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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Sept 14, 2019 14:01:40 GMT -9
Today, I revisited the Alaskan caches with a growing list of DNF logs. I revised the filter to include DNF, Needs Maintenance, and Needs Archived logs since cachers are not consistent with their use of the "Didn't Find It" log when they didn't find the cache. By broadening the filter a bit further, I found 76 more caches that MAY have issues because cachers are having difficulty finding them. Again, I tried to filter out high difficulty caches that have DNF strings due to simply being very difficult to find. This effort resulted in 76 additional caches being temporarily disabled pending a check by the Cache Owner.
Today, there are more than 200 caches with growing DNF streaks, more than 400 caches temporarily disabled for more than thirty days, and 531 caches that have the "Needs Maintenance" icon on the cache page.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Sept 22, 2019 9:34:33 GMT -9
Please do not write an "Owner Maintenance" log on a cache page until maintenance has occurred. Some cachers filter out caches with the "Needs Maintenance" attribute so they don't spend time looking for caches with problem(s).
It is better to write a "Note" log to to the cache page about pending maintenance. That lets the community and the local reviewer know the Cache Owner is still engaged and will be taking care of business.
Once maintenance is performed, the "Owner Maintenance" log is the appropriate log and will clear the "Needs Maintenance" attribute.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Sept 22, 2019 9:41:56 GMT -9
I have received an interesting range of responses from cachers who received a Reviewer Note on their cache page.
Some cachers appreciate the nudges: "No sweat! I love getting these reminders - I'm always guilty of needing to do maintenance somewhere and letting a cache or two or three fall off the radar!"
This cacher proceeded to maintain the caches in question during the next week or so, well ahead of the next time I will be again looking at caches with potential issues.
Some cachers, no so much: "Stop disabling my caches dude... Just because it wasn't found dosnt mean it's not there... Wow."
This, despite the Reviewer Note stating "Generally cachers avoid hunting a cache with many DNF logs, so it is a good idea for the Cache Owner to check the cache and either replace it or post a log to the cache page to tell fellow geocachers that the cache is still there, but they might need new eyeglasses."
What are your thoughts about Reviewer Notes posted on your cache pages? Are there wording changes you recommend? What are your ideas for maintaining a playing field of caches that are in place to be found and being maintained by the Cache Owner?
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Post by freeweez on Sept 23, 2019 7:29:52 GMT -9
Mike, I think it is awesome that you volunteer to take the time to monitor caches that may...or may not...be missing. I have a number of DNF's on my map, and really wish that the cache owner would take the time to check on them and do maintenance. I for one, appreciate the notes on the cache page --letting the CO be aware that some kind of maintenance needs to happen! BTW---I am sort of guessing who that second statement might be coming from! TX for doing the work---you are appreciated by me!
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Post by ladybugkids on Sept 25, 2019 8:57:19 GMT -9
Thank you, Louise, for the feedback and kind words!
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Post by freeweez on Sept 27, 2019 10:04:58 GMT -9
Mike---I have taken the liberty to cut and paste the information about your Reviewer duties to the October newsletter. In my opinion, I think it's worth every cacher reading about the process you do!
thanks again!
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Sept 27, 2019 12:21:03 GMT -9
Thank you for helping get the word out. These and Trip Advisor Forums are the closest I get to social media.
Perhaps link from the newsletter back to these Forums, so people know where to look for updates? There used to be regular posts in here. Now, one mostly hears crickets. Where is everyone?
The Readers' Digest version of the cache reaping process is below:
An important point about the cache reaping effort is that there is a minimum of sixty days that pass between a cache coming to the local Reviewer's attention and the cache being archived. If there is a growing string of "Didn't Find It," "Needs Maintenance," and "Needs Archived" logs, the cache page is temporarily disabled. No sooner than thirty days later, the disabled cache page is checked for being "Enabled," or a "Note" from the Cache Owner. If not, a second Reviewer Note is posted noting the cache page has been disabled for more than thirty days and requesting a response within thirty days. If, after sixty days, there is no response from the Cache Owner (the cache does not necessarily have to be maintained and enabled), the cache page may be Archived.
