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In lugnet.general, Tim Courtney writes:
> Over the better part of the last year, I've done a lot of thinking about the
> LEGO hobby and the LEGO community, trying to develop a philosophy on it
> which I use to channel my efforts, energies, and interactions. I'm
> interested in hearing others' thoughts on the LEGO community.
>
> Particularly - what do you think the LEGO community includes? what does it
> exclude?
My thoughts are that there are many aspects of the LEGO community...as you
mention later, there are those with different interests with LEGO from
Bionicle to Mindstorms. And the common thread of all of these groups that
make an overall community is that each uses the brick ,or many of them as
the case may be, to communicate in a common language.
That touches upon a statement that Suzanne Rich states on her profile: Lego
is a medium. For me it's a three dimensional pencil of which I draw with
shape, color and volume, which explains why I haven't drawn in over a year.
And my expression is limited compared to what I have seen on Brickshelf and
at Brickfest...there is a broad spectrum out there!
And the attitude of the people I have met, including you, is that there is a
general curiosity about things..how are things made...how did so-and-so
build that. There is an explorer mentality common to all of us.
What does the community exclude? I can't really tell you...I think the
community is pretty inclusive, at least most of the time. My gut feeling is
that those who have 'grown up' perhaps would not fit. But I can't think of a
quantifiable way that exclusion is done. Each group may have a bias of one
type or another, overall, there isn't a general bias.
>
> I entered the online LEGO community in late 1996, when there was only RTL
> (and a dying ATL) for mainstream discussion. The LEGO community was not very
> big compared to today, and there were few resources available. Also, since
> discussion centered around Usenet newsgroups, the active members were more
> experienced computer/internet users - often programmers by trade or college
> students.
I've only been in for a couple of years, and that happened by accident,
actually. And I have seen tremendous growth in the community - when I got an
account on Brickshelf, I was in the 5000s....now the accounts number in the
13000s.
> Since then, we've seen an apparent change in the demographic of the fan
> community. More people online and involved today are general computer users,
> and perhaps barely computer literate. They come from a wide variety of
> backgrounds and with that have different attitudes and outlooks towards the
> LEGO community.
and that diversity is what will let the community grow!
> Through local clubs and community events worldwide, we know that many LEGO
> fans are not connected to the internet, or choose not to participate in
> online discussion. There are also people who aren't a part of the
> "mainstream" LEGO hobby - they embrace "controversial" [1] themes such as
> Bionicle, or participate in LEGO organizations not directly connected to the
> online community such as First LEGO League.
>
> There are people who participate for different reasons. Some participate
> purely for light fun, others for the artistic qualities of the brick, and
> yet others who put serious time into building community resources to enhance
> the LEGO experience.
>
> As I'm trying to determine what the LEGO community means to me, I'd like to
> hear what it means to you.
Simply put, a place to create with a common medium.
> I've encountered very conservative and very liberal attitudes towards what
> "the LEGO community" is. I think some feel it is (or should be) limited to
> LUGNET, others limited to active online participants. Where on the other end
> of the spectrum, some openly and enthusiastically include Bionicle builders
> and First LEGO League kids, artists who use LEGO as a medium but don't
> communicate with LEGO fans online, and more. I've also experienced different
> attitudes towards how the LEGO Company fits in (or doesn't fit in) as a
> participant in the LEGO community.
Some of that seems to be a slight snobbery, IMO. But some of that could be
that one group simply doesn't know about the others.
> I see everything in the world of LEGO as having its purpose. Though I lvoe
> LUGNET, I don't see it as the end-all, be-all of LEGO sites. I think there's
> plenty of room for places like From Bricks to Bothans and BZPower, even
> though they cater to a different demographic than LUGNET does. I also firmly
> believe in the in-person community; local clubs, groups like First LEGO
> League, and people who follow LEGO news and attend public shows like those
> at BricksWest, Northwest BrickCon, LEGOWORLD, LEGO Train shows, and more.
I agree. There's a lot out there, and different approaches to LEGO that I
want to see and explore. I set up the local LUG meetings, and I try to get
whoever I can to come. Everyone who shows has *something* to offer,
regardless of specialty and interests.
>
> I'm for evangelizing the LEGO hobby. I want to see more people discover this
> amazing hobby and the resources that are available to them. I want to see
> those people grow in their building skills and build friendships with
> like-minded blockheads. I like open LEGO events, that encourage the public,
> or at least members of the public interested in the hobby for themselves, to
> attend. At the same time, I like to get together with my LEGO friends from
> all over the country (and even world) and talk shop with few outside
> interruptions.
I'm pretty close to your view here. Except I don't know enough shop to talk:)
>
> So, where do you think LEGO interests which aren't necessarily "mainstream"
> accepted values fit in? What makes someone someone a "member" of the LEGO
> community? If someone actively participates in a league such as FLL, but
> doesn't post on LUGNET, are they "in?"
I think that everyone becomes a member of a casual type when they start
building...it then becomes that person's choice to be a deeper member by
finding their niche. And while a person in FLL might not post on LUGNET,
that means only that those in LUGNET haven't seen them. The notion of
community is larger than that, IMO.
LUGNET, FLL, fill in the blank...all these organizations are only aspects of
the community. And while it is easy to categorize by using memberships to
these as benchmarks, I don't think that the community is just a club or
group of clubs. It's much larger than that.
>
> I know there are no concrete answers to the questions I am asking. I am
> simply wondering what others think. Maybe these thoughts can open peoples'
> eyes to what else is out there, beyond our corner of the LEGO world. And I
> hope the ideas will help me continue to form my opinions and attitudes
> towards the LEGO hobby as a whole.
Your attitudes are pretty close to mine. And this is a great topic to mull over!
> Thanks for reading - and I'd love to hear your thoughts!
>
> -Tim
>
> [1] In the sense that it was quickly shunned by adult fans online when
> released, and to this day is not yet widely accepted as a legitimate
> building medium by the same.
Which is a shame, because while I can't build very well with Bionicle, the
Bionicle group has created a way to create organic forms with ball and
socket joints. And that alone, to me, merits exploring.
Joe Meno
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