[JaVaJeSuS]

The title says it all, does anyone know where the first geocache was placed and if it is still active?

-JaVaJeSuS

[Lefty Skywalker]

Legend has it that the first cache was placed by Adam in Eden, but recently it's gotten hard to reach and there've been no logs in a few millenia.

What Would Yoda Do?

[writer]

It was Portland, Oregon, but is long gone.

[welch]

quote:

---

Originally posted by JaVaJeSus:
The title says it all, does anyone know where the first geocache was placed and if it is still active?

-JaVaJeSuS

---

The first cache (as we know it) seems to have been near Portland, OR. look here.
I would guess its long since gone missing.

[Mopar]

But this cache was placed near the original spot by someone who had found the original cache.

• Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.
  

[Moun10Bike]

The Geocaching.com cache page for that cache is here. As you can tell, the cache owner turned against the game and obliterated the record of his caches.

Before Geocaching.com came on the scene, caches were listed on Mike Teague's website. You can see a late snapshot of that page here. The first cache is number 15 in the Geocaching.com database because when caches from the old list were first moved over to this site by Jeremy, he ordered them alphabetically and by state, with Washington (Jeremy's home state) coming first, followed by Oregon, and then the other states.

Un-Original Stash is today hidden in the same location at the first stash, only a little more off the road so as to be less prone to plundering.

Currently, the oldest active cache in the world is Mingo in Kansas.

[JaVaJeSuS]

Thanks to moun10bike and all that responded to my question. I have learned much about geocaching history. When I head to the Oregon coast this summer, I will stop and find "un-original" in tribute.

[Mopar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moun10Bike:
As you can tell, the cache owner turned against the game and obliterated the record of his caches.

---

Interesting to note that even though he "turned against the game" in a big way almost 2 years ago, he still logged into the site as recently as last month.
I've also heard rumors that he still hunts caches. Signs the logbook, but doesn't log them on the site.

• Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.
  

[Moun10Bike]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mopar:

Interesting to note that even though he "turned against the game" in a big way almost 2 years ago, he still logged into the site as recently as last month.

---

Good catch! I guess he's not as anti-geocaching as he tried to make us believe.

[cachew nut]

I used the wayback machine to find this page which has links to the original first 45 or so caches. This was before I started caching, but I'll assume that the caches listed when you click on the state links were among the first.

[cachew nut]

This photo is not of the first cache ever placed, but one placed five days later by the same person. I can only imagine that the first was similar to this one.

[oregone]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mopar:
...
I've also heard rumors that he still hunts caches. Signs the logbook, but doesn't log them on the site.

---

Granted it's been about 14 months or so, but i saw Mr. Ulmer's signature in the physical log of this cache a while back.
There is one other (former) cacher here in Oregon that just signs the physical logbook that i know about. And most of the time, he doesn't even do that.

all rights reserved, all wrongs reversed

[BassoonPilot]

My perception is that it was the failure of individuals to cast and worship golden statues in his image.

[Web-ling]

Here is a thread discussing the items in the first cache, as well as the very first trade.

[Jeepster]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

Currently, the oldest active cache in the world is http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=48 in Kansas.

http://geocachingwa.org

---

I see that Mingo has an older date, but Beverly has both a lower GC number GC28 vs GC30 and a lower ID number ID#40 vs 48. The date is controlled by the placer ... it can be hidden on one date and not registered for some time after. Thus, what should be the official determination of the oldest active cache?

The first listed find for each cache is well past the May hide date, so that's not a good deciding factor.

Jeepster
- We did not inherit the land from our parents; we are borrowing it from our children.

[Moun10Bike]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jeepster:

I see that Mingo has an older date, but Beverly has both a lower GC number GC28 vs GC30 and a lower ID number ID#40 vs 48. The date is controlled by the placer ... it can be hidden on one date and not registered for some time after. Thus, what should be the official determination of the oldest active cache?

---

True, and other caches have even earlier posted dates (see, for example, Banana Slugs & High Places). However, as I mentioned in my previous post, the ID numbers for the early caches are all out of order because when they were moved over from Mike Teague's website to Geocaching.com by Jeremy, there were only a few dozen, and he initially ordered them alphabetically by state, with Washington caches first, followed by the Oregon caches, and so on. (The GC numbers are simply the hexadecimal representation of the ID number.)

