Slashdot effect

As Slashdot effect or slashdotting caused by the readers a particularly popular site or a popular social media accounts overload a web server is referred to in English-speaking network jargon. Other names in the German-speaking area are Heisenberg effect or Twitter effect.

More details

The Slashdot effect or the slashdotting occurs when a previously little popular website gets picked up by an IT online magazine like Slashdot or H and so a significant user rush begins on the website within minutes. This often leads to significant traffic and caused the server temporarily or individual requests only and can not answer very slowly. The page is then " geslashdottet " (English slashdotted ).

In German-speaking countries it is called, by analogy, also by Heise effect ("Server was geheist " ) at the mention of a website with heise online. Other non-IT online magazines (about tagesschau.de, Spiegel Online or CNN ) can cause similar traffic when they mention a website whose server is not up to the onslaught.

Large web pages that are served by a server farm, usually have no problems with the increased traffic. There are primarily smaller single-server who fall victim to Slashdot effect. Sometimes the Slashdot effect is jokingly compared to a DDoS attack. In order to reduce the rush on the affected side, are offered by independent pages Mirrors in the hope that readers access the mirrors instead of the original page. Are coordinated such projects of Coral and MirrorDot.