For information hungry REALTORS^®, it can be a real frustration to go on the Web to seek information and be delayed by slow-loading Web pages. REALTORS^® may also receive complaints about delays when consumers try to access their sites, which may drive away precious business. Many professionals and consumers are surprised to learn that the problem may not necessarily lie with the site they are accessing, but with their own ISP.

In my technology seminars, I am often asked: "Why is the #^%&! site so slow?"

This is a difficult question to accurately answer as there are so many variables to take into consideration.

Most people seem to believe that access speed is only a reflection of the site they are trying to reach. But, it often has a lot more to do with the Internet access being used by the person asking the question.

Usually, however, the answer is a hidden in the way the Internet passes information from the point of access to the Web site you're trying to reach.

For illustration, when I go to my own site, http://www.canale.com I am not actually making a direct connection. The sending and receiving of information is passed along numerous "hops" between my computer (here on my desk) and my actual web site.

At this very instant, the connection actually took 13 "hops." This means that the information I'm reading on my site had to travel through thirteen separate connections before it could be displayed on my screen.

More importantly, the time in which it takes me to load a page is subject to the slowest "hop" - the weakest link of the chain.

If I were to call back to my site in fifteen minutes, or from another ISP, the number of hops and the speed of each could change dramatically! The bottom line: When a site is slow, or inaccessible, it usually has nothing to do with the site you are trying to reach! Often, it has nothing to do with the speed of your own Internet connection, either - it's the Web itself! I fully realize that reading this may not make the issue crystal clear, but I can make this complex discussion picture perfect! Visit http://www.neoworx.com/ and download a copy of their shareware: NeoTrace. NeoTrace is a simple, and fast, little utility that actually shows you the address and speed of each "hop" your connection takes. While it cannot help you do anything to change the process, it's a wonderful way to find out why you may not be reaching a particular site, or at least not at an acceptable speed. All in all, a very elegant (and accurate) answer to the question: "Why is the &%(*&^% site so slow?" Finally, in case you're wondering, the only defense to being held hostage by the web is to have a very stable ISP, and more than one of them! I'm currently using both IBM and MCI for ISP access. Why? There has never been an instance where I could not access a web site though at least one of them! If I can't get through to a site with IBM, I simply log off, and then back on, but with MCI instead. This has the effect of changing not only the network I'm accessing, but the path of the "hops" from my computer to the desired site. So far, one or the other has always worked! While this is probably not something the average user is going to want to deal with, (better to just wait and try back later) when you're in front of a large audience, and have to get through, this does the job nicely.

Published: September 2, 1998

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Stephen M. Canale only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.