hpr_documentation/queue.md

# The Queue

The queue is necessary as "Hacker Public Radio ... releases shows every weekday Monday to Friday."

## Why release like this ?

Back in 2010, shows were getting released on an ad hoc basis. 
Some days there were as many as two or even three shows released per day. 
More often than not though, there was no show at all. 
As time went on the period between no shows increased. 
After a time it was unclear if HPR was alive. 
This was reflected in a steady decline of subscribers.

One of the policies that we decided on was that "one show a day - every day, builds trust and retains listeners." 
This has turned out to be true based on the steadily increasing subscriber base, and since then lots of research has been done that supports it. 

- [youtube: "A consistent, sustainable release schedule is critical when building and fulfilling audience expectations...."](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13616979)
- [spotify: "When podcasters don't stick to a steady schedule, it can be the first sign of podfading, when a show becomes less and less regular until it eventually disappears."](https://podcasters.spotify.com/resources/learn/create/podcast-schedule)

Should it matter ? No. 

Does it matter ? Yes.

For those that prefer to have the shows as soon as they are posted, we also have a [Future Feed](https://hackerpublicradio.org/rss-future.php).

## Scheduling 

> HPR can only control the release rate (fixed at 5 shows a week), and has no control over the rate at which shows are submitted.

Sometimes there are very few shows in the queue resulting in problems for the admins in getting shows to air.

Other times there are a lot of shows in the queue resulting in hosts waiting a long time for their show to air.

Despite the problems we haven't missed a day since 2010-09-21, and sometimes that is the only thing that keeps the Janitors going.

![](images/rate-limiting.David_Turner.CC-BY-SA_4.0.png)

Copyright © David Turner<br>This work is licensed under a 
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.

## History of scheduling on HPR

Over the years we tried various different methods to ensure one show every weekday Monday to Friday. 

<ul>
<li>To begin with hosts signed up for a particular day based on a published [calendar](https://lists.hackerpublicradio.com/pipermail/hpr/2008-January/000000.html).</li>
  <ul>
  <li>This failed as hosts could not meet the scheduled time, or found the pressure too much.</li>
  </ul>
</li>
<li>Then shows were released that were available on the FTP server.
  <ul>
  <li>This lead to arguments as there appeared to be no order to the when the shows were posted.</li>
  </ul>
</li>
<li>Then we switched to a first come first out method. 
  <ul>
  <li>This lead to having too many shows from the one host or on one topic, where a hosts posted a series of shows at the one time.</li>
  <li>This also lead to arguments about time critical shows been left too late.</li>
  </ul>
</li>
<li>Then we went through several mechanisms of rules, first in first out, except for new hosts, interviews, etc, etc.
  <ul>
  <li>Needed to be updated too frequently</li>
  <li>It was not clear what the rules were, and shows came out in a seemingly in random order.</li>
  <li>The Janitors were been accused of favouring other peoples shows</li>
  </ul>
</li>
<li>Pick a slot from a schedule where the hosts themselves got to pick a slot
  <ul>
  <li>Works well but can lead to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_equilibrium">unstable equilibrium</a> between supply and delivery.</li>
  </ul>
</li>
<li>Current: Schedule with free slots been filled from a reserve pool.
  <ul>
  <li></li>
  </ul>
</li>
</ul>

## Scheduling Rules

<ol>
  <li>You must have your audio recording ready to upload <strong>before</strong> you pick a slot.</li>
  <li>All hosts must leave at least 9 slots (approximately two weeks) between their shows.</li>
  <li>New hosts, Interviews, and other time critical shows should use the first free slot. 
  Otherwise, when the queue is filling up then leave some slots free for new contributors by selecting a slot in the first empty week.</li>
</ol>

</p>

We have a <a href="https://repo.anhonesthost.net/HPR/hpr_documentation/raw/branch/main/workflow/SchedulingGuidlinesFlowChart.odg">flow diagram</a> if that helps.


---

# Updated version of [hpr4195 :: Hacking HPR Hosts](https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr4195/index.html)


> Social Engineering more contributions to HPR by picking when to publish your show

Hosted by Ken Fallon on Friday, 2024-08-30 is flagged as Clean and is released under a CC-BY-SA license.

Tags: HPR, Queue, Scheduling, Buffering.

