I've been doing a lot of reading of various geocaching forums as well as Groundspeak's forum to see if anyone else supports my own flavor of forum etiquette.
I found this on the Groundspeak site under Getting Started:
Forum Etiquette, Just what are the expectations?
These guidelines were posted by Totem Lake, August 31, 2005 and serve to complement the Groundspeak Forum Guidelines.
My favorite parts of the "expected forum etiquette" are:
Do not use all capital letters, excessive question marks (?) or exclamation points (!) in your subject or content. Although perfection is not expected; proper punctuation, correct grammar and correct spelling is important enough for others to be able to read without difficulty. Using all capital letters is considered yelling and is hard to read. Ignoring this guideline will net you fast criticism.
Forum etiquette doesn’t do away with flaming. Flaming is a long standing tradition of forum debate. If you can’t handle the heat, be careful how you post or be prepared to defend your post. People aren’t trying to be mean or be a bully, but they will challenge your way of thinking.
These are the kinds of rules that evolve over time as opposed to the default behavior rules that lots of sites have. The GOWT forums are the ultimate challenge to these suggested rules of forum etiquette as quite a number of our more vocal members [from JAG] appear to be somewhat language-challenged. Many of them also do not have the basic logic skills necessary to form and defend an argument. Since I am no longer allowed to give them "lessons", I'll have to be content with simply setting the best example I can.
For laughs, here is an example of how NOT to end a response to a post:
I say to us all...if the last thing you post to or about a person were to truly be the last thing..."Could you live with it?"
Time is short and life is uncertain, we have no promise of tomorrow.
Live like you are dying.
This person may have a point, though. I nearly died laughing when I read it.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
It's All in Your Perspective
Here are some recent excerpts from a JAG member's blog that I find particularly telling:
The (JAG) forums are not open to those who have proven themselves to be antagonizers of our members. I say to you, if you knew a person to be a thief, would you allow him to come into your home among your family and belongings. I think not. As a group, we feel the need to keep the thieves out also; those who come in and try to steal the joy of our sport, the unity we have as a group and the ability we have to be civil to each other, even in disagreement.
Some have been given access and changed venues once they arrived. They became thieves once they came in and saw all the contentment within the group. Their joy comes from dissension and stealing the joy of others. Their goal is to tear down anything that they perceive as a threat. They cannot co-exist.
While this "philosopher" doesn't mention who exactly she is referring to, the fact that several members of GOWT including myself have been banned by IP address from accessing the JAG forums pretty much says it all. Interestingly if you apply the above to the GOWT forums, you can see that she is describing herself, Stubby, and Elmo perfectly. Accessing the JAG forums is no longer necessary for me. Recently JAG's leader had to remove three offensive posts made by Stubby. Poor kid can't catch a break. At least he is enjoying caching again. Here is the log he posted for Should I Put It On? or Should I Take It Off? by WickedNSassy (GC14Z61) on September 13:
Found it after work. I'm not sure if you should put it on or take it off. I know the bluff boys like to take it off in Muse park. Nice cache. Thanks for the cache.
I'm certainly glad he doesn't have a wife and kids to embarrass. Oh, wait. He does.
More words of wisdom from the blog of JAG's "philosopher":
JAG was not born to overshadow or undermine. It was created for people in a common geographical area with a common love of geocaching to come together, share ups and downs and have fun playing the game as we see fit.
I have recently been informed by two reliable sources that JAG intends to field a slate of candidates in the next GOWT election. Playing the game as they see fit, indeed.
Update 9/19/2007: JAG's "philosopher" decided she did not wish to blog anymore and removed herself from the blogosphere.
The (JAG) forums are not open to those who have proven themselves to be antagonizers of our members. I say to you, if you knew a person to be a thief, would you allow him to come into your home among your family and belongings. I think not. As a group, we feel the need to keep the thieves out also; those who come in and try to steal the joy of our sport, the unity we have as a group and the ability we have to be civil to each other, even in disagreement.
Some have been given access and changed venues once they arrived. They became thieves once they came in and saw all the contentment within the group. Their joy comes from dissension and stealing the joy of others. Their goal is to tear down anything that they perceive as a threat. They cannot co-exist.
While this "philosopher" doesn't mention who exactly she is referring to, the fact that several members of GOWT including myself have been banned by IP address from accessing the JAG forums pretty much says it all. Interestingly if you apply the above to the GOWT forums, you can see that she is describing herself, Stubby, and Elmo perfectly. Accessing the JAG forums is no longer necessary for me. Recently JAG's leader had to remove three offensive posts made by Stubby. Poor kid can't catch a break. At least he is enjoying caching again. Here is the log he posted for Should I Put It On? or Should I Take It Off? by WickedNSassy (GC14Z61) on September 13:
Found it after work. I'm not sure if you should put it on or take it off. I know the bluff boys like to take it off in Muse park. Nice cache. Thanks for the cache.
