Cut and Paste logs

[Lostby7]

@benny7210 wrote:

Sounds to me like another ALR.

Yep this is an ALR alright. By my understanding of the new rules, he cannot delete your find based on its being a cut and paste log alone.

[zuma]

@benny7210 wrote:

9Key is just another cache owner that wants to play the game by his own rules. He THINKS he’s the only one thats right and every one else is wrong. Show me where it says on GC.com that what he is doing is right. SO whats next?? Does he have the right to say that your log was not long enough, because it was only 37 words and not the required minimum of 50 words! Sounds to me like another ALR. I think that he just likes to have his ego stroked…. GET A LIFE.

Well, 9Key can speak for himself if he happens to visit this thread. I dont know how often he does visit the forums, but in case he doesnt visit soon, I guess I need to clarify a bit.

I didnt post the 9Key comment so folks could slam him, but rather to give the background to why I posted a log on the subject. My feeling is that 9Key added that sentence more to educate fellow cachers and hopefully change attitudes and behaviors when logging caches, since a lot of the folks that post weak cut and paste logs are folks that dont know any better. The geocaching community is well served by veteran cachers like 9Key to speak up and say what they want to say in attempting to educate people on what is good practice. I dont think he actually does delete logs, judging by the number of cut and paste logs on his caches. What he is trying to do, I think, is just to educate people that a decent log is expected when it is deserved.

I havent met 9Key, but have enjoyed his caches and exchanged emails in the past with him, and from what I can tell, he is a pretty decent guy.

And you are right, there is no rule that you have to post a decent log. But when folks do enjoy a cache, it is my view they have a debt to the person who placed the cache for that enjoyment, and the best way to pay that debt is by thanking them with an appropriate and interesting log.

zuma

[-cheeto-]

@Sparse Grey Hackle wrote:

➡ Ditto cut ‘n paste hybrids at times other times all totally individual logs…..depends on the circumstances

Ditto for me 🙂

[lone_gunman]

@-cheeto- wrote:

@Sparse Grey Hackle wrote:

➡ Ditto cut ‘n paste hybrids at times other times all totally individual logs…..depends on the circumstances

Ditto for me 🙂

Ditto here as well

[-cheeto-]

@zuma wrote:

And you are right, there is no rule that you have to post a decent log. But when folks do enjoy a cache, it is my view they have a debt to the person who placed the cache for that enjoyment, and the best way to pay that debt is by thanking them with an appropriate and interesting log.

While I am disappointed when I see a cut and paste on some of the caches I worked hard on, they usually don’t bother me all that much. There are plenty of people out there who write wonderful logs accounting their experiences to keep me reading my incoming log emails and enjoying that experience.

For me, I write meaningful logs accounting my experience because it helps me remember that experience later. I love reading my older cache logs.

Hopefully this new thread here will spark some of our newer members to think about their logging practices and how they want to log their experiences and how some owners out there do read their logs. Thanks Zuma.

[sandlanders]

We write novels for guardrail caches, and “War and Peace” for a really good cache. OK, not that lengthy, but our logs and any photos we take are how we remember the caches we do. Memory serves us quite well, but not as well on some caches. So we write detailed online logs.

The most caches we’ve ever found in one day was 18, with 6 DNFs. Took a while to write all of those up, but they got done. We hope the caches owners enjoyed reading about our visits. We certainly love finding lengthy logs on the caches we have out. When we get a short cut-and-paste (with no additional specifics to the cache), or a TFTC, we go “What???? That’s all you have to say?????” But then we move on. Not everyone does what we do, and we don’t do what they do (like go on power runs). We also don’t know what reasons they may have for not writing much, as some have mentioned here already.

We also like to see what others have said about caches we’ve enjoyed doing or may want to do. We like reading about everyone’s adventures all over the state and elsewhere. Good logs can help us decide where to cache next. Can’t get much from a “TFTC”, except that the cache was findable at that time.

Another thing… If the log book in a cache has enough room, do you write a lengthy log there? We usually do. We also like to read what others have said, and when we do cache maintenance on our caches, we like to see what the finders have said in those log books, too.

But to each his/her own. (I’m also a practitioner of lengthy forum posts.)

