This Month:
- Write or Wrong? By Richard Niles, aka sept1c_tank
- Trade Up, Trade Even... By Jerry Carter, aka El Diablo
- Playing With the Jagged Edge By Chris Caserta, aka Criminal
Found this one on a sunny afternoon walk through Brown County state park. It was a beautiful day to find such a lame cache.
What we write is perhaps inspired (or not) by emotion. But to the reader, it is just a cold, emotionless word. The recipient must supply the intended emotion to properly understand the words. The words by themselves, undressed of the human inner voice that wrote them, can say something unintended and totally out of context.At first, I was determined to just write TNLN. This is a lame cache and I wish I hadn’t bothered to find it. But, now I think this is so lame I should say so. This cache is lame! Why did you bother to hide it?
But, I don’t want to seem weird, or unappreciative, and it is a beautiful day, so I should maybe just embellish and tell you what a great cache this is. Man, thanks for the fantastic cache. Great hide. Cool container.
However, I am not a liar and everyone who reads this log who has actually seen this cache will know I’m lying and laugh at me.
Still, here I am, holding the logbook and the pen, so I shall write.
We all write. We are geocachers. We write cache pages and logs. We email other cachers and approvers, and some of us write in the many geocaching forums available online.
But, what we write is not always what we’re saying. Perhaps I should write, “It was a beautiful day for caching. The walk made it all worthwhile.”
That is probably a better way to say it, because it’s true, and it’s not likely to upset you or anyone else who reads this log. I suppose it’s possible that for somebody, this is not a lame cache, but a really delightful one. Then I would appear ignorant, even though I had a delightful time, too.
What we write is perhaps inspired (or not) by emotion. But, to the reader, it is just a cold, emotionless word. The recipient must supply the intended emotion to properly understand the words. The words by themselves, undressed of the human inner voice that wrote them, can say something unintended and totally out of context.
For instance, “You can’t geocache too much.” Am I telling you it may be dangerous or inadvisable to geocache too often? Or am I advocating unlimited geocaching?
Communication with the written word is a delicate balance of common sense. Writers should consider the various interpretations of their words and the emotions they may invoke. Be polite and courteous. Be honest and direct. Try to avoid absolutes like “never,” or “always.” Don’t assume that you will be understood, and don’t assume that you have stated yourself properly. Don’t knee-jerk.
Above all, write descriptive, polite logs and accurate cache pages. Be specific and professional (never demanding) when dealing with cache approvers. In forums, do not assume that everyone will understand your intentions. Communication is the key to everything.
“I’ve been coming to this park for years. It’s my favorite park in the state. Thanks for giving me yet another excuse to visit this wonderful place. TFTC.”