The LEGO Company : 960


LEGO Company / 960

Subject:	AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:43:05 GMT
Highlighted:	!! (details)
Viewed:	5392 times

Wow. It’s been a week and a half since BrickFest PDX, and I’m just now starting to get caught up. I went straight from PDX to Enfield and had some terrific Community Development meetings with the team. Lots of good things happening!

As mentioned in my keynote at BF PDX, Greg Hyland and I have been working for some time on a really cool comic book about you, the AFOL. This was originally meant to be only for internal usage - I’ve been doing a lot of traveling and talking within the LEGO Company lately getting colleagues informed and pumped up about the AFOLs. Some good stuff happening, and you’ll be hearing more soon.

But the comic was such a huge success that I was able to secure a small amount of funding to put it into print!

As I mentioned in my keynote, I’m very interested in “Activating the Sleepers” - those folks who just haven’t realized yet that they are AFOLs and there is an entire community out there waiting for them. From the keynote:

For 2004, I’ve dubbed it the year of activating the sleepers. We all hear stories all the time about LEGO builders who are fans but don’t realize it. People who buy sets, build creations, and even have national cable networks rebuild their LEGO themed rooms. But these folks often haven’t even had the synapses fire that make them wonder if there are others out there like them. I call them the sleepers.

So how do we draw them into the community? How do we pull over these energetic new faces?

One idea is to use this comic as a “recruiting” tool. Imagine you’re out a train show and people are asking about your hobby. Or you may have friends or co-workers that are AFOLs who haven’t realized it yet. Or a local hobby shop has regular customers who you are pretty certain are AFOLs at heart. Perhaps you can get this comic in front of them to show them how much fun the community is.

I’ve posted the draft comic on my personal site (easier that way) for you to review.

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

Disclaimer: This is a first draft of an in-progress work. It will be fully colored, and cleaned up before going to print.

Many many thanks to Greg. He’s an incredible artist and a hilarious writer. Take a minute to tell him how cool he is!

I’ve posted this draft to get your feedback. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed. What other types of information can we put in along with the comics to help pull in the “Sleepers”?

And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this?

I’m looking forward to hearing your comments!

Jake

---
Jake McKee
Community Liaison (and aspiring comic writer)
LEGO Community Development Team

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Followup-To:	lugnet.general
Date:	Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:13:19 GMT
Viewed:	4475 times

FUT: lugnet.general Jake, do you think you could crosspost these announcement type posts to rec.toys.lego as well? "Jake McKee" <jacob.mckee@america.lego.com> wrote in message news:HtnwFt.qC@lugnet.com... > > And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this? > > I'm looking forward to hearing your comments! > > Jake > > ---¬ > Jake McKee¬ > Community Liaison (and aspiring comic writer)¬ > LEGO Community Development Team

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:24:51 GMT
Reply-To:	mattdm@mattdm.orgNOMORESPAM
Viewed:	4583 times

Jake McKee <jacob.mckee@america.lego.com> wrote: > [Disclaimer]: This is a first draft of an in-progress work. It will be fully > colored, and cleaned up before going to print. Heh. Just make sure those grey tones come out nice, or you'll never hear the end of it. Seriously, looks really nice, and very amusing. I can already thing of several people to whom I'll give copies when you've got the final version ready. -- Matthew Miller mattdm@mattdm.org <http://www.mattdm.org/> Boston University Linux ------> <http://linux.bu.edu/>

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:35:54 GMT
Viewed:	5223 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

Wow. It’s been a week and a half since BrickFest PDX, and I’m just now starting to get caught up. I went straight from PDX to Enfield and had some terrific Community Development meetings with the team. Lots of good things happening!

As I mentioned in my keynote, I’m very interested in “Activating the Sleepers” - those folks who just haven’t realized yet that they are AFOLs and there is an entire community out there waiting for them. From the keynote:

For 2004, I’ve dubbed it the year of activating the sleepers. We all hear stories all the time about LEGO builders who are fans but don’t realize it. People who buy sets, build creations, and even have national cable networks rebuild their LEGO themed rooms. But these folks often haven’t even had the synapses fire that make them wonder if there are others out there like them. I call them the sleepers.

So how do we draw them into the community? How do we pull over these energetic new faces?

One idea is to use this comic as a “recruiting” tool. > I’ve posted this draft to get your feedback. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed. What other types of information can we put in along with the comics to help pull in the “Sleepers”?

And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this?

I’m looking forward to hearing your comments!

Jake

---
Jake McKee
Community Liaison (and aspiring comic writer)
LEGO Community Development Team

Jake, I’m glad you posted the link and I found the comic book very interesting and will comment more on it later. Your post did remind me of something I wanted to mention sooner.

Each time I’ve gone into either the Palisades or Paramus stores, the last time being a few days ago, I overhear quite a few “Sleepers” who obviously do not realize the abundant resources available to them if they were activated. ;)

In all honesty, I’ve overheard these unfortunate lost builders mumbling to themselves or companions alot more in the Palisades store then the Paramus store. IMHO, this is because Eric is usually in the Paramus store when I’m there and I’ve never seen a “Sleeper” leave without being actived by Eric. :)

What struck me as interesting was that there I was in a Lego store and yet, there was no information available related to any LUG groups or other resources for AFOLs. Naturally, being the quiet introvert I am, I spoke up. :P

However, as much as I’d love to, I don’t plan to spend everyday in a Lego store. So during my downtime, I was curious as to whether the Lego Community Development Team had any solid plans to increase awareness among these “Sleepers” in brand stores.

I know the Paramus store did have a Gardenslug display awhile ago but that is now gone and in place is Eric. :) As wonderful of a spokesman as he is, I thought an area of the store (small of course due to limited space in most of the stores) dedicated to some printed literature (thinking take home pamplhlet type thing promoting LUGNET, Peeron, Bricks On The Brain...etc.) for AFOLs to draw them out would be a nice addition.

These lost souls are out there just wandering about, lost, thinking they’re the only adults who like to build with their kid’s bricks. Hmmm...reminds me of Frosted Flakes and Tony the Tiger actually... Can’t something be done to save them?

So...are there any plans for the stores to be utilized more as a focal point for the AFOL community?

And yes, I personally would utilize the comic...except for one matter, I really do dislike even bringing this up, but.. the grey colour part of the comic. IMHO, if the purpose of the comic is to activate “sleepers”, these are people who are most likely unaware of the “color” ;) issue and this is only drawing it to their attention in what I think is not a positive way.

Not saying here that I don’t see the potential humor in that part but I doubt that most “sleepers” would get it if they haven’t been privy to the debates and it’s only calling attention to a debate they are most likely oblivous to.

Some may argue that they should be informed about it and I would agree, but not in this manner if the purpose of the comic is to draw them into the community.

Just my two cents. :)

Thanks,

Dawn

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:54:51 GMT
Viewed:	5072 times

In lugnet.lego, Dawn Sullivan wrote: > So...are there any plans for the stores to be utilized more as a focal point > for the AFOL community? We're ALWAYS working on ways to build, grow, and support the community. :) In all seriousness, we are working on that as we speak. > And yes, I personally would utilize the comic...except for one matter, I > really do dislike even bringing this up, but.. the grey colour part of the > comic. IMHO, if the purpose of the comic is to activate "sleepers", these are > people who are most likely unaware of the "color" ;) issue and this is only > drawing it to their attention in what I think is not a positive way. > > Not saying here that I don't see the potential humor in that part but I doubt > that most "sleepers" would get it if they haven't been privy to the debates > and it's only calling attention to a debate they are most likely oblivous to. Certainly we will have to modify the comic to have a slightly different target. You're right, the color issues might need to have an "introductory" strip first to talk about the issue. Thanks for the feedback! Jake --- Jake McKee Community Liaison LEGO Community Development

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 01:03:49 GMT
Viewed:	4985 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

In lugnet.lego, Dawn Sullivan wrote:

So...are there any plans for the stores to be utilized more as a focal point for the AFOL community?

We’re ALWAYS working on ways to build, grow, and support the community. :) In all seriousness, we are working on that as we speak.

(cough) Pacific Northwest LEGO Outlet (cough)

-Grand Admiral
.space Curator

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:03:20 GMT
Viewed:	4530 times

I love it especially the grey parts! Its funny

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:07:36 GMT
Viewed:	4486 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote: > But the comic was such a huge success that I was able to secure a small > amount of funding to put it into print! Very well done! I look forward to getting this in print so I can pass it around and have it handy on my shelf of great comic works (Foxtrot, Dilbert, Robotman, Far Side, Zits... it is a full shelf already). Keep up the good work for our community, Jake! -Matt :) No longer buying new, I've entered my "grey age"... www.auctionbrick.com

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:24:29 GMT
Viewed:	4762 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

It looks marvelous--ought to be a big hit. The current draft repeats pp. 25 and 26 (they appear earlier too)--I assume that’ll be weeded out. But if we were meant to have two more pages, gimme gimme gimme! :)

Kudos to Jake and Greg!

best

LFB

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 01:19:13 GMT
Viewed:	4733 times

In lugnet.lego, Lindsay Frederick Braun wrote:

The current draft repeats pp. 25 and 26 (they appear earlier too

Huh? When I downloaded it, pg 24 (Hey Mike, I heard you finished...) was repeated as pg 19, and pg 25 (I find this whole “new grey” issue annoying.) was repeated as pg 9, both of which were out of sequence with the other “grey” strips. I didn’t see a repeat of pg 26 (All right! I’m gonna get these.) though.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 02:24:37 GMT
Viewed:	4769 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

Awesome!

But the comic was such a huge success that I was able to secure a small amount of funding to put it into print!

Wow, very cool!

