Afetr looking at a profile, I am curious. Why would anyone want to hide their finds? What is the reasoning, the benefit?

Facetiously speaking- Is it because you are puffing up your count and don't want planters or others to trip you up (hey, I retired that box months before you claimed to find it! wait, you claimed the 29 you planted yourself in your Finds! ). Or because you and another letterboxing are carrying on a torrid affair and you don't dare have your logbooks match up? Because your boss is also a letterboxer and everytime you call in sick he checks your logbook to see if you were *really* sick or just out LB'ing? Tyring to cover your addiction from your LB 12- Step Group ("One box, er, day at a time")?

I can understand wanting to hide Attempts on your boxes if you do not trust LBers to be competent, though I think it a bit unfair to future attempters unless you are close enough to check on the box as soon as someone reports it missing.
But why on earth hide your own Finds?

SuziLivvi, love your creative guesses as to why someone would hide their finds. Some are interesting indeed....however, there was a heated thread a year...maybe two?...ago about something similar. I think this was way before we had the option to hide finds. Someone mentioned being "stalked" so-to-speak by another Letterboxer who constantly wanted to know why they had gone letterboxing without them. The notes this person received were not pleasant. So, hiding her finds was a good way to avoid this kind of conflict.

Just another possible reason...

I'm thinking that the boss/[co-worker] theory is probably a big reason. The other might be hiding finds from a spouse that doesn't approve/worries about the dangers. But then won't the boss/co-worker/spouse confront the letterboxer, asking why they are hiding their finds. Although that would re-inforce the letterboxer's suspicions that he/she is indeed being watched.

Someone mentioned being "stalked" so-to-speak by another Letterboxer who constantly wanted to know why they had gone letterboxing without them. The notes this person received were not pleasant. So, hiding her finds was a good way to avoid this kind of conflict.

But wouldn't hiding her finds only ire the nosy-body? Wouldn't the nosy-body still end up feeling left out? Conflict would still ensue but in a different way.

BTW, interesting discussion. I've also have wondered why people hide their finds. I'm a geocacher too, and never noticed anything in the forums about the desire to hide finds. Guess those cachers who want their finds hidden just don't log finds.

Logged finds are an information leak, especially with regards to msytery boxes and discretion.

LB

It's more simple than y'all are making it.

They simply don't want anyone to know where they've been...either planting or finding...especially when it relates to mysteries and near-mysteries. They don't want to give up a smidgen of detail with regards to other boxes found lest the logbook snoops track down where they've been recently. :-)

Geocaching is not as cryptic as letterboxing can be. To find a letterbox, sometimes you have to work really hard at solving a clue. The person who did all their homework and found the box may not want to be bothered by people who don't want to work that hard. Once people see who found a difficult box, they may message those finders and ask for hints. If the finders hide their finds, they are not bothered by the inquisitions.

I think it's a great option to be able to hide finds. It isn't for everyone, but I do see its value.

-Quiet Place

Logged finds are an information leak, especially with regards to msytery boxes and discretion

Mystery boxes only have the date of the find listed. In the list of finds, under the heading Finder, you only see the word "undisclosed". Here's an example:
http://www.atlasquest.com/boxes/finddetails.html?gSeriesId=38557

So, on AQ, logged finds are not an information leak.

Especially Mystery boxes. Also, if you are hitting multiple boxes in one area on one particular day and one of them is a Mystery box - it could give away the area the box is located in - and that info could be garnered by 'inquiring' minds that like to look at other people's logbooks.

No, you can't. Mystery found dates are hidden when you look at someone else's logbook. You can theorize since it is still listed and possibly see the date, but can only assume who the finder was.

. If you are 'snooping' another boxer's logbook and check the order of their finds and you see a Mystery box found right in the middle of a bunch of finds one one particular day

Again, no. All mystery boxes are sorted to the end when you look at someone else's logbook.

If you are 'snooping' another boxer's logbook and check the order of their finds and you see a Mystery box found right in the middle of a bunch of finds one one particular day - you can possibly get insight into where the box is hidden.

Well you got to give that person some credit for their sleuthing skills - which is what mystery-solvers are all about right - they enjoy the challenge of sleuthing.

..especially when it relates to mysteries and near-mysteries.

If the box is a mystery (e.g. the location is not spelled out in the clue) but not specified as a "Mystery" box in AQ, then it does show up within the list of finds chronologically.

Then either you looked at the wrong thing or is it not a mystery.

Click here. Find the mystery boxes. They start at #643 if sorting newest to oldest. That box was found 03/07/09.

If the box is a mystery (e.g. the location is not spelled out in the clue) but not specified as a "Mystery" box in AQ, then it does show up within the list of finds chronologically.

Correct, and maybe that is what JerseyTrailblazers is seeing. If someone does not list it as a mystery and instead using cryptic clues but lists a town then yes, the date is shown and it sorts along with the rest. It is the fine line between mystery and mental puzzle.

If I'm looking at someone's personal logbook and they have a Mystery box listed - then I know they found it. And- although the date is not listed - if it is listed with a bunch of finds on one particular day - then it is possible to take a good guess. Only when finds are seperated by numerous days or weeks - does it than make it near impossible to guess.

