Michael Jackson Death News Cripples Web

The death of Michael Jackson Thursday sent the internet a surge of traffic that caused crashes and slowdowns in what one website is calling a major "wake-up call" for internet infrastructure.

Here is a roundup of links related to the slowdown:

DataCenterKnowledge: Chart shows that "web creaks as Jackson fans mourn" web site response time grows, availability down

TechCrunch: TMZ, which broke the story, crashed on its scoop boom; Perez Hilton also reportedly down

TMZ: "major web sites bombed by a tidal wave of traffic"

TechCrunch: Twitter disables search to accommodate surge

CNet: Google confirms "difficulty"

Merc: Facebook: status updates surged

Venture Beat:

As tragic as Michael Jackson's death is, it's only a small taste of what would happen in a true calamity. If the servers go down, how are we going to get our Gmail or Yahoo Mail? Who will be there to listen when we collectively Tweet for help? What will we do if the emergency plan is stored on the network?



It's a wake-up call for the web, and for those who are building its infrastructure and plumbing for it.

Billboard: Jackson music dominates iTunes, Amazon

Additionally, NBC Nightly News recorded 3.4 million video streams Thursday night, its most ever, and Yahoo! News set a record in unique visitors with 16.4 million in one day.

Note: An earlier version of this story linked to a CNet post, since corrected, saying that ABC News dropped to 11% availability. The correction appears below:

Keynote initially said ABCNews.com was nearly impossible to log on to for nearly two hours. Dan Berkowitz, a Keynote spokesman, said Friday that in truth the site delivered pages to visitors at close to normal speed during the hour-long traffic spike following Jackson's death. A representative for Disney, which owns ABC, said the company saw "no dips in performance" as a result of the traffic glut.

"We apologize for this," Berkowitz said. "This has never happened before and it won't ever happen again.""

Comments

[Skyhawk]

This story should have had only one news day cycle. I'm a fan, but this tops the Pitt-Aniston breakup. Enough already!

[Mij13]

He played it cool by making this world a little colder. Sorry to say so.

[sarahwaters]

silly

[sykadelic chic]

YOU BROKE THE INTERNET!

[johnie2xs]

Please take this "Jackson's Death Cripples Web" banner down; I beg of you.

He died, he's gone, he ain't a damned head of state.

[myersms]

I understand your frustration with the 24/7 coverage,I too think its a bit too much,but that said I grew up listening to Jacksons music and watching his extraordinary dance moves,He was and will always be the "KING OF POP"and regardless of what his personal life turned into,I give the man his due,he definitely left his mark on the world,and I feel more of a positive than negative.Until you walk in another mans shoes ,you don't know what burdens there may be.I'M SAD OF HIS PASSING.

[johnie2xs]

I too thought he was an astounding talent. I also thought that the feeding frenzy around him was indicative of the time as in which we live. That having been said, there are things of greater importance to be contemplated, and I think enough time has been spent on Michael. There will be continual stories in coming months, I'm sure, but does it need to be one continuous stream?

Enough already. Especially that banner.

[AllenFromAtlanta]

"Please take this "Jackson's Death Cripples Web" banner down; I beg of you.
He died, he's gone, he ain't a damned head of state."

There have been and will continue to be plenty of Head's of State, but there was and will forever be only one Michael Jackson.

Few can say who the current or past head of state is, but millions around the world can tell you who MJ was.

[deadcustodian]

I was a huge fan of Michael Jackson growing up...until I found God and stopped listening to worldly music. but I’m pretty sure he faked his own death...

[sweetest escape]

did the finding of God go hand in hand with buying into conspiracy theories?

[deadcustodian]

As a scientist the more I consider the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) theory, the FSM theory has a lot going for it. First, it should satisfy even the most ardent Intelligent Design detractors. Secondly, since everyone needs to eat and to believe in something, the FSM theory fulfils these desires. Finally, FSM neatly ties together the many ideas about the creation of the universe. I plan on exposing my students to the FSM theory over a pasta dinner.
RAmen
http://www.venganza.org/

[tubette]

ok, you have 167 comments, can you take this headline down now???????????????

[Alvarask]

Does this headline upset you?

[tubette]

It seems quite senseless to leave this headline up for days with so little interest and isn't it time to move on???? But then again, maybe HP should leave it up for say three more months just to give homage.

[fn0rd]

Several thousand people use internet connections that I manage. Looking back at the week's traffic graphs, I couldn't tell you when there was big news, but I can tell you when everyone went to lunch.

I guess this is important if you happen to be one of the site operators and can't serve ads fast enogh. But to the rest of us.. *yawn* what was the story again?

[bryanphoto]

Another Huffingpost "be afraid" headline. Complete B.S. Take is down already...seriously, enough...take it down.

[Jaywalkker]

Obama's election and MJ's death have now proved to be the greatest load-bearing experiments of backbone bandwidth and router capability ever conceived. I hope the DoD and NSA cyber warfare initiatives are monitoring the results.

Web infrastructure is so fragile and critical.

[spiritpony1]

well, ironically, perhaps this is one of the good things (awareness in more ways than one) that will come out of all this------

[frantaylor]

Ironically enough, when a web server crashes in heavy traffic, it is often due to what is called a "race condition". Don't believe me, look it up.

[WorkingClass]

Its a wake up call alright. For people who are focused on their tweets and texts all day while oblivious to everything and everyone around them. You might want to spend an hour or two in the real world every day so you will be prepared when the system goes down.

[pesfb]

Pure B.S. A few sites down or slowed does not constitute an entire slowed web. My service was not slowed in the slightest nor anyone else's whom I've asked. Who makes this stuff up anyway?

[AnalyzeIT]

Same as you, pesfb, my service, as yours was not slowed by the 'impact'. That's not to say that in the years to come there won't be problems.

I anticipated many problems in and around the November 2011 election -..but then those problems will be caused deliberately.

[Matteo]

Same here. Sounds like someone just wanted to scare people.

[frantaylor]

They didn't mention anything about porn sites being affected.

[Ridion]

To the tune of "Billie Jean":
She was more like a beauty queen, from the Argentine;
I wouldn’t mind, but what do you mean
“I am the one
who will chance being caught in the news?”

She told me her name, her E-mail, too--what’s a guy to do?
She turned my head with her Latin heart,
now I am the one
whose romance has been caught in the news...

Staffers always told me be careful what you do,
don’t go around breaking all the rules.
The party always told me be careful who you love,
be careful what you do
’cause the lie becomes the truth…

The Argentine is just my lover,
I’m just a gov whose spotlight’s suddenly gone:
the King of Pop is on.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

Remember 9/11 when CNN dropped all images, css, js from their home page and just served straight text, and still couldn't keep up with the requests coming in? That was a crippled web. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary on thursday.

[frantaylor]

They call it "Craigslist mode"