I'm certainly glad he doesn't have a wife and kids to embarrass. Oh, wait. He does.
More words of wisdom from the blog of JAG's "philosopher":
JAG was not born to overshadow or undermine. It was created for people in a common geographical area with a common love of geocaching to come together, share ups and downs and have fun playing the game as we see fit.
I have recently been informed by two reliable sources that JAG intends to field a slate of candidates in the next GOWT election. Playing the game as they see fit, indeed.
Update 9/19/2007: JAG's "philosopher" decided she did not wish to blog anymore and removed herself from the blogosphere.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Caching in South Dakota - July 8, 2005 Part II
Mt. Rushmore
Since I was ending a vacation and going back to a world full of stress, I wanted these days with my Mom to be fun and carefree. She and I were about to return to visit an area we last visited more than ten years earlier. I had been playing our schedule by ear since I wasn't really sure how much time it would take to get home. When we arrived in Rapid City, I announced that we would be visiting Mt. Rushmore! We had been here once before with my nephew, who was three years old at the time. That meant that we were somewhat restricted in what we could do on that trip, although we still had lots of fun.
This time we could do whatever we felt like. At Mt Rushmore, we hiked the trails around the base of the carvings, attended a lecture and exhibit on the history of the mountain, and explored the huge gift shop. We also took some time to eat lunch.
While hiking around the base of the mountains on the trails (they were roped off), I looked around on the ground for some small rock that I could take in order to have a piece of the mountain. It was amazing how clean the area was - and free of loose rocks! I did manage to find a small sliver of rock about the size of a fingernail. I sometimes now pick it up and look at it and it always stirs my memories of the trip. It was an excellent visit - the weather couldn't have been nicer and the crowds, while large, did not hinder us from getting to see everything we wanted to see. We left in a great, upbeat mood and the day was not over yet. I had one more place I wanted to see...
Crazy Horse Mountain
We had also stopped here on our last visit. My nephew was into all things "Indian" and this was an excellent place for him to see. Of course he was too young at the time to appreciate the educational aspects of this location. This time we spent more time here. We watched a movie that showed the history behind the carving of the mountain and described future plans.
I had noted that the mountain didn't appear to have changed much in the ten years since out last visit, but it turned out that quite a bit of work had taken place - mainly on the head.
There was a fascinating gift shop here, too, and I bought a souvenir wind-chime that I later hung in my office.
Finally we moved on. On the way out I picked up a rock that had been blasted off of the mountain as an additional souvenir.
I highly recommend both of these locations as places to visit if you pass through South Dakota. I'm sure there are caches nearby as well! Next time I'll have 'em loaded and ready!
Since I was ending a vacation and going back to a world full of stress, I wanted these days with my Mom to be fun and carefree. She and I were about to return to visit an area we last visited more than ten years earlier. I had been playing our schedule by ear since I wasn't really sure how much time it would take to get home. When we arrived in Rapid City, I announced that we would be visiting Mt. Rushmore! We had been here once before with my nephew, who was three years old at the time. That meant that we were somewhat restricted in what we could do on that trip, although we still had lots of fun.
This time we could do whatever we felt like. At Mt Rushmore, we hiked the trails around the base of the carvings, attended a lecture and exhibit on the history of the mountain, and explored the huge gift shop. We also took some time to eat lunch.
While hiking around the base of the mountains on the trails (they were roped off), I looked around on the ground for some small rock that I could take in order to have a piece of the mountain. It was amazing how clean the area was - and free of loose rocks! I did manage to find a small sliver of rock about the size of a fingernail. I sometimes now pick it up and look at it and it always stirs my memories of the trip. It was an excellent visit - the weather couldn't have been nicer and the crowds, while large, did not hinder us from getting to see everything we wanted to see. We left in a great, upbeat mood and the day was not over yet. I had one more place I wanted to see...
Crazy Horse Mountain
We had also stopped here on our last visit. My nephew was into all things "Indian" and this was an excellent place for him to see. Of course he was too young at the time to appreciate the educational aspects of this location. This time we spent more time here. We watched a movie that showed the history behind the carving of the mountain and described future plans.
I had noted that the mountain didn't appear to have changed much in the ten years since out last visit, but it turned out that quite a bit of work had taken place - mainly on the head.
There was a fascinating gift shop here, too, and I bought a souvenir wind-chime that I later hung in my office.
Finally we moved on. On the way out I picked up a rock that had been blasted off of the mountain as an additional souvenir.
I highly recommend both of these locations as places to visit if you pass through South Dakota. I'm sure there are caches nearby as well! Next time I'll have 'em loaded and ready!
Geocachers' Creed
I've been doing a lot of reading lately about Geocaching. It started with a sudden interest on my part to become more familiar with Groundspeak policies and requirements for placing caches. Our volunteer reviewers while generally cognizant of the guidelines set forth by Groundspeak sometimes in an effort to be flexible allow caches/event caches to be published that may later be called into question for breaking a rule. This is something we all should want to avoid.
