database size/ forum moving slowly

Hey everyone.. hope you can help me with this. 

Today is the 2nd month anniversary of my forum.. and its going very well, except that it has been running extreamly slow the past couple days.  BoRg is looking into it for me, as I am hosted with Web Wizing..

anyway, yesterday he suggested I "compact and repair" my database.. I did that.  (didn't know how, but seemed to figure it out)  but here is my concern.. my database went from 9.05mb down to 8.65mb  BUT.. is that a lot?  I have been trying to figure out if the database size is the reason for my forum running slow.. but have seen some other databases smaller, some larger. 

LIke I said, this is only our second month.. if the data base is causing it to slow down this much in just two months.. what will happen in a year.. shucks.. it might take you a year to even post on it!

My members are all complaining because they can't access it.. and don't want to have this problem anymore, so if there is something I can do to fix it.. then I would love to know.

also.. I am not wanting to delete any posts, because the nature of our forum is to load it up with information of any kind related to dieting, so that others can come along and do searches for it. 

I appreciate all the help you can give!!  thanks!

THANKS ljamal!  I appreciate your help!!

I have just searched the forum for info about upgrading to SQL but unfortunatly, I don't even know what it is.. and the people who were asking about it all seemed to know what it meant.. so that didnt' help me at all..

Can you tell me what it would take to upgrade.. ie.. the amount of work & the cost that might be involved.

I know the forum seems to run really fast most of the time.. but then early in our mornings, it won't budge.  I sat for 6 hours today trying to post ONE thing!!  most people are just leaving    I have put so much money into this already, but I wanted this to be a great site and think it is.. but it really needs to move

thanks again for your help

Hey ljamal.. off topic question here.. but do you look anything like that avatar? 

Ok.. I am a dumb-head about this.  I have just done search after search to see what I need.  so thanks for your reply.  I have Web Wiz in the "Business Plan".. but nowhere does it say anything about SQL.    

If WWH supports SQL, would I have to purchase a program to actually access it from here?  (never mind the cost, if any to WWH, I'll ask BoRg about that.. if/when the time comes)

but with my database under 9mb.. and only 88 users, is this really necessary?  I guess we will need it in the future anyway.. just trying to keep this cost effective too.   

GUESS WHO??!!  

thought you got rid of me hua?! 

OK.. here's another question! 

If it's an Access DB problem... then would there be a reason why it works GREAT most of the time.. and really bad sometimes? 

My Moderator and I watch the Matrixstats, and can see who's on.. and right now we have 10 active sessions.. and things are running perfectly.

now.. last night, my moderator was on at 2:15am, with only one other person.. and things were going along just fine.. till BAMB!  it just shut down.. and she couldn't open another page!

I get up at 5am.. and it wasn't doing well.. took me hours to even open a page!  most of the time it's slow early till about 10am.. but today the slow down was almost till about 4pm.

I know BoRg has posted he uses SQL.. and I am assuming he hosts his own forums.. but yet I don't find anything that says he offers SQL.. so can I assume that I can't get it on my WebWiz host?!  or is that something that is on a "per case" basis usually?

sorry for all the lame questions.. I just have to get this forum running smoothly. 

OH.. and "LOVE" the self portrait! 

Here's what I look like..       and sometimes I even look like