+TheAlabamaRambler Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 (edited) This is cross-posted from the Geocaching Topics forum since it didn't get any answers there. I posted it to that forum because I am not sure it's a Groundspeak issue and hoped someone could help with it. Since it got no answer there please close the thread on Geocaching Topics. Thanks, Ed I saw the Groundspeak announcement re Yahoo throttling email and don't think it affects me, but we've been noticing something interesting on our dixiecachers.com website that makes me curious as to how to resolve it. If you are a Premium member and sign up for Insta-Notify you are sent an email notification when certain triggers that you select are fired - in my case when a new cache is published or enabled within 50 miles of my home. I sometimes like to hunt FTFs, and over the last couple of weeks began using Insta-Notify. More often than not the cache was found by the time I got there! I thought it amazing that folks could get there so quick! I knew something was fishy, however, when a listing was published about 8 p.m. one weeknight less than three miles from my house. I was on the computer at the time, saw the email come in, slipped on my shoes and drove straight to the cache - and it had been found. Then we began comparing notes and it turns out that they are getting their notification hours before I do. Some of us have been comparing notes on what time the Insta-Notify email came in to our mailbox, and we're discovering receipt times measured in hours, in one case in days! So, assuming that Groundspeak sends the notification email to all subscribers at once, what would make people with different services (I use RoadRunner Premier from BrightHouse Cable, (server bham.rr.com)) receive the email at such wildly staggered intervals? I don't think it's RoadRunner; if I am talking to someone on the phone or in IM and they tell me "I just sent you an email" I get it within a minute or so. I don't think it's Groundspeak; when I run a PQ I generally get it within 5 minutes or so. What then makes Insta-Notify emails any different? I am considering getting a PDA/phone and having the notifications sent to it, but won't make that investment if the notifications are not timely. No way I can be competitive in the FTF chase if another chaser gets the notification hours before I do! Any suggestions on what I can do to get Insta-Notify email messages as soon as they are sent? Edited February 8, 2007 by TheAlabamaRambler Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Some of the locals around here have had the same discussion. I know of at least 2 cases where I received the notification a few hours after the FTF did. At the time I wrote it off as some kind of anomoly. Seems those with newer accounts get notified ahaed of the older ones (mid you "seems"). Maybe there is some kind of issue - or maybe some kind of throttling delays the emails somehow - somewhere..... hmmmmmmmm. Link to comment
+Stunod Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 If you view the header info for the email you can see the times that it is received and delivered from the servers. Take a look and see if the delay is at your ISP or earlier in the trip. You could also compare the time originally sent with the other cachers that are getting them before you. Link to comment
+Stunod Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 HERE is a quick tutorial on how to read the header info. Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 If you view the header info for the email you can see the times that it is received and delivered from the servers. Take a look and see if the delay is at your ISP or earlier in the trip. You could also compare the time originally sent with the other cachers that are getting them before you. Will do that next time it happens - new caches are somewhat rare around here....... Link to comment
+DeRock & The Psychic Cacher Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 To everyone who has been beat out on a FTF because of delayed Instant Notifications- I feel your pain. It's happened to me. I've also been online and seen new caches published and made the FTF before the the notification came through. Just two weekends ago our reviewer published and it took me 36 hours to get my instant notifications. Can't prove it but I get a feeling it's a GC.com problem. In other threads there has been a noticable lack of communication on this, except the usual Mods response about junk email folders, etc. It got so bad our former area FTF "King" subscribed to an online service that monitered our state page and he would get an email whenever it changed. Now that's obsessive! My guess is TPTB have bigger fish to fry - like what to do when the "consultants" recommend they dump all the existing code and start over! Deane AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI Link to comment
+DeRock & The Psychic Cacher Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Jeremy just weighed in on the situation here. Link to comment
Jeremy Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 I'll add that if you have an AOL account, I strongly suggest you cancel it and get something else. AOL is again throttling, and in some cases just denying, emails from us. This is because the way they use the spam notification system in their software it works the same as a delete button. Many of their users don't realize that it will report and eventually block companies from sending email to AOL users. Of course that also means if you have a Pocket Query being sent to your AOL account, the likelihood is that you won't get it. Thanks AOL! Link to comment
+DeskJocky Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Gmail accounts are free for everyone now. No invites needed. Ditch AOL and goto www.gmail.com Link to comment
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