It’s a bit rough in places (as you know) and there’s a bit of repetition, but I think it shows a lot of promise. An excellent first draft! I look forward to more.

I love the badges on pp. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, and I think the tip of the hat to the classic striped minifig torso on page 27 is also a really nice touch. How about a cameo by Bill & Mary?

Perhaps you can get this comic in front of them to show them how much fun the community is.

Hmm, I’m not sure that’s the primary message I’d get from the content. What stood out most to me was the negativity: the kvetching about the grays and stuff. True, the depiction is accurate and timely -- and personally I definitely relate to it -- but I’m not sure that a non-AFOL would grok the humor without having it explained to them (which would draw extra attention to the negativity).

Don’t get me wrong, I think you need to have those for your internal presentation -- and LEGO execs certainly ought to get the jokes -- and I think presenting things accurately (with humor, of course) is better than hiding the disdain. But have a quick look again at pages 2, 9, 11, 19, 23, 24, and 25 and ask: Who is the target market for those pages? -- AFOLs or non-AFOLs?

Many many thanks to Greg. He’s an incredible artist and a hilarious writer. Take a minute to tell him how cool he is!

Greg, you are the c00l!

j00r spelling sux0rs though. :) BrikWars is spelled with an s, not a z.

If the goal is pulling in sleepers, I would yank anything negative and keep the tone as positive as possible. You know, keep doing negative strips and all, but publish ‘em only to AFOLs and the internal TLC audience.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed.

OK, here are some random thoughts... Not all of these are probably suitable for a non-AFOL audience, but maybe one or two might be...

8-wide vs. 6-wide; punchline 2-wide.
Castle/Space sabotages: moonbase compliancy, sheepnork attacks, etc.
Someone that walks around at BrickFest and all they can say is “pleh.”
Building a set and thinking a piece is missing, but it isn’t.
Never having time to build because pieces aren’t sorted yet.
Buying 10 copies of a set just to get 10 copies of one piece, THEN finding out that BrickLink exists.
Playing with LEGO pieces at the dinner table.
Reading a LEGO catalog in the loo.
Stepping on a LEGO piece and drawing blood, but being happy because the piece didn’t break.
Getting up at 7am, going to BrickFest, skipping breakfast and lunch, and something funny happens at the end of the day because of it.
Something with DUPLO being oversized -- maybe a minifig AFOL bumps into a DUPLO or PRIMO fig or something.

And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this?

Ya, I wanna see more!!

--Todd

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 02:34:37 GMT
Reply-To:	mattdm@mattdmSPAMLESS.org
Viewed:	4948 times

Todd Lehman <tsl@tsl.bu.edu> wrote: > * Building a set and thinking a piece is missing, but it isn't. Or spending ten minutes looking for a piece you *know* was there a minute ago but now you can't find it and then you ask your SO if she can come help and the second she gets there, oh, there it is. Maybe that's just me. :) > * Never having time to build because pieces aren't sorted yet. Or building a very, very elaborate storage system. -- Matthew Miller mattdm@mattdm.org <http://www.mattdm.org/> Boston University Linux ------> <http://linux.bu.edu/>

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 02:42:12 GMT
Viewed:	5070 times

In lugnet.lego, Matthew Miller wrote: > Todd Lehman <tsl@tsl.bu.edu> wrote: > > * Building a set and thinking a piece is missing, but it isn't. > > Or spending ten minutes looking for a piece you *know* was there a minute > ago but now you can't find it and then you ask your SO if she can come > help and the second she gets there, oh, there it is. > > Maybe that's just me. :) Male pattern blindness!!! > > * Never having time to build because pieces aren't sorted yet. > > Or building a very, very elaborate storage system. And not having any money left to spend on LEGO, lol. --Todd

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 02:47:54 GMT
Reply-To:	mattdm@mattdm.=NoSpam=org
Viewed:	5269 times

Todd Lehman <tsl@tsl.bu.edu> wrote: > > Or building a very, very elaborate storage system. > And not having any money left to spend on LEGO, lol. So tragic!!! -- Matthew Miller mattdm@mattdm.org <http://www.mattdm.org/> Boston University Linux ------> <http://linux.bu.edu/>

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 10:10:29 GMT
Viewed:	4953 times

"Matthew Miller" <mattdm@mattdm.org> wrote in message news:slrnc3qmpt.ij6.mattdm@jadzia.bu.edu... > Todd Lehman <tsl@tsl.bu.edu> wrote: > > * Building a set and thinking a piece is missing, but it isn't. > > Or spending ten minutes looking for a piece you *know* was there a minute > ago but now you can't find it and then you ask your SO if she can come > help and the second she gets there, oh, there it is. > > Maybe that's just me. :) I've spent a good 10 mins looking for a piece I know I've just seen, to find it was held in my other hand all along!! -- James Stacey - who has bad short term memory :) ------ www.minifig.co.uk Lugnet Member #925 I'm a citizen of Legoland travellin' Incommunicado

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 03:34:38 GMT
Viewed:	4642 times

In lugnet.lego, Todd Lehman wrote:

Getting up at 7am, going to BrickFest, skipping breakfast and lunch, and something funny happens at the end of the day because of it.

(BrickFast: When you are so busy playing and building and talking with folks at BrickFest that you forget to eat! ;-)

--Todd

Subject:	RE: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 04:20:08 GMT
Viewed:	4943 times

<snip> j00r spelling sux0rs though. :) {BrikWars} is spelled with an {s}, not a {z}. <snip> --Todd You missed one :( Page 17 Robot can not only play chess.... it can moveS the pieces... Other than that, I have to agree with everyone else, the color issue they probably wouldn't understand, save it for issue 6 or 7 after they are hooked and no longer 'sleepers' then they'll understand :) I find the Castle and Spacer stuff hilarious, of course that's because I'm a Castle person and space really does suck ;) More things about FLL and other clubs would be cool, the more you show them there are organized adults, I think the quicker you'll get them to come out of the closet. Could this become something that's inserted in some larger sets? or isn't there that kind of printing budget for it? For those of us without Brand stores in our state **cough Wisconsin cough cough MILWAUKEE cough** is there some way we'd be able to get them? Great graphics and funny text, I look forward to many more! Thanks for letting us get a preview! Tamy

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 17:52:04 GMT
Viewed:	5415 times

"Mookie" <Mookie@tanarth.com> wrote in message news:LAEJKFGCAJBFPIBHFEHLCEEDCEAA.Mookie@tanarth.com... [ ... snipped ... ] > Could this become something that's inserted in some larger sets? or isn't > there that kind of printing budget for it? For those of us without Brand > stores in our state **cough Wisconsin cough cough MILWAUKEE cough** is • there > some way we'd be able to get them? [ ... snipped ... ] It can't be much more than an hour drive (depending on traffic of course) from Milwaukee to the LEGO store at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg can it? I have done the drive a few times and don't recall it being too bad. In the grand scheme of things, an hour isn't that far. I try hit the Woodfield store whenever I visit our office in Schaumburg which is conveniently located about 1/2 a mile down the street. Mike -- Mike Walsh - mike_walsh at mindspring.com http://www.ncltc.cc - North Carolina LEGO Train Club http://www.carolinatrainbuilders.com - Carolina Train Builders http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=mpw - CTB/Brick Depot

Subject:	RE: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:54:11 GMT
Viewed:	5079 times

Great for people who have a vehicle yes.... I have access to a vehicle that I can use for work and school and that's about it. Besides it's about an hour and a half drive to 2 hour drive, which means 3 or 4 hours both ways, about 20.00 in gas which is 20.00 less to spend on Lego. It's not close enough to know if what I want is there, it could end up being a 3 hour drive for nothing... I want one that's easy to stop at 4 or 5 times a week on the way home from work! Or hell... maybe even WORK at! just pay me in Lego and I'd be happy! Or, if someone wants to come fix my blazer! (or buy it for parts or to fix themselves.. ) there's an easy-out stuck in the spark plug hole in the head :) I'd have a way to travel or more money to spend on travel to the one in chicago.. So I'm STILL voting for a store in Milwaukee :) or even better yet, 18 miles west of it :) Tamy -----Original Message----- From: news-gateway@lugnet.com [mailto:news-gateway@lugnet.com]On Behalf Of Mike Walsh Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 11:52 AM To: lugnet.lego@lugnet.com; lugnet.general@lugnet.com; lugnet.org@lugnet.com Subject: Re: AFOLs - The comic! "Mookie" <Mookie@tanarth.com> wrote in message news:LAEJKFGCAJBFPIBHFEHLCEEDCEAA.Mookie@tanarth.com... [ ... snipped ... ] > Could this become something that's inserted in some larger sets? or isn't > there that kind of printing budget for it? For those of us without Brand > stores in our state **cough Wisconsin cough cough MILWAUKEE cough** is • there > some way we'd be able to get them? [ ... snipped ... ] It can't be much more than an hour drive (depending on traffic of course) from Milwaukee to the LEGO store at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg can it? I have done the drive a few times and don't recall it being too bad. In the grand scheme of things, an hour isn't that far. I try hit the Woodfield store whenever I visit our office in Schaumburg which is conveniently located about 1/2 a mile down the street. Mike -- Mike Walsh - mike_walsh at mindspring.com http://www.ncltc.cc - North Carolina LEGO Train Club http://www.carolinatrainbuilders.com - Carolina Train Builders http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=mpw - CTB/Brick Depot

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Sun, 29 Feb 2004 18:01:27 GMT
Viewed:	5114 times

In lugnet.lego, Tamyra Teed wrote: > > I find the Castle and Spacer stuff hilarious, of course that's because I'm a > Castle person and space really does suck ;) Tamyra, you are of course, completely wrong, Space is better than Castle, and Technic is superior to everything! Steve

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:50:52 GMT
Viewed:	4976 times

In lugnet.lego, Todd Lehman wrote:

j00r spelling sux0rs though. :) BrikWars is spelled with an s, not a z.

