Regional differences affect participation

[Team Deejay]

I couldn’t fit in the title I wanted for this post, which was “Why geocaching is thriving in some parts of the state and not others”. As I looked at my latest PQ, I was a little stunned to find that 80 new caches had been placed within 25 miles of my house in the last month by 40 different hiders. Only 37 of the 80 are micros. Only 4 are “mystery caches” of which only 2 are “desk puzzles”. (The other two are a bonus and a field puzzle). On the other hand, in other parts of the state, people complain (a little) about the lack of new caches. I got to thinking about why geocaching is growing so much in this area compared with areas of similar population. Just my opinion, but I think that driving the differences are:

• Most (not all) of the caches in this area are probably no more then 2 stars on difficulty (regardless of the actual rating). I would estimate that for every hard cache found, there are 20-30 easy ones.
• A good variety of drive ups, hiking caches, city park caches, bike trail caches, and more challenging terrain caches, so people can experience the breadth of the game.
• Good maintenance by cache owners (with a few exceptions, of course), generally accurate terrain ratings, generally accurate coordinates (with certain exceptions) and a very limited number of absentee owners.
• Cooperation with local parks departments

I think that these factors minimize the chance that a new player will have their first caching experience at an un-findable micro in the woods, a cache which they can’t reach due to terrain (without warning), a cache hidden on a trash can, shelter, port-a-potty, dumpster, grease drum, or other obnoxious location, or a missing cache. This increases the chances that the new player will go for a second and a third cache, and before long, they are hooked and putting out caches for the rest of us to find.

So, if you find that geocaching is not thriving in your area, I have a couple suggestions:

1. When you place a difficult cache (either difficult hide or puzzle), try to balance that out with an easy hide or two.
2. Choose a cache size appropriate for the area. There is no reason to hide a micro in a place which could support a large.
3. If you must hide a cache in a guardrail or parking lot, try to balance that out by hiding another one somewhere that will be fun and interesting for people to visit. I can tell you that NO ONE gets excited to visit a parking lot.
4. If you must hide a “desk puzzle” cache, try to balance that out with a field puzzle, a multi, or a letterbox hybrid. Remember that this is supposed to be an outdoor activity.
5. Last but not least, maintain your caches and pay attention to your logs.

In other words, try to place a variety of hides and try to make the majority of them appeal to new players. Remember that geocaches are meant to be found, not meant to sit unfound for months at a time. We need the new players to keep the game fresh and alive. [/rant mode]

[marc_54140]

Hey, parking lots and guard rails turn me on! 😯

[GetMeOutdoors]

I think those are good observations, T. Deejay. There’s a couple other factors also that you may not have considered.

One is the synergy factor. One excited cacher can get others excited which reciprocates. If there’s even a few good cachers feeding off each other’s enthusiasm, each cacher is pushed to challenge themselves on their hides, FTFs, counts, etc. This creates more caches and cachers and the cycles continues and grows. On the other hand, if there’s not an energetic cachers in the community, not alot gets done.

And of course, closely related, there’s the competition factor. If you’re personal friends with many of the other cachers in the area, then the “competition” (though friendly and arbitrary) keeps the energy going.

And of course, those that aren’t as social or competitive also benefit from this environment because they have an ever growing backyard of caches to go get at their leisure and will still contribute to it occasionally.

In either circumstance, everyone is challenged personally and more inventive and imaginative hides are placed, more areas of the community are explored, and the quality of caches increases. You end up with a nice variety and breadth to the game (as you described). Those that have hidden caches are rewarded by the posts and comments of others that they know (and don’t know) and the enthusiasm continues.

This also explains why we have these “pockets” of geo-lands out there (I’m an “outlander”, myself) becuase the regions these “hyper-cachers” live in and their proximity to other “hyper-cachers” ends up defining the boundaries of the community. When you find a region without a cacher such as this, or perhaps one lonely cacher such as this (and them we pitty, greatly) or when you find an area with few public lands, there you will find a void.

Now, there’s not much you can do about no public lands but if that’s not the case and you’re still in a caching desert, maybe you can rile up some other locals (if there are any) or even better, host an event for people to get to know each other. Making personal friendships is one of the major points of this game and doing so only benefits it as a whole. Getting some folks together for some fun can really get the geo-ball rolling.

