Should caches that do not have a FTF be given hints?

[brdad]

As to getting hints from someone other than the owner, that's just the way people are playing the game. I try to remember that I want people to find my cache, after all. Would you rather dnf my cache, go home, email me and wait for an answer, plan another trip and wait some more - or just call your buddy that you have on speed dial and log it already?

I would rather go back home and have to admit my failure to the owner and beg for a hint. It is much more humbling than being able to call a friend just to be able to log the cache. Making more than one trip to a cache usually makes it more memorable as well!

Plus by phoning a friend, you are depriving the cache owner of part of the fun of owning a cache, this is especially true with the higher difficulty caches.