Subject:
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Re: LEGOFan.net - central community run hub for all areas of the LEGO community.
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Thu, 12 Feb 2004 18:37:19 GMT
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In lugnet.build, Dan Boger wrote:
> However, development on LUGNET can only be done
> by invitation. And to date, there have been very few such invitations. That is
> one of the main things we hope LEGOFan can improve on. By making the code that
> runs the site accessible for anyone to download, modify, and submit updates, we
> allow a much wider pool of developers to work on the site.
>
> This means, that if someone has a great idea for a new way to, say, track
> community events, they can just write a module, upload it, and everyone
> benefits.
What about when someone has a terrible or very misguided idea, writes a module,
uploads it, and everyone suffers?
An obvious danger of a community owned site is that only a certain percentage of
that community's ideas are going to be worth implementing. Who then decides
what does and does not get implemented? I can't imagine there would be a giant
vote for every possible change to LEGOfan.net...
It seems to me (though I admit little knowledge of 'open' projects) that there
will still have to be a certain set of people who make these decisions for the
rest of the users.
Currently with LUGNET, there is a very small number of people with control to
make such decisions. How exactly would LEGOfan be different? The original post
lists 9 names of people behind the project. Is this not simply an oligarchy to
replace a monarchy? Perhaps someone can better explain how LEGOfan could
actually function without putting control into the hands of only a select few...
I don't want to come off as overly negative or cynical about LEGOfan.net, but
like others who have replied to this thread, I am a huge fan of LUGNET, and very
much see it as *the hub* of the AFOL community. This is the *one place* where
AFOLs congregate to discuss and show their work.
Yes, there are other LEGO fan websites that are useful. If someone wants to
*buy* LEGO, I send them to Bricklink or LEGO.com. But if someone wants to be a
part of the AFOL community, I guide them to LUGNET.
There is not much additional need to guide a newbie to Brickshelf, becaue anyone
coming to LUGNET will quickly grasp the relationship between the two sites.
FBTB and BZ Power have a much more limited scope, and in my opinion, would have
been better off simply linking to the appropriate LUGNET discussion forums
rather than host their own lesser and competing forums.
So I can't say I see much of a need for a *new hub* for the AFOL community, and
unless LUGNET's forums are incorporated directly into LEGOfan, I have some
serious doubts that LEGOfan will come up with as elegant a forum.
I must admit a bias in all this, which is that personally, I am only interested
in being part of an AFOL community where the A is for adults. If part of the
impetus behind LEGOfan.net is to join together the adult and children fans of
LEGO into one community, that is not a goal I am interested in achieving.
I should also mention, that I too would worry about the "corporate sponsorship =
corporate mouthpiece" issue. Despite Jake's reassurances and even despite the
best intentions of all involved, I think this sort of thing just happens. I
admire LUGNET's independence. And I greatly value our ability to voice any
opinions here in the forums, whether pro or anti the policies and decisions of
the LEGO company. I offer FBTB as an example here. I don't go there too often,
so I'm operating with a certain level of ignorance, but I am aware that they
have a certain relationship with the LEGO company, and I also get the "corporate
mouthpiece" vibe from the site. Now, as far as I understand it, LEGO does not
*sponsor* FBTB, and let me be clear that FBTB doesn't completely come off like a
corporate mouthpiece. But one gets the sense that the two things are in
proportion to each other. So there is reason to be worried about LEGO
sponsorship and/or direct involvement with LEGOfan.net.
Finally, I also share the concern that LEGOfan.net, though created with the best
intentions, would become *yet another* LEGO fan site to visit instead of being
*the* LEGO fan site to visit.
All that said, I don't like to rain on people's parades. I know that people are
only doing what they honestly believe is best for the LEGO fan community as they
see it. So please don't take these concerns of mine personally. If, after
people's concerns have been raised and discussed here on LUGNET, you are still
motivated to create LEGOfan.net, I honestly wish you the best of luck, and hope
you create something wonderful that will win me and the rest of the LEGO
community over.
Regards,
-Brendan Powell Smith
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Message has 3 Replies:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: LEGOFan.net - central community run hub for all areas of the LEGO community.
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| (...) The main reason is that LUGNET is not owned and run by the community. I love LUGNET, and I think Todd (and Suz, before she retired) did a great job in setting it up and running it. However, development on LUGNET can only be done by invitation. (...) (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.build, lugnet.castle, lugnet.general, lugnet.lego, lugnet.publish, lugnet.space, lugnet.starwars, lugnet.trains) !
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