## There’s no Business like …

While we may be "dedicated to sharing knowledge", we are competing for the time and attention of our Audience. 
Therefore we are in the Entertainment Business.

The clue is in this statement from the about page.

<blockquote>
Hacker Public Radio (HPR) is an Internet Radio show (podcast) that releases shows every weekday Monday through Friday.
</blockquote>

Let’s compare that to others.

Any event promoter needs to provide the Who, What, Where, and When, to their potential audience.

<ul>
<li>U2, UV Achtung Baby Live playing the Las Vegas Sphere, from 23 to the 30 June 2024.</li>
<li>Richard III in the Globe Theatre, All Summer. (The resident players is implied)</li>
<li>BBC News at Ten. (The what and when are in the name, BBC News Team is implied, as is Daily)</li>
<li>Season 2 of Firefly, returns to Netflix in the Fall.</li>
</ul>

A theater will have an address and a schedule for when the events occur. 
On TV and radio they have predefined channel locations, and often have 24x7 schedule of programs.

For Hacker Public Radio (HPR) our "venue" or channel is our RSS Feed, and our schedule is a show every weekday Monday through Friday.

A podcast production enterprise, like the NPR, BBC, etc have permanent staff who’s day job is to come in and create content. 
Other approaches used by Netflix, or Disney+, etc is to commission external parties to record unique content. 
They might also just purchase in shows. 
Regardless of the approach, they all have a mechanism to meet the production schedule.

Unlike other podcasters, HPR has no control of our supply chain. 
We do still have a contract to deliver one "product" a day Monday to Friday, 
but we also have no control over our distribution channels.

I think it’s important to understand just how much energy goes into managing this balancing act.

It’s the absolute <strong>core</strong> of the project, and is what takes up most of our time and energy.

# Feeding the Queue

We have to feed the queue.

## Control of our supply chain

<blockquote>
A supply chain, .. is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products 
and distribute them to end consumers or end customers. 
Meanwhile, supply chain management deals with the flow of goods within the supply chain in the most efficient manner. 
</blockquote>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>

Our supply chain is entirely dictated by the generous hosts who donate their time to recording a show. 
Therefore the Janitors have no control over when shows are sent in. 
As Janitors, we can only contact the community to remind them to send in shows.

We need your help to manage this.

### Boom/Bust Supply

![Diagram of a ball placed in an unstable equilibrium](images/Diagram_of_a_ball_placed_in_an_unstable_equilibrium.OrdinaryArtery.CC-BY-SA_4.0.png)

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diagram_of_a_ball_placed_in_an_unstable_equilibrium.svg">OrdinaryArtery</a>, 
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons


Usually there is a burst of contributions after a "Call for Shows",
which is itself as a result of a lull in the amount of contributions.
This leads to boom and bust/saw tooth delivery of shows. 
There is a painful behaviour that the Janitors observe after a "Call for Shows".

<ul>
<li>There is a burst of contributions all taking the first available slots.</li>
<li>The queue quickly fills up the upcoming weeks.</li>
<li>It takes time for the "Call for Shows" to get to everyone.</li>
<li>A potential host is late hearing the "Call for Shows" and sees a full queue, resulting in them not submitting a show.</li>
<li>Worse is that it instills the feeling of HPR "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf">Crying Wolf</a>", 
incorrectly assuming the subsequent "Call for Shows" can safely be ignored.</li>
<li>After a few weeks our queue is empty and we need to put out another "Call for Shows", which that host ignores.</li>
</ul>

The timely delivery of shows is an inherent challenge with volunteer contributions. 
Fortunately this is a well understood problem known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queueing_theory">Queueing theory</a>, 
and we have implemented the <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/contribute.html#schedule_reserve_pool">Reserve Pool</a>,
as a means to regulate/<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_buffer">buffer</a> the incoming delivery with outgoing supply.

<blockquote>
The reserve queue is intended only to be used in the cases where there is still a gap in the schedule one week prior to release. 
This was known as the emergency queue, but now can also be used when the hosts don’t care when the shows are scheduled. 
They will be used on a first in first out basis, when there is no conflict with the scheduling guidelines. 
These shows contain a message alerting listeners to the fact that we had free slots that were not filled.
</blockquote>

### Scheduling Rules

When you are contributing a show, you decide when to post your show.
The choice of slot may even encourage others to submit a show themselves.

