Thanks Thanks:  6
Results 1 to 19 of 19

Thread: More censorship over at GC?

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    261

    Default More censorship over at GC?

    I was glancing at the UK forum the other day and spotted an apparently innocent enquiry from a new cacher about that most heinous of all subjects - "Charity". They were asking if anyone was getting involved in this week's Children in need.

    I just went and had another look and can't now find the thread. I was half expecting to find it locked with an explanation from TPTB but it's gone completely. Was it censored? If so, it seems a bit harsh, a bit like certain regimes' attempts to airbrush people out of history. Or maybe I'm just being a GOG (as usual )

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Shropshire
    Posts
    322

    Default

    Basically i think the americans dont get these charity days in the UK. The idea of a whole country getting together (or hiding in the dark from CHUGGERS) for one cause does not seem to register.

    Comic relief, sport relief, children in need are national events over here id love to know if there is anything near this in the USA.

    As an aside it is a shame that Mark the Cats early work promoting geocaching together with children in need can just be deleted rather than closed or locked.

    Dissapointed but not surprised.
    "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning."

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Shropshire
    Posts
    322

    Default

    For those that dont know and i certainly did not until i read some history.

    Mark the Cat's profile with its obituary written rather well by SlytherinAlex ?? i think

    https://www.geocaching.com/profile/?id=61390

    Also here are links to threads on GC all about CIN which feature thecat rather heavily.

    https://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/in...opic=59747&hl=

    https://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/in...topic=40261&hl=

    https://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/in...topic=59109&hl=

    https://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/in...topic=39879&hl=
    "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning."

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Chippenham, Wiltshire
    Posts
    2,145

    Default

    Mark had caches all round the country which were all adopted by locals. Unfortunately when they were adopted they were moved from his profile, so I've created a bookmark list of all his caches which includes his Children In Need (CIN) event caches.

    http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=ff20c7bc-5365-426f-8f63-1fb2328e9388

    I have good memories of the CIN fox hunt in 2003 after I'd had a successful GAGB negotiation meeting with the Forestry Commission Rangers in the New Forest. I came out of the meeting to check his location and discovered he'd passed me in Lyndhurst and traveled all the way to Bournemouth. He very kindly waited for me whilst I made a brisk trip to meet him and make my donation.

    Lovely bloke.


    Caching since 2001
    Founder member of GAGB (2003)
    Committee (2003-2013)
    Chair of GAGB (2010-2012)
    Negotiator of 18 Landowner Agreements
    GAGB Friend

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Posts
    194

    Default

    I caught up with him on 2 occasions, once outside Staines and once when he waited for me in a lay-bye near Bagshot.

    I think that was the year he broke down shortly afterwards in Guildford.

    I also remember his stall at the Farley Mount Geocaching day.

    A pity that TPTB cannot accept that events such as these do not promote an "agenda" but are a sincere attempt to help others.

    I also remember - with both anger and humour - the Tsunami fiasco, and remember with pride the great success of the appeal for the men of the Norfolk RNLI at, I think Happisburgh Lighthouse, that a different Mark and his wife organised which crept under the radar!

    What a pity GSP, as ever, cannot accept that different cultures have different attitudes to certain things .

  6. #6
    nobbynobbs Guest

    Default

    So point them over here and say that they can discuss charity to their hearts content....

  7. #7
    sTeamTraen Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by markandlynn View Post
    Basically i think the americans dont get these charity days in the UK. The idea of a whole country getting together (or hiding in the dark from CHUGGERS) for one cause does not seem to register.
    ...
    Comic relief, sport relief, children in need are national events over here id love to know if there is anything near this in the USA.
    Actually, the idea of a telethon with its related spin-off events is "as American as apple pie": see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telethon

    And no, Americans can't publicise their Telethon-related activities on GC.com either.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Longformacus
    Posts
    316

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by nobbynobbs View Post
    So point them over here and say that they can discuss charity to their hearts content....
    Exactly!


