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Subject: 
Re: Meta Question
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:52:47 GMT
Viewed: 
8332 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Richard Franks wrote:
So I was wondering really, what happened? Did RTL make a comeback, did
differently coloured bricks drive everyone crazy, was there some terrible
dark drama?

I think the problem was that LUGNET didn't respond enough to people's desires.
The administration was either inactive or unable to comply, thanks to various
reasons. Essentially, LUGNET's software was all custom made to follow an NNTP
design which people (users) became increasingly unfamiliar with. Similarly,
because it was a custom job, few people were both capable and willing to add
enhancements to make it more modern. And to top it off, because administration
was typically done (initially) on the server rather than through a web
interface, administration was similarly difficult and started trailing off in
activity. There were several attempts to revitalize LUGNET, but none of them
lasted particularly long.

Meanwhile, it's become increasingly simple to set up web-based forums. Back in
1998, it was extremely difficult for your typical person to set up web forums,
but now you don't really need to know that much in order to host some of your
own. So other sites have popped up, drawing people along with them.
Unfortunately, this means that many smaller sites don't quite have that
"professional" feel to them that LUGNET had, because again, it's been relatively
easy for individuals who aren't concerned with professionalism to set up their
own sites. So now there's a mix of many different sites with differing levels of
quality.

As for the dark dramas, yes, there were many. Or few, depending on how involved
you were and how personally you took them. There were concerns about people
making power grabs, people abusing power, and even about people being "in bed"
with Lego. Not to mention personal disputes, arguments, and general mistrust.
Much of that took place behind the scenes, but some of it occasionally hit
center stage. Some people have said that they stopped reading LUGNET during
these sorts of political bouts, as there was a shortage of things like MOC posts
and general interesting Lego banter.

But despite all of that, LUGNET has continued (albeit much more quietly). And
hopefully it will continue to keep going for a long time yet. Personally, I
think it's a testament to the quality of the site and to the community that
LUGNET was able to help bring together during its years of growth.

DaveE



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Meta Question
 
Thanks for the detailed recap! (...) I agree (although that's probably a bit off-topic for off-topic.debate) - I have quite an irrational fondness for this little corner of the internet. Richard (16 years ago, 17-Jan-08, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Meta Question
 
I haven't been around in a while, but I remember Lugnet being a bit more.. well.. alive. The wiki page doesn't illuminate much, and catching up on four years worth of posts doesn't seem terribly feasible. So I was wondering really, what happened? (...) (16 years ago, 14-Jan-08, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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