Our observations show that there is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldilocks_principle">Goldilock Zone</a>
where there are just the right amount of free slots to encourage contributions.

#### Too Many free slots

When there are too many free slots some people get disheartened and don’t want to contribute to a dying project.

On the other hand too many free slots can send regular hosts into a panic to fill them. 
We all suffer from this, and it can lead to burnout.

Fortunately we now have the <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/contribute.html#schedule_reserve_pool">Reserve Pool</a>, 
where they janitors can post their backup shows when they are needed.

The idea that some shows are sub par because they are rushed in to fill free slots can now be put to rest. 
All the shows in the <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/contribute.html#schedule_reserve_pool">Reserve Pool</a>
are there because the Host did not feel the need to rush the shows out.

#### Too many free slots

On the other hand seeing too many free slots some people get disheartened that their show won’t be aired for weeks,
so end up not recording a show in the first place.

####  Hacking Human Behaviour

So the HPR Community can influence the supply chain by been smart about how we schedule the shows.

When you upload consider the <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/contribute.html#scheduling_rules">Scheduling Rules</a> when picking your slot.

This way <strong>your</strong> (person reading this) actions, 
give the HPR Community complete control over the supply of shows in a general sense.

Remember the HPR Community have not missed a day since September 2009.

# Distribution Channels

Getting our podcast distributed is no problem what so ever.

While NPR, BBC, Netflix, Disney+, etc can afford to record unique content, unique content is very, very expensive. 
Amazon, Apple and Spotify may have the resources to do this, 
but they and others, make use of the freely available content to inflate their inventory of content.

We provide these platforms with our feed and our blessing. So long as they adhere to the
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License</a>. 
Our prime directive at work.

We publish a RSS feed, and that feed is then picked up by others such as
<a href="https://archive.org/details/hackerpublicradio">Archive.org</a>,
<a href="https://music.amazon.fr/podcasts/9d9e6211-ff78-4501-93b6-6a9e560c4dbd/hacker-public-radio">Amazon Music</a>,
<a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2hhY2tlcnB1YmxpY3JhZGlvLm9yZy9ocHJfcnNzLnBocA">Google Podcasts</a>,
<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-hacker-public-radio-30994513/" target="_blank">iHeart Radio</a>,
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hacker-public-radio/id281699640">iTunes</a>,
<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/de/podcasts/hacker-public-radio-hacker-public-radio-mNH-jsI7LcJ/">Listen Notes</a>,
<a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/hackerpublicradio/">MixCloud</a>,
<a href="https://player.fm/series/hacker-public-radio">PlayerFM</a>,
<a href="https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/hacker-public-radio-76781">Podchaser</a>,
<a href="https://nl.radio.net/podcast/hacker-public-radio">Radio.net</a>,
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7e2hYcnHj9vKgUzsIOf4r3">Spotify</a>,
<a href="https://toppodcast.com/podcast_feeds/hacker-public-radio/">Top Podcasts</a> and now for some reason
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30528560">IMDB</a>.

We have no control over what they do with the feed, how often the use it, if they cache it, if they use the images from it, if the show the
explicit tag, or as in this case, if they <a href="https://repo.anhonesthost.net/HPR/hpr_hub/issues/11">display the host</a> or not.

That’s why you can help by taking up the mop and becoming the Janitor for your Distribution Channel.

---

# Mail list Discussions on the topic

On 8/28/21 08:12, e8hffff wrote:
> It's painful to only have one show a week day, and that's double pain if only
> a short podcast.  I regularly start the day off with listening to podcasts but
> recently I unsubscribed from a bigger creator (Jupiter Broadcasting) for
> dishing on freedom fighters of COVID lockdowns, so, I'm now lucky to have one
> show pop up a day to listen to.  Not enough.  I can't see why HPR is
> restricting the flow of information. It's crazy.  People can limit themselves
> if they find they are overwhelmed.
>
> Cheers e8hffff.


From ken at fallon.ie  Sun Aug 29 07:22:20 2021
From: ken at fallon.ie (Ken Fallon)
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2021 09:22:20 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Hpr Digest, Vol 155, Issue 8
In-Reply-To: <14821733.4WXcVoXQB2@masterhost>
References: <mailman.1.1630159417.109199.hpr_hackerpublicradio.org@hackerpublicradio.org>
 <14821733.4WXcVoXQB2@masterhost>
Message-ID: <503ee371-44a0-6d76-b999-ca0aaa62464d@fallon.ie>

Hi e8hffff,

I'm the Janitor in question let me reply. First thanks for posting this 
to the mail list. As I said in the show the Janitors do not decide HPR 
policy, this mail list does[1].

