Hi guys, a quick update.

1. Ben's not around.
True. I've been really busy. After moving back to the US from Spain in March, I had lots of "free time", i.e., I was unemployed, and thus a lot of work on the org got done. Now, I found what is almost my dream job, working at a major internet company as an sr. engineering manager. The only downside is, this position requires a LARGE time commitment. Couple that with the stresses of having some medical difficulties in the family lately (more info on this maybe, in the future, but for now I'll leave it at that), and the org has just NOT taken priority. To be honest, if it wasn't for the dedication of ALL of the moderators, the org might have even been shut down, at least temporarily, in the past few months. That's how low-priority it's been! We all, but me especially, owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to the moderators for all their hard work and dedication. They truly keep the site running at least as much as I do!

2. Site slowness.
Yes, it's slow. I know. The org is hosted along with another site run by a good friend of mine, on the same computer. His site has become more popular, and that was part of the issue... so he kicked in some cash and we upgraded the server. That worked for a while. Then, the org got more popular due to Prince's publicity this year, the added gallery, re-enabling search, and other factors. So, the site got slow again. We decided having the webserver and the database on the same machine just weren't cutting it anymore. So, we bought a 2nd server, and installed it... however, the company that provides the servers, has not yet wired up the 2 computers such that we can move the database to the 2nd machine. As soon as that happens (we think within the next week? But it's hard to get a straight answer out of them), we will migrate the database over to the new computer, and I expect the site will get a lot faster, and I'll probably even be able to turn the search feature back on.

3. Site problems.
There are quite a few small issues with the site, both user-visible and on the moderator side. I've been swamped with other things (see #1 above), but I really do try to find time to work on these issues. The database/2nd machine thing has been the big priority so far, though.

That's it. I wanted to be totally honest with you guys and let you know what's what. I know it's annoying that the site is slow and I don't respond well to inquiries, and I do appreciate everyone's understanding. I want the org to continue to be the best and biggest Prince fan site, and meet fans' needs. I will do my best, but the simple fact is it's always a balancing act. I'll try to push some of the weight back towards the org, as available

Thanks for everything Ben. Sincerely.

we got yer back, ben.

congrats on the job and i hope the family illness situation is on the mend.

Ben, you're a total legend and you are sincerely appreciated. best of luck with everything.

Thanks for the update and congrats on the job!

thanks, ben!

Sincere best wishes, Ben.

And as always, I will keep ripping off all of your technology. Think of it as flattery.

it's YOU....it's really you, oh GREAT one.

you've been around? so that means you've been reading my posts and watching me raise hell. Scold me if you must. For I am shamed by my behavior.

3bogs said:

co-sign

ben said:

I hope all is well soon

Thanks for letting us know Ben

I hope all is well with your family soon and good luck with your new job!







[This message was edited Thu Aug 5 0:45:25 2004 by Sweeny79]

Thanks for all you do.

thanks for everything.

we appreciate EVERYTHING you have done allready

Thanks Ben
Congrats on your new job
Hope those medical issues sort them selves out
[This message was edited Thu Aug 5 7:30:24 2004 by luv4u]

Go ben!

good to hear from you again

thank you ben and moderators.

Thanks, Ben!

good luck bub with that kick arse job....


to you and the family....

I just wanted to clarify, no one was "sick" per se, but there's been some issues that required attention. Looks like everything is getting back to normal the last few weeks on that front though, so thanks for all the well wishes!

BiggestBoooooty said:

Ok, ok... move along now - no pictures

Hey... thanks for the Props, ben!

You know we got yo back!

BEN, YOU FUCKIN ROCK AS ALWAYS!!!

Welcome home Ben. God Love Ya.
[This message was edited Mon Aug 9 20:20:27 2004 by July]

Thank you, Ben. We all appreciate it. Hope everything goes well with the health issues in your family, and good luck with the job.

Thanks for the honesty Ben!

Hope things go well for you!

And HURRAY FOR THE MODS!

I for one love them!