Subject:
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Re: From the first LEGO(r) Train Summit: LEGO(r) Trains are alive and well
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains, lugnet.lego.direct
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Date:
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Sun, 4 Feb 2001 16:44:18 GMT
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Viewed:
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2119 times
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In lugnet.trains, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> In lugnet.trains, Frank Buiting writes:
> > In lugnet.trains, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> > > I am under NDA so cannot go into a lot of detail, but I did want to post to
> > > say that and several other Lego Trains stalwarts have just completed the
> > > first ever LEGO(r) Train Summit.
> >
> > Great stuff! Are there plans to have such meeting again someday? It's great
> > to hear that Lego is _really_ in touch with their community!
>
> It was the *first* *train* summit.
>
> >
> > I guess the NDA covers future products, or does it also cover other things?
> > Please tell us for a rough indication about what questions we don't have to
> > bother asking.
>
> I can't talk about future products, about demographics or web usage or sales
> figures, or about costs/numbers/successes for various marketing, sales or
> production activities, for example. There are other things that I probably
> *could* talk about but that I would prefer to let LD reveal in the way and
> fashion that they choose to. It's their thunder, they ought to get to make it.
>
> > I was wondering if the folks from Lego all are reading Lugnet and what their
> > feelings are about how the community reacts to things. Did you also talk
> > about that kind of stuff?
>
> Yes indeed. The following is all my opinion and inference, not an official
> LD statement, because I am not an official LD spokesperson. I think it is
> very very very close to the sentiment within LD though.
>
> The answers are what you might expect. Communication is a core part of the
> LD mission. Communication TO consumers, communication FROM consumers,
> communication AMONG consumers. LUGNET is an important part of that
> communication, because we are influential out of proportion to our numbers.
> But in absolute numbers LUGNET is dwarfed (orders of magnitude) by the very
> effective communication that lego.com is achieving with the primary LEGO
> target market. The numbers on usage of lego.com are proprietary but they are
> stunning blowouts in areas like satisfaction, number of visits, number of
> repeat visits, stickiness, etc, *among the target market* for lego.com. That
> target market is not us, except peripherally.
>
> If you are asking specifically about the cluelessness and rudeness that some
> exhibit here, yes, it detracts from the effectiveness of the multi way
> channel here. LD is listening. Really.
>
> Things happen because of stuff that is reported here but Brad is not going
> to respond to every problem report about a missing comma on the website. I
> think the suggestion to come up with something more like a problem reporting
> or trouble ticket system would be a good start to cut down on the noise
> factor here. The problem reports ARE important and are appreciated but they
> should not be the primary focus of this group and people should not go off
> because something isn't fixed right away or because every problem isn't
> acknowledged. A site with the millions of visits that lego.com gets is not
> something that you change willy nilly, you have to have a rigorous rollout
> and promotion process. Anyone who works in software development ought to
> realise that. And you especially DON'T mess with stuff during high season.
>
> The venom/cynicism/sarcasm doesn't help. It's not necessary. LD gets it.
> Things *are* changing, but things don't change overnight, and anyone who
> thinks that a year is overnight is pretty clueless as to how things work
> inside big companies, especially large family held ones. Does that mean
> clueless people that spew venom need to be banished? No. Let them spew. It
> may curdle the stomachs of some very nice and very hard working people, many
> of them truefans, inside LD, but venom comes with the territory, they're
> used to it.
>
> Quiet diplomacy gets a lot more done. The squeaky wheel may get the grease
> but the other wheels of the wagon are doing all the work. Venom may well in
> the final analysis tell who can be mostly ignored and who matters. And the
> people who say "we want X" and when X happens, say "X was what I wanted but
> I'm still not going to buy any X because LEGO sucks" are the easiest to
> ignore in my opinion.
>
> There are some thought leaders here who ought to think a bit more about
> their words before they indulge themselves. But the people already on the
> ignore list, why, you guys can just keep on spewing, in my opinion you
> already blew your chance. We need a skipfilter here though so the rest of us
> can igore them too.
>
> What I find most ironic is the slamming of LD for not moving fast enough and
> for not experimenting and for not doing things incrementally at the same
> time that the website and the bulk assortment and other things are being
> slammed for not being perfect on the first try. Gimme a break.
>
> Clearly the original communication expectations that LD set were optimistic.
> I expect some clarification on what communication expecations are reasonable
> to happen "soon". But remember what "soon" means, please. It does not
> necessarily mean "overnight".
>
> All of the above is my opinion and my opinion only.
>
> > > The conversation was wide ranging and very productive. We discussed things
> > > that LD is going to be doing, the future of the product line and
> >
> > Did you talk also about the general feeling that sets are ...uhm..
> > 'different' than 5 years ago?
>
> The following is my opinion and interpretation, not official. I think it's
> very close to LD opinion but it was a controversial topic, not everyone in
> attendance agreed with LD.
>
> Yes, sets are different.
>
> Kids are different too.
>
> There is a continuum of targets for sets. Primo, Duplo, Creator/Town Jr.
> start things out. But there is a big gap between Jr. and Mindstorms, for
> instance. LD is trying to fill some of the gaps. But the process is a bit
> out of the normal way that products get created. Way out. So it has to
> happen incrementally, LD cannot wave a magic wand and get everything changed
> instantly. And each increment has to prove itself against stiff IRR/ROI
> targets. The standard LSI product development process is well known, well
> understood, happens internally, happens in Billund, takes a long time, and
> is within everyone's comfort zone. What LD is doing is none of those things.
> It is totally new ground and has to prove itself step by step.
>
> So LD has work to do before big changes happen. Small changes come first and
> have to prove themselves.
>
> But even in that context, LD shouold not instantly make Jr. go away, as Jr.
> fills an important role. Tell me what 6 year old could handle a set with the
> complexity of my PCC streetcar, to pick an non LEGO example?
>
> > > ways to
> > > leverage the productive relationship between LTCs and LD.
> >
> > Can you tell a bit about what was discussed on this topic?
>
> Clubs are not, and should not be, a marketing arm for LD. Clubs are not, and
> should not be, a recruitment arm for the NMRA. We do stuff in clubs because
> it is fun and one should never lose focus on that. Fun is the primary focus.
> LD does not exist solely to make clubs successful, LD exists to move
> product. That means moving the product that exists and doing what it can to
> grow the market by developing products that do that.
>
> But there are things that LD can and will do to help clubs, in areas like
> formation, ongoing support, better contact points, etc. And there are things
> that LTCs can do to help LD as well. This discussion, in depth, took up a
> substantial part of the day.
Some of your opinions anger me Larry. I hate to say this but you also
criticize other people. Maybe you should take a look at the "venome" in you.
And not act like everyone is so feeble in the field of trians.
> ++Lar
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