I kept an Excel spreadsheet of all of the caches as they came in from day one up until October 20, 2001 (when I gave up on trying to keep up with my low-tech manual way of compiling them). I can vouch that Mingo was indeed the 7th cache ever placed, and the oldest currently active one. While dates and other information can now be freely edited, back then you had to email to submit caches and make changes to them, and these dates have not been changed at all since these caches initially appeared.

[Kansas Stasher]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

I can vouch that Mingo was indeed the 7th cache ever placed, and the oldest currently active one. While dates and other information can now be freely edited, back then you had to email to submit caches and make changes to them, and these dates have not been changed at all since these caches initially appeared.

---

Thanks for the backup on my cache info. I didn't realize it was the oldest, but knew it was close. I was spending a lot of time on the newgroups back then since SA had just been turned off and there was a lot of excitement with gps users. I saw Dave's post on the first cache loved the idea and started looking for a good spot for a 'stash' (the original name before cache, also why my name is the Stasher). I put it near I-70 (since this was the best chance to get visitors in the middle of nowhere) just a few days later . If you look at the photo of my cache, http://img.groundspeak.com/cache/stash7.jpg
you will see the date stamp is even a day earlier (5-10-2000) than listed on the cache info page. (I also just noticed the photo name is stash7.jpg, Mike Teague must have changed that because I just called it stash.jpg.)
I think it is great that this game has taken off like it has and it is hard to believe it has been almost 3 years now. I hope that Mingo can keep going for a lot longer.

P.S. I set 3 caches between May and July of 2000 and all 3 have survived to present and all in their original containers.

[Dinoprophet]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lefty Skywalker:
Legend has it that the first cache was placed by Adam in Eden, but recently it's gotten hard to reach and there've been no logs in a few millenia.

---

I heard there was an issue with the property owner. Plus, the area was dangerous -- too many snakes.


Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut

[Captain Morgan]

See this:
http://www.geocaching.com/about/credits.asp

Yours,

[GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Kansas Stasher, on Feb 10 2003, 10:41 PM, said:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Moun10Bike:<BR><BR>I can vouch that Mingo was indeed the 7th cache ever placed, and the oldest currently active one. While dates and other information can now be freely edited, back then you had to email to submit caches and make changes to them, and these dates have not been changed at all since these caches initially appeared.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Thanks for the backup on my cache info. I didn't realize it was the oldest, but knew it was close. I was spending a lot of time on the newgroups back then since SA had just been turned off and there was a lot of excitement with gps users. I saw Dave's post on the first cache loved the idea and started looking for a good spot for a 'stash' (the original name before cache, also why my name is the Stasher). I put it near I-70 (since this was the best chance to get visitors in the middle of nowhere) just a few days later . If you look at the photo of my cache, <A HREF="http://img.Groundspeak.com/cache/stash7.jpg" TARGET=_blank>http://img.Groundspeak.com/cache/stash7.jpg</A> <BR>you will see the date stamp is even a day earlier (5-10-2000) than listed on the cache info page. (I also just noticed the photo name is stash7.jpg, Mike Teague must have changed that because I just called it stash.jpg.)<BR>I think it is great that this game has taken off like it has and it is hard to believe it has been almost 3 years now. I hope that Mingo can keep going for a lot longer.<BR><BR>P.S. I set 3 caches between May and July of 2000 and all 3 have survived to present and all in their original containers.

Now it has been 8 years.
We are having a Big Event at Meades Ranch nearby on March 15,2008.
GC15XVW Geodetic Center Tour '08 - MEADES RANCH

We are also in the process of adding a GEOCAC Benchmark here in Kansas.
It will hopefully be added to the NGS Data Base.
I thought since this was the Oldest Geocache in Kansas and what appears to be the Oldest still active geocache a tribute to Geocaching.
We will be by here around the time of the event and have not decided the exact location of the Benchmark as of yet.

[tomfuller & Quill]

Kaniksu, on Jan 30 2003, 10:56 PM, said:

Does anyone have any insight into what made Mr. Ulmer "turn against the game?"

