Too much Traffic?

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Catherine Austen

I set out to update my website – which I haven’t done since, oh, December – but I was redirected to a notice saying the site’s traffic quota had been exceeded. Huh?

I didn’t know there was a traffic limit on my website. (But since I opted for the “free basic” level from my hosting service, I probably should have guessed.)

I didn’t get any details on who all’s been visiting my site clogging the freeways. For all I know, my website traffic limit is 10 visits a month, and it took three years of www.catherineausten.com before I exceeded that quota.

But no matter. The point is: somebody somewhere tried to visit my outdated website and couldn’t get in to view my outdated information. That’s not good. Is it?

I forked out some cash, and my updated (not free but half price for the first year) unlimited service plan should come into effect by this evening – or perhaps by the time I finish this blog – at which time all site traffic quotas will disappear. Let the hordes rush in.

What are the chances I can update all my pages (via Nvu) and get ready to upload them (via FileZilla – perhaps I’m coming off a bit cheap?) before my site traffic frees up tonight?

Not good. I have an annual report due in three and a half hours. And an incredibly messy bedroom to clean and empty in preparation for an ant exterminator tomorrow morning. (Apparently my son has been sharing his bedroom with thousands of ants. And I distinctly said no sleepovers.)

Plus I have to get to my website to figure out what all needs updating – because I’ve frankly forgotten what’s up there and I’ve gotten grants, won awards, and sold stories since I last visited – but I can’t do that because of the traffic problem.

By Monday I should be on top of things. (Especially the ants.)

BTW, if you’ve never read Bernard Werber’s Empire of the Ants, you really should. It’s AWESOME. I am sad to have to exterminate ants – I catch and release flies and bees or single ants I see – but there are about five thousand of them living in my son’s window frame and catch-and-release is not an option. They have exceeded their traffic quota.