 > It's painful to only have one show a week day, and that's double pain 
if only a short podcast.

You point is a valid one, and is often brought up for discussion. The 
most recent was April of this year, which was triggered by an article by 
hedorah[2]. Have a read of that discussion and pop back here with your 
thoughts.

To address that point, we have long had the option to ignore the 
dictates of the evil Janitors ;-) Just go to "Get Shows > Advanced 
Settings[2]" and you can get the shows as soon as they are posted. 
Remember that if a show is posted incorrectly and we need to repost it, 
you will probably miss the new release. But no harm to have another pair 
of ears checking the future freed for us.

Don't forget we have 3996 older shows ready right now. That's 76 days 12 
hours 3 minutes 31 seconds right there. Assuming you listen for 12 hours 
a day you are covered until Saturday, 29 January 2022. By which time 
there will be another 110 shows for you.

You can also help out by adding tags[4] and updating the shownotes for 
those shows.

It's great to see you are intending to contribute some shows. If you run 
into any issues please get in touch. Any tips on the process from a new 
contributor is great as we are always trying to make it easier to post 
shows.

[1] http://hackerpublicradio.org/about.php#governance
[2] http://hackerpublicradio.org/advanced_rss_settings.php
[3] http://hackerpublicradio.org/syndication.php
[4] http://hackerpublicradio.org/report_missing_tags.php

-- 
Regards,

Ken Fallon (G5KEN)
http://kenfallon.com
http://hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents.php?hostid=30


From ken at fallon.ie  Sat Jan 20 21:25:54 2024
From: ken at fallon.ie (Ken Fallon)
Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2024 22:25:54 +0100
Subject: [Hpr] Happy new year - should we continue with HPR ?
In-Reply-To: <d4199b4c-ace4-46f4-a653-60dba980c147@jezra.net>
References: <c10b8e8c-4d86-4bdc-b847-88b5c5889c21@fallon.ie>
 <d4199b4c-ace4-46f4-a653-60dba980c147@jezra.net>
Message-ID: <feb17d42-9f85-4783-a196-278b976aa88d@fallon.ie>

Hi All,

The reason lostnbronx did the show "hpr0560 :: Old soldiers", was 
because HPR was releasing shows on an ad hoc unpredictable schedule. 
People were unsubscribing, other podcasts were asking if HPR had 
finished or not. In fact that was the first time I asked is HPR RIP 
<https://lists.hackerpublicradio.com/pipermail/hpr/2010-September/000109.html> 
?

My feeling has always been that a consistent release schedule builds 
trust in podcasts. Since then lots of research has been done that 
supports it. Eg: youtube 
<https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13616979> "A consistent, 
sustainable release schedule is critical when building and fulfilling 
audience expectations...." , spotify 
<https://podcasters.spotify.com/resources/learn/create/podcast-schedule> 
"When podcasters don't stick to a steady schedule, it can be the first 
sign of podfading, when a show becomes less and less regular until it 
eventually disappears." Should it matter ? No. Does it matter ? Yes.

In the case of HPR, we release "New episodes every weekday Monday 
through Friday". You might have no clue who the host will be, what it's 
going to be about, if it's going to have potty language in it or not, 
but you *do* know that "you can tune in tomorrow for another exciting 
episode". We haven't missed a day since 2010-09-21 and sometimes that is 
the only thing that keeps the Janitors going.

We have 427 hosts and 240 slots, so one show a year is more than enough 
to handle the schedule. Going to fewer release days would not address 
the problem of getting shows in the first place, it just prolongs the 
inevitable. So no my personal feeling is that we should not release less 
shows when the queue is low, nor should we release more shows when the 
queue is full, which as has also been suggested. That said if the 
consensus is that that should be changed then this is the place to 
discuss it.