What I heard from an old time cacher who actually had the OCB in his hand and put it back, was his disgust when the Project APE caches were placed. One of them was in Central Park in NYC.
Now the world is down to two. One in Washington State and the other in Brazil.
His other concern was the environmental damage caused by searchers looking for a cache that is either not there or is very deviously hidden.
Last August I found a cache with the log signed by "Dave Ulmer, father of Geocaching" he had been there about 9 months before and there had only been one other finder since him.
In answer to the OP's question: N45 17.460 W122 24.800 Placed May 3, 2000. The stash plaque is listed as GCGV0P
Tom Fuller & Quill
Crescent, Oregon

[outsidenKS19]

Now it's almost Ten Years to the day! Imagine that.

I plan on finding Mingo later this week. Is there any special ritual I need to perform before signing the log?

[JJTally]

No, but you will certainly see the sacred geo-trail going to the cache site. It is quite popular these days.

[bittsen]

JJTally, on Apr 26 2010, 06:05 PM, said:

No, but you will certainly see the sacred geo-trail going to the cache site. It is quite popular these days.

I was just there on Saturday. It's easy to find.

[mtn-man]

outsidenKS19, on Apr 26 2010, 05:36 PM, said:

I plan on finding Mingo later this week. Is there any special ritual I need to perform before signing the log?

Not really before, but make sure you get the smiley picture with the cache container.

[outsidenKS19]

JJTally, on Apr 26 2010, 05:05 PM, said:

No, but you will certainly see the sacred geo-trail going to the cache site. It is quite popular these days.

I've found more than one cache sans GPS because I read the trail sign straight to the cache.

[jd-mitchell]

outsidenKS19, on 27 April 2010 - 05:05 AM, said:

JJTally, on Apr 26 2010, 05:05 PM, said:

No, but you will certainly see the sacred geo-trail going to the cache site. It is quite popular these days.

I've found more than one cache sans GPS because I read the trail sign straight to the cache.

I did that with a couple like that, just from the pix. I'm looking @ going for Mingo nest month, just to say I was @ Mecca

[Rose Red]

The oldest Geocaches are GC12, GC16 and GC17 in the Pacific Northwest. I found GC6 January 2010. The black bucket was still buried in the ground however the bucket was filled with water. Another cacher found the lid nearby.

[hurleyanne]

For those who dig geocaching history, check out ScouterHerb & MrsB's
List of Geocaches placed in the 1st Year of Geocaching:
click here!

[c_to-the_swizzle]

tomfuller & Quill, on 23 February 2008 - 01:51 PM, said:

Kaniksu, on Jan 30 2003, 10:56 PM, said:

Does anyone have any insight into what made Mr. Ulmer "turn against the game?"

What I heard from an old time cacher who actually had the OCB in his hand and put it back, was his disgust when the Project APE caches were placed. One of them was in Central Park in NYC.
Now the world is down to two. One in Washington State and the other in Brazil.
His other concern was the environmental damage caused by searchers looking for a cache that is either not there or is very deviously hidden.
Last August I found a cache with the log signed by "Dave Ulmer, father of Geocaching" he had been there about 9 months before and there had only been one other finder since him.
In answer to the OP's question: N45 17.460 W122 24.800 Placed May 3, 2000. The stash plaque is listed as GCGV0P
Tom Fuller & Quill
Crescent, Oregon

Here is an unbiassed version of Geocaching History

http://geocaching.gp...es.org/history/

"In the meantime, of course, geocachers were busy hiding and finding geocaches in an ever growing number of countries. That brings us to the end of 2000, just a short 8 months after the invention of the hobby. The great controversies still lay in the future: pin maps and copyright and the Planet of the Apes commercial caches and censorship of the Creator of Geocaching and pay-to-play members-only caches. And how Dave Ulmer and Navicache and Robin Lovelock became words that you dare not utter on geocaching.com. "

[briansnat]

c_to-the_swizzle, on 07 January 2012 - 06:50 AM, said:

tomfuller & Quill, on 23 February 2008 - 01:51 PM, said:

Kaniksu, on Jan 30 2003, 10:56 PM, said:

Does anyone have any insight into what made Mr. Ulmer "turn against the game?"

