Bandwidth Insanity

[optimist]

Despite raising the bandwidth limit on MeritBadge.org from 50 gigs to 60 gigs a month, we are still going to bust our bubble this month. As of today the site has used 16 gigs which puts us in line for a total use of 80 gigs. I'm doing what I can to get our numbers bumped again but the won't let it keep rising forever.

So how can you help? Most of the bandwidth is in PDF file usage. If you use this web site's PDFs, don't view them online. Please download them instead. If you download them, you only use that bandwidth once. If you view them online now them view them again five minutes from now then view them again in three days then view them again in two weeks, you've quadrupled your bandwidth usage. The more you view, the more you drain our resources.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter

[scouter01]

Just a suggestion, I think you can host images on another site such as the big huge image uploadings sites. you could try that

[optimist]

Thanks for the idea. We'll consider it.

[smtroop168]

You all do great stuff in keeping this going.

[milominderbinder2]

What everyone is wanting is the workbooks.

I am watching our activity just explode as people are finding out what we have added to the worksheets. Plus we offer worksheets for Webelos and Cub Scout Belt Loops now. Users are bookmarking the merit badge and workbooks pages and skipping the main page.

Thoughts...

1. We could create PDF's that can only be read using Acrobat 7.0 or higher. That saves up to 50% or more on each worksheet.

2. Link to the pdf's on usscouts or another site.

3. Crank up the bandwidth to 100 GB a month and see if it will be enough by fall.

- Craig

[WVBeaver05]

1. We could create PDF's that can only be read using Acrobat 7.0 or higher. That saves up to 50% or more on each worksheet.

I understand the problem, but I would hold up on this as a solution. Because of resource (and consequently slow response) issues that we have seen upgrading to Acrobat 7.0 at work, I have not upgraded at home either. There are many users with many levels of hardware and 7.0 just isn't a good solution for all of them.

YiS

[milominderbinder2]

Sorry, I meant Acrobat 6.0 saves 50%. 7.0 saves just a little more. 8.0 is negligible.

- Craig

[RWSmith]

Craig,

What level of Adobe Reader are you saving PDFs now? I agree with your suggestion to up-convert all worksheets (as well as any other PDF files) to Adobe Reader v6.0+ compression, which is at least four years old now.