Tips on submitting a geocache listing, a reviewer rant

[@ge0cache]

One idea is to set up a new account under a diffrent name and list new caches that way.After a while you could adopt them to your old account! Also like Sven said, if the cache is complex or likley to give problems in trying to get it published then give as little info as possable.This is espessally true if the cache is more about the complexity of the cache than the location in which it is hidden. Keep up the good work Sven.

[@no1tomissocool]

I know exactly what you mean, but even if you are going to stop placing geocaches, can you please keep showing me your geocacheing ideas as they have really inspired me. thanks so much tom.

[@BarryJoseph]

Thank you. The process can certainly be improved. At the same time, it's all volunteers who mean well - so it's hard to professionalize and standardize a worldwide group of volunteers. That said, I have had trouble with 2 of the 3 that I have placed, once was for reasons I could hardly fathom nor get clarification on, the second for one the reviewer was helpful enough to assist me in revising.

[@AussieTesureHunter]

i submitted a geocache that's 10m away from a lake and was declined because it might freeze over. in Australia!

[@MR_E_3K]

It's a damn shame to know you're not around anymore. You are an amazing geocacher and someone that lights the way to anyone new to the sport. I just started this year and have watched all your videos and I've gotten a tremendous amount of knowledge and ideas for future caches. I just want to let this channel know that with every step forward I go it's because of Sven's initiative.

[@BigMikesHobbyChannel]

holy crap! glad the reviewers in my area arent like that! I guess it would be good to see the caches reviewed at random rather than a certain person who does it for a specific area.

[@JamesPotts52]

I watched it and was impressed with the information given...

[@twk537]

I made a fun mirror cache like the one in one of your videos... I made sure nothing was near it and set it off. The review took forever, and he wouldn't let me place it because a puzzle cache was right near it. Now its been archived, because I made the container specifically for one spot and couldn't find another!

[@databaseexpert]

not bored by your long video. Watched it all. And yes, it was good stuff to know.

[@IceOfPhoenix88]

I've seen so many roadside caches that are in dangerous spots such as the tops of hills. Coming up both sides of the hill, you can't see the top, which makes parking for a quick grab dangerous; it takes one yellow-line driving truck to crash into your car or you. While I understand hills have great views, rather place them at the bottom of hills so that the vehicles coming downhill can see you with enough time to move out the way, if you are going to place a geocache.

[@Stollentroll81]

a month ago i find a cache near (3m) a railway station, where trains sometimes move. i thougt wtf, was the reviewer drunk or something.

[@TAZ427COBRA]

@LightningXpto Yeah, both Tupperware and Lock & Lock are probably the two most common products mentioned in caching, but I don't know how anyone can misconstrue the container description for an advertisement of the product.

[@ChrisMoewesBystrom]

My favorite rejection on one of my new listings was that I said "I left a personal pathtag for the FTF prize" and they said I couldn't say pathtag, I had to say "personal trading item".

[@gun2107]

Man I agree with you I have been fighting with a review for a week with a cache and I did my research for a month before even placing the cache.

[@lottie2525]

I completely relate to everything you're saying.I tried to set my first geocache and like you I spent a lot of time trying to make sure I did everything right - including the permissions - only to have it rejected. A contracted email battle ensued with the reviewer who was being far too rigid regarding spacing between caches. I dared to ask a question about spacing on a forum and he found out and was so rude and nasty it really upset me and so I still haven't set a cache. I just gave up!

[@IllusiveSpartan]

Is it bad that I like listening to you talk sometimes,it's really entertaining!

[@ThatOldBiddy]

They need to listen to their customers. Sven, you have pretty good platform here. Suggest you could develop a list of improvements to the system. List them here with the specific address at Ground speak. I believe people will follow your lead. I know I would. I put a lot of thought into my caches because I saw your videos. I could see how exciting it was to find something clever. I think Ground Speak is a great business that is experiencing growing pains. No company is so big it can't fail.

[@duckpondwithoutducks]

I've never done any geocaching, but I do collect waterfalls. I've visited a couple hundred waterfalls all over Ontario and New York State. But I did see a family who found a geocache at one of the waterfalls I was visiting and I thought that was so cool! I don't understand why anyone wants to make things difficult like you mentioned!

