user notification order

[+traveyes]

I was wondering if someone in the forums knows, or if Groundspeak can speak to the following:

 

Let's say 200 people in my area have a notification set up to send a text when a cache is published.

 

Who gets the text first? Is it randomized? Ordered by date notification was set up? By username?

 

I'm wondering because -- no, I'm not a whiner -- today, I got a text and was at the cache in about 4 minutes but someone had already beat me to the FTF, which is fine -- all part of the fun, but it got me wondering. The FTF username started with an "A", mine, a "t"... Was wondering if they got a jump on me due to the alphabet?

 

Can anyone speak to the algorithm used for the order of sending out notifications for a given cache type?

 

Thanks

 

-traveyes (maybe soon to be: AAAtraveyes )

[+The A-Team]

Let's say 200 people in my area have a notification set up to send a text when a cache is published.

 

Who gets the text first? Is it randomized? Ordered by date notification was set up? By username?

 

I'm wondering because -- no, I'm not a whiner -- today, I got a text and was at the cache in about 4 minutes but someone had already beat me to the FTF

I suspect the reason why it took longer to get to you was because it had to be converted from an email to a text, then sent to you. That conversion process would be done by your cell provider's email-to-SMS function, and likely introduces a delay. I've been with other cachers when a new cache comes out, and we all got email notifications within a few seconds of each other. I believe the emails are sent out at virtually the same time, and any difference in when cachers receive it is due to the email provider they're using.

 

Another reason why that cacher might have gotten there faster could be that they were on the road in the area when it came out. I've had this happen before. I was over 30 km from home, much farther than I would normally be able to get a FTF. A cache just happened to be published 800m away. I got there within a couple of minutes. I know some cachers that have been parked meters away from a cache when it got published.

[+traveyes]

I suspect the reason why it took longer to get to you was because it had to be converted from an email to a text, then sent to you. That conversion process would be done by your cell provider's email-to-SMS function, and likely introduces a delay

 

Good point. I also get emails because the texts don't have a url in them.... Usually, the text alerts me to check the email. I check the email, click the url for the cache on my phone, and viola. I've never had a case where I got a text and there was no email, so what you say is likely true... that texts come in later. Thanks for the info.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I suspect the reason why it took longer to get to you was because it had to be converted from an email to a text, then sent to you. That conversion process would be done by your cell provider's email-to-SMS function, and likely introduces a delay

 

Good point. I also get emails because the texts don't have a url in them.... Usually, the text alerts me to check the email. I check the email, click the url for the cache on my phone, and viola. I've never had a case where I got a text and there was no email, so what you say is likely true... that texts come in later. Thanks for the info.

 

A few years ago I developed a subscription based bulk email application that distributes reports produced by a well known U.S. government agency. I manages hundreds of distribution lists and sends out hundreds of different reports a day with thousands of subscribers. A few of the reports have over 10,000 subscribers. I don't know how GS does it but my app builds the list of email addresses ordered by the numerical ID for each user (those that subscribed earlier are near the beginning of the list). Because the number of email addresses is large I break it up into "batches" (500 in each batch) and use a mechanism called multi-threading to launch multiple processes simultaneously to deliver the messages. Even with a distribution list with thousands of subscribers the process of constructing the list and sending the email takes only a few seconds. That doesn't mean that that subscribers will all receive a copy of the email message within seconds. Each SMTP server which accepts the email may be configured differently. In some cases it may run every 15 minutes to deliver (copy the message into the users inbox) messages it has received. If there is a smtp to sms gateway in place that may also queue messages for delivery.

 

I did some testing one where I send a message to three different email addresses and checked the time when each one was received. One came in almost immediately, and one took almost a half an hour. I have my GS notifications tied to a gmail account. Awhile back I posted a owner maintenance log on a cache I own and got a copy of the message in my gmail account *before* the response web page rendered.

 

Long story short, the number of people in your area that have notifications set up for new caches is probably pretty low and the order in which your email address appears on the list is likely not going to make a difference. The amount of time it takes to send the notification is minimal. The bottleneck is at the server which receives the message and stuffs into your inbox (which can be set up to forward the message as a text message).

[+StarBrand]

I concur. I've designed programs to send out bulk emails to a few hundred folks. With a decently configured smtp server, the process takes a few seconds. The only observable slowdown is the rate at which the remote servers take messages. Then things like grey-listing, junk mail scans, content filters, email box filters and more can slow things down further. Then there is time for servers to notify inboxes and other devices and devices to notify their owners.

 

Having said all of that, I was once told (very long ago) that Groundspeak emails go out in reverse order of username signup. Newer accounts before older ones. I don't think it makes hardly any difference.

[+traveyes]

Makes sense. Thanks all for the responses.