What I heard from an old time cacher who actually had the OCB in his hand and put it back, was his disgust when the Project APE caches were placed. One of them was in Central Park in NYC.
Now the world is down to two. One in Washington State and the other in Brazil.
His other concern was the environmental damage caused by searchers looking for a cache that is either not there or is very deviously hidden.
Last August I found a cache with the log signed by "Dave Ulmer, father of Geocaching" he had been there about 9 months before and there had only been one other finder since him.
In answer to the OP's question: N45 17.460 W122 24.800 Placed May 3, 2000. The stash plaque is listed as GCGV0P
Tom Fuller & Quill
Crescent, Oregon

Here is an unbiassed version of Geocaching History

http://geocaching.gp...es.org/history/

"In the meantime, of course, geocachers were busy hiding and finding geocaches in an ever growing number of countries. That brings us to the end of 2000, just a short 8 months after the invention of the hobby. The great controversies still lay in the future: pin maps and copyright and the Planet of the Apes commercial caches and censorship of the Creator of Geocaching and pay-to-play members-only caches. And how Dave Ulmer and Navicache and Robin Lovelock became words that you dare not utter on geocaching.com. "

That doesn't seem unbiased to me, it seems very anti Groundspeak. Also some of the dates are wrong. The history says premium memberships and member only caches were introduced in May of 2001. They were actually introduced some time after I started in Sept of 2001. I'm also fairly certain that the link to Buxley's maps was available on GC.com when I started caching.

[TerraViators]

c_to-the_swizzle, on 07 January 2012 - 06:50 AM, said:

tomfuller & Quill, on 23 February 2008 - 01:51 PM, said:

Kaniksu, on Jan 30 2003, 10:56 PM, said:

Does anyone have any insight into what made Mr. Ulmer "turn against the game?"

What I heard from an old time cacher who actually had the OCB in his hand and put it back, was his disgust when the Project APE caches were placed. One of them was in Central Park in NYC.
Now the world is down to two. One in Washington State and the other in Brazil.
His other concern was the environmental damage caused by searchers looking for a cache that is either not there or is very deviously hidden.
Last August I found a cache with the log signed by "Dave Ulmer, father of Geocaching" he had been there about 9 months before and there had only been one other finder since him.
In answer to the OP's question: N45 17.460 W122 24.800 Placed May 3, 2000. The stash plaque is listed as GCGV0P
Tom Fuller & Quill
Crescent, Oregon

Here is an unbiassed version of Geocaching History

http://geocaching.gp...es.org/history/

"In the meantime, of course, geocachers were busy hiding and finding geocaches in an ever growing number of countries. That brings us to the end of 2000, just a short 8 months after the invention of the hobby. The great controversies still lay in the future: pin maps and copyright and the Planet of the Apes commercial caches and censorship of the Creator of Geocaching and pay-to-play members-only caches. And how Dave Ulmer and Navicache and Robin Lovelock became words that you dare not utter on geocaching.com. "

Fascinating! I have some modified opinions about the game, people involved, and motives. Wow!

[NYPaddleCacher]

Rose Red, on 06 January 2012 - 11:08 AM, said:

The oldest Geocaches are GC12, GC16 and GC17 in the Pacific Northwest.

I assume you meant to write:

The oldest Geocaches in the Pacific Northwest are GC12, GC16, and GC17.

Those may be the oldest geocaches in the Pacific Northwest but, they're not the three oldest in the world. Although Mingo may be currently disabled it's still the oldest active geocache in the world. I've seen several lists all of lists about 7 other caches that are older than GC16, and on an oldest geocaches bookmark list I recently looked at GC17 comes in at #26.

[Keystone]

TerraViators, on 07 January 2012 - 12:49 PM, said:

Fascinating! I have some modified opinions about the game, people involved, and motives. Wow!

Assuming that you believe what you read to be true because "it's on the internet," I can see how your opinions would be modified. Briansnat's post scratched the surface of what's wrong with the account you read.

[TerraViators]

Keystone, on 07 January 2012 - 02:24 PM, said:

TerraViators, on 07 January 2012 - 12:49 PM, said:

Fascinating! I have some modified opinions about the game, people involved, and motives. Wow!

Assuming that you believe what you read to be true because "it's on the internet," I can see how your opinions would be modified. Briansnat's post scratched the surface of what's wrong with the account you read.

