Need blog help please!
 

My blog got hit hard today with downloads and my server shut me down. Apparently there were 9,000 dls today. From my stats that is way more than should be. I mean the site got a lot of dls today but not 9,000!! I am wondering how this happens and also how to better handle a big flow. Although I don't think I want that big of a flow. I feel a little overwhelmed and thought I'd best ask other bloggers what to do. And wow people aren't nice if they can't dl. :(

The one thing I would suggest is only offering your freebies for a limited time. That way, you only have one or two things up for grabs at the same time. Hopefully that will help. The problem might be new people finding you and grabbing all of your freebies in one visit. Maybe plan on a single monthly freebie that stays up for DL for that month only?

That is a good idea. In a way I hate to do it but I can't have this. Any idea why my stats show a little over 3,000 dls but my server says 9000? How can people dl without coming to the site? Have I been hijacked? Lol. If so how silly is it to hijack a freebie? I know about digital piracy but this is more like link piracy. Really this Boggles my mind. And most of the dowloads today have come from byu.edu which puzzles me. College kids are scrapping in large numbers? Bless their heart I didn't scrap in college but it would have probably served me better over what I did do. ;)

You may want to contact your host about the overload.

Were the downloads offered directly from your site?

Yes. Is that bad? Where do you offer yours from?

LOLOL BYU is an LDS/Mormon college and I have to say that scrapbooking is HUGE in Utah.

Well, to be honest when I was making the one kit based on the quote "there is a thin line between love and hate" with the skunk it it, I said to myself, this one will appeal to young girls, and apparently I was right. LOL

If you use a service such as Google Drive or Dropbox, then it may not draw as much bandwidth from your blog.

If you're already doing that and it's just overloaded with traffic from your link, then you can contact your host and they can possibly work something out for you.

Thanks for the advice Monica. We are back up and running now and I have retired some kits to help prevent this for happening again. My "blog manager" says that the hosting company was really good about it and she is working on some solutions, but I will pass these on to her as well.

Wow! I just checked out your blog. Now I wish I knew what you retired. LOL. I'll try to wait a day or two before I download a couple of your kits. The skunk is cute and I like those birds too.

Thanks!! That is so sweet of you. If you see a retired one you really want let me know and I will hook you up. :) and it is fine to dl now. We have it running again. :)