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bmsgolf

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Is there any way to enforce some sort of rule that until members have a certain number of finds, they can not hide any? We seem to be having a rash of new people (we suspect some are current members creating new accounts) creating accounts and placing a hide. They have no finds and are either on private property or somewhere they do not have permission and it is giving geocachers a bad name in Amarillo. I look forward to your response. I also sent the message to our prime reviewer.

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I have thought about the same thing. All around us have found caches before they hide one, so that's no problem here. But I think it would be a good idea to have some kind of experience of how caches are hidden before they make one. I've found caches that in my mind isn't thought all the way through when they made them. The idea could was good, but the way they did is wasn't. They was in a hurry to do it, only to get it done, but then the cache somehow isn't well done, and done live for long.

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I know of no such rule being in place to enforce, but understand why you ask. Whatever purpose the persons have for hiding caches where you say I don't understand, unless giving cachers a bad name is their only goal. I can only suggest the additional step of having to verify permission, but keeping in mind that reviewers are uncompensated volunteers would not wish to go that route.

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I placed a cache after exactly 1 find. It is now 7+ years later, is still there, is still the original container and is enjoyed by finders.

 

I do not believe that experience necessarily helps anybody place better or more well thoughtout caches. If somebody has a good thought in a good location using a good container - why should we stop them. I know plenty of cachers with 1000+ finds and they still put leaky film can hides tossed in roadside ditches and bushes.

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I placed a cache after exactly 1 find. It is now 7+ years later, is still there, is still the original container and is enjoyed by finders.

 

I do not believe that experience necessarily helps anybody place better or more well thoughtout caches. If somebody has a good thought in a good location using a good container - why should we stop them. I know plenty of cachers with 1000+ finds and they still put leaky film can hides tossed in roadside ditches and bushes.

 

I agree with this. Why even suggest punishing many because you have a few bad apples in your neck of the woods? Can you not just ignore those that have "0" hides? or ignore the hides left by a particular person?

 

Whats the magic number before you think we should be "ALLOWED" to make a hide? Who polices that rule? Its not going to happen and if it does, its hurts the game.

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Some of the best hides I have ever found were hidden by newbies, with no preconceived notions about what a geocache should be. If they have to wait until they've found 100 lamp post caches, they'll just hide another lamp post cache, because they think that's the normal.

 

On the other side, most of the worst hides I have found were hidden by experienced geocachers. They get lazy, and just want to throw something out "to give back", and put little thought into it.

 

So in reality, if we want more quality hides, we need to not allow anyone with more than a handful of finds to ever hide a cache.

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One of the main features of geocaching and this site is the low barrier to entry and free nature of the game. I consider this to be the number one reason for the success of the game and as a Groundspeak Lackey I can say with complete certainty that there will never be limits imposed on the number of finds where placing caches are concerned.

 

We will be better served by coming up with ideas for educating newcomers on the importance of cache quality.

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Some of the best hides I have ever found were hidden by newbies, with no preconceived notions about what a geocache should be. If they have to wait until they've found 100 lamp post caches, they'll just hide another lamp post cache, because they think that's the normal.

 

On the other side, most of the worst hides I have found were hidden by experienced geocachers. They get lazy, and just want to throw something out "to give back", and put little thought into it.

 

So in reality, if we want more quality hides, we need to not allow anyone with more than a handful of finds to ever hide a cache.

 

I see this arguent a lot, and I find it to be an oversimplification. Yes, there are some very good hides hidden by newbies, and yes, there are some terrible hides experienced cachers. But, those are, by far, the exceptions, not the rule. I doubt that any cacher with a few hundred finds would hide a take out food container under a twenty pound rock (no finds, three hides - all take out food containers). Or a Pringles can in a weephole in a wall behind the garbage container at a restaurant.

So, no, I cannot agree with your assessment.

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Plus if someone is willing to go through the trouble to create a new account to "cover their tracks", imposing a rule like this would just force them to log false finds on other caches before then publishing their new cache. It would probably give them more "fun" as they would get to make up cache logs.

 

Requiring finds in the system before publishing new caches would not create any benefit to the game nor does it sound like a viable solution to the local problem you are having.

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I now have 100 finds to my name and have only just hidden my first one.

 

This was to ensure that I had some experience of diffrent hides and got it right.

 

100 is prehaps a little exesive and a personel choice, though I think you should have some finding experience first which should be encoureged rather than compulsory

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