[@transdetendal]

@geocachespoilers BORED? NO why would we(i) be that when i seen almost 15 minutes of a GOOD HONEST AND REAL RANT, theres nothing wrong with rants ,ive been awictime to it on one acation no harm done and somtimes its good to know ive steped wrong or now others did it to be cautiones ,your always good to tell about things you tryed so ,keep it up, "sven".

[@williamhamer4064]

So I submitted one of my caches on trail towards a canyon. I got rejected as it might freeze over. One.... Australia! (It does snow here.... but not much) Two because it was remote (that was the point) Another was they had reasonable doubt that I wouldn’t be able to easily maintain it.... apparently when I turned around and said that I regularly guide that canyon and go down that trail wasn’t good enough. And when I said I did have friends that regular the area and cache along with other guides whom regular that area aswell. It wasn’t good enough from a maintinence standpoint.... Kind of put me off making my own caches. And I had been told by people that I took them to some really cool places even had people ask if I could go out there with them just in case/do a trip of it. Ahwell. It’s just people being on a high horse. But I totally agree! Less information goes further

[@trendymagic]

"...and inside leg measurement." --- So true! Feels like that at times.

[@UKRR]

Hey Sven - that's a full on rant !

[@hippietwinkie]

i believe there are two main reviewers in my area and they have almost a straight line dividing my county between north and south. the north side has beautiful well put together caches that are 100% to the T following the rules. while the other half you wouldn't be surprised to have to trespass to get a cahce or go to a sketchy area. it is actually quite funny sometimes

[@HibernatingPlank]

i miss his videos

[@woodturningjohn]

a reviewer in my area is like that, and it got real strange last week I got to some new postings very fast only to find that I missed the FTF which did not seem likely, then some started getting the FTF's before the cache was even published. Come to find out the reviewer was giving the info to his/her friends so they could get to them first before it was even published. And getting new ones allowed is like you said a mine field.

[@GeekinTX]

@LightningXpto Oh no! Was it capitalized with a (tm) symbol behind it? :-)

[@LukeHarter97]

That makes me feel bad man :( your right when you said it only hurts the game you are so right :)

[@randomgeocacher]

@MalcolmElisha maybe you uncovered a D:5 mystery they have not found yet. Or maybe the final coords are all wrong for some multi/mystery

[@Gareth769]

nice rant - are you Darren Boyce ?

[@JagBetty]

I'm with you brother!

[@randomgeocacher]

In .SE there is a fairly good work on adding transparency to the process and reviewers sync decisions with the team to get a less jittery interpretation of rules. Regarding the "no advertising" rule I think your case is extreme but it's caused a lot of issues because you have to censor team names etc to the point of extreme. A

[@TAZ427COBRA]

@duckpondwithoutducks There are good reason's for the rules being there. Nobody wants people looking suspicious sneaking around schools, placing objects in airports, etc. His point is that sometimes they take not only rules but guidelines and bend them to a point because they have the power to do so, in order to make peoples lives miserable. It's like with cops, the best course of action is to be pleasant and not piss them off, because nothing good will come of pissing them off.

[@KevinBlackKBlack2595]

from his voice I always thought he was a old guy sounds like a dective or something

[@DameBrighidNicPheadaranDStE]

I got a mate into caching. He and I set out caches together. He had a problem with one female reviewer. Nearly all of his he submitted were rejected, and yet all of mine were not. BUT, I started to write his submissions. Same wording as my own - and if she were the reviewer - it would be rejected. If it were a different reviewer - it would not be rejected. Another thing. The reviewer, refused two of his caches as they were too close to other caches. BUT, as he explaine, that was only as the crow flew. That to get from one cache to his, it was at least a 1/2 mile walk. He sent maps with tracks from one to the other, and she still refused to allow his cache. I then submitted one of them in my name, and it was accepted!! So, you are right - reviewer prejudice!!! My mate then quit caching! I haven't placed a cache since.

[@rapaladude]

Azure Zealot if the cache was within another caches 528' radius it'll be rejected. That simple. Doesn't matter as the crow flies.

[@drunkenmonkey31]

Well thankfully here in Essex we have a awesome reviewer(the red duster), very nice and very helpful. and we have meets(1 being last night) that he goes to so you can talk face to face with him.

