LegoModularFan

Making Eurobricks More Active

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6 hours ago, BrickJagger said:

Just thought of another small thing. I feel like the April Fool’s jokes that the staff used to do were a fun way to bring the forum together. Those topics used to get a couple hundred replies each iirc and it was interesting to see how the site layout would change, or if we had been taken over by the Disney overlords. :tongue:

In the past few years though, there hasn’t been one. It’s really just a small thing, but is there a reason why the mods stopped doing them?

I think if you are going to do them, they have to be good. Just about every site does an April Fools joke and they become obvious and lame. This year, they did announce the Galidor competition on April Fools Day.

 

 

I thought it might have been better not to have written that it wasn't an April Fools joke on it. People would have assumed it was an April Fools joke, just to find out it wasn't. So by not being an April Fools joke, it would turn out to be an April Fools joke. That would have been a bit more thought provoking than the usual stuff about Disney or Megabloks and so on. They would probably have fooled a lot more people than usual.

Edited by MAB

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Pfff, the best one was in 2007:

EB_april_fools_2007.jpg

That caused a frenzy - good fun, especially since only 2 people were in on it...

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I personally am more interested in making/discussing MOCs, then I am in finding leaks, and discussing future sets. I'll look at those threads once in a while, but for the most part I'm here to see the builds everyone makes. As several others have mentioned, it's sad how little feedback (both constructive criticism and praise) some creations receive (and sometimes no comments at all). I can say from experience that getting several comments on a build can make you want to build more, which in turn makes the forum even more active.

At one point, I was commenting on almost every build I saw - it was very rewarding, and gets you to interact with a lot of builders. Recently I've been a bit busier, and haven't kept up the commenting rate I had then. I would like to start commenting more, as it is very encouraging as a builder to know that people appreciate your MOCs.

That's one of the spots I feel the Eurobricks community as a whole could work to improve. I understand not everyone has the time/desire to comment on builds all the time, but even just leaving your thoughts on a build once a day, or once a week, etc, means a lot to the builders. Another important factor I think is not simply saying "Great build!" or "Nice MOC!", but actually pointing out a certain detail/section of the build that you particularly admire. Obviously I appreciate all comments, as the person took time out of their day to let me know that they liked my build, but writing something more really lets the builder know that you actually looked at his/her build. As for constructive criticism, I understand some builders don't want to hear it - but many builders really appreciate hearing what others think could be improved on their models. It's what builds the community, and what helps each of us improve our building skills. As such, I don't think people should be afraid to leave suggestions if they have them.

And to answer the specific questions:

  • Would you like to see more contests?
     Definitely! Contests are often what get me building, and it's a fun way of interacting with other community members. Plus you get to see lots of inspiring builds!
     
  • What is your opinion of Tags (those small images on the left <---)?
    I like them, and they can be a handy way of learning things about other members.
     
  • Do you use, if ever, Eurobricks reference materials (ie. lists of Reviews, lists of MOCS, lists of Forums)?
    Occasionally, though not very often.
     
  • Have you participated in games on Eurobricks (ie. Role-Playing, Mafia, etc.)?
    Yes - Guilds of Historica and Andromeda's Gates.
     
  • Do you use/visit the Eurobricks Facebook page? Eurobricks on Flickr? etc.
    I'll add builds I post on Flickr to the Eurobricks Flickr group sometimes, but that's about it. I don't use Facebook at all.
     
  • Do you post MOCs online? What hosting platform do you prefer to use?
    Yes, I use Flickr and my own website, Brickbuilt.org
     
  • Do you prefer broadly defined threads or multiple specialized threads?
    I don't really have a strong feeling one way or the other here, but I would say there are times for each.
     
  • What is the first page you visit when opening Eurobricks on your browser?
    Guilds of Historica, then Historic Themes, then Forums index.
     
  • What do you believe Eurobricks has too much of?
    I'm not sure.
     
  • What do you believe Eurobricks does not have enough of? How would you like to see this addressed?
    I think what @LegoMonorailFan said - it would be great to see more WIP topics of builds. It's a fun way of engaging with other builders, and I personally think it can make the whole building process more fun when you're sharing it with other people. Plus, it's lots of fun even if you're just watching, and not the one building. Definitely something I need to start doing more myself.
     
  • What do you value the most about Eurobricks?
    The large amount of inspirational builds, and being able to interact with other members. It's a great way to get to know other builders in the LEGO community.
     
  • What do you value the least?
    Not really sure. Pretty much everything has a purpose, as @Digger of Bricks said.
     
  • What value would you find in a Eurobricks YouTube channel?
    Not a lot, the main forum has everything that I personally need/use.
     
  • If we place more attention to our Twitter / Facebook, would you value these as a news source?
    I don't use Facebook/Twitter, so no.

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I honestly have a problem with everybody being so hung up on MOC presenting and commenting.

As @fred67 said, you're not building it for me. I feel no obligation to comment, even if I like it. You decided to present it here, then you have to accept that very few people actually say something.

In my case it's simple:

  • I don't/can't build anything without instructions that's beyond the building skills of a 7 yo (that's probably why my kids are into playmobil - their dad can't build anything cool).
  • Because of that I don't recognize building techniques or special parts or anything. I see the entire MOC and I like it or not.
  • I mentioned before, I am interested in "dioramas/layouts", not single builds (buildings or the like). I have all the modulars and I really like them but modulars MOCs aren't really interesting to me since I'll never be able to design/build one from scratch.
  • Technic is way beyond what I understand LEGO to be. The MOCs, especially to scale, people build are astonishing. But it's not LEGO anymore to me and I turn away. I was an avid Technic fan in the 80s, but not anymore.

