How to prepare for alot ... ALOT of visitors all at once ?
 

My site will be on an upcoming episode of Dateline NBC , i already have a Dedicated server running less than 2.0 Server Load Avg. with 500 people online , but what if Thousands of people visit my site all at once? what can i do to prepare for it?

I just got an email and Dateline wants to fly me to Chicago for an interview about my site , this friday , the episode wont air until later in the year but i will know the exact date

ask your host to have a special package for you for the event... they usually can make deals when you talk about them or show their link somewhere, because they will surely have hits too...

2.0 serverload ? quite high for a dedicated...

2.0 is a bit high for a dedicated server. But anyway, yeah, talk to your host and see if there is anything they can do to help. Also, be aware of all the options you may disable on vbulletin in order to lower the load. It may be that you get rid of some mods or vb options during that time just so your site can stay alive.

Optimize, optimize, optimize!

Make sure you have a large enough pipe going to the server for bandwidth, and that your server is properly optimized to handle large loads of traffic!

Make sure any modifications, or themes are as optimized as possible for even faster loading and saving on bandwidth.

the above are excellent suggestions but...

Your goal is to increase repeat visitors, word of mouth, and registrations. Having a strong server is good but only part of the equation.


I recommend...
1)__ reviewing your installed products/plugins - remove stuff that you don't need (it may reduce server load and usability issues)
eg. Stats panel (bottom of page) is not necessary. I suggest placing it in it's own page (link to it).

2)__ reviewing design for usability issues
eg. the button icons in navbar may be easy for you to understand but many new visitors may not have a clue

you should also rethink your main page - new visitors may be overwhelmed and may find it difficult to navigate

Thanks for the suggestions everyone ! Thinking ill turn the arcade off that night at least

Monday im taking American 4213 to Chicago for the interview about Diesel Bombers and The Diesel Enthusiasts Community.

tell us when you're on show, we want some pictures

OK ill let you know when its going to air .

anyway, i suppose you will be able to post your video on youtube.. :)

Ill Take my Laptop and a Camcorder , and wearing all the Diesel Bombers Clothes as possible :D