For now the compact with the Janitors is simple, "You keep sending in 
shows and we'll keep posting them. When there are no more shows we'll 
close down HPR with dignity." Hopefully that won't be for ages yet but 
it's up to you all to decide. So if you want your say Vote Early 
<https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/calendar.php> and Vote Often 
<https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/request.php?id=9999>. (There is no 
time limit on the voting either ;-) )

-- 
Regards,



From gort.klaatu at gmail.com  Mon Sep 13 13:15:09 2010
From: gort.klaatu at gmail.com (Klaatu)
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:15:09 -0400
Subject: [Hpr] HPR RIP ?
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTi=YB-b8B1bD2boEwPZaKXxgBbOVYEqV50Cwgcb8@mail.gmail.com>
References: <AANLkTi=4YhEXjM3MxP=ufkgwWqqf0iGB=Nc+PF2R6eyG@mail.gmail.com>
	<AANLkTi=YB-b8B1bD2boEwPZaKXxgBbOVYEqV50Cwgcb8@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <AANLkTik9aKriHZN7ZfaBsU6SGRHV_k2_-2PFmx5JVJat@mail.gmail.com>

Well, just got back from Ohio Linux Fest, where we had a wildly successful
Hacker Public Radio panel, with SigFLUP, Dave Yates, Dann from TLLTS, and
Lord_Drachenblut as panelists.  People were into it, excited about it, and
those who had never heard of it were really excited about the idea of a
community show.

I believe HPR is actually a lot healthier than you think it is.  i can't
access the FTP server (my IP address gets blocked frequently, apparently due
to an evil automagic iptable rule?) but if I could, I'd tell you exactly how
many episodes were sitting there waiting to be posted.  I know for a fact
that I have at least 9 (probably a low estimate) SELF interviews that have
been sitting there for 3 months.  SigFLUP's field trip (ep 567 i think?) had
been sitting for a month before posted.  Insert other examples here.

I think what really 'needs' to happen is that the shows that exist need to
be posted.

So...the way I see it, either:

1. Someone who is not going to be blocked needs to log in and post episodes.
2. The posting process needs to be semi-automated or greatly simplified
3. I need ssh access or to get at least one ip address that I would log in
from NOT blocked.

And then HPR would start looking a lot healthier.

On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 5:50 PM, Arron Finnon <afinnon at gmail.com> wrote:

> Howdie Guys,
>
> Late to the party on this thread but hell.  I'm in the middle of
> trying to set up a week long series on HPR with a live show at the
> end, just trying to draw some people in.
>
> TBH my whole issue is always about releases.  I have stuff backed up
> in there for last years SFD (this years is on Saturday)
>
> I have to be honest and say that IMHO is what holds us back, lots of
> great content not knowing if/when is a pain.  My suggestion not matter
> how crazy it sounds is to let hosts push their own shows out on HPR at
> a rate they are happy with.  Yeah some days HPR fans are going to have
> a bumper day, and some days its going to be quite as hell.  I'm not
> saying there isn't any creases to iron out with this idea, but put it
> this way if you've done over 5 shows surely your trusted enough to
> push a show out when ever, or dare i say dust down the calendar and
> bring it back.
>
> My 2 Cents, and you bet your ass you've been over charged
>
> Finux
>
> p.s just realized chaining from googlemail.com to gmail.com is not so
> cool for mailman
>
> _______________________________________________
> Hpr mailing list
> Hpr at hackerpublicradio.org
> http://hackerpublicradio.org/mailman/listinfo/hpr_hackerpublicradio.org
>



From ken.fallon at gmail.com  Thu Sep 22 05:49:14 2011
From: ken.fallon at gmail.com (Ken Fallon)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:49:14 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Scheduling the same host or series in one week
In-Reply-To: <4E7A20CF.9020204@osource.org>
References: <CAK-oqQb+xiMzSk_Q7zE=sevTkLvwZnAn38jDTPUqjt9y9dHU7g@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAKyPAbPw3CYV3aNPLca3+kR7imyYu1yK=omrZxqwAfPa1d+muQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E7A20CF.9020204@osource.org>
Message-ID: <CAK-oqQa7NUDV1AvgEZ3ziEW_E9V4PHKJ+HZOEdmYCu-Wy81w2Q@mail.gmail.com>

Thanks everyone for your feedback it is really helping to make the
scheduling better. I think that the Xorg interviews fall outside this
discussion as they are regular series and are not time critical. They
will be released one a week just like klaatu's series that are in the
queue now. That has the advantage that our listeners get to hear the
series regularly but not so often that it's the only content for
several days in a row.

