Happens automatically.

How is the Foster assigned? I did not volunteer it just showed up. Just curious 🧐

Shelly

I thought you meant you fostered it. As far as I know no one else can name you as a foster owner. You have to do it. I never heard of it being assigned. News to me! Does someone else have access to your account?

A while back, I happened to be looking at my stats, and saw that I was fostering a couple of boxes. I had never been notified and had no idea. They were boxes I donated to an event (listed as carver), and were left permanently planted after the event. The boxes' owner/planter had not been active for several years, and somehow I got "assigned" foster duty. They are in another state so no way am I able to care for them, so I just took myself off the boxes as a "foster".

You have to click the "foster me" button. They are not assigned automatically.

I will mention, however, that there is no confirmation about "are you sure you want to foster this box"--it happens immediately as soon as you click the button. There is a "cancel" option, but it's more of an "undo" thing. You're already a fosterer, and clicking the cancel just removes you as the fosterer. If you "return" to the box page or use the back button on your browser, you'll still be the fosterer, though.

At some point, though, you clicked the "foster me" link, which made you the foster parent, and you never removed yourself after that. It might not have been what you intended and you thought you were looking at a confirmation page (i.e. "are you sure you want to do this") rather than a confirmation page (i.e. "Congrats! You ARE the fosterer!") so didn't remove yourself.

But clicking that "foster me" link is the only way to become a foster parent. =)

-- Ryan

I suspect this is what caused the problem, so I updated the confirmation page to confirm that you really want to foster a box before assigning it, so anyone curious what the "foster me" link does doesn't inadvertently become a fosterer in the future.

Now you need to click the "foster me" link and the "Confirm" button in order to become a foster parent.

-- Ryan

How do you typically write the clues for boxes you’ve planted? Are they step-by-step, cryptic or vague, do you use ciphers, photo clues, etc?

The majority of my clues are a like a set of directions. But every now and then I throw in a photo, a code or even just a couple of words that lead you to where you will find the box.

I’ve been given actual ownership of a box in a different state without my knowledge under the same circumstances but never a foster thing. I did the same thing. Just took myself off.

Directions, but sometimes I try to spice it up with pictures, or through a story, or whatnot.

I'm not very clever in that aspect and I hate when clues are too smart for me, so I never want a finder to feel dumb like I have on a few occasions where the clues were so far above my head I ended up giving up.

Thanks for updating that!

I accidentally started fostering a box by clicking the link, not realizing that it instantly made me the foster-er!

That will help!

Not being able to figure out a clue doesn't mean you're dumb. Well, okay, maybe you are--I don't know--but that's definitely not how intelligence is measured. =)

The first box I ever looked for--I failed. I just couldn't make the clues work for me. It was a couple of weeks later I was sitting on the couch just thinking about the clue and poof! The answer just popped into my head. Went out and found the box the next weekend.

Another clue that was a riddle took me months to eventually figure out after spending hours and hours pondering it.

They never made me feel dumb, though. They were just difficult clues that I had trouble figuring out. There are other clues that I've never solved (and possibly never will), but that doesn't make me dumb. I just don't have the right knowledge base, or determination or whatever is needed to figure them out.

The ones that do have tricky clues that I eventually figured out, however.... priceless! The sense of accomplishment is enormous. =)

-- Ryan

It often depends on where I am planting. In high traffic urban locations where there are lots of eyeballs around, I tend to be very, very specific about where my box is to ensure fast retrieval with a minimum of poking around.

But I also have some hides where I really had fun with cryptic clues that are site specific. Yes, I've had some people not be able to find the box but I enjoy a challenging box and figure other people do too.

My first few were rhyming clues. Because of the nature of trying to make it rhyme, and meter, they were somewhat cryptic.

Since then I have given simple directions, even if I have sometimes given these directions in some sort of code.

All of the above! It depends on the location to some degree, but mostly on my mood when I list it. Sometimes I'm just not up for it. However there have been boxes that I planted in a specific location because of a cipher I wanted to use, or the location suggested a certain cipher. It's really fun when you're in the mood for it.

As far as finding boxes with coded/ciphered clues I can say that there have been a few that it literally took me years to crack. I'd noodle over it from time to time and in most cases I've eventually had that 'aha' moment. It's incredibly satisfying...but a couple of times I've felt like 'really?? It took me years to notice *that*??' 😆 You can never tell. I will say that I find stories with clues buried in them to be the hardest for me to follow. I usually get them but I find them less enjoyable than a cipher I can solve before I leave the house.

I have recently acquired a vintage collection of LTCs that I would like to share. Themes are pirates, celtic knots, fairies, dark movies and more. Please send me an AQ message if you are interested.

I sent you a message with my address ;)

Likewise, my 'clues' are often directions especially if it is a series as I know ppl set aside a certain amount of time and want to finish the trail as much as find them all.

Occasionally, if I take ppl to a specific spot where something unusual is, I write something that takes thought to discover the fine. I realize the longer a person lingers, the more suspicious those that see them lurking will become. Sometimes ppl are reading a clue that makes them be observant to find the starting point.

I have sent you a message as well!

Happy Anniversary!!!! Hope you have more inky days ahead!

I hope there's another one I can join... Only 9 more months to go... ugh😳

I just did a box search and noticed that in the results, any listing with 2 or more boxes shows up with its squared value instead of its actual value. When you click on the actual listing, it's fine. Is anyone else noticing this?

Here's an example. These series contain 14 and 8 boxes, respectively.

Yes, earlier this morning I was on one of my Searches and all was well. Suddenly the numbers changed before my very eyes. When I click on the actual box listing the correct number shows there. I’m impressed you deduced it was the number squared.

Ha!! As you know, I'm not a math person, but this was pretty easy to figure out once I realized there was a pattern.

That’s a weird one even for AQ. LOL

Yeah, it was a bit unexpected! Are you seeing it, too?

I’m not good with the REALLY weird mystery clues. But I know some people are good at them and must get a great feeling of accomplishment when they figure it out and find the box. So good on them!

Mostly just directional clues. Nothing fancy.

Yes! Just did one. Three box series and it’s nine in the results and three when you look at the series. Weird.

Maybe today is some kind of special math day (like Pi Day) that an English major such as myself would have no clue about? 😜

Today IS 420.... makes sense the numbers are "high"!