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In lugnet.general, Michael Arrighi writes:
> In lugnet.general, Tim Courtney writes:
> > Note, I said the future of the 'LEGO community,' not the future of the
> > 'LUGNET community.' Of course, the LUGNET community will exist primarily
> > online :-) That's not to say that there won't be greater numbers of people
> > participating in in-person LEGO communities, some which may be plugged into
> > LUGNET, others which may not be.
Hi Michael -
> I've been reading this post with fascination and hope I'm not replying too
> late.
Not at all! In fact, I think as this thread continues, we're getting better
and better responses, getting down to the meat of things.
> First, thanks for bringing up such an interesting topic! For me,
> LUGNET is a great way to catch up on Lego-related news, and I consider
> myself a member of the community, but not actively so. I love LEGO as much
> as anyone else here, I suspect, but I don't fit the "typical" AFOL prototype
> that seems to exist on this site: I'm not a math/science/engineer type, and
> I'm probably the most technologically-challenged individual among all of us.
> I don't even own a computer at home and can only check LUGNET at work.
There are many LEGO fans which fit that description. More than half of my
train club doesn't read/post to LUGNET, for one reason or another, and
several are not very computer-savvy. Others are in tech jobs, and still
don't use LUGNET that much, both cause of their feelings on the environment
and culture here, and cause they'd rather spend their time building.
> I
> feel that not being overly familiar with computers or how to use them (it
> was a real accomplishment when I learned how to post a message) definitely
> diminishes the chance to play a bigger role in THIS particular community;
This is a big point which I feel needs attention. I know many people who
either find LUGNET too confusing to set up for posting, or don't like it for
one reason or another. Those who experience the former find it near
impossible to get support to help them set up. Unless LUGNET creates more
user-friendly methods of setting up for posting, with clearer documentation
and FAQs, I don't forsee many more marginally computer savvy people joining
and participating. Some people here might welcome that side effect, but I
don't. I'd like to lower the bar, rather than raise it.
> however, I still consider myself VERY involved in the LEGO world in that I
> continue to build MOCS, display my collection, etc. with other individuals
> that are not involved with LUGNET but share my love of the brick.
That's good. Might I ask, are you involved in a local LEGO club, or do you
do similar activities?
> > There's a distinction that needs to be drawn here, between the world of
> > LUGNET and the world of LEGO. They are not one in the same. LUGNET exists in
> > the realm of the LEGO hobby, or 'LEGO community,' where the LEGO community
> > is not contained wholly within LUGNET.
>
> I agree. Again, LUGNET for a lot of people is just a small part of their
> entire LEGO experience.
Yep!
> I know many, many individuals who are not computer
> literate (like myself), and don't participate in THIS community (LUGNET) but
> still are very involved with LEGO.
I'm glad people are saying this. It was a central point in my mind to
bringing up the topic in the first place. Some people on LUGNET seem to
think we're *the* center of the entire LEGO universe, and if it's not on
LUGNET, it's not a part of the LEGO community. This is simply not true.
There are many other LEGO communities which exist (quite contently) outside
of LUGNET. If there's any push to further establish LUGNET as the de facto
center, I feel it will alienate other communities further and cause more
fragmentation in the hobby.
I'd like to see a common ground where various LEGO communities can come
together and discuss pan-hobby with each other. I don't think any resource
exists at the moment to provide that where everyone (who converses online)
is comfortable. Were LUGNET more user-friendly both from a technical
perspective and a social perspective, it could have become just that. I do
believe based on conversations with many non-LUGNET LEGO fans, it's no
longer possible for LUGNET to be perceived as a neutral meeting ground.
That's not to say I don't love LUGNET for what it is, I just acknowledge
what it isn't! :-)
Great points, Michael, it was good to hear your perspective.
-Tim
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