Subject:
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Hope to help, edify and soothe, but probably won't
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:45:08 GMT
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Hi.
My name's Dave and I'm a LEGOholic ;)
Having LEGO around me for basically my entire life is what brought me here
today.
For many years there was a slight concern amongst my family and friends
about me, for I was continuing to buy and create with LEGO bricks well past
my teenage years, thru my twenties, and now into my thirties.
With the advent of the internet, I found that I wasn't the only AFOL in the
world--that there were others (older even!) that were having just as good a
time as I was with LEGO bricks.
I can't remember how I came across the rtlToronto website, but there I
stumbled 3+ years ago, and that site (and the people that are in rtlToronto)
eventually pointed me to LUGNET.
Wow! LUGNET--The meetingplace of FOL's from all over the world!! I was
literally overwhelmed! But that never stopped me from diving in before, so,
well, I dived right in. And what's more--it was Free!! (1).
Free Free Free.
And I enjoyed this community for the last few years--have seen many, many,
stunning MOCs, was inspired by awesome ideas, had great 'chats', surfed to
other LEGO fan websites, and got to meet interesting people from all over
the world in the 'virtual land' of LUGNET.
Yes I included Brichshelf above, for that is also part of this little story.
Actually, that;s probably the point of this little story.
'Cause here's the thing--
If you woke up tomorrow morning, went to your computer, and surfed to
www.brickshelf.com and found that it wasn't there anymore, how would you
feel? This isn't a pay-per-use site, nor is it fronting a mega-dollar
company like msn.com does for Microsoft.
What we fail to realize, I think, is that Brickshelf and LUGNET are
basically on the info superhighway by the graces of the owners--they do it
because they're fans, because they like it, because it's a hobby maybe, but
I think from my read, they do it because they like sharing their enthusiasm
for LEGO amongst all the FOL's in the world that want to share.
These two sights specifically, and other support sites like LDraw.org and
the like, are not in this for profit, or for whatever else--they're in it
because fans of the brick, just like you and me, want to share, meet with,
help, and just enjoy this hobby with others.
If Brickshelf is slow, sure, post helpful solutions. If LUGNET needs
improvement, voice your opinion. But do all this in a way that you would
talk to a good friend--not like you're talking to your cable company if your
cable is out. (If you're really good, talk to your phone and cable company
as if they are your friends, even when you are dissatisfied with their
service at the time... but that's a tangent for another time ;) )
If you don't get an immediate response, or you don't get a response at all,
it's not that you're being maliciously ignored, it's that this is,
fundamentally, a hobby for these people--there are other things going on in
their lives (such as, perhaps, the holiday season and the stress that can
come with that) so they may not have the time, patience or even inclination
to address your concerns--so be it--why would you expect them to cater to you?
If your MOC didn't generate responses, it didn't mean it wasn't appreciated.
You shouldn't be looking for vindication to build with LEGO from external
sources. I encourage you to keep sharing your MOCs, even if none of them
get a reply. The good bit about sharing is the *giving*, not the receiving.
If you're uploading your MOCs just to get responses, that's, in my opinion,
a little petty, and it isn't sharing.
If you wish to leave the community because you have issues with it,
honestly, there's the door--delete the bookmark out of your favourites--no
one is keeping you here.
If, on the other hand, you wish to enjoy the fellowship of like minded
individuals throughout the world, we love hearing stories, seeing pictures,
and spending time with other fans of the brick.
I think in the final analysis, being polite and helpful is where it's at. I
also encourage you to post positive, well, posts :) directed at the admins,
the curators of groups, and the owners of these LEGO fan sites--a little
encouragement to brighten up their day and perhaps make them feel
appreciated. They're not asking for this, I'm just saying it'd be a good
thing(tm).
I mean, how would you feel if all you ever received was flak from folks?
Since we are fans of LEGO, we take this pretty personally--I know that thru
the years, anytime friends and family showed their unappreciation of my LEGO
hobby, it did hurt a bit--not enuf to give up the hobby or lose sleep over.
But again, I didn't need their validation to continue my hobby, I played
with LEGO because it's fun and creative.
Listen to me/don't listen to me, it matters not. Please just keep in mind
where we would all be if LUGNET and Brickshelf and the like suddenly ceased
to exist.
Now I'm rambling so I'm done. I'm going for a cupcake now.
Thanks Suz, Todd, Kevin (and a whole slew of other folks, but I'm not good
with names--sorry). Your work and dedication really is appreciated.
Dave K
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Message has 6 Replies:
 | | Re: Hope to help, edify and soothe, but probably won't
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| <<snip long and well written good stuff>> Amen to that! LUGNET, the friendliest place on the 'net - let's keep it this way. My name is Tobbe and I *LOVE* LUGNET, BriskShelf, Peeron and a whole lot more! I'd give you all a big hug if it were not for (...) (22 years ago, 17-Dec-02, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Hope to help, edify and soothe, but probably won't
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| (...) I have no idea how I'd 'feel', but here's what I'd think: "Looks like the bandwidth bills got to be too much. Sad, but it's time to move on." Come to think of it, Brickshelf sometimes hasn't been there before. I can't imagine the effort (...) (22 years ago, 17-Dec-02, to lugnet.general)
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