powmia
Silver Cacher
Caches Found/Hidden xxxx/x
Posts: 208
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Post by powmia on Dec 7, 2011 18:07:14 GMT -9
I thought about how much confusion could be caused by dropping more than one stunt double for a specific year with the same tracking code in 2-3 different caches miles apart (Such as a West coast state/midwest state/East coast state). I know, way too much retirement time on my hands.
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 8, 2011 1:13:24 GMT -9
I only glanced in passing, but I recall a multi-TB project that someone did that had the release of a lot of the duplicates of the same item with the same tracking number. What happens is that there is no inventory listing for the tracking number in any particular cache, thus cachers really are blindly stumbling upon your TB-series item. IIRC, the TB owner would immediately move his TB number to "missing" every time someone dropped off one of the items so it wouldn't be listed in the cache, or something like that. I'd have to go try and locate that again (probably discussion about it in the GS forums somewhere), as the problem I'm seeing is that the TB wouldn't get listed in a cacher's inventory either. So, in order to drop the item, they'd first have to grab it and then quickly drop it in the cache. When you picked up the TB, you'd expect to have the item stolen from your own inventory listing when someone else grabs a different one of the same-numbered TB.
Would not only be confusing, but it could cause some outright revolt, hurt feelings, and might make it even more likely that one (or more) of your released items is "stolen" when people simply don't want to move it or think there is a problem with the item when they see duplicate activity on it.
I don't think I'd risk it. Only once a TB number is truly dead should you reactivate it under a proxy, IMHO.
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Post by ladybugkids on Dec 10, 2011 8:47:54 GMT -9
I once found one of the eight matching "Rudolph and all of the other Reindeer" TBs early in my caching experience. It was pretty wild logging that one because almost as soon as I grabbed from another location to drop it into the cache where I found it or dropped it, someone else would grab it and move it when they found another of the reindeer. Groundspeak definitely is not keen on the practice of having more than one item with the same tracking number running around in the wild and will lock TB/gecoin pages when this happens. Below are Groundspeak's apparent guidelines about proxy/proxies/stunt double/facsimile use that I found in this gc.com thread. I've asked Chris Mackey, fox-and-the-hound, for the specific link to the Groundspeak policy so we can link to it from the GeocacheAlaska! geocoin pages where we sell the stunt doubles for past editions of GeocacheAlaska! geocoins. To be clear, GxProxy's stunt doubles are approved by Groundspeak when used per Groundspeak guidelines. Because Proxies are not original Trackables, there are special considerations that should be taken in their use.
1) All Proxies should state clearly on their Trackable Page that they are a Proxy and not the original. IE: Please use "Signal CITO Geocoin PROXY" rather than "Signal CITO Geocoin"
2) If possible a picture of the Proxy should be posted instead of (or in addition to) any image of an original Trackable.
3) No more than one Proxy bearing an identical Tracking Code should be in use at any time.
4) Before a Proxy is placed in a cache, the owner should make every attempt to recover an original Trackable that has gone missing.
5) If an original trackable should reappear for any reason while a proxy is use then either the Trackable or the Proxy should be removed from the cache as quickly as possible. If you can not remove one or the other item yourself, please enlist help from cachers in the area of your Trackable.
6) No more than one Trackable item bearing an identical Tracking Code should be in use at any time. IE: A Trackable and a Proxy bearing the same code should not both be in use simultaneously. Use of this kind is against Groundspeak guidelines, causes disruption of Tracking Mileage and is considered an abuse of the tracking code. Continual use in this manner may call for the permanent deactivation of the Tracking Code.
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