I see a major problem on Free-DC

[trigggl]

I'm looking at the team stats on Free-DC for Primegrid and I noticed something that bothers me and should be fixable. It looks like very few people are using their GPU there. There's gotta be more people with cuda there than that. We need a way to inform all these team mates that they're missing out on the feast.

Can we send an email? Do we have the ability to use the primegrid team email list? How about the list we send the request for the challenges out? I think we're missing an opportunity here.

Sorry Bok if I mislead you with the title.

EDIT: Both S.G and Sic are majorly out pacing us here.

[Fire$torm]

I'm looking at the team stats on Free-DC for Primegrid and I noticed something that bothers me and should be fixable. It looks like very few people are using their GPU there. There's gotta be more people with cuda there than that. We need a way to inform all these team mates that they're missing out on the feast.

Can we send an email? Do we have the ability to use the primegrid team email list? How about the list we send the request for the challenges out? I think we're missing an opportunity here.

Sorry Bok if I mislead you with the title.

EDIT: Both S.G and Sic are majorly out pacing us here.

I think that is a great idea. And it might be a good idea to do something like a monthly mailing, short and sweet, listing 4 or 5 short term objectives and/or challenges? This could be used in lieu of the Team Newsletter.

[Beerdrinker]

This pretty well summarizes up the real problem on this team...

1. Only a "small" group attends these boards and thereby get the lastest info. For eksample on how to use your GPU.

2. We have no certified and proven method to contact new members - so we can attract them here. I see new members on a daily basis joining this team crunching on CPU only....

If we can find a way to reach out...We have a hidden potential unlike no other team....We got millions of possible CS rigth sitting rigth there!!!

[Fire$torm]

This pretty well summarizes up the real problem on this team...

1. Only a "small" group attends these boards and thereby get the lastest info. For eksample on how to use your GPU.

2. We have no certified and proven method to contact new members - so we can attract them here. I see new members on a daily basis joining this team crunching on CPU only....

If we can find a way to reach out...We have a hidden potential unlike no other team....We got millions of possible CS rigth sitting rigth there!!!

We could use my mailing idea and add links to information on increasing production with a suitable GPU, overclocking, etc... Or we could do a separate mailing, maybe three or four times a year, with that info. I think it would also be "member friendly" to add an opt-out link in the mailing for those who wish not to be bothered.

[DrPop]

I believe the way to do this is to tell them right when they join. We need to change the wording of the few paragraphs they see when our team name comes up, right before they hit the "join this team" button.
I think you know which page I'm talking about.
It needs to have:
1. A line of purpose
2. A line of thought
3. A call to action

Short, simple, and clearly define that we have goals, we welcome their help toward those goals, we crunch both CPU and GPU prjects (I guarantee some people out there don't even know what a GPU is, so it's got to educate them). We need to stress that they join up here on the boards.
When all is said and done, they should feel just as compelled to click a link to join the boards and our community as they do to clink the "join this team" button.

[Fire$torm]

Roger that O' Captain, my Captain.

[Beerdrinker]

I believe the way to do this is to tell them right when they join. We need to change the wording of the few paragraphs they see when our team name comes up, right before they hit the "join this team" button.
I think you know which page I'm talking about.
It needs to have:
1. A line of purpose
2. A line of thought
3. A call to action

Short, simple, and clearly define that we have goals, we welcome their help toward those goals, we crunch both CPU and GPU prjects (I guarantee some people out there don't even know what a GPU is, so it's got to educate them). We need to stress that they join up here on the boards.
When all is said and done, they should feel just as compelled to click a link to join the boards and our community as they do to clink the "join this team" button.

I agree on this. So who writes the new welcome email?

[Fire$torm]

I agree on this. So who writes the new welcome email?

May I presume to say "Whomever gets to it first"? I'm not sure if you are aware (I hate to presume...) that there is a debate on the forum here (http://setiusa.free-dc.org/vbforum/showthread.php?337-Did-we-lose-someone) that is ties into.

[trigggl]

May I presume to say "Whomever gets to it first"? I'm not sure if you are aware (I hate to presume...) that there is a debate on the forum here (http://setiusa.free-dc.org/vbforum/showthread.php?337-Did-we-lose-someone) that is ties into.

We could just keep it informative and not a "please do this". Something like.

"To anyone who crunches Primegrid and has an nVidia GPU, we would like to inform you that there is an app for PPS(sieve) that is very productive for CUDA cards. This is the sub-project for the next challenge, so please take a moment to check it out."

Hopefully, that would fulfill the intent of being informative without putting pressure on anyone.

[Fire$torm]

We could just keep it informative and not a "please do this". Something like.

"To anyone who crunches Primegrid and has an nVidia GPU, we would like to inform you that there is an app for PPS(sieve) that is very productive for CUDA cards. This is the sub-project for the next challenge, so please take a moment to check it out."

Hopefully, that would fulfill the intent of being informative without putting pressure on anyone.

I like the way you worded that. You have my vote!