[gotta run]

@zuma wrote:

But when folks do enjoy a cache, it is my view they have a debt to the person who placed the cache for that enjoyment, and the best way to pay that debt is by thanking them with an appropriate and interesting log.

Not to mention helping with cache maintenance issues. When you see a boilerplate log on a cache that was shredded by a lawnmower, kinda makes you wanna go 🙄

Though there are always exceptions, as I mentioned before, my observation is that a lot of it comes down to simple laziness. As I was told once when I asked a serial cut-and-paster “why?,” the answer was, “I don’t have time to write something different on every cache.” Where’s that emoticon again… 🙄

On the Left Side of the Road...

[Lostby7]

I do try to be original (yet brief) for most of my logs but caches along a power trail (and a series like Battleship) fall victim to the “unless it’s really over the top good, it doesn’t get special recognition” clause. But to all those who do log creatively I salute and thank you. I have two locals who write the best logs and I love when they visit my caches…I thanked one of them this past week via an email for his wit and expressed thanks for his visiting my caches.

[lone_gunman]

come to think of it………the more adversity on the trek out to the cache, the more creative I get…….not necessarily coherent, but more creative…..remembering a war with the mosquitos on a pinkish trail and a 4 part quest that defied all attempts at location……but that is the kind of thing I remember

[jenhen1]

Another thing… If the log book in a cache has enough room, do you write a lengthy log there? We usually do. We also like to read what others have said, and when we do cache maintenance on our caches, we like to see what the finders have said in those log books, too.

Now THAT’S a lost art! Gone are the days when someone actually takes the time write something interesting in the physical log. Sadly so. I like to read the physical log too.

On a power trail I understand it’s difficult to write something unique about every cache, but how about writing about different experiences along the trail? It doesn’t have to be just about finding the cache and the experience at the cache. Saw a deer near here, wildflowers were really popping, heard an owl as the sun was going down, my wife pushed me down and kicked me in the head near here, etc…Use a different experience for every cache you find and soon you have plenty of unique experiences that the cache owner will undoubtedly know is not cut and pasted.

A great cache should be acknowledged. As a cache owner I really enjoy reading others’ comments and assume other cache owners do too.

[huffinpuffin2]

@sandlanders wrote:

Good logs can help us decide where to cache next. Can’t get much from a “TFTC”, except that the cache was findable at that time.

💡 WOW! 💡 You really hit the nail on the head with another aspect of this issue! You are also giving forward to the community of future cachers, as well as providing ‘buzz’ for the cache and its owner.

It’s a personal endorsement and recommendation of this cache for future cachers to consider when planning future adventures

[Jstajlr]

I rarely cut and paste logs but I have certainly written enough very generic logs. Unless there was a unique experience, container, location, difficulty, etc., it’s rather difficult to write a paragraph about the cache. When I cache with my daughter I actually encourage her to cut and paste because logging 30 caches is going to take 8 hrs for her. If there is a very unique cache I tell her to take the time to write something better.
I only have 2 hides so I do everything I can to show my appreciation for those that take the time to provide with a wonderful hobby. Writing a great log is not the only way to show appreciation. I carry extra log, duct tape, and containers, to help do repair on caches as a way to show appreciation. I’ll continue this practice even after I’ve built up my hides but I feel it is especially important with my low number of hides.

[Braid Beards Gang]

I am guilty of the cut and paste on several occasions. I have done that for event finds and a series of caches by the same hider. Gotta do what you gottta do. I know a local Milwaukee cacher that never has written more then “nice hide, TFTC.”

[-cheeto-]

@sandlanders wrote:

Another thing… If the log book in a cache has enough room, do you write a lengthy log there? We usually do. We also like to read what others have said, and when we do cache maintenance on our caches, we like to see what the finders have said in those log books, too.

In larger log books, I will typically add some little note about my visit like what the weather was like during my visit, what I took and left, and where I am from. Especially if it’s a cache that is not close to me. I really like reading past logs in log books when I visit caches as well. Partly to see who may have visited.

As for micro logs, we all know we squeeze in our names where we can! 😉

[marc_54140]

WHY do cut and paste logs occur?

1. Person had nothing to say.
2. Person does not want to say anything.
3. Person is afraid to say anything.
4. After a cache run of 40-70 in one day, who can remember?

I would opt for 4 being my biggest …. excuse.

[Author]

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