I sure as heck hope this worked.

Hi everyone!

So I spent the whole* weekend moving files to the new host/creating new databases/installing software, etc. and I'm only halfway finished. The forum is still down. :( I can't seem get the old data imported into the new forum. But I have a phpbb expert helping me and apparently, there is a file missing from the server and I have a support ticket in to get it fixed. Hopefully they will get back to me sometime tomorrow. But I was able to get Movabletype installed (the program I use to publish the main part of the site) and most all of the files transferred. There are a few missing images and some things still don't work, but that will be taken care this week. (I just found that the comments and search features aren't working.)

And speaking of pictures. I don't know what I'm going to do about the gallery. I've been going over my referral logs and it's pretty obvious that the bandwidth problem stemmed from people hotlinking the photos I host to use on their own sites (in addition to the major increase in traffic because of Wedding Crashers release & the Jen rumors, etc.).

I have always been a pain-in-the-butt about hotlinking & bandwidth theft, but it is so hard to keep tabs on it when there are so many people who do it. As I've always said, I don't care if people download pictures from my site and use them on their own sites. I don't own the pics and I have no right to try and keep people from saving them to their own hardrives. Heck, I don't even have the right to ask people to give me credit for the pictures they use. They're not mine and most all of them came from different sources on the Internet anyway. BUT...when people direct-link the pics to show on their own sites (usually Xanga, MySpace & livejournal users), it sucks up all of my bandwidth and it costs a LOT of money. Hence, the $400 in extra bandwidth charges the last two months.

I did find a much better hosting plan** with lots more bandwidth each month, but I still have to keep from going over the limit. So either I'm going to have to protect the pictures from being hotlinked (you can still save them to your own computer). or not have a gallery at all. I'm looking at all options because I just can't have a Vince Vaughn website without a gallery.

So that's the scoop. I'm so glad I at least got the main site up. I'll continue to work on the forum issue tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience!

*okay, not the WHOLE weekend. I went to a party for a few hours yesterday, but other than that, I've been sitting here in my office, clicking away, pulling my hair out and drinking lots of iced coffee.

**thanks to all of you who sent donations. Without your tremendous support, I would have shut down last week. Thank you AGAIN!

P.S. If you've sent me an email, scan, link, etc., I will do my best to reply in the next couple of days. Thanks!

Posted by Christine at July 24, 2005 11:05 PM