    And just to add.........wouldn't it be a good idea for cachers to discuss and maybe organize charity related events here. I think it's safe to say that GSP are taking an ever increasing hard line on anything charity related. Organize it here........list the caches over there (just don't mention the C word).
    I'm just going outside, and may be some time!

    www.jacobitecaching.co.uk

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    261

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sTeamTraen View Post
    And no, Americans can't publicise their Telethon-related activities on GC.com either.
    No, anything that doesn't result in money being raised for Groundspeak Inc. directly or indirectly is stamped on.

    There was a time when Geocachers could chat about all sorts of things that happened to interest them over there. That's long gone. . We have to recognise that it's changed from being a place where people who shared a common interest could (fairly) freely indulge in friendly banter into a (fairly) tightly controlled discussion on the activities of Groundspeak Inc.

    Maybe that's why so many "old timers" never go there any more.

  10. #10
    nobbynobbs Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The Hornet View Post
    No, anything that doesn't result in money being raised for Groundspeak Inc. directly or indirectly is stamped on.

    There was a time when Geocachers could chat about all sorts of things that happened to interest them over there. That's long gone. . We have to recognise that it's changed from being a place where people who shared a common interest could (fairly) freely indulge in friendly banter into a (fairly) tightly controlled discussion on the activities of Groundspeak Inc.

    Maybe that's why so many "old timers" never go there any more.
    shame that people don't make use of what's available for them based in this country then h34r: what do we need to do to get more people using these forums?

  11. #11

    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    S. E. Wales
    Posts
    1,223

    Default

    UK geocachers now have a range of local forums they use to "(fairly) freely indulge in friendly banter". I dip into at least four of them regularly as well as this one.

    The advantage of the regional forums is that they are open for localised gepcaching chit-chat and off-topic stuff.

    The disadvantage of the regional forums is that they fragment the community and you have to check in several different places (if you have the time / can be bothered.)

  12. #12

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Longformacus
    Posts
    316

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mrs Blorenge View Post
    The disadvantage of the regional forums is that they fragment the community and you have to check in several different places (if you have the time / can be bothered.)
    I would agree, the regional forums certainly do fragment the community, there's almost an us and them attitude within the regional forums that has existed for quite some time. Although that attitude seems only to be perpetuated by just a few influential cachers.
    I'm just going outside, and may be some time!

    www.jacobitecaching.co.uk

  13. #13

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    49

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by nobbynobbs View Post
    what do we need to do to get more people using these forums?
    I'm not sure how to achieve this, but for what its worth, I find this forum to be very negative, with far too many topics being started or hijacked by people with an axe (often the same tired old axe) to grind against GS' polices and guidlines.

    As someone who only discovered caching in 2007, I find the constant harking back to the nirvana of caching in 'the good old days' and the resultant implicit 'them and us' perception of this forum decidedly off-putting.

    This topic was a good example. The OP decided to to complain (again) about the GS Forum and the GS attitude to charities (again) - que the soft focus, the Hovis music and the 'old timers' having a nice little trip down memory lane. Great for them, but it does nothing at all for me or, I'd imagine, the vast numbers of GB cachers who have started in the last 3 years.

    For these reasons, I'll only check on this forum once or twice a week which, sadly, is often more than sufficient to catch up with goings on here .

    It could of course have been very different if the OP had decided to make a more positive initial post; something like, I don't know, "I'm doing a sponsored cache marathon" or "who's willing to help me or sponsor me in a TB relay race" for [enter the charity of your choicce] - You know the kind of thing. Something that celebrated and made use of the fact that this is a different forum to the GS one rather than moaned about the GS one...


    Apologies for being somewhat rambling but I've got a lousy cold/flu thing going on and its hard to line the thoughts up neatly this morning.

    Apologies for any insults, hurt caused, stepped on toes etc. but the question was asked.