[@rapaladude]

I would really like to be a reviewer for my area or state. I have vast knowledge of the guidelines and regulations. There are two for my area and another one for Earthcaches specifically. They are bombarded with cache requests constantly and they tend to only review caches once per day. I submitted a cache, it was rejected, I had it fixed within seconds and resubmitted less than a minute later and it's still not been reviewed yet. I could be on all the time making the review process shorter and more predictable. It would take the load off of the two reviewers for the large part of California that I live in.

[@drunkenmonkey31]

@m1vip did you not watch this video, his points where very well valid, and his caches do gain a lot of favorite points so that says a lot.

[@GeekinTX]

Good rant. And we wonder why people create sock puppet accounts...

[@techieadam]

Our reviewer is pretty strict, but fair enough. Nothing like you're having to deal with across the pond there.

[@DiePotties]

Hey, were life (germany, dortmund) the reviewers are wiseasses as well! As i placed my second geocache (a multi) i got problems with 160m rule Because the first sation of the multi was exactly 159,9m away from another one! Most people doesnt even have a gps which give you your location in 0,1m steps!

[@hugob]

had the same problem... ended deciding not to make any more geocaches like you, i think the best option for geocachers is to stop using the "popular" website and starting to use opencachingSooner or later people are going to stop to use the "popular" website due to their actions.

[@hoopztube]

I agree totally. Had a similar issue with a reviewer who seems to ignore the fact that caches were currently running n Botanical gardens with no problems but questioned when I placed two, then after pointing out this fact denied them anyway. Total bias. I wouldn't say i have the same problems as you, or on that level, but frustrating none the less.

[@killernatz11]

Where are you driving? I half expected you to pull up at a geocache or said "urban" farmhouse.

[@TAZ427COBRA]

In order to appease the Guardians of the cache, one thing I've found is to explain the cache and then ask the question, is there something specific you'd like me to do here to ensure, blah blah blah (whatever they're barking about for being denied) is taken care of.

[@TheTechOnline]

I had this, i am new to caching and as ever with any Terms and Conditions, NO ONE reads them. I read the general placing facts and thought well i know a good UNURBAN place in the middle of a park far away from another cache, so i submit the cache and say it is in a park. 20 minutes later i get an email saying Listing Denied due to being in a park which only part of it was a protected park. My cache was in the unprotected part! I swear the reviewers think they are the God particle or something!

[@Beeady]

Completely fucking agree! I am more of a hider geocacher and live in cyprus, my father is in england and we plant our own seperate caches and i find his in the summer and vice versa. Everytime i submit a cache it is denied because of distance. I explain and it is ok. However about 5 or 6 times we have been denied because they are idiots and don't understand. The worst though is SSSI rules! There is a lake in eastern england in which we planted a brilliant motion sensor night cache. This was...

[@MichalCanecky]

Reviewer in my area is EXACTLY as you described. He is however supported by handful of people who stick with him and he stick with them and if you disagree with them or try to complain about the situation they will do everything to silent you even get you banned from the "popular" geocaching website. I'm quite disgusted by this and haven't really cached for over a year. I will certainly NOT be placing any caches ever on the "popular" geocaching website. opencaching is way to go.

[@MissSindorei]

I love him, he's so funny, shame he passed away :( RIP

[@TAZ427COBRA]

@DamienT98 No, the best you can do is appeal to people in the forums, and that way you ensure you're on everyone's shit list. Just ask Snoogans.

[@Iamthemaster2]

I would far rather go to opencaching(the .com one)if I could but there are no players in my area on that site and only me placing any so I'm kinda forced to go to *popular geocaching site*.

[@TheTechOnline]

@fredrikhast Lol, it is necessary though as these reviewers do have too much power!

[@Beeady]

on a path and around 500 metres from the boundary given on the SSSI map, I appealed and obviously the same guy turned it down. Now i don't bother with geocaching and only look after the ones in our village in the UK (Yelling). I am very pissed off with the reviewers, but can't do anything. My advice though, is to try to "suck up" to the reviewers no matter how annoying they are.

[@hippietwinkie]

@DamienT98 you could try but this sport is almost entirely self-regulated gro... i mean the popular geocaching website doesn't have the manpower to deal with the entire world and its reviewer problems.