Oh I am not disagreeing that you can glean some useful information from seeing that and even assume who was the actual finder. But generally you still have to figure it out for yourself since a cryptic clue is still a cryptic clue, even if that MIGHT narrow down the search area.

It is the fine line between mystery and mental puzzle.

Exactly. That was what I was referring to when I said mysteries and near-mysteries.

I do not need to debate it. I know how it works. And I also know what I'm looking at.

Could you post the link then? I am honestly curious why someone's would be different since that is not how it has ever worked on AQ that I can remember, and it does not on any I check?

I'm curious too. When I looked at your logbook just now, JT, all the mysteries were in a big clump at the end with the find dates hidden. Your unlisted finds were clumped at the end with hidden dates, then the Mysteries with hidden dates, and then all the others showing the dates quite nicely. :-)

Knit Wit

OK... I'm in on this late.... as always....
I think some people want to enjoy letterboxing for what it is... fun... to be enjoyed at whatever pace or whatever schedule your life allows.

not a COMPETITION...... I've actually heard someone was told........ "You've been a letterboxer THAT long ....... and you only have THAT MANY finds ? WOW!"........(how rude) I suppose it could be the same with "You didn't find THAT box... it's so easy".... etc....

Some just don't want people to know their numbers or their particulars........... for whatever reason. It's really not a big deal.
I think for most of the "HIDERS" it's just a personaly privacy thing.

Dina B. Seeker

By the way..... I first misread the subject of this thread as "WHY HIDE YOUR FRIENDS?"....
and my first thought was .... "Have you SEEN my friends?".....
LOL

"Have you SEEN my friends?"..

I resemble that remark! LOL

Knit Wit

I resemble that remark! LOL

Knit Wit

LOL.... I knew someone would jump on that. I thought it would be CHARLIE... he's at home. You're FAST !!

Yeah, absolutely! I started to check his and saw the 22+ pages of finds and decided I had more to do with my life than logbook-stalk him! :-)

However, why have you chosen to hide your finds and attempts, oh Secretive One? Inquiring minds and all that... ;-)

Knit Wit

the mistake I made was choosing Eidolon's!

Heck, _I_ don't even look at my own!!! There is a reason I posted a link to Community and Cemetery, not me. :>

Why would anyone want to hide their finds?

Or, perhaps more to the point, if someone doesn't want others to see their finds, why log them at all?

If the box is a mystery (e.g. the location is not spelled out in the clue) but not specified as a "Mystery" box in AQ, then it does show up within the list of finds chronologically.

Yo, Ryan! Remember that suggestion I made the other day about boxes being automagically marked as mysteries if no city is given but that the planter might have the option to add a mystery attribute if he sees fit? I would hope that all the benefits of the mystery attribute would go along with it, including the way it shows up in a list of finds!

((Facetiously speaking- Is it because you are puffing up your count and don't want planters or others to trip you up (hey, I retired that box months before you claimed to find it! wait, you claimed the 29 you planted yourself in your Finds! ). Or because you and another letterboxing are carrying on a torrid affair and you don't dare have your logbooks match up? Because your boss is also a letterboxer and everytime you call in sick he checks your logbook to see if you were *really* sick or just out LB'ing? Tyring to cover your addiction from your LB 12- Step Group ("One box, er, day at a time")?
}}
If only my life were that interesting! LOL, this cracks me up.

Or, perhaps more to the point, if someone doesn't want others to see their finds, why log them at all?

So that when they do searches on AQ, their finds won't come up in the searches.

I log my finds on LbNA, too. When I do searches there, the list will show which ones I've found or attempted by little symbols on the side.

BTW, regarding hiding finds, I seem to remember a member upset because the boxer would "stalk" her by going to all the boxes afterward, and then asking for help and hints on them. This is from my fuzzy memory, though. . . where's the chocolate? . . .

KuKu

I've been letterboxing since Dec 2001. On AQ I'm listed as having 284 finds and 4 plants. Why so low? Because they are not all listed. I only joined AQ a little over a year ago. The plants listed are the ones I planted since joining AQ. The finds also from that date minus some I never got around to post. Listing my finds or not is not important to me. I know my real PFX count and if it doesn't show up on LBNA or AQ I don't care. I'm in no competition, no rush, and no one to answer to. My real count is interesting to me but not that important. I think listing a find is more important to the box planter so they know someone was at the box on a certain date and it was ok. I'm sure there are others that are not worried how their PFX count looks to others. I know Amy could care less......Chuck and Amy of WWW

What the heck does the difference it make to you weather someone hides their finds in their logbook or not. The same goes for attempts, be it their personal attempts or attempts and finds on their own boxes. It really doesn't matter if someone chooses to do that or not, it is their choice, and it is stupidity to speculate on reasons why someone would not want to give such information. It is none of your business.

I think she was just asking and trying to understand, Cyclonic. She wasn't trying to jump into anyone's personal business and I thought it a valid question. Nothing wrong with trying to understand others viewpoints and ways of doing things...geesh!!