Anyway, those are my observations. Thanks for the thread, Deejay and for your insight. Now as long as we can all remember that these gaps between “lands” are there to be filled (not there to divide) we’ll all have a good time. It’s great to have a community, it’s even better to have a world. And you are all welcome to the “outlands” (and beyond) any time 😀

[Timberline Echoes]

We do not have very many cache in this area. North Central esp north of Wausau. I think it is plainly a lack of population period. There are very few puzzles or micros up here. Pretty much all are well maintained and there are great areas with a variety of terrains. Just not that many caches and the ones who cache here are on vacation.
JMHO
Mrs. TE

[Vans Clan]

I agree with everyone in this thread already. So many variables can cause participation and lack thereof. I think for the most part, GMO hit the proverbial nail on the head. Enthusiasm is like a virus – quickly spreading between like-minded participants.

A local cacher here once made an observation that at the time I thought sounded odd to me since I have only been caching for little over 2 months. He said that he was getting a little bored of caching about a year or so ago. He indicated that there was little to no competition in the area so going after the FTFs were almost a sure thing – when there were FTFs to even be had. He had already found all the caching in this area and needed to drive an hour or two just to get to come fresh caches. However, now he said, with a few newer cachers in the area and a bunch of new caches that they were putting out and add the fact these new cachers enjoyed the competition of the FTFs, he was re-energized in caching.

I would probably consider myself one of these new enthusiastic cachers. My observation is this: While it is very fun to run out at 9pm to a newly published cache and bump into a couple of other local cachers (see the FTF posts in Nite #3 and Nite #4), it is just as fun to travel a new community to discover all the parks/public lands they have to offer. In my opinion, that is one of the things that makes Geocaching so fun and unique. It gets you to new or little known areas around the State/Country or World.

If you are in one of these ‘boarder’ areas with few local caches, either take it upon yourself and place some out there, or take a day trip to one of these ‘pocket areas’ of caches and have a ball visiting these new areas.

Note to new cachers – go attend a local event (even if it is some distance away) because the friends you make and the energy you get from these events greatly enhance your Geocaching experience! I know it did for me.

[One Paddle Short]

A local cacher here once made an observation that at the time I thought sounded odd to me since I have only been caching for little over 2 months. He said that he was getting a little bored of caching about a year or so ago. He indicated that there was little to no competition in the area so going after the FTFs were almost a sure thing – when there were FTFs to even be had.

They could have tried turning off their phone. More people enjoyed the game before the Pavlovian phone folks decided every cache was hidden to pad their FTF stats.

[Team Black-Cat]

Ahem…

With the FTF race heating up in the area we knew we’d better get the shoes laced and head on out as soon as this came up.

Supper was in process when the cache alarm went off through the house.

Too busy of a schedule to ever get a FTF anymore

All of that aside, I don’t understand how someone going for FTF could have any affect on how much anyone else enjoys caching.

[SammyClaws]

Wow, those are some interesting observations – has anyone checked the correlation between population and caches? I would think that has something to do with it. Also on a personal note, is seems like caches tend to congregate where there is water… pond, lake, really big lake. Anyone else notice this?

[Thraxman]

There is a population density map for wisconsin here.

Just scrolling around on the Google map of caches, you can see that cache density is high in cities. I assume this is because of population density, places to hide, etc. But also consider where you CAN’T hide a cache. Cornfields are a good example. And how many cornfields in Wisconsin? Lots. Most private property is not an option for cache placement. It’d be intersting to take a map and black out all areas where caches CAN’T be hidden. Then superimpose a map of caches, and see what is left.

[One Paddle Short]

Wow,

Somebody spends a lot of time reading logs! I had to really dig to find these:

With the FTF race heating up in the area we knew we’d better get the shoes laced and head on out as soon as this came up.

March 28, 2006: Cry Me a River

A rather large group in the area was having fun trading off FTF’s at the time. We happened to check the computer a short while after this came up and the kids and I had fun making a FTF run.

Supper was in process when the cache alarm went off through the house.

April 14, 2006: Mountain Bay Clubhouse Walk

In 2006 a “cache alarm” meant somebody checked the computer and a new cache had come out. The alarm was simply somebody yelling, “A new cache is out”. I can only assume you dug this up thinking we had phone alarm? Did anybody have internet enabled phones in April of 2006?

Too busy of a schedule to ever get a FTF anymore

Can’t find this. Assume it means that we don’t have the time to sit in front of the computer attempting to beat those with phone alarm to a cache.

All of that aside, I don’t understand how someone going for FTF could have any affect on how much anyone else enjoys caching.