I got the feeling that the “Brickwarz” spelling, like “AFOLnet,” was a move to avoiding stepping on anybody’s copyrights. But I’m sure that it wouldn’t be too hard to get usage permission from the copyright owners, for use in the comics?

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:53:39 GMT
Viewed:	5683 times

In lugnet.lego, Mike Rayhawk wrote:

In lugnet.lego, Todd Lehman wrote:

j00r spelling sux0rs though. :) BrikWars is spelled with an s, not a z.

Yes, but Megabloks (page 7), Playmobile (page 13), Target, K-Mart, Sears, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart (page 12), Brickfest (page 14), Cylon & Battlestar Galactica (page 17) and Jar-Jar (page 26) are copyrighted by somebody.

Personally, I hope Greg changes Brickwarz to Brikwars and AFOLnet to LUGNET.

Nathan Wells

PS- that guy is lucky he’s got a girlfriend who supports his hobby! ;)

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 15:33:20 GMT
Reply-To:	MATTDM@MATTDM.antispamORG
Viewed:	5275 times

Nathan Wells <lordofthelego@hotmail.com> wrote: > Yes, but Megabloks (page 7), Playmobile (page 13), Target, K-Mart, > Sears, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart (page 12), Brickfest (page 14), Cylon & > Battlestar Galactica (page 17) and Jar-Jar (page 26) are copyrighted by > somebody. Names aren't covered by copyright -- that's what trademarks are for. > Personally, I hope Greg changes Brickwarz to Brikwars and AFOLnet to LUGNET. I e-mailed Jake about this, actually, and he said that AFOLnet was simply done to make the comic more generic so that interal people don't just assume that Lugnet is all there is. -- Matthew Miller mattdm@mattdm.org <http://www.mattdm.org/> Boston University Linux ------> <http://linux.bu.edu/>

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 15:56:41 GMT
Viewed:	5182 times

In lugnet.lego, Mike Rayhawk wrote:

In lugnet.lego, Todd Lehman wrote:

Yeah! That’s it!

Oh darn, somebody else got me on using CORRECT “Battlestar Galactica” and “Jar-Jar” and so on...

Uh... “Brickwarz” is a totally different, but sort of similar, game than this “Brikwars” you speak of.

Okay, you got me. Not to make excuses, but here’s an excuse anyway, I didn’t double check that. I assumed it was with a “z”. These strips were done in an incedibly short amount of time, so I’m actually surprised that there aren’t MORE spelling mistakes than there is! Don’t worry, these will all be fixed in the printed version.

-Greg

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:01:41 GMT
Viewed:	5295 times

In lugnet.lego, Greg Hyland wrote:

Okay, you got me. Not to make excuses, but here’s an excuse anyway, I didn’t double check that. I assumed it was with a “z”. These strips were done in an incedibly short amount of time, so I’m actually surprised that there aren’t MORE spelling mistakes than there is! Don’t worry, these will all be fixed in the printed version.

Trust me, I’m more than familiar with Lego’s short deadlines for comic strip production. Especially this week! I don’t think I even remember what my bed looks like.

I’m so used to everybody spelling BrikWars a hundred different ways already anyway, I can’t say the “z” even bothered me, I just got a kick out of seeing the game get a mention.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 18:19:25 GMT
Viewed:	4933 times

In lugnet.lego, Mike Rayhawk wrote:

s/copyright/trademark/

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 03:38:26 GMT
Viewed:	4819 times

-snip-

Indeed! I am happy to see that this has been done, and would love to see it continued!

oh yes, and GREG HYLAND IS THE COOLEST ARTIST EVER!!

i met him at bf03, and talked with him much, and i respected him both as a fellow artist (i do photography) and as a fellow AFOL.

Regarding the “negative” comics dealing with the color change - there are quite a few of these, but I don’t think they should be removed entirely. negative jokes like these can create a sense of brotherhood by creating the “us vs them” situation - especially the part about color change brought castle and space together. ive seen a similiar situation at classic-castle, the newbie castlers there love being able to shout insults at spacers.

I mean, lets face it, people love insulting other people, and having a common, nameless, faceless (guiltless) person to insult is a wonderful way to pull people together. :)

-lenny

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 16:55:18 GMT
Highlighted:	(details)
Viewed:	4921 times

Many, many props for the efforts to bring this into existence! It’s exciting to see Greg’s career grow!

The comic is really, really fun... it’s great poke at ourselves and it needs to be produced. However, I feel I need to build on Leonard’s comments, but in a broader sense.

I don’t want to come off as being too critical, but I am struck that...

Considering the original intent of this publication, this is how we as AFOLs will be represented internally within the Lego company. I don’t think this gives us or our concerns credibility and only serves to further a negative stereotype that may or may not already exist.
As for distribution of the comic to the general public, these are all inside jokes and not a good way to make fans, in as much as it does in making friends. If this is Lego’s hope (to make fans), then it would be better served to use the money to help Todd publish and distribute his book... which is a better testament to the AFOL community.

IMHO.

-Jim

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 19:43:41 GMT
Viewed:	4994 times

In lugnet.lego, Jim Green wrote:

Considering the original intent of this publication, this is how we as AFOLs will be represented internally within the Lego company. I don’t think this gives us or our concerns credibility and only serves to further a negative stereotype that may or may not already exist.

Well, the idea was in the same vein as that old adage... “Those who laugh together, stay together” I figured if I could get my colleagues laughing about these issues, they would stick in their minds a little more. Greg and I also tried very very hard to create humorous, but descriptive ways to get certain points across.

AFOLs are, for better or worse, somewhat eccentric - just like all enthusiasts of any subject (As I often say: “everyone has their hobby/weirdness”). The original task for this piece was to show that while it may be unknown, it’s not strange, it just “is”.

Hey, I’m a fan too. I have a LEGO room, a pretty sizeable (not comparing me to Lar++ anyway!) collection, and build regularly. I’m part of a local group, and follow much of the online discussion. I know people think I’m a bit odd, but that’s fine by me. For me it’s all about “owning” the odd! :)

As for distribution of the comic to the general public, these are all inside jokes and not a good way to make fans, in as much as it does in making friends. If this is Lego’s hope (to make fans), then it would be better served to use the money to help Todd publish and distribute his book... which is a better testament to the AFOL community.

Not sure that I did a very good job explaining originally. The comic will have to be tweaked to make it work for the new audience (sleepers) rather than the original audience (LEGO colleagues). My colleagues got most of the inside jokes, but like you mention, it might not be the right mix for the general public. There have been a TON of terrific ideas posted in this thread already to help tweak the content for this purpose.

Hope that makes you feel better.

Jake

---
Jake McKee
Community Liaison
LEGO Community Development

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 07:14:46 GMT
Viewed:	5695 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

In lugnet.lego, Jim Green wrote:

Considering the original intent of this publication, this is how we as AFOLs will be represented internally within the Lego company. I don’t think this gives us or our concerns credibility and only serves to further a negative stereotype that may or may not already exist.

Yes, laughing does foster fondness and I genuinely applaud your efforts---the comic is good work and the folks here really are enjoying it with enthusiasm. Yet, not that I disagree with your communicated purpose or greater hope, but I feel that maybe laughing at AFOLs isn’t especially appropriate at this specific time for the company... when the community is communicating a feeling of betrayal over color changes and at seeming attempts to create division (by endorsing of a non-existent fan site).

These specific concerns are threaded elsewhere---it’s not my wish to pursue them here. Nonetheless, it just doesn’t seem in good taste that our issues would be made known by means of a comic. We can laugh at ourselves but AFOLs are not funny monkeys.

But to a greater point... Jake, you were one of “us” and may well understand our motivations. It is our best hope that this is the case now that you have crossed the line and are with The Lego Company. And that you are specifically charged to foster communication between AFOLs and Lego, there is a trust that you will go to bat for us and communicate our passion for this hobby... as I know you must. It may as well be an understatement.

I just find it strange that you would choose to communicate within the company in this way, with a joke book, to folks who may not know exactly the mind of the AFOL or who see us as a curiosity. Maybe the idea just needs better clarification, but right now the method gives me less confidence about what you convey to your colleagues about AFOLs in general.

AFOLs are, for better or worse, somewhat eccentric - just like all enthusiasts of any subject (As I often say: “everyone has their hobby/weirdness”). The original task for this piece was to show that while it may be unknown, it’s not strange, it just “is”.

Is this really a new concept for Lego? To think, they would at least know us by now. Maybe they don’t care who we are?... we are after all just a footnote in their strategy. Will a comic fix that?

It strikes me funny that we are this untapped marketing powerhouse that they occasionally look askance at. This is something I know you can’t answer (though ex-employees maybe can), but who are we to Lego, really?

Hey, I’m a fan too. I have a LEGO room, a pretty sizeable (not comparing me to Lar++ anyway!) collection, and build regularly. I’m part of a local group, and follow much of the online discussion. I know people think I’m a bit odd, but that’s fine by me. For me it’s all about “owning” the odd! :)

Jake, no need to justify, you are a die-hard AFOL, and I apologize that how I may be communicating is leaning near being personal for you. Please know I would never insult you, Lego brother, but I just don’t trust your employer and you are in a crucial position. We count on you and want you to do a good job... for us. You have the unenviable position of having thousands of backseat drivers watching your every move. Tree!

As for distribution of the comic to the general public, these are all inside jokes and not a good way to make fans, in as much as it does in making friends. If this is Lego’s hope (to make fans), then it would be better served to use the money to help Todd publish and distribute his book... which is a better testament to the AFOL community.

