EMail Notification Delays

[+TK7464]

Is this happening to anybody else but as a paid subscriber I'm supposed to get instant notifications about published caches however, lately I have been getting the notifications about 24 hours after the cache being published. I click on the link a couple of minutes after publishing and see that it has already been found by a number of cachers that are not BETA TESTERS. I have my email program to check for new emails every minute. So I don't know what's going on.

[+Heli Leo]

I've got just the opposite problem. I get the e-mail notifications but I can't post the finds. It just started today. I posted 5 "Found It" logs 5 hours ago and no Smileys yet and they don't show up on the cache page.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Is this happening to anybody else but as a paid subscriber I'm supposed to get instant notifications about published caches however, lately I have been getting the notifications about 24 hours after the cache being published. I click on the link a couple of minutes after publishing and see that it has already been found by a number of cachers that are not BETA TESTERS. I have my email program to check for new emails every minute. So I don't know what's going on.

 

I haven't noticed this myself but it may be nothing that Groundspeak can anything about. I developed a subscription based bulk email program several years ago for a well known government agency so I am familiar with the issues. There are few different areas that are potential bottlenecks. First, there is the processing of the message, building the distribution lists, and then sending the email message to all subscribers. That's on the Groundspeak end of things. On the other end is the delivery of the message into your inbox (which is read by an email client). If that's configured to check every minute, it's going to look for new email messages on the server you use for email every minute. Where the delay usually occurs is in between. There are network/router delays in between the sending machine and the server which is used for your email but typically those aren't an issue unless the sender and recipient are both in "remote" parts of the network. Where the delay usually occurs is on the machine one uses to get their email. That machine has to receive a copy of the email message (along with all the other email messages that have been sent to other users of that system) where it's stored on the file system of that machine. Typically, a process runs periodically which processes that queue of messages and delivers them to your (and that of other recipeints) mail inbox. Only then would your once every minute check find the new email. For many of the older unix based systems, the periodic process would process the queue of new messages every 30 minutes. It could also take a long time to process the queue if there are a lot of messages, especially if the server is kind of slow. I've even seen sites implement spam detection that ran really slow and was responsible if introducing email delays.

 

What are you using for email? You might check other email messages to see if it appears they're getting delayed as well. If so, the problem is with your service provider. Of course, it still could be a problem with Groundspeak, but it's a good idea not to point any fingers without an understanding of where the delay is actually happening.

 

[+The A-Team]

If what you've reported was a widespread problem, I'm sure we'd be seeing lots of people coming here to complain, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I have to agree with NYPaddleCacher that the problem likely lies with your email provider. FWIW, I haven't seen any such delays recently with my Gmail account.

[+lamoracke]

I switched to getting notifications for new caches to text messages and I get them a lot quicker. Relying on timely notifications from say comcast? Good luck, it can be minutes, hours, or never with them.

[AZcachemeister]

FWIW, I haven't seen any such delays recently with my Gmail account.

 

gmail is the answer.

If you want scary fast mail delivery, get a gmail account.

 

When I post a note to one of my caches, I get the notification on my phone within ten seconds.

 

TEN SECONDS!

[+The A-Team]

gmail is the answer.

If you want scary fast mail delivery, get a gmail account.

 

When I post a note to one of my caches, I get the notification on my phone within ten seconds.

 

TEN SECONDS!

Ten? Your Gmail is running slow! If I haven't heard the ping on my phone within about 5 seconds, I start to wonder what's going on.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

FWIW, I haven't seen any such delays recently with my Gmail account.

 

gmail is the answer.

If you want scary fast mail delivery, get a gmail account.

 

When I post a note to one of my caches, I get the notification on my phone within ten seconds.

 

TEN SECONDS!

 

That's an eternity for gmail. One time I posted a note on one of my caches and got an email notification *before* the website rendered the next web page.

[AZcachemeister]

gmail is the answer.

If you want scary fast mail delivery, get a gmail account.

 

When I post a note to one of my caches, I get the notification on my phone within ten seconds.

 

TEN SECONDS!

Ten? Your Gmail is running slow! If I haven't heard the ping on my phone within about 5 seconds, I start to wonder what's going on.

 

FWIW, I haven't seen any such delays recently with my Gmail account.

 

gmail is the answer.

If you want scary fast mail delivery, get a gmail account.

 

When I post a note to one of my caches, I get the notification on my phone within ten seconds.

 

TEN SECONDS!

 

That's an eternity for gmail. One time I posted a note on one of my caches and got an email notification *before* the website rendered the next web page.

 

Well, yeah.

 

But, I didn't want to be accused of exaggerating!

[+Off Grid]

Is this happening to anybody else but as a paid subscriber I'm supposed to get instant notifications about published caches however, lately I have been getting the notifications about 24 hours after the cache being published. I click on the link a couple of minutes after publishing and see that it has already been found by a number of cachers that are not BETA TESTERS. I have my email program to check for new emails every minute. So I don't know what's going on.

Sometimes my phone will get a notification but my email won't or the other way around. Or they both get different ones or sometimes I don't get anything. Or both will get the same depends that day

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I am still getting email notifications from 2 days ago.

[+MountainWoods]

I had been relying a lot on the emails from Groundspeak, and I still do to some point. But the other day I submitted a Waymark and got the Confirmation. But I never received an Approval message. Eventually I went and looked at the Waymark and it had been Approved. The message for it got lost somewhere. I then received messages (both Confirmation and Approval) for a bunch of other Waymarks after that. It just hiccuped on one of them.

 

Now I know to check things out after a day or two in case of another email hiccup.

 

That doesn't help if one is FTF hungry and waiting for those new cache messages. But that's life.

