Post by MN Fruitcake on Aug 16, 2017 15:53:33 GMT -6
I understand that this post had quite a bit of discussion with it. Unfortunately it's not practical to copy all 10 pages of that here, but I wanted to get the initial post anyway.
Now that I've had a few weeks of reviewing cache pages, I wanted to re-introduce myself and let you know how you can help me with your cache page submissions. [this post has been edited over time with some more current information]
I'll start with the introductions:
The profile I use for reviewing is MN.Fruitcake, although I'm commonly known as Pear Head. I've been caching since March of 2003 and live just outside of Bemidji.
My purpose in reviewing cache pages for geocaching.com is to make sure, primarily, that the caches and cache pages follow the current guidelines.
I also review cache pages that have been disabled for long periods of time (usually more than 3 months). Gat R Done typically reviews "should be archived" logs. I do this on a time-permitting basis and usually in large batches.
Some observations:
There are a few things you can do to help me out when submitting your cache page.
1. Read the current guidelines. Even those of you that are veteran cachers and have hundreds of finds, it doesn't hurt to read the guidelines every now and then.
2. Look at your cache page from my point of view. I'm interested in where the cache is located as well as what the cache page itself says. The guidelines are clear on a lot of things that people either miss or purposely try and pass through. The most common problems I currently see with cache pages deal with the commercial content of the cache pages and the proximity requirements (this is mostly from new cachers). If your cache page displays a commercial icon, logo, link, name, etc, etc, etc, chances are it's going to be a problem. If you aren't sure then I'd suggest changing it to remove the problem before submitting.
2a. Look at your cache location in Google Maps on the satellite view. There's a link to Google Maps on your cache page. Plug in the coordinates for other stages or the final location if it's a multi or a puzzle. If you see anything that would make me wonder about it's location then include some more detail in a reviewer note (ie. "RR tracks on the map are now a bike trail" or "the water tower in the picture has been removed and is now a park"). Make sure that the cache actually appears where you think it should on the map (and that you haven't inadvertently entered the coordinates in incorrectly).
2b. Look at the "all nearby caches" link on your cache page. Make sure that the nearest one is at least 0.1 miles away. If it's less than 528 feet to the next nearest cache (assuming that the next nearest cache isn't a set of bogus coordinates to a puzzle cache or that it's not an event cache), then I'll be asking you to move your cache so that it complies with the 528 foot rule.
3. Tell me where your cache is. It's not always obvious from looking at the map that the cache is in a particular park. Knowing (either from the cache description or a reviewer note) that the cache is in the abc city park is very helpful. We also need to know a little information about the hide itself. What the container is and how/where it's hidden. Generally something like "an ammo box under a pile of sticks, 10' in the woods" is great.
4. If your cache is in a location that has regulations (the MnGCA maintains a list of regulations of various entities in the state), then read the regulations. Most parks listed have registration requirements. If you're placing a cache in a park that has a registration requirement, make sure that the cache is registered before placing it. I require a copy of the registration for most parks so send me a copy if the park manager didn't cc: me when you received your copy. I won't publish a cache page until I've received the approved permit, so it's best to send it along before or when you enable your cache page for submission.
5. Is your cache a multi-cache or puzzle cache? If so, report all of the coordinates of the additional stages or puzzle solution using the additional waypoints feature. I can't publish a cache without having all of the waypoints entered.
5b. If your cache is a puzzle cache then I may need to know some more information about it. If it's clear to me from the cache page that it is solvable from the cache page and that the answer is merely a set of numbers then you're probably ok. If your cache page contains some encrypted text, or I can't tell the method of solving it (and what the solution will yield) then I'll likely ask you for some more information regarding it - providing that information (such as any unencrypted text) up front will save us both some time. Be forewarned, I'm really bad at solving puzzles on my own.
6. Is your cache on private property? If so, be sure your description prominently states so. It helps to give the name of the person who granted permission in a reviewer note. The cache page also needs to indicate that the cache was placed on private property with permission.
7. Be sure that the "Yes, this listing is active" check box on the submittal form is left unchecked until you are ready to have the cache reviewed. Then be sure it is checked when it is ready so that the submittal will appear in the review queue.
8. Each cache page should stand on it's own. For example, if you're submitting a series of caches that are 150 miles from your home coordinates and someone else will be maintaining for you, please include that information on each cache page. While I'll get the idea after the first one, it may appear very odd to me or someone else down the road when we look at a cache page that doesn't have the information on it.