I would work on that. To me, wowing folks with incredible models seems to earn more fans than telling them the trademark isn’t plural. I think this is another cue for Todd to introduce his book... “Oh, Tah-odd...”

Hope that makes you feel better.

Feelin’ great! Though I had been feeling a little bley lately. ;-)

Jim

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 15:32:05 GMT
Highlighted:	(details)
Viewed:	5393 times

In lugnet.lego, Jim Green wrote:

Laughing at and laughing with are much different things.

... when the community is communicating a feeling of betrayal over color changes and at seeming attempts to create division (by endorsing of a non-existent fan site).

I guess, you could interpret the “AFOLnet” callout this way, but honestly, that thought had never crossed my mind until I just read it here. As mentioned elsewhere, the point of using AFOLnet was to not use LUGNET. I was trying to show that the fan community is large and vast, and there are sites out here other than LUGNET. This is no reflection on LUGNET at all, I love LUGNET. It was a tactic to get people to think things other than AFOLs = LUGNET.

These specific concerns are threaded elsewhere---it’s not my wish to pursue them here. Nonetheless, it just doesn’t seem in good taste that our issues would be made known by means of a comic. We can laugh at ourselves but AFOLs are not funny monkeys.

I’ve been amazed as I come out of my “comic dark age” to learn what a comic has become. People like Greg have elevated what was previously a slapstick humor delivery mechanism to a true art and communication form. I read two books last year by Scott McCloud that talked about the depth of the comic form... in comic form. It was brilliant. I’ve seen a number of presentations by former Web co-workers in the last year that have used comics and comic illustration to help show clients the Web development process flow. One of the best Web Usability books I’ve ever read makes ample use of comic illustration to keep a dry subject entertaining.

Just because it is a comic doesn’t mean I turned AFOLs into “funny monkeys”.

But to a greater point... Jake, you were one of “us” and may well understand our motivations. It is our best hope that this is the case now that you have crossed the line and are with The Lego Company. And that you are specifically charged to foster communication between AFOLs and Lego, there is a trust that you will go to bat for us and communicate our passion for this hobby... as I know you must. It may as well be an understatement.

Well, first off, I’m still a fan, much to my wife’s chagrin... she wants the LEGO room back for a guest room. :)

But yes, that’s my task. I’ve been doing this since I started with LEGO 3.5 years ago. In the last year +, I’ve been able to focus 100% on exactly what you describe. And as I mentioned in my keynote, there’ll be hits and misses along the way. So long as there are more hits than misses, we’re doing good.

I just find it strange that you would choose to communicate within the company in this way, with a joke book, to folks who may not know exactly the mind of the AFOL or who see us as a curiosity. Maybe the idea just needs better clarification, but right now the method gives me less confidence about what you convey to your colleagues about AFOLs in general.

But this goes back to trust. You’ve got to trust that I know your needs and desires and issues. You’ve got to trust that I’m finding the best way to communicate that need. I fight for some AFOL-related issues, literally every day I come into the office. Every day. Often multiple issues. Now believe me, I’m all over anything that reduces the amount of friction on a given subject.

The comic did more to get people to understand and recognize the issue than any document or powerpoint could have ever done.

Is this really a new concept for Lego? To think, they would at least know us by now. Maybe they don’t care who we are?... we are after all just a footnote in their strategy. Will a comic fix that?

They do know who you are, they know you’re out there, but they’re not exactly sure why, or what they can do to help. As our efforts to promote internally increase and sink in, they become more and more impressed. Sure they care. They care big, and more now than ever before. You were barely a blip on the radar a few short years ago, and are now a (big) footnote. My task is to make sure that we continue to grow that even bigger.

Will a comic alone “fix” that? No. But like any change, you have to use all the tools in your toolbox. The comic is a very very good tool for the task.

It strikes me funny that we are this untapped marketing powerhouse that they occasionally look askance at. This is something I know you can’t answer (though ex-employees maybe can), but who are we to Lego, really?

How do colleagues view thee... good question. In years past, they haven’t thought much one way or the other. One of the biggest reasons LEGO Direct was formed was to start to create a culture of consumer awareness, understanding, and interaction. That includes the AFOLs as well as the kids.

But overall, mindsets have changed more than you can imagine in that 4 years. To colleagues (after all, we’re not talking about a “big company”, we’re really talking about a large group of people), you are an intriguing audience, a barely tapped marketing powerhouse. They know you are incredible brand evangelists, but aren’t quite sure how to work with you, how to address your needs, or if you even want a relationship to exist. That’s where I come in. I’m working hard to carry the messages from the AFOLs to the company. And vice versa for that matter.

What’s terrific is that after 3+ years of carrying that message, we’ve clearly passed a Tipping Point. The enthusiasm to talk, work with, and engage the AFOLs is now higher than it’s ever been. (Please don’t let the color change issue completely wipe out that progress in your minds)

Nah, no worries. I’ve got an uber-thick skin, and I’m man enough to accept help and feedback when given! It takes a lot to insult me! (Derek, your feeble attempts to bring my Mom into the mix were unsuccessful)

:)

I hate to keep mentioning this, but much of this comes down to trust. You have to trust the guy driving the car, and he has to listen to the info coming in from the backseat.

I would work on that.

Absolutely! That’s a big part of what this thread is all about. I was hoping to get ideas for new strips and content like the ones that have come in already. After all, I’m a fan, but not the only fan with ideas about how to tell the world about our rockin hobby!

Jake
---
Jake McKee
Community Liaison
LEGO Community Development

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 19:06:08 GMT
Viewed:	5517 times

Jake McKee wrote: > I hate to keep mentioning this, but much of this comes down to trust. You have > to trust the guy driving the car, and he has to listen to the info coming in > from the backseat. I trust the guy *driving* the car. But at this point, I don't trust the guys that *own* the car as far as I can throw them. And even if the driver is listening to the passengers, the owners sure aren't. -- Tom Stangl *http://www.vfaq.com/ *DSM Visual FAQ home *http://www.vfaq.net/ *Prius Visual FAQ Home

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 05:07:29 GMT
Viewed:	4550 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote: > <snip> > I've posted the draft comic on my personal site (easier that way) for you to > review. > > <http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf > http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf> > > [Disclaimer]: This is a first draft of an in-progress work. It will be fully > colored, and cleaned up before going to print. I don't know how humorous non-AFOL's would find it, but I was ROFLMAO!!! My favourite was the birthday gift one ("it burns ussss"), and the plural "LEGOS". I was just busting a gut. Great work guys. I love it. There were a few errors; pg.6, I'm responding to some guy said that... and pg.11, are yo from head office. Can't wait to see the finished product. Keep posting any new material. Thanks. Play well. Tim Strutt

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic! ideas
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 06:53:11 GMT
Viewed:	4865 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote: > I've posted this draft to get your feedback. We'd love to hear your thoughts > on the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed. What other types of > information can we put in along with the comics to help pull in the > "Sleepers"? Jake, I like the comic. I think it is a good idea. Whilst reading it, I thought of a few more strip ideas: A AFOL meeting a family, and having more to talk about with the 8 year old kid than with the parents. Sigfigs (minifigs that look like you) Cofigs (minfigs that look like co-workers, co-habitants) H.O.G. Speaking almost entirely in set numbers/acronyms. TRS employees that know you by name. Or AFOL's that know TRS delivery schedules. Bank card agents that know you by name. Tent sales and buying/borrowing a car based on net interior space. BS pictures to prove you actually DID buy a gazillion copies of that set. Lego widows aka NLSO's The abundance of Minifig females. The extreme safety of Legoland due to the over-population of Police & Fire units. Train shows with lots of grand buildings and wonderful trains, and the only thing they talk about is the video/pictures of the train wreck. "I didn't know Lego made trains." Two household Lego collections: one for 'the kids', and one for 'the adults'. Bribing the local/your own kids to help you sort. Disassembling Technic. Pronouncing Bionicle. Your mother/coworker discovering that single Lego SW set you bought and built just for olde times sake. Taking the kids to Legoland, and spending all your time gawking at Miniland. Not realizing 'Lego' is Danish. Dark ages. Finding your olde collection tucked away at your parent's flat. Seeing a set and fondly remembering your first. Stepping on a Lego brand building brick. Hope that helps, Clark

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 10:18:17 GMT
Viewed:	4821 times

Jake McKee wrote: > And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this? Just quote price and availability, and bring some (enough!) to 1000steineland in Berlin. Pre-orders? Bulk-orders for user groups? > I'm looking forward to hearing your comments! First of all: Great stuff. The repeats and spelling mistakes have already been mentioned, so I skip that. One point though - and I think that is a key point here: on page 6 you mention "posting on AFOLnet". If this comic should help activating the sleepers, it would be better to mention LUGNET.com instead of a nonexisting pseudo-site. Even if it gripes those guys from the (kids-oriented) www.lego.com site. Translations, maybe? yours, Christian

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 16:03:51 GMT
Viewed:	5180 times

In lugnet.lego, Christian Treczoks wrote: > One point though - and I think that is a key point here: on page 6 you > mention "posting on AFOLnet". If this comic should help activating the > sleepers, it would be better to mention LUGNET.com instead of a > nonexisting pseudo-site. Even if it gripes those guys from the > (kids-oriented) www.lego.com site. I think that leaving it "AFOLnet" for the strips is fine. I'm hoping that the printed comic won't just be the comcs, but there will be written information, including resourse information on how to find local groups and how to find on-line plces like Lugnet. > > Translations, maybe? Translations would be awesome! Something to think about for the future, though. -Greg

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 16:34:17 GMT
Reply-To:	mattdm@antispammattdm.org
Viewed:	5185 times

