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I have had to go round and round with the reviewer about a cache placement and it takes days to get a response back from them the area I placed the cache does have other caches in the area as the crow flyies they may be close but on the ground they far apart looking on a map you Can not tell that the reviewer should take the word of the Cacher with more than a grain of salt I may be way off base but it is getting to the point that it is not fun any more to try and caches approved please let me know you think
@emtcop wrote:
I have had to go round and round with the reviewer about a cache placement and it takes days to get a response back from them the area I placed the cache does have other caches in the area as the crow flyies they may be close but on the ground they far apart looking on a map you Can not tell that the reviewer should take the word of the Cacher with more than a grain of salt I may be way off base but it is getting to the point that it is not fun any more to try and caches approved please let me know you think
I guess I am a little biased on this one, because I consider both of our WI approvers good friends. And I think they are doing a great job.
However, I do agree that it can be a bit frustrating at times to get a cache published. I have about 230 caches out, and am currently working on a new big series of caches (The Gr8 River Road series) so I have a lot of contact with the approvers. And yes, they routinely disable, archive, question and generally make the process tough sometimes, despite our friendships and the number of caches that I have placed. I guess I am sharing that to let you know that is just how it is, and overall it is a good thing that they are working to keep cache placements legal and of the best possible quality.
A couple of things that you can do to decrease the hassles:
1. Read all of the guidelines, and try to fit your cache into something within the guidelines.
2. Anticipate and respond to potential reasons to not approve up front when you submit the cache in the comment to reviewers section. For example, if the cache is near train tracks, measure the distance and tell them how far away the tracks are. If there is another cache 490 feet away, but it is seperated by a river, tell them that you know that is within .1 mile, but that they are on opposite sides of a wide river so you hope the .1 mile guideline can be waived.
3. When they do disable a cache, they will tell you why. Either respond to the issue that they bring up, or change the cache placement to fit within the guidelines.
4. Understand that some of the rules are guidelines and can be bent, and some are hard and fast rules that the approvers have no control of. For example, I recently placed a cache right on the edge of a SNA. They have no control of the rule prohibiting caches in SNAs, so that is a non-starter. That happened to me recently, and I just looked at the map carefully, and went and picked up the cache, and placed it nearby where it was legal.
5. Keep on trying. I am looking forward to heading up your way again soon, and I look forward to finding your caches.
zuma
I do understand it is just very frustrating at times the other thing that I do not under stand is why they do not use a ID that and inform us as to where they are because I think it would be nice to know if I am talk to someone that live in Madison or Hayward it would just be nice to know because if they live in the area they maybe able to understand the area better just a thought because their ID says nothing as to where they are some background would be nice
I’ve had a little difficulty getting a few caches near the St. Croix River approved but once I learned the process, subsequent approvals went well. Overall, I also think the reviewers are doing a good job.
now that I have email back and forth to the review they have been very helpful and have been doing a great job THANK YOU 😀 😆
just a question how are the local reviewers chosen is it a groundspeak thing or is it the state association that chooses just wandering they are doing a good job just wandering how they got it
KUDOS to the Wisconsin Reviewers. Past and Present. It’s a thankless job. Good question as to how one gets chosen thou.
@emtcop wrote:
I do understand it is just very frustrating at times the other thing that I do not under stand is why they do not use a ID that and inform us as to where they are because I think it would be nice to know if I am talk to someone that live in Madison or Hayward it would just be nice to know because if they live in the area they maybe able to understand the area better just a thought because their ID says nothing as to where they are some background would be nice
The reviewers may not be from your area, but they were chosen to be our reviewers because they are of some of our most seasoned geocachers.
Remember that they are volunteers, and that they are following strict guidelines.
That said, I know how frustrating it can be to have issues with cache placements. And that frustration is compounded when there are delays in getting responses from the reviewers, although they both seem to have quick turn around times to me. But here is one last thing to remember. The reviewers are people to, and they have lives just like you and I. You cannot expect them to be at your beckon call when you need them. Getting angry will not speed up the process. Being patient might.
I attended a few Geocaching seminars over the winter/spring that were great for learning how to find caches. Maybe at events or any other time we could have someone teach the newbies how to hide a cache. Training should reduce the amount of headaches for the reviewers.
@emtcop wrote:
just a question how are the local reviewers chosen is it a groundspeak thing or is it the state association that chooses just wandering they are doing a good job just wandering how they got it
Hi,
Mostly, it is a secret handshake type of thing. 😉
Generally, reviewers are selected if they are 1) experienced geocachers, 2) have good computer skills, 3) have good communication skills, 4) have the time, and are willing, and 5) generally support the rules and guidelines of gc.com and are not pot-stirring rabble rousers.
It is hard to find folks that meet all 5 of those criteria, and we are lucky to have the 2 great reviewers we have now. Our past reviewers Brian, Brian and Jeff T. also did a great job.
Caching in other states as much as I do, I appreciate the great work that our reviewers do. Illinois is particularly bad, and I have found a number of caches in illegal locations in Illinois, under bridges, quite near rail tracks, etc that you dont see in Wisconsin. And dont get me started on Power Trails. In California and parts of Colorado, there is a cache every .1 mile for no particular reason, other than numbers.
(And since the Iowa reviewer frequents this forum, I will also mention that I have cached a lot in MN and some in Iowa, and both of those states have excellent reviewers, at least in terms of not running across illegally placed caches.)
zuma
Found one in Illinois on a bridge railing over Salt Creek… was thinking to myself, that one like this would never be approved in Wisconsin 🙂
With good consistent application of the rules, we can all enjoy a much safer search for geocaches. Most of the guidelines are for safety.. well there’s the .1 thing. (and dont get me started on the “agendas” in caches topic). I’ve never really had a big problem with our local reviewers. They are good at communicating any issues they have and easy to work with to fix those items.
I am amazed by how many caches get published on just about a daily basis in Wisconsin… I tell you, if I was someone as involved as our reviewers are I’d be divorced.. so you can add “being single” as another preferred attribute 😉
that still does not answer my question as to who picks the reviewers just wandering how they are chosen they do a great job
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