So What Happened to The Penguin?
 

On Wednesday, October 8th I received a note from the company that hosts The Penguin, informing me that my site was once again using too many resources and negatively affecting the other accounts on the semi-dedicated server. If the drain on the server was not decreased immediately, the site would be suspended. Unfortunately, this has happened many times in the past and I have continuously shuffled and modified the site to try to decrease the amount of server resources and bandwidth it consumes. However, due to the large amount of material on The Penguin, the popularity of the band since the release of the new album, and the current SYW tour, there is only so much that I can do. I turned on the load limiting options on The Ledge hoping that would be enough-- this is what causes the “server busy” messages when more than 50 simultaneous visitors are on the boards or even the server load spikes. It cannot, however, limit visitors on the remainder of The Penguin site, which receives the majority of the traffic. On Thursday, October 9th, I had to leave for a business trip in San Diego. I was able to log on to the internet on October 10th and found the site to be shut down. Ironically, that was Fleetwood Mac Day.

When I arrived back home on Sunday evening, Bob Welch called about ten minutes after I walked in the door. At the time I was definitely leaning towards closing the site, and told him I would reach a decision later in the week and would try to get something posted at www.fleetwoodmac.net.

In order to continue the site, my host wanted me to upgrade from their semi-dedicated plan to a dedicated server. The cost is about three times what I was currently paying per month. I am sure that it comes as no surprise to anyone here or visitors to The Penguin that I am not really "into" the site like I was at one time. My life has simply changed. When I started the site in April 1995, I was recently married, a student, and had no children. Now I have two children-- Brittany just turned 7 (also on FM Day) and Benjamin will turn 4 in February (he’s a leap year baby actually!) I also have a very exciting yet demanding job, and am concentrating on building my professional career. Between the kids, work, and Lis, The Penguin just does not have the priority in my life that it once did. I just cannot manage it all and something had to give.

Nevertheless, assembling the Penguin over the past eight and a half years took me an incredible amount of effort, and was aided by the contributions from probably literally hundreds of fans. I am sure that The Penguin has introduced thousands of fans to the world of Fleetwood Mac and has been a very positive force for the band for close to a decade. Although I am certain that I will never go back to working on it as I once did, I would like it to continue if possible online and serve as an archive for FM fans. The costs that I have been paying per month were very difficult for me as a student, but are not so bad right now. Paying three times as much, though, would be a very real drain on our budget. At this time, three generous benefactors have kindly volunteered to split the difference of the increase. The Penguin is now on a dedicated server, and this will hopefully solve all of the technical glitches and interruptions in service that we have experienced at times of very high traffic.

This is also a turning point. As I want to keep the site online and want it to be more continuously updated, this concept conflicts with my lack of time to actually do it. I am going to be recruiting a handful of talented and responsible individuals to take over updating sections of the site. The Penguin used to be THE site for the most current and accurate information on Fleetwood Mac, and it can once again regain that role. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please drop me a note at [email protected]. If you have a website, please send me the URL; I am especially looking for a few people knowledgeable in coding PHP and MySQL databases.

Quite a few people have also asked how they can help financially. Thank you sincerely for your interest. The best way would just be to use the links provided on The Penguin when you make your online purchases for stores like Amazon.com and Ebay. A small portion comes back to the site and it would help to ease the burden on the four of us. I have also added a Paypal donation link on the left side of the Ledge. I posted more information on this option further down in this thread.

In conclusion, I hope this clears up what happened. Here’s to another eight and a half years and beyond.

Re:
 

Marty,
I don't think we all take into account every time we log onto this website the amount of effort, time, money and love that was put into its creation and its upkeep. Thank you for being the first website that I ever surfed to when I finally got the internet in early 98'. Back then I was just a kid (posting under the name StephanieNicks_98) ... 13 years old with a love for a band that I was not aware until visiting this site, that other people had an undying love for as well. Now, at age 20, times have changed but many of the same faces from The Ledge remain. I have made lifelong friends through coming here...not just concert buddies. I think I speak for the masses when I say THANK YOU. If I can be of any help with anything at all, please let me know.

-Marissa

Marty,

I as a relative newcomer to this site, would like to thank you for all your time & effort in keeping this site up and running.
This is the site that i turned to after the disaster of the offical sites, and think it is excellent.
Have you ever thought of doing a PAYPAL donate scheme ?

I will attempt to help in any way i can

Regards


Julian McAuslan

Ahhhh
 

Marty, thank you so much for filling us in on this new era of the Penguin and Ledge. I want to just let you know how much I respect you and how very glad I am that this is going to find a way to be worked out. I happily and gladly offer you any assistance that I can give. I think the entire community of Fleetwood Mac fans have always known that this site is in fact the official site for us. Thank you for finding a way. :wavey:

THANKS MARTY!!
 

Thanks for all the hard work that goes into this site and for keeping it up!! Any way that we can be of help, please, keep us informed!!