Your point is also interesting. I don't believe it to be true becuse it's online, but logic would also argue that online inofrmation is not always false. I am interested in the truth behind the story and knowing why the author may be anti-gc.com. Some unsettled dispute, I suppose, would make sense. It does appear that where there is some smoke, there may be a fire, however how small.

[addisonbr]

c_to-the_swizzle, on 07 January 2012 - 06:50 AM, said:

Here is an unbiassed version of Geocaching History

I'm not sure I would call it unbiased. There do seem to be a number of links to original source material (emails, forum posts) that make for some interesting reading, especially in light of what we know in 2012. Sometimes it's hard to believe the game is barely a decade old.

This post has been edited by addisonbr: 07 January 2012 - 02:54 PM

[Manville Possum Hunters]

I guess it would consider how you define a geocache. Do PVC canisters with log books hidden in Caves count? Or do they have to be listed on this site? Here is a "guest book" that is still around from 1980, but the original log book is missing. Also summit guest books are out there. That may be where Dave got his idea from, but Dave's not here man.

http://img.geocachin...f16c2355f27.jpg

[c_to-the_swizzle]

briansnat, on 07 January 2012 - 08:09 AM, said:

c_to-the_swizzle, on 07 January 2012 - 06:50 AM, said:

tomfuller & Quill, on 23 February 2008 - 01:51 PM, said:

Kaniksu, on Jan 30 2003, 10:56 PM, said:

Does anyone have any insight into what made Mr. Ulmer "turn against the game?"

What I heard from an old time cacher who actually had the OCB in his hand and put it back, was his disgust when the Project APE caches were placed. One of them was in Central Park in NYC.
Now the world is down to two. One in Washington State and the other in Brazil.
His other concern was the environmental damage caused by searchers looking for a cache that is either not there or is very deviously hidden.
Last August I found a cache with the log signed by "Dave Ulmer, father of Geocaching" he had been there about 9 months before and there had only been one other finder since him.
In answer to the OP's question: N45 17.460 W122 24.800 Placed May 3, 2000. The stash plaque is listed as GCGV0P
Tom Fuller & Quill
Crescent, Oregon

Here is an unbiassed version of Geocaching History

http://geocaching.gp...es.org/history/

"In the meantime, of course, geocachers were busy hiding and finding geocaches in an ever growing number of countries. That brings us to the end of 2000, just a short 8 months after the invention of the hobby. The great controversies still lay in the future: pin maps and copyright and the Planet of the Apes commercial caches and censorship of the Creator of Geocaching and pay-to-play members-only caches. And how Dave Ulmer and Navicache and Robin Lovelock became words that you dare not utter on geocaching.com. "

That doesn't seem unbiased to me, it seems very anti Groundspeak. Also some of the dates are wrong. The history says premium memberships and member only caches were introduced in May of 2001. They were actually introduced some time after I started in Sept of 2001. I'm also fairly certain that the link to Buxley's maps was available on GC.com when I started caching.

Only some one in complete lockstep would find the article anitgroundspeak This forum has never allowed dissenting opinion of Groundspeak right or wrong thats the way it is. The article may be critical but its true.

[addisonbr]

Manville Possum Hunters, on 07 January 2012 - 04:43 PM, said:

I guess it would consider how you define a geocache. Do PVC canisters with log books hidden in Caves count? Or do they have to be listed on this site? Here is a "guest book" that is still around from 1980, but the original log book is missing. Also summit guest books are out there. That may be where Dave got his idea from, but Dave's not here man.

http://img.geocachin...f16c2355f27.jpg

Wow, I've never heard of that. Is that / was that a thing? Leaving log books in caves?

That's really cool. Is it / was it organized anywhere? Where could I learn more?

[dfx]

addisonbr, on 07 January 2012 - 05:53 PM, said:

Manville Possum Hunters, on 07 January 2012 - 04:43 PM, said:

I guess it would consider how you define a geocache. Do PVC canisters with log books hidden in Caves count? Or do they have to be listed on this site? Here is a "guest book" that is still around from 1980, but the original log book is missing. Also summit guest books are out there. That may be where Dave got his idea from, but Dave's not here man.

http://img.geocachin...f16c2355f27.jpg

Wow, I've never heard of that. Is that / was that a thing? Leaving log books in caves?

That's really cool. Is it / was it organized anywhere? Where could I learn more?

