Syndication updating in batches
There have been consistent reports that syndicated feeds are updating in batches instead of at a regular schedule. I decided to watch the cute_overload feed to see what was going on. Over 27 hours I took thirteen snapshots of the feed on LJ, its information page, the blog, and the blog's feed XML.
Oct. 11th, 8:31pm PDT - At this point there are six entries on the blog that LJ hasn't picked up yet. From observation it seems that the blog and XML are also noting time in PDT. Note that there's a half hour between the 'Last Checked' and 'Next Check' time on the syndication information. These times and the 'Fetch time' on the feed page seem to be in UTC.
Oct. 11th, 11:49pm PDT - Two and a quarter hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 7
Oct. 12th, 1:47am PDT - Two hours later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 7
Oct. 12th, 5:24am PDT - Three and a half hours later there's a new entry on the blog. More excitingly though the LJ feed has finally updated, at around 2:35am PDT, with the next check scheduled for a half-hour later. LJ has finally fetched the 7 entries that it was missing in the last screenshot, but it's placed them out of order. And the newest blog entry hasn't made it to LJ yet. Unfetched entries: 1
Oct. 12th, 9:03am PDT - Three and a half hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 2
Oct. 12th, 10:35am PDT - An hour and a half later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 2
Oct. 12th, 12:46pm PDT - Two hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 3
Oct. 12th, 1:32pm PDT - Forty-five minutes later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 4
Oct. 12th, 3:14pm PDT - An hour and forty-five minutes later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 4
Oct. 12th, 3:44pm PDT - Half an hour later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 5
Oct. 12th, 5:51pm PDT - Two hours later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 5
Oct. 12th, 8:20pm PDT - Two and a half hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 6
Oct. 12th, 11:21pm PDT - Three hours later and there have been no new entries on the blog. LJ has updated again, apparently around 8:25pm PDT. The feed on LJ now shows the 6 entries that were added to the blog in the last twenty hours, but like last time they've been added to the LJ feed out of order. Unfetched entries: 0
It seems clear that LJ's syndication mechanism is working intermittently. Instead of being checked every half hour, as a feed with that many subscribers ought to be, it seems to be checked every eighteen hours. Without careful observation its hard to tell if this is affecting all feeds or only certain ones.
Oct. 11th, 8:31pm PDT - At this point there are six entries on the blog that LJ hasn't picked up yet. From observation it seems that the blog and XML are also noting time in PDT. Note that there's a half hour between the 'Last Checked' and 'Next Check' time on the syndication information. These times and the 'Fetch time' on the feed page seem to be in UTC.
Oct. 11th, 11:49pm PDT - Two and a quarter hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 7
Oct. 12th, 1:47am PDT - Two hours later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 7
Oct. 12th, 5:24am PDT - Three and a half hours later there's a new entry on the blog. More excitingly though the LJ feed has finally updated, at around 2:35am PDT, with the next check scheduled for a half-hour later. LJ has finally fetched the 7 entries that it was missing in the last screenshot, but it's placed them out of order. And the newest blog entry hasn't made it to LJ yet. Unfetched entries: 1
Oct. 12th, 9:03am PDT - Three and a half hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 2
Oct. 12th, 10:35am PDT - An hour and a half later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 2
Oct. 12th, 12:46pm PDT - Two hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 3
Oct. 12th, 1:32pm PDT - Forty-five minutes later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 4
Oct. 12th, 3:14pm PDT - An hour and forty-five minutes later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 4
Oct. 12th, 3:44pm PDT - Half an hour later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 5
Oct. 12th, 5:51pm PDT - Two hours later, no change on either end. Unfetched entries: 5
Oct. 12th, 8:20pm PDT - Two and a half hours later the blog has added another entry. No change on LJ. Unfetched entries: 6
Oct. 12th, 11:21pm PDT - Three hours later and there have been no new entries on the blog. LJ has updated again, apparently around 8:25pm PDT. The feed on LJ now shows the 6 entries that were added to the blog in the last twenty hours, but like last time they've been added to the LJ feed out of order. Unfetched entries: 0
It seems clear that LJ's syndication mechanism is working intermittently. Instead of being checked every half hour, as a feed with that many subscribers ought to be, it seems to be checked every eighteen hours. Without careful observation its hard to tell if this is affecting all feeds or only certain ones.