Greg Hyland <greg@lethargiclad.com> wrote: > I think that leaving it "AFOLnet" for the strips is fine. I'm hoping > that the printed comic won't just be the comcs, but there will be > written information, including resourse information on how to find local > groups and how to find on-line plces like Lugnet. My thinking is: might as well provide useful information in the strips themselves. -- Matthew Miller mattdm@mattdm.org <http://www.mattdm.org/> Boston University Linux ------> <http://linux.bu.edu/>

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 17:14:04 GMT
Viewed:	5081 times

In lugnet.lego, Matthew Miller wrote: oups and how to find on-line plces like Lugnet. > > My thinking is: might as well provide useful information in the strips > themselves. We are thinking about possibly putting written related information on the same pages as the strips. -Greg

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 07:39:25 GMT
Viewed:	4889 times

Greg Hyland wrote: > Translations would be awesome! Something to think about for the future, though. If you need someone for a German translation, count me in. Yours, Christian Treczoks

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 10:14:48 GMT
Viewed:	5234 times

Greg Hyland wrote: > > Translations, maybe? > > Translations would be awesome! Something to think about for the future, though. Count me in for Czech one (pdf only, methinks). -- Jindroush <jindroush@nospam.seznam.nospam.cz> Remove both 'nospam's from the address to reply.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 3 Mar 2004 05:18:31 GMT
Viewed:	5449 times

In lugnet.lego, Greg Hyland wrote: > I think that leaving it "AFOLnet" for the strips is fine. I'm hoping > that the printed comic won't just be the comcs, but there will be > written information, including resourse information on how to find > local groups and how to find on-line plces like Lugnet. On that note... There's now a small grid of sites on the www.afolnet.com splash page, to help folks find places online. It could stand to be a little more user-friendly and also help people find theme- and location-specific sites, but it's a start -- and will definitely help people see that LUGNET isn't the only thing out there. If you know of any other major LEGO sites for kids, or if I've missed something glaring, lemme know and I'll add a link. I'm also thinkin' maybe the dots in the middle could be deep links to the various resources where possible. Really gotta go to bed now, though. --Todd

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 3 Mar 2004 05:51:53 GMT
Viewed:	5401 times

"Todd Lehman" <tsl@tsl.bu.edu> wrote in message news:HtzIqv.1o6p@lugnet.com... [ ... snipped ... ] > > It could stand to be a little more user-friendly and also help people find > theme- and location-specific sites, but it's a start -- and will • definitely > help people see that LUGNET isn't the only thing out there. If you know • of > any other major LEGO sites for kids, or if I've missed something glaring, > lemme know and I'll add a link. [ ... snipped ... ] Can you add ILTCO? http://www.iltco.org Thanks, Mike -- Mike Walsh - mike_walsh at mindspring.com http://www.ncltc.cc - North Carolina LEGO Train Club http://www.carolinatrainbuilders.com - Carolina Train Builders http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=mpw - CTB/Brick Depot

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 20:17:15 GMT
Viewed:	5483 times

In lugnet.lego, Christian Treczoks wrote: > One point though - and I think that is a key point here: on page 6 you > mention "posting on AFOLnet". If this comic should help activating the > sleepers, it would be better to mention LUGNET.com instead of a > nonexisting pseudo-site. I checked, and someone has registered afolnet.com and .org, but the owner's name isn't shown by whois. But the date of registration is 26-Feb-2004! --Bill.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 20:51:04 GMT
Viewed:	5186 times

Based on this whois <http://www.whois.sc/afolnet.org> Todd Lehman is the one that registered afolnet.org Jonathan Bill Ward wrote: > In lugnet.lego, Christian Treczoks wrote: > > > One point though - and I think that is a key point here: on page 6 you > > mention "posting on AFOLnet". If this comic should help activating the > > sleepers, it would be better to mention LUGNET.com instead of a > > nonexisting pseudo-site. > > > I checked, and someone has registered afolnet.com and .org, but the owner's name > isn't shown by whois. But the date of registration is 26-Feb-2004! > > --Bill.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 21:18:18 GMT
Viewed:	5316 times

On Mon, Mar 01, 2004 at 08:17:15PM +0000, Bill Ward wrote: > In lugnet.lego, Christian Treczoks wrote: > > One point though - and I think that is a key point here: on page 6 you > > mention "posting on AFOLnet". If this comic should help activating the > > sleepers, it would be better to mention LUGNET.com instead of a > > nonexisting pseudo-site. > > I checked, and someone has registered afolnet.com and .org, but the > owner's name isn't shown by whois. But the date of registration is > 26-Feb-2004! I couldn't see the details for afolnet.com (whois claimed there's no record), but for the org, it seems Todd managed to grab it: Domain ID:D104031608-LROR Domain Name:AFOLNET.ORG Created On:26-Feb-2004 23:46:55 UTC ... Registrant Name:Todd Lehman ... I do wonder about the .com though! -- Dan Boger dan@peeron.com

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 23:51:24 GMT
Viewed:	5425 times

In lugnet.lego, Dan Boger wrote: > I couldn't see the details for afolnet.com (whois claimed there's no > record), but for the org, it seems Todd managed to grab it: This strikes me as a good thing. Better that someone in the community get it and preserve it, than that it go to a porn site. (there must be some vast spider somewhere looking for mentions of URLs not yet registered and registering them and connecting them to porn sites, or something. Well not really, but it seems that way sometimes) At some later date if someone pops up with a use for it, it is safely banked.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Tue, 2 Mar 2004 00:04:31 GMT
Viewed:	5675 times

In lugnet.lego, Larry Pieniazek wrote: > This strikes me as a good thing. Better that someone in the community get it > and preserve it, than that it go to a porn site. Late last week I e-mailed Jake suggesting that AFOLnet.com be picked up as a site to web-publish the comic for that specific reason (didn't want to mention it until it got picked up...which it apparently has). Nothing like handing out kid-friendly comic books that advertise Anya's Farm-O'-Luv or somesuch to give TLC a major black eye. I checked before e-mailing him, and it didn't point to anything yet, so maybe he registered it?

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 3 Mar 2004 04:23:03 GMT
Viewed:	5850 times

In lugnet.lego, David Laswell wrote: > Late last week I e-mailed Jake suggesting that AFOLnet.com be picked up > as a site to web-publish the comic for that specific reason You know what would be even better yet? --> afols.com <-- It's available, and it directly matches the name of the comic. --Todd

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Tue, 2 Mar 2004 19:02:54 GMT
Viewed:	5387 times

In lugnet.lego, William R. Ward wrote: > I checked, and someone has registered afolnet.com and .org, but the owner's > name isn't shown by whois. Looks like Todd got both of them.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 3 Mar 2004 03:45:22 GMT
Viewed:	5522 times

In lugnet.lego, William R. Ward wrote: > In lugnet.lego, Christian Treczoks wrote: > > One point though - and I think that is a key point here: on page 6 you > > mention "posting on AFOLnet". If this comic should help activating the > > sleepers, it would be better to mention LUGNET.com instead of a > > nonexisting pseudo-site. > > I checked, and someone has registered afolnet.com and .org, but the owner's > name isn't shown by whois. But the date of registration is 26-Feb-2004! > > --Bill. I'm not sure if AFOLNET.xxx was a deliberate choice, or because AFOL.NET was already taken, but a quick check says that the registration for AFOL.NET has recently expired: afol.net Registrant: <snip for privacy> Domain Name: AFOL.NET Administrative Contact, Technical Contact: <snip for privacy> Record expires on 28-Jan-2004. Record created on 28-Jan-1999. Database last updated on 2-Mar-2004 22:37:55 EST.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 3 Mar 2004 04:07:05 GMT
Viewed:	5510 times

In lugnet.lego, Tim Strutt wrote: > I'm not sure if AFOLNET.xxx was a deliberate choice... I suspect AFOLnet.com was meant to LUGNET.com. Otherwise it should have been AFOL.net, right?

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 3 Mar 2004 04:17:15 GMT
Viewed:	5575 times

In lugnet.lego, Tim Strutt wrote: > I'm not sure if AFOLNET.xxx was a deliberate choice, or because > AFOL.NET was already taken Since the comics list it as AFOLnet and not AFOL.net, I suspect the intent was for the name AFOLnet.com to parallel LUGNET.com.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:23:27 GMT
Viewed:	4826 times

"Jake McKee" <jacob.mckee@america.lego.com> wrote in message news:HtnwFt.qC@lugnet.com... > I've posted this draft to get your feedback. We'd love to hear your • thoughts on > the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed. Jake & Greg, this is great work. And I'm sure it will go a long way towards describing the AFOL community to your colleagues at LEGO. Ideas & topics that could be developed into a strip: - The poor spouse who deals with his/her significant other's obsession with LEGO bricks and the consequences of that obsession - storage, time, money, etc. - AFOL and his/her child going on a wild spending spree through the toy department. (complete with spouse rolling eyes at the checkout!) - The delight and inspiration in the eyes of children when they see the fantastic creations by AFOLs. - And don't forget the delight and inspiration in the eyes of adults, AFOLs or not, when they see the fantastic creations made by children. As a father of a three year old, one of my favorite things to hear is "Daddy, look what I made!" (LEGO, crayon, paint, contruction paper, sparkle glue, whatever...) Bryan

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 16:59:23 GMT
Viewed:	4732 times

In lugnet.lego, Bryan Kinkel wrote: > Ideas & topics that could be developed into a strip: > > - The poor spouse who deals with his/her significant other's obsession with > LEGO bricks and the consequences of that obsession - storage, time, money, > etc. > > - AFOL and his/her child going on a wild spending spree through the toy > department. (complete with spouse rolling eyes at the checkout!) > > - The delight and inspiration in the eyes of children when they see the > fantastic creations by AFOLs. > > - And don't forget the delight and inspiration in the eyes of adults, AFOLs > or not, when they see the fantastic creations made by children. > > As a father of a three year old, one of my favorite things to hear is > "Daddy, look what I made!" (LEGO, crayon, paint, contruction paper, sparkle > glue, whatever...) > > Bryan A children with a t-shirt "My dad has more LEGO than yours". Paulo

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:34:18 GMT
Viewed:	4558 times

Really nice! I printed a copy and put on a table in the brake room here at work, reactions will be interesting. -- Best regards, /Tobbe <http://www.lotek.nu> (remove SPAM when e-mailing)

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 13:29:55 GMT
Viewed:	4643 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

I’ve posted the draft comic on my personal site (easier that way) for you to review.