The other path to archival is if the Cache Owner disabled the cache page more than thirty days before, a Reviewer Note is posted noting the cache page has been disabled for more than thirty days and requesting a response within thirty days. If, after thirty days, there is no response from the Cache Owner (the cache does not necessarily have to be maintained and enabled), the cache page may be Archived.
Another way a cache page comes to the local Reviewer's attention is if a cacher writes a "Needs Archived" log. This log time should actually be called the "May Need Reviewer Attention" log for a variety of reasons. The "Needs Archived" log should never be a substitute for a "Needs Maintenace" log or a "Didn't Find It" log. It can be used to bring the cache to the attention of the local Reviewer if the cache has a growing string of "Didn't Find It" logs, has been disabled for an extended amount of time, or violates the Groundspeak Guidelines in a way that wasn't noted by the local Reviewer before the cache page was published. After reviewing the cache page, the Local Reviewer may temporarily disable the cache page, write a "Reviewer Note" to the cache page, archive the cache page, or do nothing, depending on the circumstances.
Archival of a cache page is not necessarily permanent. If a cache owner performs maintenance and requests the cache to be unarchived, the local Reviewer has the discretion to unarchive the cache page. Prior to unarchiving the cache page, the Reviewer reviews the cache against the current Geocaching Guidelines and for the possibility another cacher placed a cache within the 0.1 mile/528 feet proximity circle after the first cache page was archived. Some cachers pursue the FTHAA (First To Hide After Archival) more seriously than the First To Find (FTF) aspect of the game.
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Post by freeweez on Oct 1, 2019 10:36:24 GMT -9
Thanks Mike, I think this post is a more complete version of the Reviewers process....it's laid out very nicely! I will use this information for the newsletter. thanks again!
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Oct 9, 2019 21:15:28 GMT -9
Out of 193 caches with growing DNF streaks that were disabled during September 8-14, Cache Owners took action on only 38 of them. About half of the actions were archivals rather than maintenance.
Caches that were disabled September 8 will receive another Reviewer Note requesting action within thirty days. "Action" can be as simple as the Cache Owner writing a Note to the cache page stating their intentions. Please do not use the "Owner Maintenance" log unless actual maintenance is performed. Caches disabled on September 14 will receive a second Reviewer Note next weekend.
Archival of the above caches that do not get a Cache Owner response will begin in mid-November.
Another 255 caches that have been "temporarily disabled" for thirty days or more without a Cache Owner update that received a Reviewer Note during September are slated for archival. Cache Owners archived 27 of those caches rather than performing maintenance. I began the archival process this evening, beginning with cache pages with Cache Owners that have not recently logged into the site and appear to have left the game.
In total 373 caches are on the list for potential archival prior to Thanksgiving. That represents nearly 5% of all caches in Alaska.
Let's all work together to increase cache quality in Alaska before the snows sticks to the ground!
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Nov 22, 2019 13:14:57 GMT -9
Those who have log alerts turned on or watches on certain caches know I have been slowly chipping away at long disabled caches and caches with growing strings of DNF logs. Despite those efforts, there are currently 175 caches that have been temporarily disabled for thirty or more days.
I am getting to the point where I will be archiving caches belonging to long- and currently-active cachers. Archival can be avoided by writing a note to each cache page to signal to me and the caching community that maintaining the cache is still on one's agenda, but perhaps other life priorities have gotten in the way. Some cachers have already noted ongoing construction in the area or provided other information indicating why maintenance has been delayed.
No cache will be archived without having first receiving at least one Reviewer Note and a thirty day waiting period. Many caches have received at least three Reviewer Notes with at least thirty days in between them (note explaining how to remove the "needs maintenance" attribute after maintaining a cache, note disabling a cache page indicating their may be problems with the cache, and finally, note for caches disabled for more than thirty days). Cache page notes are the best way to indicate current maintenance status.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Mar 28, 2020 11:10:23 GMT -9
COVID-19 UPDATE (please cross-post to other social media and publish in the newsletter, as appropriate)
First, Geocaching HQ has "turned off" the cache maintenance notification emails that cache owners receive when their geocache falls below the threshold for a good "Cache Health Score." Under present conditions, many Cache Owners may not feel comfortable or may not legally be able to respond to a notification by going out to check on their cache. In some areas that may be contrary to governmental orders and restrictions on non-essential travel.
