The Death of the Ledge? Open letter to Admins and Owner
 

What is happening? I am putting this here so more people see it.

Ive been coming hereon and off since I was 17, back in 1997 when The Mac came BACK from the dead. NOW things are not so good here and I can't find a Contact on the main site anymore for the owner of this site.

The Ads or Popups are out of control. it is Literally killing this board. Is it malicious spam from Asia trying to install back doors and worms on peoples computers? I am on a MAC so I am unaffected by such things, but is that really how to run a website?

For over a month I could not even get on to check this site until I installed several Popup and Ad blockers. Other people have said the same thing. Some people are willing to wait the EONS it takes to SOMETIMES get onto the site and read and post.

The traffic drop is obvious. Few new posts. Fewer people browsing.

This site is DYING. the writing is on the wall. People will go elsewhere for their NicksFix and MacAttacks. Facebook... wherever.

I have posted about the problem a couple times in other threads on Chit Chat and so far nobody seems to have addressed the problem.

Please Address this problem and save this website, the historical information and messages for FUTURE ledgies.

My best advice is to just hang in there. The new owner seems to be an anonymous source. Traffic will pick up again when Lindsey starts his tour and when FM begin the rehearsals for their upcoming world tour.

I’d like to think this will be so....but I’m not sure.
I don’t long on as often...it takes too long.
Eventually I’ll cut right down till log-on speed is back to normal...
It’s too much hassle....😢😢😢😢
As you say we will look elsewhere...

And, it IS what it is.

Free sites like FB have taken a big toll on band sites.

So, if the new owner bought it only to sell ad space, there's absolutely nothing we can do about it(unless you want to make him an offer for the site - it might be far less than it would've been a decade ago[well, that's guaranteed]). But again, if the OWNER doesn't give AF, crying isn't going to get us anywhere....

I thought about posting something like this several weeks ago. Traffic and posts are way down on the site. Do the moderators have any contact with the owner? The site is slowly dying.

I fear any pick-up in traffic will be short-lived. Realistically this will be the last FM tour. I'm sure there'll be some Ledge discussion then but after that's done....:eek:

I wonder how much it costs to maintain such a site (not for profit)????

Like vivfox said, posts will become more frequent once Lindsey's and FM's tours start.

I'd hate for this site to die. I know many will be more than happy. :rolleyes:

I was wondering the same thing, but it seems like nobody cares, so what's the point?

I'm wondering too if suscriptions will still be automatically renewed, given than nobody seems to be in charge. :shrug:

I think you are missing the point I was making. Lack of interest has nothing to do with the number of posts going down. Its the access to the site. When I just logged in it took 1:22 for the site to load. Many don't have such patience to read and post on a site that seems to be bogged down or offline when you try to access it. It seems to be getting worse IMHO.

Surely it's a bit of both though. The Ledge is never going to have the sort of active membership it may have once had due to other social media options. Interest picked up a bit at various times over the past year with various releases and tours etc. However, even then participation hasn't been great. It will pick up again over the next year when aforementioned activities take place. Traffic has, and will continue to be affected due to the load times, but even if there were no advertising at all there still wouldn't be huge numbers coming here.

(I've only been a member for a couple of years- long after its heyday). But in my opinion The Ledge has lost contributors due to;

1) Proliferation of other social media forums
2) It's not always a nice place to discuss things
3) Long load times

In that order of relevence

I'm not missing the point. If you have lost interest, you don't wait 1:22 for the site to load and you don't post. I can wait forever because I haven't lost interest and because I xan do other things while waiting.

But like FuzzyPlum said, many have also lost interest because they feel attacked or they feel their beloved band member is being attacked. :rolleyes:

1. Lack of Rusty.

(slight correction)

I know Michele misses him.

Let me be (even more) clear. I log into this site EVERY DAY even with the ridiculous long waits. However there are times I do give up especially on my phone. It just will not load on my phone. I have noticed that since these problems there have been a decline in posts. Many posted this months ago and they left. As someone that comes here every day I see this. There are days now with no one posting a thing. That never happened before. Usually there is at least a new thread or someone commenting on an old thread. I just don't buy the coincidence that this decline just happened the same time the site was sold and went under attack. I still come here EVERY DAY, multiple times a day. The fans here are very seasoned and better than any other site. There is not a lack of interest. There is more Mac material lately than ever. We just came off one of the biggest years eve. I have given up coming here a few times because of the wait and that is coming from someone who probably spends WAY too much time here. I don't get defensive in needing to defend the site. I also don't believe for a second there is a better Mac site out there who has better followers.

I put a free ad blocker on my computer...no problems now.

I visit often On my iPhone as well. There were times I could not get the site to load at all. Time out errors. I finally broke down and installed a ad block and pop up blocker App and like on the desktop it solved the problem. People who are smart enough to have such Programs on their computers and iPhones will still be able to use this site but many people won’t bother coming here at all.

no.

no band activity will make it come back. because however much people might be interested, unless they install pop-up blockers on their mac devices and phones, they cannot even access the site. and on other devices, loading is incredibly slow and then it times out.

there's band activity right now. tons of performers plus Bill Clinton added to MusiCares as a presenter of the award. yet the site is dead. because we cannot even see it.

exactly. and it's not even patience in my case, i just can't see any of the posts but the top one in each forum when on my phone.

Thanks just installed ADBlocker all good now... after months of frustration, thanks for the heads up..

