with Geocaching and become premium members who are still logging most, if not all of their caches with "TFTC" even with over 1,000 finds, and hides of their own. Sad, really. Logging is actually becoming a lost art. Well, not with me, I'm like the Tozainamboku of online logging. :P

Edited by Mr.Yuck
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The lost art of logging went along with the lost art of hiding. <_<

 

 

I'm thinking of half burying a five gallon plastic bucket with lid at the

stash point. Putting in some stuff. Adding a logbook and pencil so visitors

can record their find.

 

I'll look for a place near a road where few people would normally go...

 

Have Fun!!

 

Dave...

 

 

Well, I did it, created the first stash hunt stash and here are

the coordinates:

 

N 45 17.460

W122 24.800

 

Lots of goodies for the finders. Look for a black plastic bucket

buried most of the way in the ground. Take some stuff, leave

some stuff! Record it all in the log book. Have Fun!

 

Stash contians: Delorme Topo USA software, videos, books, food,

money, and a slingshot!

 

2f905328-f38e-4a1e-9f04-adb195867622.jpg

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If your expecting a good log for every cache you hide then I suggest you stop hiding caches. I place caches to get people off the couch and give them something to do. I dont care nor do I expect every person to tell a story of their find. It's nice to read the details but I dont expect it nor should you. :rolleyes:. If your hiding to get a pat on the back then I think your going to be disappointed more often then not. Get use to it. :laughing:

 

Im am not simply talking about my caches, I am talking about all caches. Before I go out and find a cache I like to read if others had fun going for it or not. and just because a cache doesnt have alot of favorite points doesnt mean it isnt fun, so you cant rely on that always. This post was ment to get people thinking about what caching is supposed to be, not start a bicker fit amongest us all. So to future posters in this topic, please if you dont have anything nice, or at least not productive to say...dont say anything at all.

You're preaching to the choir here. If you want to write a story go ahead, I was just saying don't expect it so you don't have to come here telling us how to log our caches with an essay. Some people play this game to find caches and not write stories for everyone else to read. It's just the way it is. :P

 

There is a happy ground between TFTC and "an essay" or "a story". Nobody, as far as I can tell, is asking for War and Peace.

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I may have a few caches I own that are boring but the rest are pretty interesting either on the cache page or the cache itself. So I get good stories or Thank you jellis etc. But seeing a TYFTH on ones most cachers have great things to say I guess I wonder if they actually found the cache. I understand copy and paste when you did so many you can't remember them, but the ones I really notice are newbies. Not too many finds and not much to say. Kinda like then why find them if you aren't having fun?

Edited by jellis
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If your expecting a good log for every cache you hide then I suggest you stop hiding caches. I place caches to get people off the couch and give them something to do. I dont care nor do I expect every person to tell a story of their find. It's nice to read the details but I dont expect it nor should you. :rolleyes:. If your hiding to get a pat on the back then I think your going to be disappointed more often then not. Get use to it. :laughing:

 

Im am not simply talking about my caches, I am talking about all caches. Before I go out and find a cache I like to read if others had fun going for it or not. and just because a cache doesnt have alot of favorite points doesnt mean it isnt fun, so you cant rely on that always. This post was ment to get people thinking about what caching is supposed to be, not start a bicker fit amongest us all. So to future posters in this topic, please if you dont have anything nice, or at least not productive to say...dont say anything at all.

You're preaching to the choir here. If you want to write a story go ahead, I was just saying don't expect it so you don't have to come here telling us how to log our caches with an essay. Some people play this game to find caches and not write stories for everyone else to read. It's just the way it is. :P

 

There is a happy ground between TFTC and "an essay" or "a story". Nobody, as far as I can tell, is asking for War and Peace.

:laughing: I agree there's a happy ground in between but not everyone wants to write about their adventure. Just a simple TFTC will do for them and that's fine with me.

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There is a happy ground between TFTC and "an essay" or "a story". Nobody, as far as I can tell, is asking for War and Peace.

 

I DNF'ed a cache called War and Peace yesterday.

 

Did you give it a good 5-10 but come up empty? :lol:

 

Yep. I actually gave it longer, but it was the end of the day and I was getting a little frustrated, especially on a 2/1.5. Oh well, can't find 'em all.

 

Back on topic, I have had an increasingly large number of TFTC's in my logs on my caches. I admit I probably logged a few of those when I first started, but after reading previous logs on the caches I found, I started getting more and more verbose. Now, if a seasoned cacher logs that, I figure they didn't like my cache.

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When I first started I would leave one line signatures but I quickly realized the value of leaving a detailed log entry.