(snip)

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

This is a great segway tool Jake...if this was circulated in an effective manner and to the right audience, I think the results would be excellent for the community and the company.

This new turn towards ‘back to basics’ and supporting the afols that preach it’s merits, I’m really excited to see what comes of it. Getting us to help get/keep the kids interested in all the lines is the key to sustainable profitablility and product quality...I’m sure of it.

Wonderful stuff from Greg as per usual. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Cheers, -Gil

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:08:45 GMT
Viewed:	4535 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

Thanks Jake,

This brought smiles and smirks to my face, and considering I’ve never been to a Brickfest, and haven’t seen the new grey, that’s an accomplishment.

Thanks,

George

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:16:29 GMT
Viewed:	4566 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

I’m looking forward to hearing your comments!

ROTFLMAO!!!

It burns ussssss!

Congrats on a great job! I can’t wait to see the finished copy!

Nathan Wells

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:15:36 GMT
Viewed:	4646 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

I love the comics. I think they are well drawn and cute. They can really help to get the point across about adults and LEGO. The megaBlXXks one was very funny.

I am, however, rather offended that the artist feels it funny to joke about the colour change. That’s a pretty sore spot with most of us and some of the comics just bring back all that anger and frustration that is making some of us rethink out LEGO habit.

But maybe this is just me.

Dean

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:35:31 GMT
Viewed:	4703 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

I am, however, rather offended that the artist feels it funny to joke about the colour change. That’s a pretty sore spot with most of us and some of the comics just bring back all that anger and frustration that is making some of us rethink out LEGO habit.

But maybe this is just me.

I never made fun of people who are concerned about the colour change issue. I point out the problems, and then end it with a funny punchline that certainly doesn’t mock or belittle the character who is annoyed by the colour change.

I can’t see what is offencive about those three strips. Please, let me know EXACTLY what the problem is. Or is it just that you feel the colour change issue shouldn’t be discussed at all in anything less than a serious tone?

The only person that should find any of these comics offencive is our dear, dear friend... Mr. Jack Stone.

-Greg

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:09:11 GMT
Viewed:	4919 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

Oh, give me a break. People taking this, or for that matter ANY, issue *so* seriously is starting to make me rethink *my* wanting to be a part of this HOBBY. This HOBBY with TOYS.

--SteveR

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:34:09 GMT
Reply-To:	mattdm@mattdm.orgSTOPSPAM
Viewed:	5117 times

Steve Runnels <steve@livethenow.com> wrote: > Oh, give me a break. People taking this, or for that matter ANY, issue *so* > seriously is starting to make me rethink *my* wanting to be a part of this > HOBBY. This HOBBY with TOYS. Well, sure -- that's exactly why it hits so hard. If something's just a "day job", and some bureaucratic change causes disruption, one can easily shrug and say, "oh well, it's not like it's anything that *matters*". But seriously disrupt something into which one puts a huge amount of extracurricular energy -- creative artistic endeavors, epic masterpieces, or just little after-work toying around -- the effect goes deeper. -- Matthew Miller mattdm@mattdm.org <http://www.mattdm.org/> Boston University Linux ------> <http://linux.bu.edu/>

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 22:10:50 GMT
Viewed:	5109 times

In lugnet.lego, Matthew Miller wrote: > Steve Runnels <steve@livethenow.com> wrote: > > Oh, give me a break. People taking this, or for that matter ANY, issue *so* > > seriously is starting to make me rethink *my* wanting to be a part of this > > HOBBY. This HOBBY with TOYS. > > Well, sure -- that's exactly why it hits so hard. If something's just a > "day job", and some bureaucratic change causes disruption, one can easily > shrug and say, "oh well, it's not like it's anything that *matters*". But > seriously disrupt something into which one puts a huge amount of > extracurricular energy -- creative artistic endeavors, epic masterpieces, > or just little after-work toying around -- the effect goes deeper. LEGO is a major matter to me. However, building with LEGO is all about the limitations. If I was out to make the absolute best, most detailed, accurate model of something, why not do it from scratch? Kit-bashing, soldering, etc... So, now I just have another limitation with colors. So what if I have to make do with the pieces I already have, or can get 2nd-hand in certain colors? There are certain pieces I would love to have that either don't exist, are not made any longer, or in the color I want. Oh well, that's part of the hobby! I can see where your arguement is coming from, and certainly my opinion is my opinion. But the fact is this is a hobby for all of us, excluding a few who make they're living by it. And being a hobby it should all be fun. Short of LEGO completely stopping production of LEGO bricks as we know them, I can't imagine getting just *so* upset at anything like some people have been with the color change. --SteveR

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:30:31 GMT
Viewed:	4774 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

I was also concerned that the comic might portray our feelings about the color change in an unfavorable light. But after reading it, I was very grateful for the message that it conveyed to TLC employees:

Lots of us are angry about the color change
The color change will have a negative inpact on retail buying for many people.

I imagine that most people inside TLC have no idea that anyone cares about the color change. This comic is a good way to change their minds.

Marc

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 23:26:32 GMT
Viewed:	4714 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

As something that was intended primarily for an audience within The LEGO Company, I think it was entirely appropriate. There have been a lot of rabid rants on this subject, and they’ll get ignored pretty quickly as soon as it’s obvious what they are. There have been calm and rational explanations for why it was a bad choice, and the first dozen or so might get some attention, but after a while they just tend to melt together and dribble out of your ears. Making it humorous practically guarantees lasting attention, and that’s what we want. If management never realizes how much this affects us, they’ll never correct it. Right now I suspect they’re thinking of it solely in terms of building stuff strictly by the instructions, which goes against everything the LEGO System stands for, and this looks like just the thing to shake them up a bit.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:51:43 GMT
Viewed:	5209 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

And that’s exactly what makes it ripe material for a joke.

Allister

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 03:43:18 GMT
Viewed:	4778 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

I am, however, rather offended that the artist feels it funny to joke about the colour change. But maybe this is just me.

You are right. The colour change is not a joking issue.

Some of the reactions to it, on the other hand, certainly are!

That’s a pretty sore spot with most of us and some of the comics just bring back all that anger and frustration that is making some of us rethink out LEGO habit.

LOL. If I had a 2x4 brick for every time someone claimed to “rethink their Lego habit” (or “buy less of your product in future” etc), I’d have a lot of 2x4 bricks (though they’d probably be in the ‘wrong’ grey!).

Cheers

Richie Dulin

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Sat, 28 Feb 2004 18:13:03 GMT
Viewed:	4856 times

In lugnet.lego, Dean Husby wrote:

It is obviously me... Sigh. I didn’t ‘understand’ the part where these comics were for the internal employees of LEGO. That would make the colour change statements as hints that the AFOLS don’t like the colour change... and that’s a good thing.

Sorry Jake and people. ‘Small’ miss-understanding. If I owned any megaBlxxks I’d be forced to play with them. That should be punishment enough...

Dean

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:56:47 GMT
Viewed:	4575 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

These are great!!!

I saw a reflection of myself, as well as many people I know in the community on this comic. The “issue” with the new gray was ver, very funny. Can’t wait to see the final product, not to mention more new strips.

Excellent job.

Jorge F.-

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:30:15 GMT
Viewed:	4673 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

LOL - very funny stuff and a lot of it hits home - a little TOO close to home actually. Is there an AFOL 12 step program somewhere?

Jake McKee
Community Liaison (and aspiring comic writer)
LEGO Community Development Team

Here is where I am supposed to say “Don’t quit your day job.” ;-)

Bob

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 26 Feb 2004 23:58:45 GMT
Viewed:	4565 times

This one time, Bob Parker wrote: > In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote: > > <http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf > > http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf> > LOL - very funny stuff and a lot of it hits home - a little TOO close to home > actually. Is there an AFOL 12 step program somewhere? Only if there are illustrated instructions showing which bricks you need for each step :) > > Jake McKee¬ > > Community Liaison (and aspiring comic writer)¬ > > LEGO Community Development Team > Here is where I am supposed to say "Don't quit your day job." ;-) I will! Jake, it's awesome. I especially love the fact you address the gray situation as well as the castle/space thingee :) I really like the MOC showing off, and how people (like myself) feel that their MOCs aren't up to par with everyone else's. That was really cool. :) Oh yeah.. .space! :) -Anne -- I always said I wanted to be (\`--/') _ _______ .-r-. somebody. Perhaps I should >.~.\ `` ` `,`,`. ,'_'~`. have been more specific. (v_," ; `,-\ ; : ; \/,-~) \ stripes at tigerlair dot com `--'_..),-/ ' ' '_.>-' )`.`.__.') stripes at brickbox dot com ((,((,__..'~~~~~~((,__..' `-..-'fL

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:31:17 GMT
Viewed:	5032 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

As I mentioned in my keynote, I’m very interested in “Activating the Sleepers” - those folks who just haven’t realized yet that they are AFOLs and there is an entire community out there waiting for them. From the keynote:

So how do we draw them into the community? How do we pull over these energetic new faces?