Second, Community Volunteer Reviewers will be noticeably more lenient about archiving caches that have maintenance issues. The details may vary from one country or region to another, based on local conditions, but the spirit is consistent worldwide. I will continue disabling caches with growing strings of DNF logs or other issues, but I will not archive long-disabled caches until the pandemic abates as signaled by local leadership lifting restrictions.
Third, because Alaska's "hunker down" orders allow for getting outside for fresh air and our population density and extensive parklands allow for outdoor activity without interacting with other people, I will continue publishing new caches. Individual cachers can make their own decision about when to hunt caches and with whom, while complying with the "social/physical distancing" directives. Cachers watching other social media may have seen that cache publishing is suspended in some regions to align with local orders regarding non-essential travel.
The deadline for CITO Season 1 will be extended. Watch for an announcement in HQ's April 7 newsletter.
The deadline for going live with any Adventure Labs is extended to August 31, 2020.
The deadline for Virtual Rewards 2.0 is now December 31, 2020.
The deadline for Community Celebration Events remains December 31, 2020. Those who have published a Community Event may move the date to later in the year by editing the cache page and changing the date field. Let me know if you need help via e-mail or geocaching messenger.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Apr 7, 2020 14:46:34 GMT -9
The period for CITO Season 1 is now March 1 - August 31, 2020.
Find Signal the Frog® - Locationless in 2020 has been extended through December 31, 2021, due to so many Mega and Giga Events being postponed.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Apr 21, 2020 8:32:49 GMT -9
Due to uncertainties related to COVID-19, Geocaching HQ postponed the Geocaching 20th Anniversary Celebration to August 21, 2021.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Apr 23, 2020 8:28:47 GMT -9
Follow-up to my post of March 28: I am not actively seeking out caches to archive during the "hunker down" phase of this COVID-19 episode, but I will take care of caches where it is clear the player left the game well before the restrictions were put in place and the player has not responded to Reviewer Notes.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on May 8, 2020 11:37:40 GMT -9
As of May 8, per the " Reopen Alaska Responsibly Plan," gatherings of fifty people with social distancing are allowed. This allows Regular Events, CITO Events, and Community Celebration Events to be once again published. Local authorities may have more stringent requirements for events, so Event Hosts are accountable for knowing local regulations. For example, the Municipality of Anchorage requirements for events are posted on their “Corona Virus Roadmap to Reopening” webpage, where telephone and online activities are encouraged to minimize contact, 6-foot distancing and fabric masks are required, and means to disinfect are provided. Note that despite the State of Alaska guidance, Anchorage is limiting outdoor group gatherings to twenty people. If this allowance is rolled back by the authorities, published events will be retracted and new events will not be published until the health authority requirements are again relaxed.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on May 15, 2020 15:51:25 GMT -9
Geocaching HQ update regarding Events: Geocaching HQ communicated to local Reviewers that Events may be published with consideration for "everyone or no one." What this means is that if local authority guidance limits group gatherings of non-family members to twenty people and it is anticipated more than twenty people will attend, the Event Host should not submit the event without consideration for the limit, as geocaching requires all local laws to be followed. A creative way that has been used elsewhere to manage this is for attendance to be staggered, with time blocks assigned based upon order of "Will Attend" logs, alphabetically by caching name, or another means of equitably splitting up the greater group.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Jun 18, 2020 19:12:40 GMT -9
Supertramp Bus, GC3TTVD Nuisance, history, or both, this is the first geocache in any of my territories to be muggled using a Chinook helicopter. Video link...just click "not now" when prompted to log in to watch if you don't have a Facebook account.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Jul 21, 2020 10:43:37 GMT -9
Here is a tool that may drive home to aspiring event hosts the likelihood of an active COVID case showing up at an event based upon event size and number of active cases in the area. covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/ Geocaching HQ used the tool in conjunction with conversations with Kentucky state disease control experts’ opinions to archive an event that was on its way to Mega status. Alaska won’t see Mega, but their are risks even for events of 10-20 people.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Dec 29, 2020 16:43:51 GMT -9
Groundspeak HQ recently requested all local reviewers to check on caches that have been "temporary disabled" for an extended period of time or appear to have other issues. I will write a Reviewer Note to many of those caches that reads, "Please provide an update for this long-disabled cache. Groundspeak acknowledges that COVID-19 restrictions may preclude timely cache maintenance, so as long as a Cache Owner provides periodic updates via Note Logs to the cache page, a cache will not get archived."