9. On the same token, don't assume I know or remember certain unique characteristics about you. While I continually am meeting more and more people over the years, I often forget some of the little details. For example, if you regularly travel the route between Rochester and Moorhead, don't assume I'll remember that when you try and place a cache far from your home coordinates. Include the note on each cache page (that's what copy/paste is for).
10. If you disable your cache for maintenance, please resolve the situation in less than 3 months. Caches that are disabled for 3 months go on my 'disabled list' and require extra work on my behalf to follow up on.
11. If the terrain of your cache is 1 then please either add the wheelchair attribute if applicable or change it to something higher than 1. Terrain of 1 indicates that it should be wheelchair accessible - if the attribute isn't included then it's an extra couple of steps for me to remind you. Events should be listed as a difficulty and terrain of 1. If you list your event with something other than 1/1 please indicate why in a reviewer note.
12. Choose a container size. Sometimes you don't want to, and this is fine, but don't skip this choice out of laziness. If you don't choose a container size then it's an extra couple of steps for me to remind you.
13. Read the current guidelines.
If you send me an email, it's very helpful to include the GCxxxxx code as well as a link to the cache page. Including the link saves me a number of extra clicks. Also, it helps me to keep things straight if you send the email to my MN.Fruitcake account, not my Pear Head account.
If you don't tell me what cache you're emailing me about then it's pretty unlikely that I'll know. I deal with 20-50+ cache listings every day, so it's pretty rare that I remember any one in particular.
I also happen to have a life outside of geocaching. For times when I plan on being gone for more than a few days I'll typically ask another reviewer to come in and take a look at listings as time allows.
Many (most) of the reviewer notes I use are templates, written for specific circumstances (ie. proximity issues or commercial content). Keep that in mind when you read them. No, I didn't write that whole reviewer note just for you (usually :wink:).
And remember that I'm human, and make mistakes. I may incorrectly disable or archive your cache, or I may incorrectly publish a cache that I shouldn't have. Email me and we'll sort it out. It's my goal to assess each cache on its own, fairly, regardless of the owner or any previous issues that have come up.
While I'll entertain questions about generic issues here, I won't entertain disputes (which are best left to email). I'll ask that the moderators keep a tight reign on the thread and don't hesitate to split threads off that may develop.
Now that I've had a few weeks of reviewing cache pages, I wanted to re-introduce myself and let you know how you can help me with your cache page submissions. [this post has been edited over time with some more current information]
I'll start with the introductions:
The profile I use for reviewing is MN.Fruitcake, although I'm commonly known as Pear Head. I've been caching since March of 2003 and live just outside of Bemidji.
My purpose in reviewing cache pages for geocaching.com is to make sure, primarily, that the caches and cache pages follow the current guidelines.
I also review cache pages that have been disabled for long periods of time (usually more than 3 months). Gat R Done typically reviews "should be archived" logs. I do this on a time-permitting basis and usually in large batches.
Some observations:
There are a few things you can do to help me out when submitting your cache page.
1. Read the current guidelines. Even those of you that are veteran cachers and have hundreds of finds, it doesn't hurt to read the guidelines every now and then.
2. Look at your cache page from my point of view. I'm interested in where the cache is located as well as what the cache page itself says. The guidelines are clear on a lot of things that people either miss or purposely try and pass through. The most common problems I currently see with cache pages deal with the commercial content of the cache pages and the proximity requirements (this is mostly from new cachers). If your cache page displays a commercial icon, logo, link, name, etc, etc, etc, chances are it's going to be a problem. If you aren't sure then I'd suggest changing it to remove the problem before submitting.
2a. Look at your cache location in Google Maps on the satellite view. There's a link to Google Maps on your cache page. Plug in the coordinates for other stages or the final location if it's a multi or a puzzle. If you see anything that would make me wonder about it's location then include some more detail in a reviewer note (ie. "RR tracks on the map are now a bike trail" or "the water tower in the picture has been removed and is now a park"). Make sure that the cache actually appears where you think it should on the map (and that you haven't inadvertently entered the coordinates in incorrectly).
2b. Look at the "all nearby caches" link on your cache page. Make sure that the nearest one is at least 0.1 miles away. If it's less than 528 feet to the next nearest cache (assuming that the next nearest cache isn't a set of bogus coordinates to a puzzle cache or that it's not an event cache), then I'll be asking you to move your cache so that it complies with the 528 foot rule.
