Where Worlds Collide

Looks like I’ve got another problem with corrupted comments database. As before, the only cure for this seems to be to trash the entire existing comments database and start over, so all existing comments on this blog are now gone

Wherever I end up hosting, it’s got to support MySQL. Then you have at least a chance of repairing corrupted database files.

Eeek! I’ve just received a bill from my hosting company for exceeding my bandwidth quota for November. I’ve checked by web statistics, and it doesn’t look as though anything’s been slashdotted or instapundited, just the general upward trend in hits. It looks like this weblog has just outgrown my current hosting package.

This forces me to consider my options. Do I stick with the same provider and upgrade to the next level up in hosting plan, costing 50% more but giving me four times the bandwidth? Do I try and redesign the site to use less bandwidth by making the front page (which accounts for the majority of hits) smaller? Do I learn some google-fu to direct search engine hits away from the main page towards the much smaller individual archives instead?

Or should I change to a different host? My current provider had been hosting my homepage well before I started blogging; It’s really geared towards small-scale e-commerce rather than as a blog host. Perhaps one of the specialised blog hosting companies might be a better bet?

Recommendations, anyone?

I know it’s two days after the event, but what with (1) recovering from the party, (2) Sunday lunch with my parents, and (3) the long journey back to Cheshire, this is the first time I’ve had the chance to post about it.

There were a good fifty or sixty people people there. Of those on my blogroll, I met Tom Coates, Matt Webb, Annie from Going Underground and Bobbie from PolitX. Much fun was had, and much beer was drunk.

There’s a partial list of attendees here. There are even some photos, one of which is of me, although I will not say which one.

I stayed until (almost) the bitter end, caught the very last tube to Paddington, and which just got there just in time to catch the 1am train back to Slough (which was standing room only).

The UK Webloggers Christmas Party, to be held in central London, is Fast Approaching! Will you be there? Virgin Trains permitting, I will!

• Venue: Downstairs at the Well
• When: This coming Saturday 29th November from 7.00pm
• How do you find it? There’s a helpful map!
• Organised by: That lovely chap from Funjunkie.co.uk