Well everyone sure makes me glad I don't try to access this site on my phone! With my 5 y.o. laptop, Windows 10, Google Chrome browser I've been able to access the site without any problems, just like I have for years, without any noticeable difference.
As a long time member I will say: the traffic here DOES ebb & flow. Just when you think it's gonna tank another wave of posts and conversations come along. And I'm sure other social media has taken some people away.
I will be REAL SAD if the day comes along when we see the end to the Ledge!:distress::distress::distress:
Ricoh

I found a way in through an old link on my old computer but I was unable to load the Ledge properly all this time since whenever I was last on. (Just checked: 01-25-2017, so almost a year ago). Something titled lapi.ebay.com... is where things stop and load no more. Even now I can only load the newest thread listed per each section.

Anyway, I guess I've not been the only one. :shocked:

Yes i noticed the lapi.ebay.com, i thought it was a bit suss as well.. did you try installing a new add blocker on your PC, or it didn't work? It fixed mine straight away :D

This makes sense. What I think is happening is that the Ads are asking for access to secure data and cookies and other personal files on the computers to research your browsing history and refine the content of the specific ads we each see. Something it broken. The other thing that could be wrong is that the portal created by the ads are looking for security vulnerabilities on the system and tryin to get root access. I have worked in IT for 20 years. You can get infected with ad bots and spyware and malicious programs, password recorders and ALL that JUST by loading a JPG ad on a website that is allowing Ads to be posted. The other thing that could be wrong is the code is bad, with redirects upon redirects. Whatever is happening needs an expert in HTML, php

I agree with this however I would put reason #2 as reason #1. I know of 15-20 folks that used to come here on a daily basis that refuse to come back because of the nastiness that has become The Ledge. It is truly sad...this board was quite the deal when I first joined.

I have to agree with a lot of this. I took a break from The Ledge while I was in college, but I was on here almost every day back in 2010/11 at the ripe old age of 15. I couldn't see myself doing that now - a lot of bitterness (which is fine, everyone's entitled to their own opinions of course, I just don't think I would have wanted to be around those vibes).

I spend the most of my time now on Twitter. It's much easier to have a conversation because it's all instantaneous. News can spread faster, media is easier to share, and the user interface is better.

That being said, I hope The Ledge continues on. It was how I made some of my first FM friends and found a space for me online where I could actually connect with people. Whether I was ranting about fights I was getting in with my mom or getting into silly discussions about which Lindsey era I loved more, The Ledge was always there for me and I really miss it.

I like your photo!! :nod:

Why thanks! GoS is probably my most prized piece of my vinyl collection!:thumbsup:

Great album! I love how you worked that other face in there. :lol:

I use Firefox with an ad blocker and I never see an ad on the Ledge.

I also have a direct link to the forums bookmarked. I never go to the homepage of the site. (Is there a homepage on the site?) I never have to wait to get into the forums page. It's pretty much, click the link, I'm in.

As for Facebook and Twitter, the problem is the superficiality of the "discussion." Here's a typical FB post: "I saw Lindsey & Christine last night and they were awesome." Here on the Ledge you get longer posts, more in depth commentary, MUCH more interesting dialogue.

It is very literally true that the existence of the Ledge (and, before that, the message board on the old Christine site around the time of the release of 'In the Meantime') has sustained my interest in this band. Without having the in depth and thoughtful discussion here, I honestly think my interest in Fleetwood Mac altogether would have waned long ago.

As for the fact that some folks here are a little rude sometimes, are fans really that thin skinned that they can't take a little silly insulting of their musical heroes? If that's the case, that's really kinda sad. I'd much rather have that than sycophantic hero worshipping.

I often find that the folks that complain about rudeness or nastiness are the same ones that aren't really cordial unless you agree with them. Not all, but most cases. I have made some stellar friends here and hope I continue to do so.

I am using Chrome and don't have many problems like being reported.
Also, I find that the ads are usually my google searches.

Same here. :nod:

Agree, agree and agree. :nod:

In my case, Twitter isn't better than TL when it comes to fights. I have been blocked by some nice ladies, just because they didn't like what I said on my timeline. You can find them everywhere, not just here. And don't let me start on IK! :D

I've made some great friends here too. And I didn't even speak with some of them on any thread, but instead we share other things in common, which is great! :thumbsup:

I'm using IE and also my ads are my google searches, which made me sad for a while (you know, Ticketmaster and Stubhub, and travel ads). :distress::D

Yes, some people are so ultra sensitive. And you're right the Twitter fights I've seen make this place look like Disney.

On IG someone posted Clinton because he is hosting. I saw the word rapist pop up. oy.... People are crazy.

It's taken me two days to get connected to the Ledge. Ironically, I can only do this at work. So, for anyone saying the slowed system is what's preventing more posts, I entirely agree.

I use Google Chrome and adblock and NEVER have issues getting on here.

thanks for the tip.

That is my problem, only it takes up to 10 minutes to get to the Rumours Thread after reading a post. I don't have the time or patience for that, so I visit much less.

I'll definitely make some time to update my browser, see if i need newer ad blocking stuff.

Fleetwood Mac is many groups with one rhythm section and almost endlessly fascinating to me. So many unique and high quality artists throughout the whole history. Even someone I might get along with least if they ever cared enough to post here about any aspect of any of the line-ups we have in common that we appreciate some of the same things, we're all sort of related no matter what. You only see that with a few long-running groups, like The Grateful Dead. It's woven into your life and you cannot really leave the chain? :laugh:

$$$
 

How much does it cost to date one of
these Russian ladies that advertise
on this site?

And does the owner of this site have
something against Asian ladies?

95% of the time, I have NO problem getting on here. No lag or anything. On phone or computer.

This isn't the online world that it was 15 years ago, and(unfortunately) the ledge(or any other band site) will ever return to the glory that it once was.

That said, I hope it's still around for a long time to come.

You know that your ads are targeted based on your browsing history? ;)

If you haven’t been searching for Russian Wives or P0rn then maybe you’ve been. Reading too many stories about Russian Collution theories. ;)