VIVA LA LEDGE!! :D

Thanks, Marty! I am ECSTATIC that the Penguin and the Ledge are back in business! Hooray! :blob2: :blob2: :blob2: :xoxo: :thumbsup:

Thank you for keeping the site alive! I will be sure to use the links provided on the site when make purchases on Amazon and Ebay. Its the least I can do!!!


Please be sure to let us know if money is ever needed to keep the site going... I am sure there are several fans on this site who would be willing to help financially to keep this site alive and well!!

Marty,
Thanks to you and your benefactors for keeping this site running. It's my favorite place.:) :wavey:

~~~A thousand thanks for all you do for fans of Fleetwood Mac. I'm so happy you are able to and have decided to continue this site. I'm going right now to make a purchase at Amazon.com. Thanks for the info that it helps the Penguin however slightly.~~~

Marty,

You have built an unbelieveable resource here and I, along with many, would be happy to donate time, money, whatever needed, to keep it running. Thanks so much for bringing the site up again!

Eileen

Hi Marty
I want you to know that your site here is one of the most in-depth on this band and it is simply the best in my opinion. I am glad to hear that it will continue on and I would like you to know that your site means so much to me.:)
My best wishes always to you and your family.:wavey:

Marty, thank you so much for bringing back the Penguin and the Ledge. It is a wonderful site with tons of information and it is where I go first each time I get on the internet.:thumbsup:

I don't post on here as much as I used to....but when I thought it had been shut down all of a sudden, it felt really weird!! It's te first place I always turn to for FM info. Glad to see it back up.

Kristin

I don't come here as often as I'd like but have always enjoyed your site since I came online. If there's anything I can do to help out the site, just ask. I'll be sure to use the links to Amazon & eBay now that I know it'll help out this site too!! Very glad you're back on thanks to your benifactors. Wishing this site much luck & love from a fan....

Oh My I came back from Denver to see the Mac and to my horror the Ledge AND the Penguin were gone without warning.
Marty, you don't know how happy I am to have the site back up. This is one of the best Mac sites around and without it I just feel so lost. Thank you for all of your time and effort put into the site!!
A big thanks to all who are keeping the site alive in anyway.
If there is anything that I can do to help in anyway just let me know. :)

Thanks for all your time and dedication Marty. We do all appreciate it and will do all we can to help

Pip

Yay!!! Such a relief! I have been visiting isnce 99 and this site is the BEST resource for all things Fleetwood Mac. Thanks Marty for all your hard work!

Shel ~

YAAAYY!!! Thanks to everyone involved for getting the site back up and running. I really hope the proper people can step up to the plate to help run some of the things Marty needs help with. If only I knew more, I would.

Man, I'm tellin' ya... never know how much you'll miss something until it's gone.

BIG THANKS to Marty for all his efforts and dedication towards this site. Penguin is the Taj Mahal of Fleetwood Mac websites!!

~Hugs,
Laura

Marty, thanks for all the time & effort that you've put into this terrific website over the years. It is truly THE BEST Fleetwood Mac website around. I'm so glad it's back. It's like an old friend is back. I've always used the Amazon links and I'll continuue to do so. Again, a million thanks!!!!:)

Thank you Marty. :)

CH

Marty,
Your site is incredible!! You have done an enormous amount of work over the last 8.5 years and it shows. I came to log in after the Denver show to post a review and it was gone and it seemed so weird to not have the Penguin after all this time. Although I may not have the time that I used to to visit, etc. it still was always there and a fabulous resource - if I needed to know the set list on the current tour (and I did!) you had that info. If I needed to look up something for a discography, again you had it. You had people to talk to with the Ledge. It was and IS the best FM site around and to me it IS THE OFFICIAL FLEETWOOD MAC SITE.

I am thankful you are continuing your site. I know we all are and a HUGE HUGE thank you for all you do!
Lauren:)

Help us help you
 

Marty, your time and expenditures are very much appreciated.

If it's not feasible to set up a PayPal account, please post (or feel free to email me) info on where I can send a check. I've enjoyed the site for years and would be honored to help support it in a tangible way.

kenzo

Marty,

As far as I am concerned this is the official Fleetwood Mac website, always has been=:-)

It's an incredible site.

I am so glad it is back online=:-)Checking the Penguin has been part of my life for the last eight years.

Take care, Vianna

Marty,

I am so glad to see your site and the forums up and running again. We are ALL appreciative of all the hard work and time and effort you have put into making this THE best, most informative Fleetwood Mac site on the web. Anytime my friends ask me where they can learn about FM, I always direct them to the Penguin. Rock on and God speed to you.

Meredith xx

There's nothing much I can add. I am very grateful that you put the site back online. Since your site is the only one that treats everything Fleetwood Mac (and related) released with equality, it's the one that has the most information value. It's the "objective bearer of truth", and may it remain so. Should you some day decide to take the site down again, I suggest that you donate most of the hard work you've done to some other worthy site.

Long Live The Ledge
 

Marty