One idea is to use this comic as a “recruiting” tool.

Like those Christian ‘comics’ with little morality plays and a sermon at the end? I don’t think I’d like that. A comic should be just that - comical. The effort should be put primarily into making it funny.

Many many thanks to Greg. He’s an incredible artist and a hilarious writer. Take a minute to tell him how cool he is!

Hey greg. You’re cool.

I’ve posted this draft to get your feedback. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed. What other types of information can we put in along with the comics to help pull in the “Sleepers”?

And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this?

I’m looking forward to hearing your comments!

I liked it. It was mostly funny, and caught the flavour of the AFOL nicely. It makes a few stabs, but always in an affectionate way that allows us to laugh at our own quirks. There’s enough there that one of these ‘sleepers’ might identify with, but with enough inside jokes to keep the afols reading.

I think the inside jokes should stay. Without them it wouldn’t capture the feel of the afol community nearly as well. If you think it might be too obscure, simply put a URL to the relevant thread on lugnet in one corner of the comic.

As to how I’d ‘use’ it - I’d read it for my own enjoyment, and maybe give it to other afols for theirs. I wouldn’t ever use it as a ‘recruitment tool’ because I’m not an evangelist. If someone expresses an interest in my hobby and asks, I simply point them at lugnet and brickshelf and let them find out the rest themselves if they want to - if they don’t it’s no skin off my nose.

So, the comic is great, and I’d love to see it succeed, but please leave any propaganda out of it. I think that the formula in the pages you presented is spot on, and thankfully free of any ‘message’ other than ‘aren’t we funny’.

I’d also like to see it as a web comic. If it comes out in print only, chances are no-one outside of the USA will ever see it, and that would be disappointing.

Cheers,

Allister

ps. If I understand it correctly, you define a ‘sleeper’ as someone who actively collects and builds with Lego, but hasn’t joined the community yet. Yes?

What about those people, and I think they make up a far greater number of people, that are currently in their ‘dark ages’ but don’t know it? Those people that played with Lego as kids, but put it aside in their early teens. It seems that the majority of lugnetters went through some sort of ‘dark age’, so by extrapolation they are a much greater potential market than these ‘sleepers’.

So how do you draw people out of their dark ages? Well, here at lugnet you’ve got the perfect sample pool. What was it, fellow lugnetters, that brought you out of your dark ages? Surely there’s some sort of pattern to it.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 02:23:25 GMT
Viewed:	5096 times

In lugnet.lego, Allister McLaren wrote: > > ps. If I understand it correctly, you define a 'sleeper' as someone who > actively collects and builds with Lego, but hasn't joined the community yet. > Yes? > > What about those people, and I think they make up a far greater number of > people, that are currently in their 'dark ages' but don't know it? Those > people that played with Lego as kids, but put it aside in their early teens. > It seems that the majority of lugnetters went through some sort of 'dark > age', so by extrapolation they are a much greater potential market than these > 'sleepers'. I think we are basically talking the same thing. I'm talking about both people who actively build, or people in their dark ages, or other potential community members. Jake --- Jake McKee Community Liaison LEGO Community Development

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 04:33:22 GMT
Viewed:	4809 times

In lugnet.lego, Allister McLaren wrote:

It serves little purpose if it’s just a funny joke. Comedy has been used quite effectively as a means for social, political, and religious commentary without having to get preachy about it.

ps. If I understand it correctly, you define a ‘sleeper’ as someone who actively collects and builds with Lego, but hasn’t joined the community yet. Yes?

Jake may have other ideas, but I’d define a sleeper as someone who covertly collects and builds and who isn’t aware that there even is a community to join. This is the group that this comic is best suited for, I’d think. They deserve to at least know they aren’t alone, even if they don’t feel like actively participating in the community. Noone should have to feel guilty about enjoying this hobby. Speaking as someone who used to have to sneak out of the house to get my LEGO fix when I was in high school, I can tell you quite frankly that it’s not a good feeling.

What about those people, and I think they make up a far greater number of people, that are currently in their ‘dark ages’ but don’t know it? Those people that played with Lego as kids, but put it aside in their early teens. It seems that the majority of lugnetters went through some sort of ‘dark age’, so by extrapolation they are a much greater potential market than these ‘sleepers’.

Possibly, but if they’re in their dark ages, they’re less likely to pay attention to something like this than a closet-builder.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 06:00:31 GMT
Viewed:	5397 times

In lugnet.lego, David Laswell wrote:

It serves little purpose if it’s just a funny joke. Comedy has been used quite effectively as a means for social, political, and religious commentary without having to get preachy about it.

Indeed, and that’s what it’s doing now. Seems to me though is that the intention is to make it more ‘preachy’.

Possibly, but if they’re in their dark ages, they’re less likely to pay attention to something like this than a closet-builder.

Exactly. This is why I’m not sure that a comic like this is a very effective ‘recruiting tool’ for Dark Agers.

Allister

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 15:35:08 GMT
Viewed:	5081 times

In lugnet.lego, Allister McLaren wrote:

Indeed, and that’s what it’s doing now. Seems to me though is that the intention is to make it more ‘preachy’.

I don’t think that’s where we’re headed.

-Greg

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 17:07:04 GMT
Viewed:	5237 times

In lugnet.lego, Allister McLaren wrote:

Indeed, and that’s what it’s doing now. Seems to me though is that the intention is to make it more ‘preachy’.

I think you’re jumping to conclusions here. All we’ve seen so far was the version that was used for internal purposes. Significantly different audiences will need versions that are tailored to fit their needs and views. The whole greys issue needed to be put in front of TLC management in a way that they’ll fully understand the negative impact that it will have on their loyal customer base, and if they can’t see it as anything more than a funny joke, they don’t deserve our business or our public support. Elsewhere in this thread, Jake speaks of trust. In this case, we need to trust that the people who have been hired by TLC can see beyond the joke to the heart of the matter. We also need to trust that Jake and Greg will be able to tailor a new version to the public’s needs and interests as well as they have to Management’s.

Exactly. This is why I’m not sure that a comic like this is a very effective ‘recruiting tool’ for Dark Agers.

This version was never meant to be, and I have a feeling that the “recruitment” version will be aimed a lot more at self-persecuting closet-builders than at people who have willingly walked away from it all. There’s a difference between showing someone that it’s okay to openly enjoy their favorite hobby and trying to rekindle peoples’ interest in a hobby that they’ve decided to leave behind them. Every closet-builder is a success story waiting to happen, but the vast majority of Dark Agers will never return to this hobby no matter what you say to them (though it can’t hurt to try). Lack of impact on the latter is a pathetic argument for abandoning the former.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:45:52 GMT
Highlighted:	(details)
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In lugnet.lego, David Laswell wrote:

Lack of impact on the latter is a pathetic argument for abandoning the former.

I never suggested abandoning the effort, just that perhaps a comic isn’t the most effective means of doing it. And that doesn’t mean the comic shouldn’t exist either, just not as a propaganda tool. All this talk of ‘tailoring it to different people’s needs’ will only stifle any humour in it. I say let the author make whatever jokes he wishes, comment on whatever he finds funny at the time without worrying about whether or not it’ll ‘wake the sleepers’.

The things that’ll wake the sleepers are things like Club shows, Brickshelf, Lugnet, cool set designs, and meeting other afols that are part of the community. Using a comic for this seems like a lot of effort for marginal returns.

Cheers,

Allister

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 12:26:30 GMT
Viewed:	4988 times

> ps. If I understand it correctly, you define a 'sleeper' as someone who actively > collects and builds with Lego, but hasn't joined the community yet. Yes? > > What about those people, and I think they make up a far greater number of > people, that are currently in their 'dark ages' but don't know it? Those people > that played with Lego as kids, but put it aside in their early teens. It seems > that the majority of lugnetters went through some sort of 'dark age', so by > extrapolation they are a much greater potential market than these 'sleepers'. > > So how do you draw people out of their dark ages? Well, here at lugnet you've > got the perfect sample pool. What was it, fellow lugnetters, that brought you > out of your dark ages? Surely there's some sort of pattern to it. My dark ages lasted 4 years, now i'm back and building :) just need my parents to find my old collection, it must have at least 2 motors in it ;)

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 05:16:03 GMT
Viewed:	4552 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

One idea is to use this comic as a “recruiting” tool. Imagine you’re out a train show and people are asking about your hobby. Or you may have friends or co-workers that are AFOLs who haven’t realized it yet. Or a local hobby shop has regular customers who you are pretty certain are AFOLs at heart. Perhaps you can get this comic in front of them to show them how much fun the community is.

Perhaps we could have AFOLs standing on street corners holding up copies of the comic. ;-)

Peace and recruitment,

Guru Baba Ding and Starflower

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 27 Feb 2004 19:59:10 GMT
Highlighted:	(details)
Viewed:	4621 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

Jake,

I consider myself a AFOL “Sleeper”. Perhaps The Lego Company should concentrate their efforts in developing better designed products rather than comic books. If so you would definitely wake me up from a very long Lego snooze.

Recent Lego Train Products such as the Super Chief and the Train Shed are a very positive move in the right direction so I still have hope. Thanks for all your efforts.

Ian Sly

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Sat, 28 Feb 2004 14:59:41 GMT
Viewed:	4756 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

As mentioned in my keynote at BF PDX, Greg Hyland and I have been working for some time on a really cool comic book about you, the AFOL.

(sneep)

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

(snoop)

Jake

Man, I wish I also got in on the ground floor marrying two my big interests: LEGO and cartooning...but Greg is really awesome and this project is looking fantastic! I identify with this characters very easily, and alot of big issues are being dealt with honestly and hysterically. “It BURNS US...” Too funny.