One important point that I neglected to mention in the email (I think
I covered it a few times on the discussions on the community news
shows) is that the rules need to be clear, transparent, fair and most
of all possible to code. The rules as they stand now are:

if release_show_on = today then post else
if show_scheduled_slot = today then post else
if host_num_of_episodes = 0 then post else
for each show time_in_queue
   if host or series != in_last_5_days then post
next


> On 09/20/2011 01:35 PM, Joshua "lowtek" Burton wrote:
>>
>> I think it would be nice to have a quick release of episodes related to
>> a recent event. ?Especially if it's reviews, reports, etc. ?I think some
>> interviews may not be as time relevant but some might be.




From ken.fallon at gmail.com  Fri May  4 11:09:56 2012
From: ken.fallon at gmail.com (Ken Fallon)
Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 13:09:56 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Friday News Show
In-Reply-To: <4FA38BBE.8010404@gmail.com>
References: <CAK-oqQaEt0WT4Su+t09Q0HeKCFYAWRHtNnxua3ST0cwzoVZZ0g@mail.gmail.com>
	<4FA0417F.8030604@zwilnik.com> <4FA38BBE.8010404@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <CAK-oqQZhbZ-4Whph+sAwCiOJsnPGkgXwSVXvPtZZA0Cw-oLhTw@mail.gmail.com>

Here are the agreed scheduling rules
1. Time critical (Where the host has requested a show to be posted at
a particular time or that the show contains newsworthy information.)
2. Scheduled Slots (Where a host has been assigned a regular day to
release a show.)
3. New Hosts (In order to encourage new hosts we will prioritize shows
submitted from new hosts so they can experience the excitment of
podcasting.)
4. HPR Content on a First in First Out basis.






From ken.fallon at gmail.com  Wed Oct 10 08:39:17 2012
From: ken.fallon at gmail.com (Ken Fallon)
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:39:17 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Vote on removing non HPR shows.
In-Reply-To: <CAD_dxjUCLgN9Prwi2Ff9O66ck=O_our8E4tKWXrN5Oc+ncBJ1w@mail.gmail.com>
References: <mailman.1.1349809202.12104.hpr_hackerpublicradio.org@hackerpublicradio.org>
	<CAD_dxjUCLgN9Prwi2Ff9O66ck=O_our8E4tKWXrN5Oc+ncBJ1w@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20121010103917.299288ea@dell>

TOPIC CHANGE from "Re: [Hpr] Hpr Digest, Vol 49, Issue 2"

On Tue, 9 Oct 2012 23:08:39 -0500
Fifty OneFifty <fiftyonefifty at linuxbasement.com> wrote:

> Ken,
> 
> I don't know what to say (though I have made what I thought were
> humorous comments on other podcasts).  I submitted a full week's
> worth of content in July (3 original shows and two syndicated I was
> involved in)  that are still a good two weeks out of showing up on
> HPR.  I loved all you original stuff from OggCamp, and catching up on
> everything from last year, but I think we are getting a rep for stale
> shows you can find elsewhere  (no intended offense to our syndication
> partners).   Expect a show on my ODroidX (which I am sure many folks
> are tired of hearing about) AND gv-20 very soon
> 
> 5150

Hi 5150,

I appreciate where you are coming from but if you look at the queue
you'll see that it's made up of shows from what I'd consider HPR
regulars.

Ahuka will have released 12 shows this year.
Frank_Bell 7 shows this year
mrgadgets 4 shows this year (21 last year)
Seetee 5 shows this year
sigflup 6 shows this year
5150 5 shows this year, not counting your appearances on the HPR
Community news


> > The only way to eliminate the queue quicker is to open the flood
> > gates and let everything out as soon as it comes in. Which would
> > mean a flood of shows a few times a year.
> 
> "Either we release one show a day, five times per week, or we release
> them all at once?" Can't there be some middle path here?