 

I adopted a cache in my area that had entries dating back to 2002 and the CO allowed me to keep them. I went home and spent some time reading over the log and I enjoyed learning about others' experiences, as meaningless as it may be in the grand scheme of things. When I replaced the log book I left a note encouraging detailed entries (sketches too) because a year or two down the road I hope to collect another full logbook.

 

Now I leave as detailed an entry as I can but it really depends on a couple things for me.

 

One, how big is the log book and how many pages are left. I think it would be rude to take a page to write about my experience when the tiny notepad is filled with one-line signatures.

 

Two, what's the area like around the cache. Cramped? Thorny? Bug infested? Yesterday I found a cache in a small cave with two angry vulture chicks six feet from the ammo box! Anticipating mother's return I quickly signed the log and got out of there, but left a more detailed entry online.

 

I know a lot of people leave short entries in the physical log and then leave more detailed entries online, I do too, but I think it's cool for the CO to have a log book full of caching stories as a keepsake.

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Maybe I tend to oversimplify. If I am caching on a power trail (yes I confess I have done two small local) and I am finding "copy and paste" caches, you can rest assured you are going to get "copy and paste logs".

 

Same goes for the random hide. You slap a film can under a lamp post skirt, I am going to slap a "TFTC" on the log.

 

Not to get Toz stirred up about the "wow" factor, I do find my logs reflect the hide. If it was creative, I try to make my log creative. Yes its very subjective, and I am the sole judge involved. There are exceptions. I have found film cans hidden in extraordinary locations. I have found some very interesting creative home-made containers in some pretty crappy locations.

 

While it may not hold true 100% of the time, I still believe "great hides make for great logs". Perhaps the game as a whole is trending away from this.

 

With the smartphone, even messages between friends have become "less is best". I think this has had the greatest effect on the game. Especially the apps that auto-log for you with the abbreviated format. dry.gif

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Well, what I'm about to say probably isn't "nice" to the hoards of "TFTC" only loggers out there. :P What is happening here, is plainly and simply Smartphone logging.

 

I log all my finds with my smartphone. And all of my forums posts.

 

I don't buy it.

 

I leave good logs. Sometimes too wordy. I like my logs. I like the art of logging...I think it's how my local caching community will get to know me. Also, I'm clumsy and messy and make terrible mistakes while caching-I usually include those in my log as well...

 

Sometimes I just can't find much to say about your film canister hidden in the woods. Or your guardrail. Or your nano on the back of a very public bench on a busy street.

 

I do see a lot of it cut-n-paste logs from experienced cachers though...

Edited by JesandTodd
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In my experience the park and grabs and also tiny containers on trails usually only have a thin strip to sign so there's no worry over the length of an entry.

 

I sort of agree with the sentiment of thoughtless caches getting thoughtless logs but if I have an interesting experience leading up to finding your RX bottle under a rock at McDonald's I'll still tell ya about it.

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Well, what I'm about to say probably isn't "nice" to the hoards of "TFTC" only loggers out there. :P What is happening here, is plainly and simply Smartphone logging.

 

I log all my finds with my smartphone. And all of my forums posts.

 

I don't buy it.

 

 

Buy it. :laughing: The majority of your logging from the smartphone brethren are thumbing out lame logs, and especially are more likely to do this when they're brand new to the game. It's not always "Tftc". Could be "good one", "nice" "thk", etc., etc. The cache I found Saturday Morning, a guy with 5 finds logged later in the day with "NRB". I dunno, his initials?

 

Many of these people, if they stick with the game (and it looks to me like most don't), will get a clue after a few months, and hiding their own caches. But as I aluded to previously, I could (but won't) show you a 2010 joiner with over 2,000 finds and 20 hides who still drops "TFTC" logs on every single cache owner.

 

Ironically enough, and you'll never get me to name this guy either :ph34r: But I was just looking at GeoWoodstock, and some of the caches near it today, and I stumbled across a 2008 joiner with about 5,000 finds who had this caps lock shout in the beginning of most of his find logs:

 

CACHE OWNERS UNITE -- REQUEST MEANINGFUL LOGS FOR YOUR PLACEMENTS. DO NOT REWARD SLOPPY CACHING!

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I used to leave longish logs in the Log Book, but for the most part now I just sign the log book. My online logs always include something about the cache and my search for it. I still note if the coordinates are right on or not, old habits die hard, and the condition of the cache. I'm no wordsmith but I like to relive my experence.

 

When someone goes to the trouble to do more then just a TFTC log on one of mine I email them a note thanking them for their log.

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I always do "cut and paste" logs on any power trails I do.

 

I open up Word, use numbered bullets to help construct a detailed story that is (insert # of caches here) paragraphs long, then "cut and paste" each unique paragraph into the power trail log window.

 

:D

 

And I did get a nice message from the power trail CO thanking me for my logs and pics, which is a great encouragement.

Edited by 6NoisyHikers
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