What happened to Windows Secrets?

Just got an email from GW:

This has gone on so many days, that I thought I’d ask you (even though this is the Askwoody address): When I try to access the Windows Secrets Lounge, at https://windowssecrets.com/forums/ (and this has been going on for many days) I get “This site can’t be reached
windowssecrets.com refused to connect.”

a) Can you tell me why?

b) If it has truly disappeared, I think it would be nice to mention it on Askwoody. I’ve been gone for a few days, so it’s possible you did already mention it. Thanks for any clues, and hoping things are OK,

This caught me flat-footed. As you know, I haven’t written for Windows Secrets Newsletter for several years — since August 2015, in fact. I had no idea the site was down but, looking at it now, sure enough — there’s nothing there, there. I have no idea what happened to it.

WindowsSecrets.com began as BriansBuzz.com in February 2003. In July 2004, the service merged with WoodysWatch.com, and the combined site was renamed WindowsSecrets.com.

Brian Livingston was the editorial director of WindowsSecrets.com from July 2004 to August 2010. The company was sold to iNet in late 2010, and iNet was sold to a US-based conglomerate called Penton Media in January 2015.  In September 2016, the British firm Informa plc bought Penton for $1.56 billion. As far as I know, Informa still holds the purse strings.

As for WindowsSecrets.com… I haven’t a clue. I see that other Penton publications’ sites — notably WindowsITPro.com and WinSuperSite.com (Paul Thurrott’s original sites) — now  re-route to ITProToday, which is a name I haven’t heard before. As best I can tell, ITProToday doesn’t have a forum.

Anybody out there know anything definitive?

UPDATE: A few minutes ago, on Feb. 20, Windows Secrets Newsletter sent out a message that says:

Hello to subscribers

First, we’d like to apologize for the delay in reaching out. We had hoped that our service interruption would be only a day or two long, and we could resume publication last week. We were wrong.

Here’s why you haven’t gotten a newsletter and you can’t access the site: There was an unprecedented hardware failure across several systems. The IT department has been working to remedy the failure and restore the affected sites from backups. We don’t have a timeline for restoration – but we don’t want you to think we’ve completely disappeared.

You’ll receive double editions of the newsletter after the IT department has restored the site.

Again, our apologies for not reaching out sooner. We’ll keep you informed of future developments.

Interesting missive from a multi-billion-dollar company.