[trigggl]

I like the way you worded that. You have my vote!

So if there are no objections, who has the ability to send it out?

[Mr. Hankey]

So if there are no objections, who has the ability to send it out?

With the recent departure of a longtime member we also lost the ability to mass email the team. Sending out 15k emails tends to be viewed as spam by most ISPs and thus they limit the number / day. We will have to revisit the topic of emailing the team. This is most likely something that we won't have resolved before the next PG challenge.

[trigggl]

With the recent departure of a longtime member we also lost the ability to mass email the team. Sending out 15k emails tends to be viewed as spam by most ISPs and thus they limit the number / day. We will have to revisit the topic of emailing the team. This is most likely something that we won't have resolved before the next PG challenge.
Outstanding! :-L

I don't suppose our new surrogate would have the means and willingness?

[DrPop]

There is no easy way to replace what we have lost. We need to get it together and ensure we do not lose more at this point. Put a turnoquit on the limb - to save the body. Whatever we have to do, somebody do it soon.

I don't know any way of sending out more than 500 or so emails at a go without running your own mail server. I personally just gave up that option (I had the server hardware and MS Exchange software) to do it but Ebayed it last month when I bought my new GPUs.

EDIT: If someone is good with Linux, looks like there is a "free" option for the software part. Any Linux buff around here that could run a *very* part time mail server for us?

[STMahlberg]

There is no easy way to replace what we have lost. We need to get it together and ensure we do not lose more at this point. Put a turnoquit on the limb - to save the body. Whatever we have to do, somebody do it soon.

I don't know any way of sending out more than 500 or so emails at a go without running your own mail server. I personally just gave up that option (I had the server hardware and MS Exchange software) to do it but Ebayed it last month when I bought my new GPUs.

EDIT: If someone is good with Linux, looks like there is a "free" option for the software part. Any Linux buff around here that could run a *very* part time mail server for us?


With the recent departure of a longtime member we also lost the ability to mass email the team. Sending out 15k emails tends to be viewed as spam by most ISPs and thus they limit the number / day. We will have to revisit the topic of emailing the team. This is most likely something that we won't have resolved before the next PG challenge.

I am willing to work on this; however, I do not have a database with email addresses.

Unfortunately, I did not save the email addresses when I sent out the 1,600 emails about the new forums; if there is still a way to access the old forum member list, I could make a copy... if not I guess I could start a new list with what we have here.

Any ideas?

[trigggl]

EDIT: If someone is good with Linux, looks like there is a "free" option for the software part. Any Linux buff around here that could run a *very* part time mail server for us?
I've considered doing that, but
A) Comcast frowns on that sort of thing
B) DynDNS charges more than I can afford for a service that can do it.

If I send out that many emails through my Comcast link, I think it breaks my user agreement.

I'm willing to do it otherwise, I would just need to learn how to set it up. Wouldn't be the first time I learned something.

[Mr. Hankey]

I have the complete email list, the exclusion list (opt out) and the bulk mailing software.

[KaoticEvil[SETI.USA]]

There is no easy way to replace what we have lost. We need to get it together and ensure we do not lose more at this point. Put a turnoquit on the limb - to save the body. Whatever we have to do, somebody do it soon.

I don't know any way of sending out more than 500 or so emails at a go without running your own mail server. I personally just gave up that option (I had the server hardware and MS Exchange software) to do it but Ebayed it last month when I bought my new GPUs.

EDIT: If someone is good with Linux, looks like there is a "free" option for the software part. Any Linux buff around here that could run a *very* part time mail server for us?

I already have a server running 24/7 with mail services on it... I should add that my ISP allows me to pretty much do anything I like, as it is a small ISP for a rural community. 6mbps down/1.5mbps up FTW!

I can also easily add MajorDomo list manager software...

[Bok]

I'm running my own mail server (it pretty much comes with linux anyway) so you do still [sort of] have the option of bulk emailing.

BUT, there is a problem which I'm working on. I'm still on a dynamic IP which rarely changes (like once every few years..) and a lot of domains block emails coming from known dynamic IP ranges from major ISP's. (this is common practice as most spambots are sending out emails from unsuspecting users pc's) I'm on roadrunner using their highest tier available without going to business class, which would give me a static IP but cost 3x for the same bandwidth - just not worth it. I've been talking with them but there is just no option at all to get on a static IP.

So, for emails, what I have done is to set up a new gmail account and I'm relaying all mail via that. Was a little tricky to get working as I basically have to hack sendmail to but not that difficult. Not ideal though as it means the email comes from the gmail account rather than what it's 'sent' from. Given that anyone can create a gmail address, they have lots of rules to prevent email flooding, so you can't send out in bulk either.

I've been looking at other options for relaying and this (http://www.dnsexit.com/Direct.sv?cmd=mailRelay) is one of the them. I've talked with them and the emails would be from their intended addresses so that would work. I use easydns for domain names and they only offer 250 per day so that's not an option.

If anyone knows of any other option, I'd like to know.

Bok