--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Rebekah"
wrote:
>
> What if there were a Yahoo Group similar to "the basement" where
> people could look for them & maybe have a file or something in the
> database section where people could add if they had found a box
>
> -Littlemonkey
Hi Littlemonkey
If you look to the lefthand side of the homepage you will find a
listing for Database. If you click on this you can locate the
remnants of the database that caused the uproar quite sometime back.
This was a listing that allowed finders to record their finds and
this was detested by many planters(and still is). Several planters
pulled their clues and others came close. Shortly after this
function went away there was atleast one Yahoo group started that
decided to list finds and shortcuts. Many planters started putting a
notice on their clue sheets regarding notification of finds (if
interested you could check anyone of our clue sheets for this
notice).Then the flags appeared which did give the placer a little
more controll over their clues.
The entire concept of recording finds generally is split between
the newletterboxers that like electronic recording and listing and
the old letterboxers (Silverbacks) that like the way the game was
originally set up here in the USA, where the site was merely a
collection of clue sheets. Now notice I said generally, otherwise
someone will jump in and dispute my statement. Also generally those
that do not like the recording aspect are those with the most plants
and there is a different point of view that planters have as
compared to those that are finders. The recording functions only
help finders locate those letterboxes that can be assured of being
viable thus increasing their F count.
As a placer I could care less about someones F count. We set up our
letterboxes to take a finder to a neat spot, solve clues,a bit of
history, great scenery,and give them an image of a passable
handcarved stamp.
This database/recording topic is nothing new, and for the most part
will always be a contentious one, I think it is a great subject. It
is a good idea for everyone to realize that placers have different
mindsets than finders. A planter may take several days to set up a
letterbox, while a finder may take an hour or two to locate that
same box. A note of thanks sent to that placer via the chatlist or
directly may add a minute or two to the finders time. That is about
the same amount of time it takes to electronically record the find.
Okay nuff about history, and a planter's point of view.
Don