Six Month Groundspeak Ban EXPIRED!

[CARoperPhotography]

Just wanted to let you all know that my Groundspeak imposed, 6 month long ban from Geocaching.com has ended.

I am finally logging about 500 caches that I found during the ban including my trip to Utah which included one FTF and three caches above 12,000 feet when I summited Mount Peale and Kings Peak.

[EMSDanel]

Let me show my ignorance .....because I truly don't know or understand what happened here. I've never been an "insider" or part of the establishment, and I'm not up on why this ban occurred (And I DON'T WANT to know!) But are you saying that you were given a "six-month ban" by geocaching.com......yet you could continue to go geocaching, go online and get cache info/coords/etc. (use the system) to find caches during that ban and now log them? That the "ban" was really just making you wait six months to log your cache finds? Doesn't sound like much of a "ban" to me...in fact, that sounds petty.

[UMainah]

why were you banned?

[CARoperPhotography]

Well, it was a site ban meaning I couldn't log into Geocaching.com or any of Groundspeak's owned sites, however I got PQs from another cacher while Banned. It's odd because during the ban, I still got notifications from Geocaching.com when any of my owned caches were found. So I requested that they archive all my caches, considering how am I to maintain caches when I cannot access the site to post maintenance logs? Like I said, I was unable to go online myself to get cache info and PQs but when someone else gave me PQs that they had already run or gave me updated cache info from their GSAK database, yeah I could still cache.

[CARoperPhotography]

I was banned because at Geowoodstock in Warren, PA over the summer, I confronted TAT (MainePublisher) and MissJenn (a Groundspeak lackey) over many inconsistencies, hypocritical actions, and their non application of standards and rules when publishing caches from one cache owner to another. The open forum was a Q+A featuring about 15 volunteer Groundspeak Publishers from around the country which I happened upon. After patiently waiting my turn, I raised my hand and asked some poignant questions to MainePublisher mainly about why he was refusing to publish caches of mine, one in particular, and then published another by another cacher a month later only 100 ft from my cache location, all the while claiming I didn't have permission for the hide (a shopping center lamp skirt cache) yet neither did the other cacher who placed one their a month later yet his was allowed to be published and not mine. After I got home from a great weekend caching with Marcipanek at Geowoodstock, and throughout NY, OH, WV and PA I was notified that my account was locked and I was banned for six months due to a log from several months ago on a cache that I criticized MainePublisher in. Obviously, they used this particular log as an excuse to ban me, even though it was months old. This is my second ban (Groundspeak calls it locked account). My other lasted from mid October last year to Mid November or so.

[Mainiac1957]

Chadd, you obviously enjoy geocaching. I am not suggesting you change what you say or who you say it to if that's your thing, but my question is it worth it for you to be a self titled "Antagonist" as well as "The Maine King of Cache Hides (and controversy )" The whole abrasive thing just doesn't seem to work. Go out, find caches, have fun. You do what you need to do, and others will do what they need to do.

[noreasta]

Cool Beans Mainiac, I havent been following this much as you will see. This is my first log in in two months, However , That sounds like good advice to me.. Its all about having fun. And of course enjoying the caches that we find. Being a CHARTER MEMEBER of Geocaching.com , Its not about the numbers , as I've aged and going on my 10th year of geocaching in March . I now try to just enjoy the caching time I do and not worry so much about how many, what kind, or be critical of anyones cache. After all there is no cash prizes involved. Just good fun and good people for the most must. Cache on!

[Ekidokai]

Very nice looking path tag.

[noreasta]

I owe you one of my pathtage Ekidokai! Ill catch u soon... now Go Dry your colthes!

[EvilHomer]

Chad banned? Why am I not surprised. I think that you do have to speak your mind if you think someone is not being objective when they are in a position of "authority" like a publisher. There is always an element of favoritism sometimes. I have been banned from sites for ASKING too many questions about certain people, ( those that remember my involvement with sledmaine.com remember this). But as Maniac stated: Is it worth it to be the antagonist? In the end did you win your fight? Just enjoy geocaching and leave the politics to the hacks in DC/Augusta.