3. Tell me where your cache is. It's not always obvious from looking at the map that the cache is in a particular park. Knowing (either from the cache description or a reviewer note) that the cache is in the abc city park is very helpful. We also need to know a little information about the hide itself. What the container is and how/where it's hidden. Generally something like "an ammo box under a pile of sticks, 10' in the woods" is great.
4. If your cache is in a location that has regulations (the MnGCA maintains a list of regulations of various entities in the state), then read the regulations. Most parks listed have registration requirements. If you're placing a cache in a park that has a registration requirement, make sure that the cache is registered before placing it. I require a copy of the registration for most parks so send me a copy if the park manager didn't cc: me when you received your copy. I won't publish a cache page until I've received the approved permit, so it's best to send it along before or when you enable your cache page for submission.
5. Is your cache a multi-cache or puzzle cache? If so, report all of the coordinates of the additional stages or puzzle solution using the additional waypoints feature. I can't publish a cache without having all of the waypoints entered.
5b. If your cache is a puzzle cache then I may need to know some more information about it. If it's clear to me from the cache page that it is solvable from the cache page and that the answer is merely a set of numbers then you're probably ok. If your cache page contains some encrypted text, or I can't tell the method of solving it (and what the solution will yield) then I'll likely ask you for some more information regarding it - providing that information (such as any unencrypted text) up front will save us both some time. Be forewarned, I'm really bad at solving puzzles on my own.
6. Is your cache on private property? If so, be sure your description prominently states so. It helps to give the name of the person who granted permission in a reviewer note. The cache page also needs to indicate that the cache was placed on private property with permission.
7. Be sure that the "Yes, this listing is active" check box on the submittal form is left unchecked until you are ready to have the cache reviewed. Then be sure it is checked when it is ready so that the submittal will appear in the review queue.
8. Each cache page should stand on it's own. For example, if you're submitting a series of caches that are 150 miles from your home coordinates and someone else will be maintaining for you, please include that information on each cache page. While I'll get the idea after the first one, it may appear very odd to me or someone else down the road when we look at a cache page that doesn't have the information on it.
9. On the same token, don't assume I know or remember certain unique characteristics about you. While I continually am meeting more and more people over the years, I often forget some of the little details. For example, if you regularly travel the route between Rochester and Moorhead, don't assume I'll remember that when you try and place a cache far from your home coordinates. Include the note on each cache page (that's what copy/paste is for).
10. If you disable your cache for maintenance, please resolve the situation in less than 3 months. Caches that are disabled for 3 months go on my 'disabled list' and require extra work on my behalf to follow up on.
11. If the terrain of your cache is 1 then please either add the wheelchair attribute if applicable or change it to something higher than 1. Terrain of 1 indicates that it should be wheelchair accessible - if the attribute isn't included then it's an extra couple of steps for me to remind you. Events should be listed as a difficulty and terrain of 1. If you list your event with something other than 1/1 please indicate why in a reviewer note.
12. Choose a container size. Sometimes you don't want to, and this is fine, but don't skip this choice out of laziness. If you don't choose a container size then it's an extra couple of steps for me to remind you.
13. Read the current guidelines.
If you send me an email, it's very helpful to include the GCxxxxx code as well as a link to the cache page. Including the link saves me a number of extra clicks. Also, it helps me to keep things straight if you send the email to my MN.Fruitcake account, not my Pear Head account.
If you don't tell me what cache you're emailing me about then it's pretty unlikely that I'll know. I deal with 20-50+ cache listings every day, so it's pretty rare that I remember any one in particular.
I also happen to have a life outside of geocaching. For times when I plan on being gone for more than a few days I'll typically ask another reviewer to come in and take a look at listings as time allows.
Many (most) of the reviewer notes I use are templates, written for specific circumstances (ie. proximity issues or commercial content). Keep that in mind when you read them. No, I didn't write that whole reviewer note just for you (usually :wink:).
And remember that I'm human, and make mistakes. I may incorrectly disable or archive your cache, or I may incorrectly publish a cache that I shouldn't have. Email me and we'll sort it out. It's my goal to assess each cache on its own, fairly, regardless of the owner or any previous issues that have come up.
While I'll entertain questions about generic issues here, I won't entertain disputes (which are best left to email). I'll ask that the moderators keep a tight reign on the thread and don't hesitate to split threads off that may develop.