Containers with log books in them have been used for a long time for many different things. Where I come from, pretty much every mountain top has a container with a log book in it. But unless you take the coordinates of that thing and post them online, it's not a geocache

[Keystone]

c_to-the_swizzle, on 07 January 2012 - 05:33 PM, said:

Only some one in complete lockstep would find the article anitgroundspeak This forum has never allowed dissenting opinion of Groundspeak right or wrong thats the way it is. The article may be critical but its true.

'Tis odd that you would make such an assertion about "never," seeing as how (1) your first two posts EVAH were your off-topic contributions to this thread, and (2) there is thread upon thread of dissenting opinions, which is what forums are all about.

If you're a fan of seeing Groundspeak's heavy handed sabre crash down upon a forum discussion, they do that for things like disrespectful personal attacks, spam, obscenities and unfriendly sock puppets. So, watch for those.

[Manville Possum Hunters]

addisonbr, on 07 January 2012 - 05:53 PM, said:

Manville Possum Hunters, on 07 January 2012 - 04:43 PM, said:

I guess it would consider how you define a geocache. Do PVC canisters with log books hidden in Caves count? Or do they have to be listed on this site? Here is a "guest book" that is still around from 1980, but the original log book is missing. Also summit guest books are out there. That may be where Dave got his idea from, but Dave's not here man.

http://img.geocachin...f16c2355f27.jpg

Wow, I've never heard of that. Is that / was that a thing? Leaving log books in caves?

That's really cool. Is it / was it organized anywhere? Where could I learn more?

Yeah, it's kind of orginized. Many of us that were and still are Spelunkers placed these things in Caves. The one with me was placed in a cave that is about 1.25 miles to the guest book. I replaced the log book this summer and added some glow sticks. The cave is on private property at both entrances, and myself and others have permission to be there. The other end is bat gated by NSS. Here is a photo of another at a local listed EarthCache. This cave is gated also, but cave tours are avalable. This guest book is about 5 miles in the cave, and the only one I ever saw logged on geocaching.com as a find on a EarthCache.
http://img.geocachin...241e6963957.jpg

[NYPaddleCacher]

dfx, on 07 January 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

addisonbr, on 07 January 2012 - 05:53 PM, said:

Manville Possum Hunters, on 07 January 2012 - 04:43 PM, said:

I guess it would consider how you define a geocache. Do PVC canisters with log books hidden in Caves count? Or do they have to be listed on this site? Here is a "guest book" that is still around from 1980, but the original log book is missing. Also summit guest books are out there. That may be where Dave got his idea from, but Dave's not here man.

http://img.geocachin...f16c2355f27.jpg

Wow, I've never heard of that. Is that / was that a thing? Leaving log books in caves?

That's really cool. Is it / was it organized anywhere? Where could I learn more?

Containers with log books in them have been used for a long time for many different things. Where I come from, pretty much every mountain top has a container with a log book in it. But unless you take the coordinates of that thing and post them online, it's not a geocache

I've also seen quite a few trail registry logs, typically at State managed lands, where hikers/backpackers are asked to sign a log book at the trailhead. Quite often the log books are kept in a hinged wooded box to protect it from the elements. They aren't geocaches either but the idea of signing a logbook while visiting some sort of outdoor location has been around a long time.

[NYPaddleCacher]

Keystone, on 07 January 2012 - 06:14 PM, said:

c_to-the_swizzle, on 07 January 2012 - 05:33 PM, said:

Only some one in complete lockstep would find the article anitgroundspeak This forum has never allowed dissenting opinion of Groundspeak right or wrong thats the way it is. The article may be critical but its true.

'Tis odd that you would make such an assertion about "never," seeing as how (1) your first two posts EVAH were your off-topic contributions to this thread, and (2) there is thread upon thread of dissenting opinions, which is what forums are all about.

If you're a fan of seeing Groundspeak's heavy handed sabre crash down upon a forum discussion, they do that for things like disrespectful personal attacks, spam, obscenities and unfriendly sock puppets. So, watch for those.

And if you read the threads that come up before and/or after a site update you'll find plenty of Groundspeak criticism. Some of it can be pretty harsh (remember when the Challenge feature was released?) but Groundspeak hasn't come down on it with a heavy handed sabre on any of it.