The intent of the Reviewer Note is that due to the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and ever-changing "hunker down" and "stay at home" emergency orders by local health officials, cache archivals are slow rolled as long as the Cache Owner communicates ongoing intent to perform maintenance when the situation permits via Note Logs to the affected cache page. However, at Groundspeak HQ's direction, caches are to be archived if the Cache Owner does not respond with a Note to the cache page or if the Cache Owner's profile does not indicate activity for an extended period of time.
I maintained a fairly hands off approach to looking at caches with potential issues during the past year due to the pandemic, and now there are about 500 caches in Alaska that have been temporarily disabled for more than thirty days or have other possible issues. The other territories I review have similar numbers, so I will be busy the next several weeks conducting Geocaching HQ's bidding in an effort to maintain the quality and integrity of the game during this challenging time.
In advance, I appreciate everyone's understanding now that I have been nudged to nudge Cache Owners of caches with known or potential issues.
I wish everyone a happy, safe, and healthy 2021!
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Post by SSO JOAT on Jan 8, 2021 5:33:05 GMT -9
FYI... I pushed your last post to our Social Media feed on FB to increase the reach.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Jan 9, 2021 17:48:43 GMT -9
Thank you, Scott!
Could also be initial fodder for the blog we discussed over e-mail and other communication avenues (without the typos, of course).
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Post by SSO JOAT on Jan 11, 2021 1:04:04 GMT -9
Yep, I'm still working over some details on how we're going to manage that. Have other work in the forefront right now, but the Blog project will resurface at some point.
I know you don't facebook, but you're message received quite a few "thank you for all the work you do" responses from our membership.
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Feb 13, 2021 17:03:34 GMT -9
Thank you, Scott, for passing along the words from the membership.
Would be great seeing the community participate in these forums where information can be retrieved for future reference. It would also be nice to have a dialog with folks, and I don't see how that would work on the Facebook platform.
Anyway, I archived about sixty Alaskan caches last night. The criteria were no response to the Reviewer Note posted to the cache page about a month ago and last online activity in 2019 or earlier, which predates the COVID-19 mandate era.
Next up are the nearly 400 caches that have been temporarily disabled for more than thirty days. Sixty of those caches have been disabled for more than one year, including a couple owned by my alter ego, who will clean up his own house before I start working through the backlog. It is amazing how fast time flies, but with the relaxing of COVID-19 mandates, returning daylight, and moderating temperatures, it is a great time to spruce up our caches in anticipation of cachers coming out of hibernation and chasing smilies again.
The best way to avoid a Reviewer's archival if you cannot perform timely cache maintenance is to post a Note log on the cache page with your maintenance plan to inform the Reviewer and the local community that the cache is still being tended to by the Cache Owner.
I so look forward to seeing people on the trails!
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Feb 27, 2021 15:55:14 GMT -9
Alaska State Parks blanket permit #15-KA-1994 expired at the end of 2020. I inadvertently published several caches in Chugach State Park the first two months of this year before realizing the permit had expired.
GeocacheAlaska! is actively working on obtaining a new permit.
In anticipation of a new permit being issued by Alaska State Parks, cachers may develop cache pages for initial review to hold locations in the interim.
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Post by SSO JOAT on Mar 1, 2021 11:23:13 GMT -9
FYI... I pushed the info from your last 2 posts out via social media yesterday.
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Post by NorthWes on Mar 1, 2021 12:28:25 GMT -9
FYI... I pushed the info from your last 2 posts out via social media yesterday. Thanks for getting that published to social media, Scott. The state permit officer reached out to me this morning by phone to make sure I'd received the application email (which she'd just sent). Now to getting the details filled in and getting the paperwork back to her...