From ken.fallon at gmail.com  Wed Oct 10 20:07:59 2012
From: ken.fallon at gmail.com (Ken Fallon)
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:07:59 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Vote on removing non HPR shows.
In-Reply-To: <8250988.V5dQfOsaul@bunnies>
References: <mailman.1.1349809202.12104.hpr_hackerpublicradio.org@hackerpublicradio.org>
	<CAD_dxjUCLgN9Prwi2Ff9O66ck=O_our8E4tKWXrN5Oc+ncBJ1w@mail.gmail.com>
	<20121010103917.299288ea@dell> <8250988.V5dQfOsaul@bunnies>
Message-ID: <20121010220759.61c65f8e@dell>

[start personal opinion]
As a reminder, the reason we started releasing
non HPR shows was that there was no shows at all to release. The reason
there were no shows was that we went from one show a day, to a few a
week to a few a month until our listers (who are our contributers after
all) began to say "is HPR dead ?". And whatever about contributing to
an active network, I guarantee you that no one wants to release shows
to a network that is dead. This is exactly what happened during 2010. -
see attached.

I believe we also have a responsibility to our listeners to bring them
one show a day. The history of podcasts will show you that a regular
schedule builds trust in the network. That trust was hard won back and
it took a lot of work from a lot of people to get us through 2011 to a
stage where people are contributing again.

I just went through the queue and commented out the material that was
not created "solely" for HPR. That brings us down to 9 shows and we need
49 to get to the end of the year. Sure we are going to get some shows
from this appeal but that will buy us another month or so. Then I'll be
back to begging klaatu and Mr. Gadgets for contributions. 

What I want is a steady stream of HPR listeners contributing shows at
the same rate that we release them. I am open to any and all
suggestions to promote that.















From ken.fallon at gmail.com  Thu Oct 11 09:29:12 2012
From: ken.fallon at gmail.com (Ken Fallon)
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2012 11:29:12 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Vote on removing non HPR shows.
In-Reply-To: <op.wlziajsd2031o5@localhost>
References: <mailman.1.1349809202.12104.hpr_hackerpublicradio.org@hackerpublicradio.org>
	<CAD_dxjUCLgN9Prwi2Ff9O66ck=O_our8E4tKWXrN5Oc+ncBJ1w@mail.gmail.com>
	<20121010103917.299288ea@dell> <8250988.V5dQfOsaul@bunnies>
	<20121010220759.61c65f8e@dell>
	<CAKAng83GivSY1vTma81fw-fgTtyFnKekK476_Lbs7nmuFrgC_A@mail.gmail.com>
	<op.wlziajsd2031o5@localhost>
Message-ID: <20121011112912.4ca105cb@dell>

Speaking as a HPR Admin, we will facilitate whatever the community decides.

The following is Ken's personal opinion and can/should be challenged

---------------------------------------
Changing the release schedule

As a community member I disagree strongly for the following reasons (in no particular order)

As stated before we have made a commitment to our listeners to release five shows a week. Each time we stick to what we do we cement the idea that HPR is a regular trusted community that stands by what it says.

I already get complaints from people that we produce too many shows (See Fab's OggCamp interview). We are already telling people to delete the show not the feed. To make that easier for people, hosts will soon be asked to fill in a short summary of their show. That will be automatically converted from text to speech and added to the front of every episode.

It doesn't fix the problem of people not wanting to hear recycled material on the HPR feed.

Two additional shows a week, means that someone needs to prepare (check the audio, add intros/outro, add show notes add ID tags, update the queue list, email the new hosts, etc etc). That can be done ahead of time but posting needs to be done every day. That means you are committing someone to connecting to HPR from where ever they are to confirm that all the feeds are working, that each episode has been published correctly, that each show can be played from start to finish, that the website is rendering the show notes correctly. They will need to do this even if they are on Vacation, on a business trip, are abroad, are on a unstable Internet connection. Even if we automate it (more on that later), the *responsibility* has increased and the checks and fixes all still need to be done. We do this every week day but I for one am not willing to commit my weekends as well, many of which already are full with editing or recording HPR shows.

A five day a week release schedule means that the show numbers are predictable. Monday show ends in a 1 or a 6, Tuesdays 2 or a 7, etc. This is incredibly handy when you are barely awake.












