I've had to actually pull down the mp3s. Apparently some people have directly linked to the location and play them REPEATEDLY off this server. They've put us beyond where I can re-enable the content for this month.
*sigh* Let me try to explain this to you all...
Every time you hit this site, there is the transfer of information over your cable or phone line in order to bring up a web page in your browser (my apologies to those of you who know this). I bought a webhosting package that said it didn't matter how much data got transferred from my server to your computers, but they LIED. There is a limit of 20GB, which is somewhere, in their estimation, like 1,000,000 hits on a normal webpage per month. We get about half that many in a month, but we have videos and mp3s to download, which are larger files than a regular webpage.
Okay, so that mp3 you like so much is 4 MB worth of space on your harddrive. BUT transferred from MY server to your harddrive, it's 4 MB EVERY TIME YOU PLAY IT. So, if you play a 4 MB song 250 times, you've just consumed 1 GB of bandwidth, and 1/20th of what we're allotted per MONTH.
You think it's ridiculous? Who plays a song 250 times, right? Well, someone/several someones have downloaded a particular mp3 1,831 times JUST THIS WEEK. It happens to be a 5.5 MB file, so let's multiply this out: 5.5 * 1,831 = 10,070.5 There is HALF a month's data transfer right there. In one week.
Now, some good news:
I have decided to move the website to another hosting service. I hope to choose one of the 3 I've narrowed things down to by this weekend. There will have to be some downtime, however, (not too long, I don't think - just long enough to transfer stuff) and I'm also going to rework how the multimedia content will be displayed. I am going to move it to the forums area, and restrict access to only those who are registered members of the forum (it's easy AND free to register). I hope that by doing this 1) those who really are here to enjoy Blissful Ignorance will be able to use and enjoy the resources we have and want to continue to provide, 2) we can offer more multimedia content, by way of accepting 'donations', if you will, of fanart, official art, and videos, etc. by the members here.
The hosting providers I am looking at will offer a lot more bandwidth per month, and I'm hoping that, you, our visitors will make this site more of a community of people who share and talk and come here to have fun and 'play nice', relax, and indulge your anime obsessions for a while.
It's been a little slow-going, but I believe that the new forums, the new hosting service, and some new features (that I'm trying to get installed), will further enable that hope for all.
In the meantime - POST! Post and tell the authors how much you enjoy their fic.
Have a fic? POST IT! If you have fanart, give me a few weeks to get the new Album feature installed. WE WANT TO SEE IT!
Bored? Wanna chat with some anime fanatic friends? Post to the OFF-TOPIC forum! We don't bite! And there are even some people answering.
(I try to check it every day)You can't meet people and make friends if you don't talk. So, get busy and POST POST POST!!!
Want more out of Blissful Ignorance? *YOU* make it what it is or isn't. Want more fics? Encourage the authors to post by reading their fics and reviewing them! Want other content? Have questions? I don't know until you tell me.
FEEDBACK, SUGGESTIONS? POST THEM in the Admin forum.
CHAT BUDDIES, BETA READERS? We've got those, too! Post! Talk! Talk about anime, talk about GW, rant about Cartoon Network and how lame G-Gundam is. That's what OFF TOPIC is for.
Don't like Heero x Relena? Try the Alternative forums and Believe Your Love fics for other non-yaoi fare. Don't like Gundam Wing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, THEN? (Just kidding) Check out the Trigun and Escaflowne forums for fanfiction there.
Hate Sylvia Noventa? Me too! (Just thought I'd share).
What are your favorite animes? Favorite characters?
Anyone seen Soul Taker? That's a freaky anime series. Kinda cool, but I hate the intro music. Talk about lame.
Did anyone like the radio station? They want me to pay for it, but I didn't think anyone was listening....
I think I can stream media off my own server, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet...
Anyone a PHP guru? A web geek extraordinaire?
STOP LURKING and POST POST POST! And for goodness sakes, guys, review some fics (not asking you to review mine)!
That's an order!
Your friendly webmaster,
Rose
Commander of the 1xR Brigade
PS - Check out our new Updates page, aka the JUST IN page:
http://www.blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/just_in.php