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Oct 15, 2021 12:00:01 GMT -9
Reviewer’s Corner – September 2021 Termination Dust Cache Maintenance The view out my home office window includes the Chugach Mountain front range between Flattop and McHugh Peak. Especially striking today is the fresh termination dust that covers the peaks and reaches down to about 3000’ elevation. The appearance of the white stuff serves as a reminder that the cold, snow, and dark of winter are coming and this is a great time to perform cache maintenance before conditions make doing so more difficult. Cachers can easily identify their caches that may need maintenance by visiting their Cache Owner Dashboard. To get to the dashboard, click the link on the link in the preceding sentence or log into your account at geocaching.com, click on your profile name in the upper right corner, and scroll down to “Cache owner dashboard” in the left-side ribbon. There are canned filters at the top of the Dashboard for your caches that “needs owner maintenance,” are “temporarily disabled,” or have a “low health score,” for an initial screening of your caches that may need attention. Click on the category to get the list of affected caches. The next screening step is to click on the “Published hides,” link to get a quick view of the last three logs on each of your active caches. If you see three yellow smilies, the cache is likely in good condition. However, if you see three blue frownies and/or a red needs maintenance wrench, that could be an indication the cache needs some attention. You can also click on any of the other titles in the header of the “published hides” page to sort the list in ascending or descending order to see which caches have the most finds, most favorite points, most DNFs, and other statistics. This Geocaching Blog article has more information about your dashboard and this Help Center article has more information about the Health Score. With the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions in many parts of the world, Groundspeak HQ encouraged cachers to perform cache maintenance following the prior year’s hiatus. Groundspeak HQ also asked Reviewers to return to more routine checks on caches and to resume archiving caches that are not being maintained and do not have maintenance updates from their Cache Owners. As I posted in the GeocacheAlaska! Forums earlier this year, I archived about sixty caches that belonged to cachers who had not been online prior to COVID-19. I did not subsequently pursue archiving active players’ caches with issues, but I did post Reviewer Notes asking for an update in recognition of the COVID-19 situation. There are now more than 340 caches in Alaska that have been temporarily disabled for more than thirty days and an additional 175 or so caches that have a low health score, which means more than 500 Alaskan caches (about 6%) potentially have issues. As a caching community, let’s all do our best to decrease those numbers and increase Alaska’s overall cache quality. On a related topic, cachers who have high difficulty caches with long DNF log streaks are encouraged to check those caches and write an “owner maintenance” log to signal the caching community and the local reviewer that all is well with the cache. That cache owner log is a very important multi-purpose communication tool! In other news, the Geocaching 20th Anniversary Celebration is scheduled for August 20, 2022, at Seattle Center. More details will become available in the coming months on the cache page and Event website. Let’s all hope this is the last date posted for this event!
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Post by GreatlandReviewer on Dec 7, 2021 22:46:41 GMT -9
Hello Fellow Alaskan Cachers:
Groundspeak HQ has taken a page from other mainstream sports and is applying analytics to the state of caching in the all regions of the world. Their analysis identifies Alaska as one of the regions with a high percentage of caches that are either disabled and/or needing maintenance.
I was recently instructed by the Groundspeak HQ Community Volunteer Lead to more aggressively archive cache pages that have had issues for an extended time. As noted in my last post, there are more than 500 Alaskan caches with potential issues. Groundspeak understands the COVID-19 pandemic still limits many cachers' ability to travel and perform cache maintenance, but Groundspeak also have an expectation that cachers inform the local caching community and the local Reviewer of their intent to perform cache maintenance when an opportunity presents itself. Cache Owners can quickly determine which of their cache pages are at risk by checking their Dashboard (explained in the above post) or checking their geocaching e-mail for notifications of a Reviewer Note being posted to one or more of their cache pages.
Beginning in about two weeks, I will begin archiving Cache Pages that have two or more Reviewer Notes asking about cache status. If there is a current (posted more recently than the last Reviewer Note) Cache Owner note on the page that includes a maintenance plan, the cache page will not be archived.
If one or more of your cache pages you want to keep active gets archived, contact me as soon as possible to have the cache page unarchived before another cacher creates a new cache page for the same or similar location. Unarchiving a cache page requires the cache page to go through the same review process as a new cache page. The better thing to do is to write a Note log to each cache page that has one or more Reviewer Notes posted on it expressing interest in keeping the cache page alive and an estimate of when cache maintenance will be performed, taking your area's COVID mandates into consideration.
In advance, thanks for your help and understanding regarding cache maintenance and the archival process.
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