While researching rules and FAQs regarding geocaching I stumbled across a link to the Geocachers' Creed. I had read it a few years ago, but largely forgot about it until I got to thinking about geocaching ethics (which has been on my mind a lot these days). The creed was developed during lengthy discussions on the Groundspeak forums by more than 60 geocachers including my good friend spencersb. The first iteration of the creed was released on December 23, 2004. If you are new to geocaching or perhaps someone who has been involved for a while but needs reminding about what geocaching should be about, I strongly encourage you to read this guide.
While researching rules and FAQs regarding geocaching I stumbled across a link to the Geocachers' Creed. I had read it a few years ago, but largely forgot about it until I got to thinking about geocaching ethics (which has been on my mind a lot these days). The creed was developed during lengthy discussions on the Groundspeak forums by more than 60 geocachers including my good friend spencersb. The first iteration of the creed was released on December 23, 2004. If you are new to geocaching or perhaps someone who has been involved for a while but needs reminding about what geocaching should be about, I strongly encourage you to read this guide.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Caching in South Dakota - July 8, 2005 Part I
My mom is one of the best caching partners ever! On a trip home from Oregon, she wanted to come back with me. We enjoyed caching and touring the country. This entry details our visit to South Dakota.
Our first stop upon crossing into South Dakota was a natural one
Fifty States Rest by MND Scouters (GCFF2D)
Our primary caching destination for the morning was Spearfish in western South Dakota. While in Spearfish, we tackled a series of 5 caches highlighting various parks. All of these caches were on the west side of the town.
Salem Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHW5)
The cache here was located somewhere on a bridge crossing a small creek. We found it pretty quickly but it was well-hidden from sight.
The Grotto Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHWF)
This cache is located in Ida Henton Park on the Black Hills State University campus. We were lucky to be there at a time where there were few muggles.
Jorgensen Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHWB)
The cache container was hanging open, which made it easy to find. We walked from here to the Evans Cache.
Evans Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHW8)
The park where this cache was located was dedicated to Robert and Rebecca Evans for their major contributions in founding Spearfish and its educational and religious institutions. Rebecca Evans was the first school teacher in Spearfish. Robert Evans settled the first homestead in Spearfish Valley in 1876 at this location.
Brady Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHW3)
The cache at this park was tucked away out of sight near a small creek. The park was the last of the five we visited.
We capped off our visit to Spearfish by visiting The D. C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery
Hatchery Reservoir by MND Scouters (GCFFE8)
The D. C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery, established in 1896, is one of the West’s oldest fish hatcheries. Its history includes the introduction of trout into the Black Hills and the first fish management in Yellowstone Park. This is a very busy place with lots of interesting sights to see. One of my favorites was the underground fish observation room. The fish were huge and it was fun to see the ducks diving straight down among them. The cache was a tricky hunt on an old railroad car. We found out later that the tour guide knew about the cache and had been watching us.
Because of poor planning on my part, I had no more cache information for South Dakota on this trip. But, since we were going to pass through Rapid City on our way east, I thought about a couple more places we could visit...
Our first stop upon crossing into South Dakota was a natural one
Fifty States Rest by MND Scouters (GCFF2D)
Our primary caching destination for the morning was Spearfish in western South Dakota. While in Spearfish, we tackled a series of 5 caches highlighting various parks. All of these caches were on the west side of the town.
Salem Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHW5)
The cache here was located somewhere on a bridge crossing a small creek. We found it pretty quickly but it was well-hidden from sight.
The Grotto Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHWF)
This cache is located in Ida Henton Park on the Black Hills State University campus. We were lucky to be there at a time where there were few muggles.
Jorgensen Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHWB)
The cache container was hanging open, which made it easy to find. We walked from here to the Evans Cache.
Evans Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHW8)
The park where this cache was located was dedicated to Robert and Rebecca Evans for their major contributions in founding Spearfish and its educational and religious institutions. Rebecca Evans was the first school teacher in Spearfish. Robert Evans settled the first homestead in Spearfish Valley in 1876 at this location.
Brady Cache by MND Scouters (GCJHW3)
The cache at this park was tucked away out of sight near a small creek. The park was the last of the five we visited.
We capped off our visit to Spearfish by visiting The D. C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery
Hatchery Reservoir by MND Scouters (GCFFE8)
The D. C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery, established in 1896, is one of the West’s oldest fish hatcheries. Its history includes the introduction of trout into the Black Hills and the first fish management in Yellowstone Park. This is a very busy place with lots of interesting sights to see. One of my favorites was the underground fish observation room. The fish were huge and it was fun to see the ducks diving straight down among them. The cache was a tricky hunt on an old railroad car. We found out later that the tour guide knew about the cache and had been watching us.
Because of poor planning on my part, I had no more cache information for South Dakota on this trip. But, since we were going to pass through Rapid City on our way east, I thought about a couple more places we could visit...
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