Subject:
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Latest update from LEGO Direct
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego.direct
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Date:
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Tue, 9 Jan 2001 22:31:32 GMT
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Highlighted:
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Greetings!
I have finally gotten caught up after the holiday break and then the mad
rush to get back up to speed when you get back to the office!
Anyway, I have been sorting through the lugnet.lego.direct newsgroup and
wanted to respond to/update a few things.
Online Shop Status
The online shop launched in September and has proven itself to be highly
successful. We're very pleased with the results so far, but we know that we
can and will do much better.
More than a few of you have pointed out some of the shortcomings of the
LEGO.com shop over the last few months. We are fully aware that there are
some usability and functionality issues that exist on the site and are
working to correct them. When we launched in September, we pulled off a
massive coup in getting a international site (two languages and eleven
countries), a large catalog of items (in multiple currencies), a stable
technology platform (we had zero downtime during the holiday shopping
season) and much more in place well before Christmas. As any e-commerce
developer knows, once the shop is up, you never ever ever monkey with the
technology during the biggest shopping season of the entire year. But now
that the holidays have come and gone, we will be improving the functionality
of the site (the slow and annoying left hand navigation menu will be
replaced soon), as well as continuing our ongoing Usability Testing.
The online shop proved itself many times this season, through zero down time
:) and high order volume, as well as high product availability and immediate
fulfillment. Most access errors to the site were traced to local ISP issues.
But to reiterate, we are currently working to improve and enhance the
current functionality.
Train Contest Discussion
Wow, what emotion this contest has sparked! There have been a number of
misconceptions about this contest and my hope here is to not only to clear
them up, but put to rest any worries you might have about this and any
similar future contests.
1. LEGO *is not* producing any sets based on the winning design, submitted
designs, or other designs. That *is not* the purpose of this contest. (If we
were looking for input and contributions for train -- or any other theme --
designs, this certainly isn't how we would do it!) So what *is* the purpose
of the contest?? Keep reading.
2. The reasons we decided to do this contest are several:
- Create a fun contest for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, including the AFOL
crowd.
- Create interest and enthusiasm for the Train line
- Showcase the terrific things that are being and can be done with the Shop
At Home bulk packs
3. The Shop At Home catalog (where the contest is featured) is mailed to
about 1.5 million households, with a majority of the recipients being
households with children; so we expect the vast majority of entries to come
from kids. This contest was in no way targeted solely to adults or even to
train enthusiasts, but rather to all ages, *including* AFOLs.
4. LEGO *will* be creating instructions for the winning entry and posting
them online for free for anyone to build. This is the reason that we have to
obtain copyrights to the individual design. The agreement does not apply to
those entries that are not the winning entry.
5. This is really the first contest of this nature that LEGO has done and as
such the lawyers were very uptight about the guidelines (a better safe than
sorry kind of thing). To the point about whether or not LEGO can do some
type of different agreement for the next contest, we are considering that
strongly and exploring the options. We are going to refine the fine print
for the next contest and keep all your suggestions in mind. Please remember,
these guidelines are a requirement of American society these days. Also,
we're examining whether we can duplicate the contest in Europe, but
regulations regarding contests and giveaways are much more restrictive
there. We'll do it if we can.
6. Perhaps the most off-base rumor lately has been about the demise of the
Train line. Although I can't say much at this point, let's just say that
this is only the beginning of a great deal of Train activity throughout 2001
and beyond!
LoM and SW sets online
One last note, if you haven't noticed, the new Star Wars sets and the Life
on Mars are only available online through the LEGO shop! As soon as these
products were released, we had them in the store! How's that for service!
And if you have seen the new Dragon sculpture, it's worth checking out, too.
That's all I have for now. I hope this catches everyone up and puts your
minds at ease.
Thanks!
Jake McKee
-------------------
Sr. Producer
LEGO Direct
NYC
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Message has 8 Replies:
 | | Re: Latest update from LEGO Direct
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| (...) Thanks for clarifying! BTW, I thought the agreement said that by submitting an entry, the entrant agreed to sign over the rights if he/she won. Would a winning entrant be allowed to change his/her mind and keep the rights (giving up the prize, (...) (23 years ago, 9-Jan-01, to lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Latest update from LEGO Direct
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| (...) Thank you Jake! The era of friendly communication between the consumer (AFOL) and the producer is at hand! Glad you could clear things up and very impressed to see that you read the stuff that appears here on Lugnet. Personally, I haven't used (...) (23 years ago, 10-Jan-01, to lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Latest update from LEGO Direct
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| (...) Thanks for the info. But wait, what about the "unknown" LoM sets? The back of the Alien DIscovery pak clearly shows two more small LoM sets, but absolutely no one has seen them. I know you probably cannot reply to this, but will we every see (...) (23 years ago, 10-Jan-01, to lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Latest update from LEGO Direct
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| (...) Hi, Jake! [snip] (...) [snippity snip] (...) You've mentioned Europe, and the site now supports several European countries, but I was wondering what the plans are (if any) for Australia. I don't know about actual sales, but if Lugnet's (...) (23 years ago, 10-Jan-01, to lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | Re: Latest update from LEGO Direct
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| "Jake McKee" <jacob.mckee@america.lego.com> wrote in message news:G6x2KK.Fo@lugnet.com... (...) 2001 (...) Jake, Thanks for mentioning this about the train line. I suppose I should start saving my Lego budget for later in the year! Can you clarify (...) (23 years ago, 10-Jan-01, to lugnet.lego.direct)
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