[+TK7464]

I noticed that I am getting some notifications from 2 days ago in my notification folder today.

[+*GeoPunx*]

Yesterday and today I am getting notifications from days ago as well.

Also getting new publish emails that have numerous finds from days ago.

I checked my email and all other auto emails(from other sources) are coming in just fine.

It's definitely not isolated.

[+The A-Team]

I had been relying a lot on the emails from Groundspeak, and I still do to some point. But the other day I submitted a Waymark and got the Confirmation. But I never received an Approval message. Eventually I went and looked at the Waymark and it had been Approved. The message for it got lost somewhere. I then received messages (both Confirmation and Approval) for a bunch of other Waymarks after that. It just hiccuped on one of them.

I did some research a while back, and these hiccups are more prevalent than many people realize. I found about a dozen finds on my owned caches that I never got an email for, I've gotten 4 FTFs on caches where no publish email was sent to anyone, and I've stumbled upon several other logs where no notifications were sent (watchlist, enable/disable notifications, etc.). I bet if every cache owner matched up logs to emails, they'd also find lots they didn't get notified about.

 

Basically, don't rely entirely on the emails. I have PQs running three times a week for this reason.

[+Foothills Drifter]

Is this happening to anybody else but as a paid subscriber I'm supposed to get instant notifications about published caches however, lately I have been getting the notifications about 24 hours after the cache being published. I click on the link a couple of minutes after publishing and see that it has already been found by a number of cachers that are not BETA TESTERS. I have my email program to check for new emails every minute. So I don't know what's going on.

 

Howdy... From up the street and around the corner......

The same thing is happening to me also.

I did not get a post on a FTF on a cache I had hidden (ON THE FENCE... #9)

I did get it for the second to find. It has happened on many others also....

 

Vern / Foothills Drifter...

[+*GeoPunx*]

Today is 6/21/13. I just got this email 30 seconds ago. Notice the log date:

 

"You are receiving this email because this listing is on your watch list. Visit

the web site to change your watchlist settings.

 

Location: Florida, United States

meronjo2 posted a note for Made you LOOK (Disabled) (Traditional Cache) at

6/18/2013

 

Log Date: 6/18/2013

Made you LOOK was transferred from OffLead to user meronjo2 "

[+The A-Team]

Today is 6/21/13. I just got this email 30 seconds ago. Notice the log date:

 

"You are receiving this email because this listing is on your watch list. Visit

the web site to change your watchlist settings.

 

Location: Florida, United States

meronjo2 posted a note for Made you LOOK (Disabled) (Traditional Cache) at

6/18/2013

 

Log Date: 6/18/2013

Made you LOOK was transferred from OffLead to user meronjo2 "

Something to keep in mind is that the log date can be changed by the logger. For example, if I'm travelling and back-date my finds once I get home, the log emails the COs or watchers will receive will state the earlier log date which I've chosen, not the date on which I submitted it.

 

That being said, it isn't the case here. Adoption notes are automatically generated by the system, so the log date is the date the log was created, meaning you have indeed received a delayed email.

[+*GeoPunx*]

I also just got another email a few minutes ago.

I got the same email five days ago.

Twilight Zone stuff!

[sloshoe]

My gmail account is so fast that I get the message a day or two before it is sent!

[+cwgrizz]

I noticed some saying they have changed to "Text Notifications". Where, How? I don't find the option on GS. Are you doing it via your Email/Gmail accounts?

[+KNKINCABOT]

I know I have text and email notify turned on however, at times I'll get a call from some of the FTF'er asking why I'm not out looking for a newly posted cache. I'll check my text and email, nothing will be in there. Maybe 30 minutes later I'll get it or worse case, several days later.

[AZcachemeister]

I noticed some saying they have changed to "Text Notifications". Where, How? I don't find the option on GS. Are you doing it via your Email/Gmail accounts?

 

Most cellular companies can convert an email sent to your phone into a text message.

For example, the format for a T-mobile phone would be (your ten digit phone number)@tmomail.net.

 

This is how my company sends messages to us field service techs.

 

It is very unreliable. The message needs to go through two servers, and if there is a hiccup, you don't get the message.

[+Bluescorpius]

Is this happening to anybody else but as a paid subscriber I'm supposed to get instant notifications about published caches however, lately I have been getting the notifications about 24 hours after the cache being published. I click on the link a couple of minutes after publishing and see that it has already been found by a number of cachers that are not BETA TESTERS. I have my email program to check for new emails every minute. So I don't know what's going on.

I have a btinternet account and I have been getting this a lot just lately. I use Thunderbird on my PC or Outlook, I also use the iPad's built in app and I check them frequently. This has only been a problem since BT migrated its email handling from Yahoo to cpcloud this year which geocaching's postings does not recognise them or cpcloud will not allow it in and rejects it. The message has to find an alternative route into the UK. I just got a notification of a newly published cache on the 19th but it had been found and logged twice on the 18th. Another, I got four hours after it was first logged, and I could have easily gone for it. It is always the same people that are beating me to the find and I believe they use gmail for notifications, but I would have to confirm that. If you open the message properties, near the top it will say SPF - shortest path first and then fail followed by the IP address for cpcloud. You could conclude that this has something to do with the delay, something which BT is reluctant to acknowledge. I have spent days in conversation with BTs support, who do not see what the problem is, and there is a lot of 'buck passing'. Latterly, a 'level 2' help looked at this part of the properties, said and done nothing, then hung up on me. She only said that level 3 will be in touch within 3 days; I am still waiting after five! I urge you that if you are noticing this delay, and you have a btinternet account, let them know and together we may force them out of their indifference, as at this stage, I have also put my thoughts in writing to their head office.