It seems as time goes by the fine art of a quality cache page is dying. Does anyone remember the first time they sat their eyes on that someone special? That person you just knew you wanted to spend the rest of your life with or, at least, the night? Okay, well maybe some of you all have never experienced that but try and get this picture if you can, that first impression which lures us to make contact to see if we stand a chance, or to see if we will go down in flames.

That first impression sometimes turned out to be completely wrong but we always seem to have that idealized view of what our first impression was, what attracted us to make the first move. Long after the splendor of the moment has worn off we still have that memory to hang onto.

So what is it about first impressions that drive us to act? What gets your heart pumping, that feeling of “I really need to try and make contact, I need to act now?” Is it the feeling that if I don’t, I may never get another chance, or is it that if I don’t I may miss out on something wonderful? Whatever it is that drives us, it is that first impression that causes us to act.

It seems as time goes by the fine art of a quality cache page is dying.

As I look back over the time I have been caching, I can see this slow degradation of the cache page. Slowly, little by little, the quality cache page is going by the wayside. So, you may ask, "What is your point? The cache page is simply a means to tell me where the cache is, right?"

Not so, I think. The cache page is the first impression that a person has of a cache. It is that instrument that says “Hey come spend some time with me, big boy.” It is that story that draws you, that makes you want to take the challenge. It is that list of prizes that draws us. It is that lure that makes me rabid about being the first to find no matter the cost. It is that hook that catches your attention. I am afraid that we are losing that art.

With the advent of the Urban Micro we lost the hook of cache contents. No longer do we have the drive to be first because there was a really nice prize in there for the First Finder. So cache contents on cache pages is slowly going the way of the dodo. No longer do we see the efforts (should I say dollars?) that cachers put into their caches.

So let’s take a few minutes and discuss what makes up a good cache page...for our purposes lets talk about the name of the cache, the short and long description and the attributes of the cache page. Perhaps the reason for that is because cachers don’t stock caches the way they use to, but that is another story. Perhaps that is the reason there is such hatred of urban micros, because they are often perceived to be simply boring. How much can you put in a cache page about a film can under a lamppost?

What about the full-sized caches? Where is the excitement, the hook to get others to search for it? Perhaps as we have moved away from historical and scenic areas with our caches we have lost a sense of enthusiasm. Even though it is a full-sized container in a place normally reserved for micros where is the sense of excitement? What about the long hikes, the trails and the multis? Even these caches are losing any sense of creativity. There is just this slow decline of description that is gradually killing the quality of our cache pages.

So let’s take a few minutes and discuss what makes up a good cache page. As everyone knows there are a few basic elements to every cache page. I want to talk about the ones that directly affect the quality of the page itself and not the cache location or container. So for our purposes lets talk about the name of the cache, the short and long description and the attributes of the cache page.

For the purposes of our discussion I want us to look at some examples of mediocre cache pages and some really great cache pages (in my opinion). For this exercise I have used my own cache pages to keep from offending anyone. Now I know that a quality cache page does not have to be wordy or overly verbose but at a minimum, it should be descriptive enough to catch a cacher’s attention, that first impression if you will.

All three of these pages are typical urban micros but they could be easily be a full-sized ammo can. Given the read of the page and the choice, which would you hunt? You make the choice. Names changed to protect the guilty.

Now unless you are just a total Number Ho, I am not really inspired to rush right out and do this cache. Let’s take a look at a slightly better one:

Better? Still could use some work though. So let’s take a look at one last example:

This last example is in my opinion a good cache description for an urban micro. This cache page paints a picture of what I am to expect to find when I arrive at the cache. It builds a sense of what I might have to tackle when I arrive. It builds a totally wrong picture as well, as there is no pond at the location.

From the earliest days of geocaching we worked on the principle of bringing people to see things and places they wouldn’t ordinarily see. The principle behind caching has never been about the cool swag you are to find but the where and the why the cache hider brought you here. We have now added the concept of the adrenaline rush for urban cache seekers.

So it is with that thought in mind that we should build our cache pages. I believe by going through this mental exercise of why I am bringing someone here when we write our cache pages it will help us improve our quality of caching by simply helping us to evaluate why we placed a cache here in the first place.

Please don’t misunderstand this is not an attack on any particular style of cache but the amount of time we spend telling others why we brought them here. I believe all styles of caches have their place lets just make sure the cache page is interesting enough to encourage people to come and see what we saw.

For those of us who can not take anymore time than to post a really crappy cache description don’t get upset when all you get is TNLN in your log since that is all the effort you put into the cache.