I'm thinking the paypal idea is a good one. Neil(nodmod) has one over on his site. I do appreciate the people who stepped up to the plate to help with the burden of paying for the site and keeping it running optimally. However there are quite a few of us who would be more than willing to help with the cost too. The idea of using links to help pay for the site is good too, but for those of us who don't buy a lot of stuff online, the paypal option would be an alternative.

Anyway thanks again Marty for a job well done. This is the only FM site that I tend to visit every day. You ain't kiding, you don't know what you've lost till it's gone. Hopefully we never have to experience that again here.



Joe :wavey:

!!!!!
 

Thank you so much Marty for letting us all get back together again!
Thanks for all of your hard and dedicated work!

:nod: :nod: :nod:

What a relief ! Well, I will always do my ebay through the site from now on. If there were a paypal donation link, I would be happy to toss some cash into the till. This place is the greatest, and I was going through serious withdrawal.

It's great to see the Ledge back:D .Thankyou to Marty for all his hard work and dedication, and also to whoever has helped out financially to keep this great site running ( I think an annual fee would be a good idea, I'd be more than happy to pay for one and I'm sure others would too).
Thanks for coming back.

Ahhh, whew. Thank you Marty! :D

Marty,
I'm sure you feel like one very underappreciated man at times, but you have really provided such an incredible source interest, entertainment and friendship that I hope it brings you much fulfillment. Thanks for all you do. Thanks to the benefactors. And long live The Penguin!

Everyone--

I have received a lot of requests from people on The Ledge, as well as privately, to set up a Paypal account to accept donations for the server expenses. The letters of support by email, here, and on the Rumours forum are very flattering and I thank everyone for the kind words. In the past I pursued undertakings so that people would receive something tangible in exchange for helping with the site. Realistically, I do not currently have the time to institute and manage projects such as The Penguin Photo Gallery, The Penguin Album Corner, and the Calendars anymore. As many seem very willing to help and want the site to continue, I do concede that the donations would ease the financial burden not just on me, but also on the generous benefactors that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. It would also provide some funds for scripts so that The Penguin can become more frequently updated once again. For example, I just purchased a script an hour ago to revamp the Blue Letter Archives; as you might expect, the best scripts are not free.

I am not going to remind people that the link is there or ask them to donate anything at all to the site. However, if you would like to contribute, you certainly can, and it is very much appreciated. The link appears on the left column of the Ledge's main page. Thank you.

- Marty and Lis

I may be a poor college student but it was definitely worth donating what I could to keep The Penguin running. This site has been such a wonderful part of both my online and real life since 1997 and I don't know where I would be without it. I have met some wonderful friends here that I don't know I would have met otherwise.

Everyone here is hugely indebted to you Marty and wish you nothing but success and happiness for the future.

Ali :o)

Marty,

Thanks for pointing us to the PayPal link.

C'mon everyone! If you enjoy the site, say thanks using PayPal, even if it's only a small amount. If each of us can scrape a few bucks together, maybe it will make a pile that will really help.

:wavey:

Marty,
I came close to crying...really really hard...when I went to check in and thought that The Penguin & The Ledge were gone forever!

I've spent countless hours here, made many new friends who share my greatest passion.

It would be my pleasure to go to that paypal link and do whatever I can to keep this going. Even though I can't get here to read and post nearly as much as I used to, it's nice to have around to check in on when I do get the chance!!

Thanks for bringin' it all back!!!! :xoxo: :woohoo: :thumbsup: :blob1: :blob2:

Stephanie :wavey:

I Want to Thank Marty for all of his efforts into running this site. It is so well done and is constantly updated with lots of good things all related to Fleetwood Mac. Keep up the good work.

I'll be quite honest. Paypal will not let me change my email address. To change it they need to give me a new password for an address that doesn't exsist. WELL, they keep saying they mailed it, but they never do.

When I called them, he said " there was nothing he could do" basically, Im banned from paypal for life, even if I DID have that address, I don't have a password.

So Paypal and I are NOT friends...so when I make a donation, it will have to be money in a card! Im sorry :(

ITS a great idea though, because it's easy and basically anonymous.

Marty
 

You truly are a Prince amongst men and your wife is a saint....for putting up with us all and the demand on your time and resources.

I want to say that having the Ledge as a place to congregate with likeminded people to share our love of Fleetwood Mac and the sum parts of the band is a welcome retreat into a type of shangrila. The friendships that can and have been built over many years is probably the one tangible aspect of the Ledge that makes it what it is. It is the GREATEST resource for accurate Fleetwood Mac information to the degree that the 'official' sites pale into insignificance.
Marty and Lisa THANKYOU for providing this haven and bringing it back from the brink of oblivion...

Warmest Regards

Louise :)

Hi Marty,

I am glad to see that 8 1/2 years of dedication and hard work didn't go down the drain. You have truley done so much here and I don't think it will be taken for granted by many, myself included, again. I will definetely use the links you provided and will be using the paypal link also. I extend my thanks to you and all the people who helped you revive the board.

Joe

Thanks Marty. You're awesome.

-Sonia