There’s a phrase that most people don’t usually think about very much until they’ve exceeded their limit. And that phrase is “bandwidth usage”. It refers to the amount of data being transferred between an entity on the internet and the server that is serving the data. Most hosting plans focus on data storage, but it turns out that data transfer is the number you have to worry about.
When I originally selected my web hosting service, the thought never entered my mind that I would ever exceed the limit. Silly me for not realizing that a person who has a blog wants to have more people read their blog. As a consequence of fulfilling the goal of increased readership, the bandwidth usage would increase. Especially if you have written a post that everybody likes or have posted a nice picture that everybody wants to see.
If that wasn’t bad enough, not only did my blog increase in traffic, but I also helped a friend host their blog on my server. This turned out to be a recipe for disaster. It turns out that we both exceeded the bandwidth limits.
Unfortunately, this means I have to find another web host that will provide for my growing bandwidth and storage needs. Then, I have to install new software and transfer my blog databases. I am not looking forward to this experience. The last time I had to shop for an internet service was several years ago. At least, when it’s all said and done, I will have some stories to share with others who are considering a hosting service or moving to another hosting service.
