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.
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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.
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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)???? |
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I'd hate for this site to die. I know many will be more than happy. :rolleyes: |
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I'm wondering too if suscriptions will still be automatically renewed, given than nobody seems to be in charge. :shrug: |
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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 |
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But like FuzzyPlum said, many have also lost interest because they feel attacked or they feel their beloved band member is being attacked. :rolleyes: |
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(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.
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I put a free ad blocker on my computer...no problems now.
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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. |
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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. |
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Thanks just installed ADBlocker all good now... after months of frustration, thanks for the heads up..
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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: |
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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. |
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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. |
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I am using Chrome and don't have many problems like being reported. Also, I find that the ads are usually my google searches. |
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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 |
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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.
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I use Google Chrome and adblock and NEVER have issues getting on here.
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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? |
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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. |
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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. ;) |
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