› Forums › Geocaching in Wisconsin › General › Advice needed
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Trekkin and Birdin.
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06/10/2011 at 4:59 am #1732062
I had this comment posted on one of my caches this week:
Been slow to log this because I have a major issue with it. First, Thanks to TeamCabana for this series, but more so, thanks Marathon County Parks for permitting it. Found it! And ultimately found the end cache! And that’s my issue; the end cache is a Premium Member ONLY cache. Can’t praise Ground Speak enough for how they have advanced this sport of geocaching. Essential to this success is securing permission from the governing bodies of public lands. Public lands permit geocaches because they are kept public, largely by way of Ground Speak’s FREE membership. That is until they become Premium Member Exclusive. Such exclusive caches are just wrong, and violate the term “Public Access.” I’m all for preserving Premium Membership, but exclusive caches need to end. I intend to alert Marathon County Parks of this issue and expect to notify others in my limited capacity…. let me know if you agree.
I have 11 caches in this park with only the final being a premium member cache. I made the final a premium cache because I wanted it to be a little more special.
So is this guy just a whinner or should I change it to a normal cahce ❓
06/10/2011 at 10:47 am #1948749The local government is likely sick and tired of hearing from this person already….the choice to change it as a regular cache is yours…but letting folks like this get there way is what is wrong with this country.
06/10/2011 at 11:40 am #1948750Not knowing the Series, you must have a reason for having the Final as a Premium Members cache. The cachers comment is an interesting point, one which we never thought of. It was a bit “force fed”, however.
We only list caches as PMOs if we don’t want a rookie cacher to have a bad experience, if they choose it. They are usually a bit tougher. But we also open them up to everyone, after enough feedback comes in.
I think the point made in the log is valid, but the PMO/public land part has absolutely nothing to do with it. Most caches, open and PMOs, are on public land.
We’ll give it more thought and possibly adjust our opinion if other comments to the contrary are posted.
06/10/2011 at 11:57 am #1948751I agree that it is unusual to have only the final be Premium but that is your choice. For someone to cry to government authorities about it is pathetic. If they really wanted the smile so bad they could have emailed you.
06/10/2011 at 12:00 pm #1948752As the CO, you have every right to make your cache premium only if you want-that’s just the way it is. The person who wrote the log can take it up with Groundspeak, but he needs to get over this particular issue. We don’t see his logic that if it’s on public land it should be open to everyone.
06/10/2011 at 12:30 pm #1948753The choice is the cache owner’s whether to make the hide PMO or not. It is unusual and confusing that the final only is PMO. Why not make the whole series PMO. I rarely use PMO and out of 260 hides have less than 10. Most are to protect unique containers. In the end it comes down to the old fact that no one has to find every cache in Wisconsin and no one ever will.
06/10/2011 at 12:45 pm #1948754It is the cache owners right to publish them as they see fit. Although if it is a final to a public series I belive it should be open to all as all the others are. That would be like dangleing a piece of candy in front of a child and saying you cant have it. Just my opinion.
It is by that person complaining to the county parks that will possabily kill the game by them just not allowing caches in their parks. Thats the way the world turns. Enough people complain and the kabosh gets put on it.
After that person has been caching for 5 years, with no hides, they have no room to complain when they can only take and not give anything back.06/10/2011 at 12:46 pm #1948755I took a look at your series and it looks like you jumped through all of the right hoops to get it published. I still would go with all or none for PMO. As far as the comments by the whiney Way Ward One with his vast amount of experience with 100 finds in 5 year – ignore him. If he has any success complaining to the parks system you can always remove the final from PMO. I doubt if he will even pursue this any further.
06/10/2011 at 1:35 pm #1948756I guess I feel like the two previous loggers. I think after someone has put the effort into doing the entire series holding back the candy is kind of mean. If the entire series was Premium that would be OK.
I don’t want my caches to only get found by the “elite” but we do use the PMO option if we have had a cache muggled or outright stolen as has happened with our Portage and Wisconsin Dells caches. Some were taken several times until we made them PMO then moved the container to a slightly different location. It has just about completely solved the problem of theft. We probably have about 25 of 130 caches PMO for that reason.
06/10/2011 at 1:38 pm #1948757If you wanted to pacify this whiner, you could take the final off PMO, allow them to find and log and then put it back on PMO. I think that would reset the audit log however, if that is any consequence to your having it on PMO in the first place.
I would agree with some of the other comments that if it is a series final, it would be reasonable to have it all PMO or none.
It does seem odd that they think the parks system has any oversight regarding PMO or general membership caches.
Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.
06/10/2011 at 2:02 pm #1948758labrat makes a good point on allowing non premium members to log. I have had groups visit our caches where all are not PM and have sent e-mails offereing to take the cache off PM for 24 hours to allow them to log the find. The purpose of PMO should not be to prohibit cachers from finding and logging a cache.
06/10/2011 at 2:08 pm #1948759The cacher in question seems to have found caches only for about a year, even though the account is from five years ago. We didn’t go premium until we’d been caching for a year, and there were some caches we couldn’t go for during that time. Didn’t bother us, but none were finals to a series. That would have bothered us.
If each cache in the series has a number/letter to keep track of, then the final should be available to those who jumped through all the hoops to get the info needed. All premium or none premium. The idea behind a series is usually to find the final.
All that being said, complaining to the parks department instead of to the CO is the wrong way to go about airing your beef. Poor judgment there.
06/10/2011 at 2:21 pm #1948760@Lostby7 wrote:
The local government is likely sick and tired of hearing from this person already….the choice to change it as a regular cache is yours…but letting folks like this get there way is what is wrong with this country.
Couldn’t have said it better. The public access means that anyone that wants to search for the cache can visit the land. If I bring a picnic to the park to I have to share with anyone that stops by and wants a bite?
06/10/2011 at 2:25 pm #1948761In my honest opinion, the entire series should be either PMO or not. Not just the final. If I was a regular member, and did the first nine in the series, got all the clues needed for the final, found the final, ad was not able to log it, I’d be upset. Keep in mind that this series is a very fun series, regular members have access to the clues to the final. Because of this, I feel that this final should be made for everyone to log.
Howver, I do agree on how that one cacher cried wolf is not the way to go. They should of contacted th CO’s instead.
Just my 2 cents worth.
06/10/2011 at 2:43 pm #1948762Loved Kungfuhippie’s analogy. Perfect!!! As Judy Judy would say.
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