Maybe someday there’ll be room in the AFOL community for more than one prolific cartoonist, but until then I’ll wait hungrily by the sidelines and continue to scribble stuff out for my local radio station.

--Dave LUGNET Member #95

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Sun, 29 Feb 2004 22:02:53 GMT
Highlighted:	(details)
Viewed:	5046 times

Jake,

I think the comic is great. I had a really good laugh at a few of the strips. Even though the colour change is a bit of a stinging point with me, I found myself reacting very positively to the strips. Humour is a wonderful tool.

As you mention, and others have pointed out, some AFOL characteristics are more “universal” than others. Most “sleepers” would have experienced pages 7, 8, 10 - 13, for example, but pages 4 - 6, 9, 14 - 26 refer more to AFOL within the community. To achieve the ends of actually connecting with the true “sleepers”, you should stick more to these universally experiences, common to ALL fans, regardless of their exposure to the community.

Page 10 is an excellent example of one of these universal experiences. I guarantee every AFOL, sleeper or otherwise, has gone through this. More could be done about the simple pleasure and relief in actually finding the AFOL community after years of thinking you were the “only one”. That’s really the whole crux of the comic, no? Why not play that up. Other topics suggested have been “Dark Ages”, stepping on pieces and being more concerned about the piece than your foot, lusting after (and perhaps visiting) a Legoland park, etc.

I would love to see a strip or two about the “Sound” of Lego; I can picture an AFOL running his hands through a pile of Lego, over and over, with a big grin on his face, kind of like a “Fabreeze” commercial. Or, how about the way you can tell eighties Lego vs. modern Lego just based on the sound it makes when you search through it, or click it together. Or the horrible sound, imprinted in the brain of every AFOL, of a favourite MOC smashing to bits on a hard floor. There are tons of possibilities around the sound of the brick.

A comic that focuses on Brickfest events, AFOL lingo, Space vs. Castle, Brikwars, or even the colour change, will actually serve more to potentially alienate a “sleeper”. It points out more differences between us and them, instead of highlighting the common experiences we all share.

Perhaps there could be a series of comics, or at least sections within 1 volume, each with an overall theme. The reader goes on a journey, the “awakening”, with the character in the comic. Heck, a comic like this would even be a great way to “explain” our hobby to “concerned” friends and family ;-). Here’s a suggested format for 4 volumes, or at least 4 sections within 1 volume:

1 - What a sleeper looks like - all those universal characteristics and experiences, totally separate from any sense of AFOL community

2 - The sleeper discovers he’s not the only freak out there (discovers “AFOLnet”, local clubs, other online activity), experiences the intimidation and exhiliration at learning he’s not alone! Begins learning the “lingo” (BURP, SNOT, MOC, etc.)

3 - The sleeper truly “awakens”, and meets other fans online and actually in person, finds out his niche (castle, space, robotics, etc.), whines about colour change. You know, starts doing all those AFOL things ...

4 - A sleeper no longer, the AFOL starts building and displaying MOCs to the community, and attends his first con (Brickfest, etc.)

A sleeper reading volume 1 would be saying all through it “That’s ME!”, and could be introduced to the concepts of each successive “step”, to understand better what our community is really like. Having met many sleepers, I can tell you that even the hardcore sleepers are a little intimidated by us truly “aclimatized” AFOL, and need to be “broken in gently”. ;-) The sleepers I’ve met, at events and displays our club has done, are almost universally intimidated at first (comments like “I don’t have that many bricks”, “I could never build like that” are common). It takes a while for a sleeper to realize that there is absolutely no difference between us and them.

So, the comic is fantastic. The real problem is, and alway has been, how to find the sleeper? That’s a good question, for which I have some ideas, but that’s another topic. Given that we can put this comic into the hands of a sleeper, I think it’s a fantastic tool.

Having said all that, I think it’s important to highlight the post made in this thread by Ian Sly, a self-proclaimed sleeper. He says TLG should concentrate on making better product instead of comics. That’s certainly in line with the corporate mandate of “returning to the company’s core values”. Certainly words to take to heart, keeping in mind that this is coming from a sleeper (albeit one obviously thinking about waking up :-).

Oh, and Greg, you’re AWESOME, a truly gifted artist, with a beautiful simplicity in your work, perfect for this task. Can’t wait to see more.

Regards,

Robin Sather Vancouver Lego Club

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 17:28:15 GMT
Viewed:	4870 times

Jake McKee wrote: > > I've posted the draft comic on my personal site (easier that way) for > you to review. > > <http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf > http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf> I want more! -- Anders Isaksson, Sweden BlockCAD: http://w1.161.telia.com/~u16122508/proglego.htm Gallery: http://w1.161.telia.com/~u16122508/gallery/index.htm

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 20:38:45 GMT
Viewed:	4724 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

What other types of information can we put in along with the comics to help pull in the “Sleepers”?

Hey Jake,

I responded more to the content of the comic in a thread over on FBTB, but just to give a personal testamony, for me it was Cool LEGO Site of the Week that got me out my dark ages, just seeing all the things that AFOLs were building. That and some $1.50 promotional sets at Shell gas stations. Anyway, I’d basically just have a list of links to major fan-built sites (and make it clear that these are fan-built and not corporate-built).

Bruce

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 21:32:39 GMT
Viewed:	5012 times

Thank you for providing us, the AFOL community a chance to review your internal comic. Overall, I believe that it does a good job of explaining us to its originally intended audience.

One concern I do have regarding the eventual distribution to the public is your contact information. What AFOL resources will you point them to? It doesn’t seem appropriate to refer them to a source inside TLG when you are trying to inform them of the independent AFOL community. It doesn’t seem right somehow. Sort of like the French ambassador to the US sending out a newsletter telling people to contact him to find out more about being an American.

Sincerely, Pamela

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Mon, 1 Mar 2004 21:54:36 GMT
Viewed:	5212 times

In lugnet.lego, Pamela Hale wrote: What AFOL resources will you point them to? It

doesn’t seem appropriate to refer them to a source inside TLG when you are trying to inform them of the independent AFOL community. It doesn’t seem right somehow.

The content of the additional non-comic information hasn’t been decided yet. But I know that I would like to see a wide range of different resourses being listed, different websites, different LUG orgainizatons, different groups (train & robot) that put on annual or regular events. -Greg

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Tue, 2 Mar 2004 17:43:15 GMT
Viewed:	5013 times

This is a great series of comics!!!

It takes a bit too long in the introduction of each word perhaps, but all the jokes are so spot on it’s not a major issue. And it’s for everyone else anyways. I was rolling reading these!

And yes, I even thought the jokes about the color change were funny. :^)

How come LUGNET is only referred to, not mentioned by name (“AFOLnet”)? Just curious. Wait...is there an AFOLnet?

-Stefan-

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 19 Mar 2004 22:06:45 GMT
Viewed:	4749 times

Well I don’t post (or even lurk) here all that much anymore, and I don’t even know what the PDX thing was Jake wrote about, but I just looked through the PDF file and thought it was absolutely great.

Nicely done, Jake!

Lou Zucaro lou@pause.com

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

I’ve posted the draft comic on my personal site (easier that way) for you to review.

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Thu, 25 Mar 2004 22:52:27 GMT
Viewed:	5007 times

Loved the comic, the expressions and everything are so real. My only comment is that there are no female lego collectors in the comic. The females are either working or being very supportive of their lego enthusiast boyfriend. Maybe the pirate collector could be a girl or one of the other lego collectors at the brickfest?

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Fri, 26 Mar 2004 02:44:51 GMT
Viewed:	5054 times

In lugnet.lego, Tara Anderson wrote:

Thanks for pointing this out. I was too chicken. :)

Pamela

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Wed, 9 Jun 2004 04:46:37 GMT
Viewed:	5559 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

As I mentioned in my keynote, I’m very interested in “Activating the Sleepers” - those folks who just haven’t realized yet that they are AFOLs and there is an entire community out there waiting for them. From the keynote:

For 2004, I’ve dubbed it the year of activating the sleepers. We all hear stories all the time about LEGO builders who are fans but don’t realize it. People who buy sets, build creations, and even have national cable networks rebuild their LEGO themed rooms. But these folks often haven’t even had the synapses fire that make them wonder if there are others out there like them. I call them the sleepers.

So how do we draw them into the community? How do we pull over these energetic new faces?

http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/comic/AFOLcomic-small.pdf

I’ve posted this draft to get your feedback. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the comics, or ideas for strips we may have missed. What other types of information can we put in along with the comics to help pull in the “Sleepers”?

And the idea - is it a good one? Do you see yourself using this?

I’m looking forward to hearing your comments!

Jake

---
Jake McKee
Community Liaison (and aspiring comic writer)
LEGO Community Development Team

Hilarious, great stuff - and it helped this recently awakened AFOL understand the scene a little better, too, which is part of your goal, right? Thanks for the peek - looking forward to more.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Date:	Sun, 20 Jun 2004 16:20:13 GMT
Viewed:	5779 times

Having never touched a LEGO piece before I was 35, the comic excerpts are right on - keep them coming.

Subject:	Re: AFOLs - The comic!
Newsgroups:	lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, lugnet.org
Followup-To:	lugnet.general
Date:	Tue, 31 Aug 2004 03:40:47 GMT
Viewed:	7988 times

In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:

Jake,

Hi. Way to go on AFOLs - the comic! You and Greg did a tremendous job on this first edition. I just got my printed copy from an AFOL friend of mine and I laughed out loud at the turn of every page. I saw a little or A LOT of myself in each of the scenarios, too. You hit the nail on the head with this. I hope to see many more future issues...

Sincerely,

Jonathan Eric Hunter
www.legogh.com