From ken.fallon at gmail.com  Fri Oct 12 14:03:33 2012
From: ken.fallon at gmail.com (Ken Fallon)
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:03:33 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Vote on removing non HPR shows.
In-Reply-To: <5078154D.2010509@zwilnik.com>
References: <mailman.1.1349809202.12104.hpr_hackerpublicradio.org@hackerpublicradio.org>
	<CAD_dxjUCLgN9Prwi2Ff9O66ck=O_our8E4tKWXrN5Oc+ncBJ1w@mail.gmail.com>
	<20121010103917.299288ea@dell> <8250988.V5dQfOsaul@bunnies>
	<20121010220759.61c65f8e@dell>
	<CAKAng83GivSY1vTma81fw-fgTtyFnKekK476_Lbs7nmuFrgC_A@mail.gmail.com>
	<op.wlziajsd2031o5@localhost> <20121011112912.4ca105cb@dell>
	<5078154D.2010509@zwilnik.com>
Message-ID: <CAK-oqQYoZY2=JowsChai3BMFr96PtA3W9F0Oqpva=G5GHLeJ0g@mail.gmail.com>

Hi All,

I want to thank everyone for providing feedback on the current state
of affairs, this discussion has been fantastic to watch and
participate in. I wanted to take the time to summarise the situation
as I see it and I'd appreciate people commenting on whither this is
correct or not from your point of view.

Summary:
	HPR releases shows on a very regular schedule and ideally the flow of
shows in would match the flow of shows out.

Fact:
	HPR can only control the release rate and has no control over the
rate at which shows are submitted.
	Sometimes there are very few shows in the queue resulting in problems
for the admins in getting shows to air.
	Other times there are a lot of shows in the queue resulting in hosts
waiting a long time for their show to air.

The issue that needs to be solved:
	We need a way to regulate the queue.

The current solution:
	We have used syndicated content to reduce the amount of shows released.
	This has failed as it has not regulated the queue.

The Solution (Too many shows in the queue):
	Release HPR shows at a rate of five shows a week.
	We have seen that a rate of 3 shows a week will fill up the queue and
5 shows a week will empty it.

The Solution (Too few shows in the queue):
	Increase the number of backup shows in the queue.
	If these shows start playing then the admins will have some time to
muster new shows.

----------------------------------------

With that in mind I propose changing the scheduling rules to:

Time critical:
	A show contains newsworthy information of importance to the community
in general.

Reserved Show Number:
	Where a host has reserved a special show number (eg HPR1000).

Reserved Date:
	Where a host has reserved a special date ( eg April 1 ).

Reserved Block:
	Where a host has attended a festival and can reserve up to 5 slots
within two weeks of the event.

New Hosts:
	In order to encourage new hosts we will prioritize their first show.
	
Shows From the High Priority Queue:
	HPR Content based on the host with the oldest previous release date.

Shows From the Normal Priority Queue:
	HPR Content based on the host with the oldest previous release date.
	
Shows From the Low Priority Queue:
	HPR Content based on the host with the oldest previous release date.
	
Shows From the Procrastination Queue:
	HPR Content based on the host with the oldest previous release date.
	Anyone known to procrastinate will have the option of uploading an
embarrassing show to this queue.
	So long as the queue remains filled then the show will never be played.
	
Play the HPR Last Show Episode:
	If this show is played, then the community has no desire for HPR to continue.
	Sync with Archive.org and Shutdown HPR.
	
Notes:
	Reservations should be made well in advance.
	Allocation of regular slots will need to be approved by the mailing list.
	
----------------------------------------

OK What do you think ?

Ken.



















I approve of the changes
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From ken at fallon.ie  Mon Jun 13 07:05:15 2022
From: ken at fallon.ie (Ken Fallon)
Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2022 09:05:15 +0200
Subject: [Hpr] Reserve Queue
Message-ID: <a484d02e-c514-650b-8887-d735ba4f9e40@fallon.ie>

In today's show the Janitors discuss how the erratic feast/famine nature 
of the queue may be helped by filling free slots in the main feed from a 
reserve queue.

  * The current Emergency Queue would be renamed to the Reserve Queue.
  * If a free slot in the calendar is not filled in time, then a show
    will be used from the Reserve Queue.
  * Shows will be taken from the Reserve Queue on a first in first out
    basis.
  * Hosts can either schedule a show for a particular slot or have their
    shows added to the Reserve Queue.
  * Eventually we will we work on a dedicated upload option, but for now
    hosts can pick a random slot and just make a note in the show notes
    that the show is intended for the Reserve Queue.

Thoughts ?

Why yes Ken, one thing springs to mind. Should you not first pick hosts 
who have not submitted a shows recently ?

Gosh Ken. That is a good point, I'll need to think about that.

Anyone else ?

https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=3616