I’m a little confused with this? The post replied to stated that a local cacher was bored with caching in our area because he/she didn’t feel there was enough competition for FTF for them (“FTF were almost a sure thing”). To me this reads as somebody not enjoying caching as a result of others going (or not going fast enough) for FTF’s? My point is this: about a year ago is when there was a big shift in the folks getting FTF’s in our area to the folks with cell alarms. So, somebody saying they’re bored with getting so many FTF’s in our area is kind of like the deer hunter saying he’s tired of winning the big buck contest at work every year as he enters the gate of the game farm to pick out this year’s deer. It’s not a lack of competition, it’s the fact that he’s operating in a different environment.

We used to enjoy running for a FTF- I think everyone in this game enjoys a FTF once in a while. It isn’t important enough for me to pay for internet enabled cell (I don’t need it for anything else). I’ve talked with several other local cachers who feel the same way. So we accept that FTF isn’t a part of the game we can take part in anymore. But, to read that folks don’t think there’s enough competition to make it fun for them after we’ve been cut out seems a little rude?

It isn’t hard to figure that if a few folks dominate the FTF’s in an area it doesn’t leave anything for other folks? New folks never get the fun of being first. Surely you can’t argue that you don’t enjoy a FTF? I think we have one local FTF in the last 9-12 months. I might be missing one or two, but if I am I can’t think of them right now (and I suspect you’ll tell me). 🙂

So, if someone going for a FTF can’t have any affect on how much someone else enjoys caching…well, we challenge TBC to go 9 months allowing others to get the local FTF’s.

😉

[Timberline Echoes]

Some sections of our county have 0-10 people per square mile. Only 1500 people in our town and then it is a while before you get to the next town.

On the FTF note… not as much competition up here. A cache can sit weeks or sometimes months before it gets found. We have gotten quite a few FTF but that is because our 50 miles has been cleared out a few times so if something comes out we go after it. We do not have the cell phone option.
TE

[Team Black-Cat]

OPS, I think we’re both getting off topic here, but I’ll get back to the topic in a bit.
As for spending a lot of time reading logs… nope. Just two or three minutes and some creative use of GSAK. As for needing Internet enabled phone service to get notificaitons… nope again. If you can get text messages, you can have notifications sent to your phone. How depends on your provider, but a quick Google for “SMS gateway” will get someone close.

To get back on topic, population centers will have more caches for obvious reasons. But, there are quite a few areas that seem to be in the midddle of nowhere that have more caches than one would expect. Quite often it’s a single hyperactive cacher, but sometimes not.
I don’t think anyone can come up with a formula that fits every situation.

[GetMeOutdoors]

@Team Black-Cat wrote:

As for needing Internet enabled phone service to get notificaitons… nope again. If you can get text messages, you can have notifications sent to your phone. How depends on your provider, but a quick Google for “SMS gateway” will get someone close.

Yes, I love technology,
but not as much as you, you see,
But I still love technology
Always and forever

– Kit; Napoleon Dynamite.

[Vans Clan]

Let me clarify my earlier post as I think some people read into it the wrong way.

No matter how you look at GeoCaching, FTF is part of the game. If people want to use technology in a technical game (yeah, GPSr are geeky techno stuff too) then who are we to say any different. I personally like the FTF aspect. Getting the notification on the phone at 9pm and rushing out to a cache and finding others doing the same has a little bit of ‘rush’ to the game. I can see the appeal of having more cachers in the area after the FTFs to add to the over all enjoyment to this game.

Having said that, FTF are only a part of the game. There are still caches in other towns, local and regional events, caching in different seasons (love the fall caching!) and a ton of other things that make caching an enjoyable experience.

Wait… my phone is beeping… oh crap, gotta go!

[Vans Clan]

@Team Black-Cat wrote:

As for spending a lot of time reading logs… nope. Just two or three minutes and some creative use of GSAK.

TBC doesn’t read logs near as much as I do. I have set up my profile on GC so I get every log made to all caches in a 50 mile radius of my house. Sure, I get about 30-60 geo-mails a day on the weekends, but I love reading them, especially the caches I have already visited. Without logs, Geocaching would be a very private sport.

Logging, in my opinion, also ties into this topic of why some areas have more active cachers than others. If all you see is a TFTC in a log, who enjoys that? If you see a 200-300 word log with fun and interesting stories to tell, that helps feed the excitement of the game. If your area, like us “Outlanders” (and other caching rich towns), have cachers that love to share their experiences in the logs, then it can only help encourage others to participate more.

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