[@StrykerPL]

in Poland there are ~3k geocaches registered on GC and over 12k on opencaching.pl. some of them are of course in both systems. if you create a new cache on OC, theres an option to give GC code for the same cache on "global" site, which is automatically linked. guess what does our GC reviewer do if you try to put a link to equivalent OC cache ;-) yes, you have to remove the link. reason: "links to commercial sites are not allowed". don't even try to discuss.but your tupperware issue is better ;-)

[@napalmonfire]

it was stupid i just got a cache denied because it was 9 feet too close to another cache 9 feet!

[@lukethekanefan]

@geocachespoilers by the video it sounded like you were trying to do things by the guidlines by changing the affending article so anyone who says other wise is just silly and i really like the your multi cache vids

[@DamienT98]

Is there no way you can submit the refusals you are getting to someone higher up? Get this reviewer kicked off her high horse?

[@falconsite]

I didn’t have any OPTIONAL attributes so it got denied 10 times lmao

[@TAZ427COBRA]

@manutdarechampions Listen to the video and find out.

[@JSkiff-cg9el]

Yes, unfortunately in a house fire - google it for more info. :( RIP Sven

[@m1vip]

Don't you just love yourself! I stick by guidelines, why can't you? You must be better than us!!!

[@KarderGomes]

Lol I have an geocache called tupperware.

[@TheDevilsHatedSon]

i thought tupperware was just a plastic box you put food in :S

[@patrickharris1129]

MrNeocaligus cuz that what everyone worries about

[@CameronBendschneider]

Someone is NEVER going to get anything published ever again if he changes his mind about hiding... It is a pity that there seems to be a select few in the community that LOVE getting on their high horses and wielding any power that they may have. It takes the fun out of it. Sad really.

[@bakukider]

R.I.P

[@TAZ427COBRA]

Loved the rant, and I thought our area's reviewer was anal. My only pet peeve is w/ hiders that doen't check their coordinates. When publishing it, it shows the map, click the frigging thing and make sure you're not 30miles off because you transposed some digits, or 100' off because you didn't average coordinates. That's all I ask.

[@Mineshack]

RIP Sven :(

[@randomgeocacher]

Honestly I think a core issue here is British people being British ... You are a dude who needs to be right all the time, you bug people off, and in the end instead of simply telling you "Sven you are the most annoying person ever I don't like you" it's turned into a quasi-debate about rules. It falls perfectly into our stereotype of how british people deal with anger =)

[@drunkenmonkey31]

forgot to say. PLEASE DON'T stop hiding caches.

[@NotStoopid0228]

Reviewers: Kindly pointing you the right direction when you are new, annoying you after that.

[@monikah12345]

I own over 50 caches. I agree, the review process can be frustrating, but try to keep a positive attitude, be patient and co-operate with your reviewer. They *want* to get your cache published, but you need to work within the guidelines. Realize that there are reasons for the rules. 1) Cache pages can't be commercial. This means no product names like Tupperware. It may sound dumb, but they have to be consistent otherwise cache pages everywhere are going to turn into free advertising. 2) If you are placing a cache outside of your normal area, you must provide the contact name of a local person who will do maintenance for you. If it's a local cacher, their geocaching name should be enough. If not, provide their name and email. If you really don't want to give out your friend's info, just make something up! 3) If the reviewer says 'no', don't argue with them. Find another way. Remember, they're volunteering their free time so we can have fun. 4) If the reviewer asks you to add a better hint, add one and move on. 5) To minimize proximity conflicts, be sure to do as many multis and puzzles in the area before attempting to place a cache. If you not 100% proximity will be OK, you can email your reviewer your proposed coordinates *before* placing your cache.

[@korpse69]

Just google sven geocachespoilers. R.I.P.

[@bjornkris1]

i am a noob in this geocaching stuf. and i dont hope that when i decide to submit a cache, that i get a anal reviwer.

[@patrickharris1129]

When there is an earthquake

[@TheTechOnline]

Use Munzee.com!

[@JSkiff-cg9el]

Google : geospoiler vlogger dies

[@Marticus518]

"I'm sure, I've put below, alot of links that might help you" *Checks description* No links. Just thought it was kinda funny :P