[tri-wings] Bandwidth

I will try and explain in simple terms what bandwidth is all about and why
hosting sites impose limits on bandwidth useage.

Every time something travels on the internet, be it an e-mail, and image or
a web page it takes up space on the computer line. Computer folk call this
bandwidth.

Way back when I started on the internet just about every ISP charged you for
the amount of traffic, or bandwidth, that you used on the internet. That was
one reason why in the early days email list protocols banned pictures,
length of mails etc - it cost money and often it could be VERY expensive if
you went over your monthly allotment.

ISP's charged because that is how they pay for their connections.

Different things use more space than others. Regular e-mails don't use much
space, html emails (the ones with pretty pictures) use more, pictures can
use a LOT and so do instant messaging programs. So much so that a few years
ago ISP's around the world were talking of banning people from having ICQ.
They didn't and in the end joined the "flow" and brought out their own
messaging service. (ICQ was the first "free" service, AOL was around but it
cost and so on)

So similarly web pages use this space or bandwidth as well. Every time
someone views your web page it uses bandwidth when the picture travels from
the computer of the web page host to the viewer. The more graphics that you
have on a web page, the more "space" it takes and so on.

Most web space providers give you a "homepage" for "reasonable" useage. In
other words they allocate a certain amount of bandwidth for homepages. If it
goes over this amount then they consider that it is a commercial web site
and so charge you money for extra bandwidth. They (in theory) pay for the
extra bandwidth so they figure you should as well.

While they haven't disabled your website what they have done is severely
limit the amount of information that their computer will download to the
viewers computer. So viewers will see that there is a page there, but not
get all the content.

On the first of the month (or whenever your "billing" date is they will
reset their computer and folk will be able to download the entire contents
again.

Sam's website is using more bandwidth at the moment because she is uploading
things to it (uses bandwidth) and also because she is posting the address on
the list. At present there are over 1000 families attached to all the lists,
not including those folk who "read only" from the web. Even if only 1/10th
of those visit Sam's web pages thats a lot of folk visiting and therefore
using a lot of bandwidth, especially if they go back again to view the
updates etc.

All of my web sites are "free" but they all also have bandwidth limits.
Because my pages average over 2000 "hits" a week that uses a lot of
bandwidth too. That is why my web pages, although all one site, are actually
split over 4 servers. It keeps my bandwidth under the limits so I don't have
to pay (I couldn't afford to even if I wanted to). Of all of them though
Geocities imposes the smallest bandwidth limit, but I guess what more could
you expect for nothing!! (the others I at least pay a monthly fee).
Geocities never used to have a bandwidth limit but when Yahoo took them over
(and I am NOT a Yahoo fan) things changed and not necessarily for the
better. The ads that go on their web sites really do not pay much believe
me. I started to add pop up ads (I know they are annoying!!!) to offset my
costs, but believe me they only generate about $60US a year, even with 2000
hits a week.

So Sam, once you have finished uploading the bulk of everything to your web
site and large groups of people (eg the list) aren't all visiting at once
(eg once a month instead of two or three a month) your bandwidth useage will
go down and your pages will be viewable to everyone all the time. Its simply
that you have posted the URL to the lists a few times this month and have
been building the web site.

Does all that make sense??

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will avoid a hundred days of
sorrow.
- Tibetan proverb

Keep Looking for Rainbows!!!
Karen, Mum to Alex (7, T-18 mosaic)
Sydney, Australia
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens
http://www.trisomyonline.org

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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