No Work Issues (Jun 09 2010)

seti should stop playing with its helpers, my opinion, SHUT DOWN SETI fix whats wrong and stop this shit of 1 day of getting work and 2 weeks down time in the last 6 months seti is 80% down what the hell is wrong is anyone smart enough to give a truthful answer?????????????
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seti should stop playing with its helpers, my opinion, SHUT DOWN SETI fix whats wrong and stop this shit of 1 day of getting work and 2 weeks down time in the last 6 months seti is 80% down what the hell is wrong is anyone smart enough to give a truthful answer?????????????

Matt, et all, I have been a loyal supporter of SETI for many years, even promoting it on my radio show when I had it in Los Angeles. But I have come to the point, like others expressed here, that the three day down time is not working. It is becoming a public relations nightmare, and given this project relies nearly entirely on volunteers it could have a serious impact on not only the work trying to be done but the moral of everyone involved, up to and including the slow decline of support. Remember, we all pay in some way for the work being done, through our electric bills to the time we spend on line reviewing progress and blogs.

From a software and engineering point of view it may make perfect sense to have extended down time, but from a PR and moral of the supporters’ point of view it is quickly becoming a disaster.

I have always been of the opinion that such comments are not worth making unless there is a suggestion as to how to improve. So here are mine.

First, hire a full time fundraiser/communications director to aggressively go after govt., corp., and private funding. If they are good at their job they will bring in far more then what they cost.

Second, come up with a plan that addresses current and future needs which will keep the programs up and running, full time. Work with the fundraiser to balance projected income with the wish list from project leaders.

Third, communicate via bi-weekly electronic newsletters what is going on in various programs, ie: fundraising, Technical improvements, events such as conferences where people can go and hear someone from SETI and other projects. And not least of all, any work processed that shows some promise regarding the purpose of the project.

Having done this professionally for many companies over the years I can promise you a measurable change in financial, public and private support.

I agree that Seti works MUCH better now but I guess the less "involved" participants, that don't read the forums for example, will think it's not working as it should.

I appreciate your thoughtful response at a time when many seem to let emotion get the better of them. And thanks for correcting "morale". :-)

Could just be bad luck &/or timing, trying to connect exactly over the times of downtime or heavy traffic.

The information on the homepage is quite clear.