    Mike

  14. #14

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Anywhere the mood takes us
    Posts
    2,537

    Default

    I don't honestly see how this thread can be described as 'hijacked', all posts are simply members stating their own views, I don't even think that it is 'axe grinding' against GS.
    Harping back to the good old days happens as often if not more on the GS forum as it does on here.

    No insult taken, no hurt felt, toes are all intact and I hope your cold gets better soon and lets you get back out caching.


    My own personal view.

  15. #15

    Default

    The place I call "work" has loads of "septics" stationed there for extended periods.. They are a weird bunch.. No wonder GC has some strange guidelines and rules that, if transgressed, will necessitate a full firing squad at dawn.

    Lets just accept that "over the pond" isn't a quick bus ride into central london, and that if WE want to discuss "limey" subjects, then it's prob best to keep the content on this side of the Atlantic!!

    Rampton.

  16. #16

    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Stevenage, Herts
    Posts
    87

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Rampton Broadmoore View Post
    ...and that if WE want to discuss "limey" subjects, then it's prob best to keep the content on this side of the Atlantic!!
    I would have thought that was the point of having a "UK Forum"

  17. #17
    nobbynobbs Guest

    Default

    The trouble is that they have a set of rules. Whether those rules are sensible or not is pointless to discuss. They feel that they need that rule and that has to be applied, without exception accross all their forums.

    If a swear word in one country was not a swear word in another would you be happy for it to appear anywhere in the same group of forums?

    Hence a forum hosted in the nation it represents is better because regional and cultural differences can be catered for.

  18. #18

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    261

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by von-horst View Post
    .....As someone who only discovered caching in 2007, I find the constant harking back to the nirvana of caching in 'the good old days' and the resultant implicit 'them and us' perception of this forum decidedly off-putting.

    This topic was a good example. The OP decided to to complain (again) about the GS Forum and the GS attitude to charities (again) - que the soft focus, the Hovis music and the 'old timers' having a nice little trip down memory lane. Great for them, but it does nothing at all for me or, I'd imagine, the vast numbers of GB cachers who have started in the last 3 years. .....
    Maybe as the OP I might comment. First off I make no apologies for being in almost at the inception of Geocaching in this country.

    I don't recall describing the "nirvana" you mention, nor do I recall criticising someone for enjoying the game for a shorter period than me. So please restrict your criticism to what I DID say.

    Yes I was criticising Groundspeak (again!) because I feel that Groundspeak was wrong all those years ago when they banned any mention of "Charity" in the forums and on caches and I still feel they are wrong now. I know they do not fully understand the cultural differences between the UK and USA and I have to use this forum because they control discussion on the "UK" subforum over at Groundspeak.

    Because I have a certain perspective is it any less valid than yours? Can I not criticise what I think is wrong because you hold a different view to me?

    So is it negative to talk about something some geocachers think is wrong? You perhaps think it is, I don't. I think it would be worse to ignore any disagreements and only to post "fluffy bunny" and "everything in the garden is rosy" type would be the death of a vibrant forum aimed at allowing differing viewpoints to be put.

    So we disagree but I am glad that this forum exists where we can air our differences without fear of overt censorship.

    Finally, having just got over "man flu" myself I hope your agonies are soon over!

  19. #19
    FuzzyBears Guest

    Default

    While I agree in principal with the OP about censorship I can also see that not all charities are 'good' and who would decide which are allowed... BUT
    I was glad this thread was removed.. The post was from a new geocacher asking a reasonable question... The first two or three replies, from the normal 'faces' were all of the "oooo you're in trouble now" and "wait for it" etc. etc.. While slightly funny to those 'in the know' they offered no explanation of why the newbie was 'in trouble' and gave a very bad image of cachers to someone new to caching and the forums.
    I don't know why it was removed, but from what I saw I'm glad it was, I just hope someone explained the problem to them before it was deleted

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •