[Az-Geocaching] Virtually Confounded

Sun, 26 Oct 2003 11:52:37 -0700

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off the hip=20

find another statue

after thinking

keep it as is boost the rating make a highlight to this question then if =
they give you the wrong answer let them know and if after a reasonable =
amount of time they do not give you the warm fuzzies delete the log.

warm fuzzies as a cache owner include the guy is from out of state =
ect....

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Team Tierra Buena=20
  To: Arizona Geocaching=20
  Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2003 11:35 AM
  Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Virtually Confounded

  Many of you have done our "Informal Introductions" virtual cache =
(GCAB5C). For those of you that haven't, it's a very kid-friendly hunt =
that requires the seeker to provide us with the answers to five =
questions. Finding the answer to the fifth question is a little bit =
trickier than most virtuals, so we rated the difficulty at 2.

  I've become surprised by the number of people who have sent emails =
that contain either an incorrect answer to question 5, or an admission =
that they were unable to find that answer; these cachers then log as =
"finds". The cache page states "emailing incomplete or incorrect answers =
may result in our deleting your log entry without notice".

  On one hand, the purpose of answering the questions to a virtual is to =
prove that the seeker was in the right place. So if you get four out of =
five correct, it's pretty obvious the seeker was there. And we did let =
one guy skate because he was visiting from out-of-state, and had already =
left town when he emailed his answers. But many people have returned a =
second time after being told that they got it wrong, and they were then =
able to find the correct answer.

  So whaddya think? Should we strictly enforce our own rule out of =
fairness to those who have gotten all the right answers or have gone =
back to finish the hunt, or should we say "it's only a game" and let =
them take the credit for the find? I should point out that finding the =
correct answer to the fifth question brings the seeker to a particularly =
clever aspect of this entire area, which is why we set the question we =
did.

  We talked about using only that question instead of five, but we =
followed Highpointer's approach to his museum cache series, where =
finding the answers to all the questions takes the seeker around the =
entire area, which is what we want them to do. We don't want them just =
running in, finding one answer and taking off for the next cache.

  We've also discussed raising the difficulty level to 3 and/or =
modifying the cache description to state specifically that the correct =
answer to question 5 must be submitted, but I'm afraid that making any =
modifications to the cache page might result in it's being re-evaluated =
under the current guidelines for virtuals, and then we might be forced =
to archive a cache that always gets positive log comments.

  We welcome your comments and suggestions, but please avoid posting =
anything that might be a spoiler. TIA.

  Steve

  Team Tierra Buena

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<BODY lang=3DEN-US vLink=3Dpurple link=3Dblue bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>off the hip </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>find another statue</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>after thinking</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>keep it as is boost the rating make a =
highlight to=20
this question then if they give you the wrong answer let them know and =
if after=20
a reasonable amount of time they do not give you the warm fuzzies delete =
the=20
log.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>warm fuzzies as a cache owner include =
the guy is=20
from out of state ect....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3DTeamTierraBuena@earthlink.net=20
  href=3D"mailto:TeamTierraBuena@earthlink.net">Team Tierra Buena</A> =
</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
  title=3Daz-geocaching@listserv.azgeocaching.com=20
  href=3D"mailto:az-geocaching@listserv.azgeocaching.com">Arizona =
Geocaching</A>=20
  </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, October 26, 2003 =
11:35=20
  AM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Az-Geocaching] =
Virtually=20
  Confounded</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV class=3DSection1>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Many of you have done =
our=20
  =93Informal Introductions=94 virtual cache (GCAB5C). For those of you =
that=20
  haven=92t, it=92s a very kid-friendly hunt that requires the seeker to =
provide us=20
  with the answers to five questions. Finding the answer to the fifth =
question=20
  is a little bit trickier than most virtuals, so we rated the =
difficulty at=20
  2.</SPAN></FONT></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I=92ve become surprised =
by the=20
  number of people who have sent emails that contain either an incorrect =
answer=20
  to question 5, or an admission that they were unable to find that =
answer;=20
  these cachers then log as =93finds=94. The cache page states =
=93emailing incomplete=20
  or incorrect answers may result in our deleting your log entry without =

notice=94.
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">On one hand, the purpose =
of=20
 answering the questions to a virtual is to prove that the seeker was =
in the=20
 right place. So if you get four out of five correct, it=92s pretty =
obvious the=20
 seeker was there. And we did let one guy skate because he was visiting =
from=20
 out-of-state, and had already left town when he emailed his answers. =
But many=20
 people have returned a second time after being told that they got it =
wrong,=20
 and they were then able to find the correct answer.
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So whaddya think? Should =
we=20
 strictly enforce our own rule out of fairness to those who have gotten =
all the=20
 right answers or have gone back to finish the hunt, or should we say =
=93it=92s=20
 only a game=94 and let them take the credit for the find? I should =
point out=20
 that finding the correct answer to the fifth question brings the =
seeker to a=20
 particularly clever aspect of this entire area, which is why we set =
the=20
 question we did.
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">We talked about using =
only that=20
 question instead of five, but we followed Highpointer=92s approach to =
his museum=20
 cache series, where finding the answers to all the questions takes the =
seeker=20
 around the entire area, which is what we want them to do. We don=92t =
want them=20
 just running in, finding one answer and taking off for the next=20
 cache.
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">We=92ve also discussed =
raising the=20
 difficulty level to 3 and/or modifying the cache description to state=20
 specifically that the correct answer to question 5 must be submitted, =
but I=92m=20
 afraid that making any modifications to the cache page might result in =
it=92s=20
 being re-evaluated under the current guidelines for virtuals, and then =
we=20
 might be forced to archive a cache that always gets positive log=20
 comments.
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">We welcome your comments =
and=20
 suggestions, but please avoid posting anything that might be a =
spoiler.=20
 TIA.
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Steve
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Team Tierra=20
Buena
 <SPAN=20
 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">&nbsp;</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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