Subject:
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Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:13:46 GMT
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After an interesting chat about "Fan involvement with TLC" the other night, a
few concerns/questions came up, and I can't seem to shake them.
Historically a large portion of AfoL/ALE's have wanted a closer relationship
with TLC and over the last few years we have been witness to that happening.
Now more than ever, it seems as if the company is involving the fan base. I
don't have the luxury of knowing how many ppl are under a NDA (non-disclosure
agreement) currently, but the numbers must be high. (1)
Off the top of my head, the original test project for the factory, and the
subsequent phase, and projects such as this train committee, the cycling
ambassadors, certified artists, and the nxt, clan just to mention a few.
So we know, a lot of our "high profile" community members from various themes
and interests (from trains to robotics and sculpture through micro) and are more
than likely also those members that often posted, having very in depth or
insightful posts about products and development etc are now under NDAs.
I have 5 questions I'm looking for ppl (both those under NDA or and those that
are not) to consider responding to.
Q1. Are the NDA keeping our most prolific quiet? (Aside from the obvious, I
understand they can't discuss certain things, but are there people that would
have been posting otherwise that are now remaining silent, in fear that even
guessing or hypothesising might end up being factual, and then be some violation
of their agreement?)
Q2. Is this hindering or benefiting our communication as a community?
Q3. a) Is the help/advice/feedback those under an NDA are providing to Lego
really being taken in account, or it just be considerd dandling carrot by the
company? (2)
b) If so (based on Q3a), is this a reasonable price to pay to have so many
of our high profile members unable to discuss things openly?
Q4. Are members spending many of their community hours behind the scenes that
they don't have time as much free time to dedicate to the public forums that
they once had?
Q5. If the individual departments within TLC alone can not corelate information
with each other in a timely manner, are they capable of doing so with the
various fan/company groups they are spearheading?
Personally, I don't really know. I really want to believe that the fans having
some input must make some improvements, but I wonder if the price we are paying
is outweighing what is gained. I guess since no one can clearly let us know
what is being gained, its difficult to judge. I have the feeling that other
members here might have opinions and much better insight on this than I do.
Curious,
Janey "Red Brick"
1. After 5 minutes (exhaustive) research I came up with a verifiable list of 81
fans names that currently are under an NDA. Since I could only find out about
half of the nxt group, that number should be at least 131, so I assume the
actual number is significantly.
2. Is this a case of "Be careful what you wish for?" or are great strides
being made behind the scenes between fan and company? (Aside from the brief
mentions of the original NXT group saying their feedback affected the actual
outcome of the product) details from direct relationship between fan and company
and results of this alliance have been scarce. This is not to say it hasn't
happened, it must have, I just have yet to see any announcement saying anything
to the contrary, (although quite possible that I have missed it). For example,
was Batman a result of fan involvement? Was that cute little one by one smooth
slope?? Are the changes to the Factory? Etc.
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Message has 17 Replies:
 | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) Interesting questions. The NDA/Ambassador phenomenon does seem to have created an in-group and an out-group among AFOLs, and a certain amount of distrust both between and within them. I feel bad about it, but I can't help but discount the (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) I'm under NDA, and have been thinking about this very thing. I have a blog entry about half-written about the subject, but - alas - I'm so busy it's been delayed a bit... (...) Yes. (...) Benefiting, with caveats, see below. (...) Absolutely (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) That's a good question. It's been a long time since I was 'prolific', but I am in the MDP. In general, NDA's cover confidential information actually disclosed (on purpose or accidently), not other informaiton. The problem comes in keeping (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) Well not all the "AFOL big mouths" are in the program! ;-p As someone who's done his fair share of "positive critiquing" of TLG, I unfortunately have been busy mapping out the proverbial "Lego Genome" (all Lego sets/elements ever produced (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) Janey, interesting questions, and I will not respond to them individually, but just give my overall "feeling" about things. I am not currently under NDA to TLC, but I have been in the past. As far as the interaction that happened while I was (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) I don't think so. Everything that is covered under my NDA is the sort of stuff that the community just doesn't know about. And a lot of stuff we are made aware of shortly before a community announcement. The only threads I can't really be (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| In lugnet.general, C. L. GunningCook wrote: For example, (...) I can pretty much say this is a definate "no." I knew about this line since about last April, and I think very few people knew about it. They were very paranoid about the news of this (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) Hi Janey, Having been one of the non-NDA crowd up until quite recently, I can certainly understand your concerns. I had concerns about how the Ambassador program worked, and what the Ambassadors did, so I applied, and was fortunate enough to (...) (18 years ago, 11-Apr-06, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| First, I am currently under 2 NDA's (Ambassador and MDP). (...) Personally, I had become much less prolific here on LUGNET long before signing a single NDA. Most of my efforts and attention had turned to my local club where I am a member of the EC (...) (18 years ago, 11-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| In lugnet.general, C. L. GunningCook wrote: Let me start with the disclaimer that I am on the NXT MDP, though I'm probably the least active member due to personal commitments right now. I barely know how to spell NXT. (...) No, I don't think so. (...) (18 years ago, 11-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| I'm under some NDA action and it hasn't affected my posting/building at all. The time commitments were always very minimal. My devotion is to the building-- the relationship with TLG was secondary. While I was an ambassador I was a bit more mindful (...) (18 years ago, 11-Apr-06, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) I think this is an interesting and valid set of questions. I think the answer to Q1 has two pieces. Yes, the NDA acts to silence people from making observations and suggestions because those comments may conflict with known facts. And yes, it (...) (18 years ago, 11-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) Hi, this is a very interesting discussion! Concerning the Ambassadors I have heard that they had 1500 emails in only one season. If you have to read (and partly answer) 1500 e-mails, this will keep you busy enough to stay out of other forums. (...) (18 years ago, 11-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| Janey, I think the big piece of information you and other may be looking for is what the next stage of the Ambassadors will be. Well, I might be skirting a little NDA here, but actually TLG has been training us as an elite task force to search out (...) (18 years ago, 12-Apr-06, to lugnet.general, FTX) !!
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| (...) I don't know either, but I have reason to believe (*not* due to what LEGO has told me under an NDA) it could well be more than 400. (...) The NDA's are taking up more time for some of us - I only have so many hours in a day, that's true. But (...) (18 years ago, 12-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Questions about fan involvement with TLC
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| In lugnet.general, C. L. GunningCook wrote: As a follow up... First of all I would like to thank everyone that took time to respond to my questions, it helped bring a new understanding and brought up some points I hadn't considered. I do want to (...) (18 years ago, 15-Apr-06, to lugnet.general, FTX)
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