That usually means connection problem (big latency).
Looking to your signature (2 workers = 600+Mhs) make me think you have 2 powerful miners ... so you need o good network latency or configure better your miners (try to get more work doing more getwork requests and buffer them).

Ciao

Difficulty increased today, maybe that's why?

FWIW I switched BTC Guild from my back up pool to my main pool today with my 1.2GH/s when I learned about delayed stats being implemented. Before, my payouts were highly erratic and slightly less than expected. We'll see after a few days how they are, but so far the payout per blocks are pretty consistent. Kudos for sticking it to the pool hoppers.

eleuthria, I agree with one of the previous posters and think that all the negativity in here is coming from the pool hoppers (who were walking off with 30% more than they deserved, the cost of which us legit users paid for)

Don't sweat it, know you did the right thing for the legit loyal users who keep their cards pointed at you 24/7 (except during blackouts, etc)

I applaud the delay as well!

If 580 BTC over the course of two months and a week is nice coin, then yes.  As of right now my earnings after expenses are significantly less than minimum wage, but the consolidation of servers into significantly more powerful loadbalanced multi-servers will hopefully at least make it worth my time.

Pool hopping is not a *problem*. It is a condition of the system. If you absolutely insist on your current compensation method, that is how it works. You are dealing with other people's processing power, and it is up to them to use as they see fit. I don't see a problem with your compensation method, and I don't see a problem with pool hopping. I can see how people with small dicks want their 0.0001 BTC on the BTC back, but it's really inconsequential. Transparency is more important, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

I don't pool hop, but I do use the API to tell me whether or not it is even worth it for my few miners dedicated to mining *solely* with BTC Guild to bother. I don't like monitoring this shit or threads with kiddies bitching about pool hoppers "stealing" their money. I write programs for that. You probably took a good thing and made it worse, so maybe I'll write new programs or just purely solo mine and make the same amount. I don't even donate, but I planned to at some point. If the pool is even up, if the API even works, and if BTC Guild even is what it used to be, maybe I will soon reach that point. The sky is falling! Not really, but WTF? "Legit" users can pool hop. In fact, it's in everyone's interest that everyone pool hop. If the "vulnerability" is essentially written into the system, you would be a moron, or too lazy, to *not* pool hop. If everyone did it, there would be no benefit. Those who don't will complain all of the way to the proverbial grave. Here's some kleenex, pussies.

Now, maybe eleuthria can make more changes and fuck up the pool a little more and everyone will be happy.

Thousands? He was working 40 hours/week for a year on this?

For those leaving, think about this one simple fact:  Legit users returns ARE reduced by pool hoppers.  MY RETURNS are increased because of the speed fluctuations pool hoppers bring at the start of each round.  I just reduced my income to help legit users.