Subject:
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Re: Brickshelf.com – A Possible Solution
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:30:40 GMT
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Viewed:
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3263 times
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In lugnet.general, Marc Nelson Jr. wrote:
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Why doesn’t TLG run a gallery for AFOLs? Yes, there’s a
sort of gallery on LEGO.com, but
it’s an unbrowsable mess filled with 10-year-olds posting images they stole
from Ed Boxer.
Have any of the Ambassadors discussed this with the company? I know
Brickshelf was an expensive operation for one guy, but it would be a drop in
the bucket for TLG - and some of the cheapest advertising they could buy.
Marc Nelson Jr.
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Marc--
Sounds like a good idea. Heck, it sounds like a great idea at first blush.
However...
TLG is not in the website business. (Nor should they be.) They are working
with NetDevil to create an MMOG (or whatever they call it); and their website is
being redone even now as we speak. (As a long time club member, it’s on the
bottom of the club page: “All New LEGO Club Site Coming Soon!”) LEGO creates
bricks that can be made into things.(I know--duh. Humor me for just a sec,
okay?)
Part of what was a drag on both LEGO’s creativity and bottom line was the foray
into movies, video games, collectible card games, and a lot of stuff that
isn’t bricks. They figured this out, cut their losses, and turned back to
their core product: bricks. A good thing, really. They do “binding bricks” like
nobody else can.
Now, I can see some positives for TLG running an online MOC repository. There is
the ad value, plus showing pics from like NW Brickcon, Brickfest, etc. and what
those of AFOL’s are doing. Great inspiration for younger builders, etc. It might
lead to more sales, and would make a lot of people pretty happy. Happy customers
become repeat business.
But the negatives (For TLG) are much larger. You have to have people constantly
working on the website, updating stuff, possibly rewriting code, moderating ALL
the pictures; there has to be a safe and secure place to host a rapidly growing
world of pictures, powerpoints, Ldraw files, etc. Plus, because it is LEGO,
they would have to make it kid friendly. (Not a bad thing, but if we as adults
want to post “AFOL” gatherings, for example...see what I’m saying?) And, since
they are not in the computer website business, this could well become an
excessive drain on their resources...and their bottom line. Eventually, it gets
too big--and they might have to do what Kevin did with BrickShelf: pull the
plug.
Furthermore, every picture, powerpoint, Ldraw file, and so forth that gets
uploaded to a website that they own/run may well become their property. (Many
corporations do this; it protects their rights.) While that may not be a bad
thing short term, in the long run many people may not want to sign their rights
away. I’m not sure I would; while I don’t sell many of my pictures of anything,
I do make certain pictures available for those that want to purchase them...and
so, I don’t want to sign away my rights quite so quickly.
No...I feel it may be better that a respository for MOC pictures, etc is best
left in the hands of the AFOL’s. I can see a yearly fee for such a service;
depending on the cost (I’m GUESSING!!! between $10-$20 USD/year for x amount
of gig storage space) and I would more than likely pay it.
Still--a good idea, and one that could possibly happen, if TLG has an interest.
Play Well and Prosper,
Matthew
“The Brick Detective”
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Brickshelf.com – A Possible Solution
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| (...) You're right on about a gallery site being outside of TLG's core business. But what if the site wasn't run by TLG, but just funded by it? Actually, if Brickshelf is gone, then this might be the sort of thing that the new, improved LEGOFan.org (...) (17 years ago, 16-Jul-07, to lugnet.general, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Brickshelf.com – A Possible Solution
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| Why doesn't TLG run a gallery for AFOLs? Yes, there's a (URL) sort of gallery> on LEGO.com, but it's an unbrowsable mess filled with 10-year-olds posting images they stole from Ed Boxer. Have any of the Ambassadors discussed this with the company? I (...) (17 years ago, 16-Jul-07, to lugnet.general, FTX)
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