Basically, I don't feel obligated to comment on anything and it really annoys me that people expect it just because I'm a user here. That's not how this works. If you decide to post your work here you have to live with not being recognized the way you want. In my opinion the little interaction MOCs get show how little really skilled MOCers are here or even out there. Honestly, how many people can build like that? And have the money to get all the needed bricks?

And don't get me started on digital "MOCs"...

 

 

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Well it's a delicate matter that I've been thinking about for quite some time and I've been hesitating to answer here, but since I strongly agree with LittleJohn and I see we're in minority I had to state my opinion. Which is just that! My point of view. So here's my 84 cents:

When I joined this forum there was a lot more activity regarding threads with creations of a lot of good builders. I used to use a term "eurobricks material" talking to my friends and our LUG members about creations that are really well made and somehow stand out among the others. Sadly that is not the case anymore. I'll be direct although I know that not everyone will agree with me and some people will find this opinion too harsh. Probably there's a nicer way to say it, but I'm not that good with words ...

In my opinion the majority of the problem lies in the underaged members that are treated as regular members. Sorry @JACKATTACKS to point you out, but you already did it yourself. A couple of years back saying that you're 15 would get you banned instantly! Though your reply here is well written and sounds mature, praising @VaderFan2187 is another thing. I'm not saying it's you, but surely a lot of members causing trouble in all the chit chat threads are underaged, yet still tolerated. There always were the rumors threads, but were discussed in a more mature way. And as for all the different "games" threads (not referring to RPGs, but the guessing, counting, story writing, voting ... threads) they are just useless fillers that in my opinion do not belong on an adult forum. At least I haven't noticed them in any other adult forums I visited (non LEGO related) and they appeared here only a couple of years ago ...

To be honest I don't find eurobricks that inactive at all, it's just the focus of the activity that is a lot different than it used to be. This used to be an AFOL forum with good content and although I agree that a lot of AFOLs have more serious real life reasons to become inactive, I think the rest might be gone for the reason that this is not the place it used to be anymore. And even after real life settles down it is hard to get active again into a completely different environment you were used to. Too many great MOCs get flooded by for my liking pointless threads and drown with only a couple of one liner replies. Maybe there's a problem in the forum structure. I for example really liked the Pirates subforum having MOCs and other discussions separated. But as @Hobbes sais you don't need to answer to MOC threads and no one can force you to, but bare in mind that not doing so helps in the inactivity of this aspect of the hobby. Well we don't just post for comments but from the other point of view, why even bother posting if there's plenty of other platforms where your work gets praise or other type of feedback? I really don't care if LEGO "enthusiasts" and collectors and wish sharers see my work or not ...

This is how I see things but the real question is what is the goal of eurobricks? For me less is more in a lot of occasions and having more and more members at the expense of having numerous pointless threads or posts is not the way to go. Also forum is not the best platform to deliver news (I always skip the frontpage, since I'm interested in other content). I read LEGO related news elsewhere and then find the thread about it here and read some opinions (at least I used to, when the conversation was mature and staying on point) ... Bud sadly such are the times now, it's only who's the first / biggest / ... that matters :(

And here's to answer the questions:

• Would you like to see more contests?
  Sure, I like seeing and comparing MOCs with the same goal and sometimes it's a contest's theme that gets me building.
• What is your opinion of Tags (those small images on the left <---)?
  They are a unique part of this forum and have been present since I've joined, so I like them.
• Do you use, if ever, Eurobricks reference materials (ie. lists of Reviews, lists of MOCS, lists of Forums)?
  Very rarely if I need something prehistoric google does the trick for me :)
• Have you participated in games on Eurobricks (ie. Role-Playing, Mafia, etc.)?
  Yes - SoNE.
• Do you use/visit the Eurobricks Facebook page? Eurobricks on Flickr? etc.
  No, I think that the target group of people on facebook have different interests than what I'd like to see here. Besides I don't use facebook at all.
• Do you post MOCs online? What hosting platform do you prefer to use?
  Yes, I use Flickr but I don't use groups - I'm not into the social part of flickr, but getting more used to it, since the forum feedbacks on forums are fading out ...
• Do you prefer broadly defined threads or multiple specialized threads?
  It depends on the theme and on interest. I know where this is pointed but for my liking all wishlists, rumors and other discussions for all the themes could go in one single thread ;)
• What is the first page you visit when opening Eurobricks on your browser?
  Currently the event topics :D But also Star Wars - SoNE
• What do you believe Eurobricks has too much of?
  Underaged users and non MOCers chitchatting :)
• What do you believe Eurobricks does not have enough of? How would you like to see this addressed?
  Respect for builders with writing comments - in the end that's what forums are all about. I have no idea, might have already been too late ...
• What do you value the most about Eurobricks?
  The RPG's are a great touch and an ideal thing for the forum platforms. GoH was first of such kind if I'm not mistaken. I like seeing builders getting involved and connected and build about the same theme with similar goals.
• What do you value the least?
  Rumors are OK, but false rumors, wishes everyone knows are far from realistic for TLG and so on ... I don't find those an adult thing.
• What value would you find in a Eurobricks YouTube channel?
  None at all. I already think that some fault on the inactivity part is on the staff putting too much effort into maintaining order on the boards and trying to lure more people to the forum via blogs and other platforms instead of joining the ordinary conversations in the forums.
• If we place more attention to our Twitter / Facebook, would you value these as a news source?
  No. I don't use those platforms at all.

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1 hour ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Respect for builders with writing comments - in the end that's what forums are all about. [...]

No, no, no, and no! That's not what forums are all about.

This was/is a place to talk about LEGO - you know, the bricks? In general and "in special". MOCs are part of it, sure, but they're not all.

When the forum was smaller a lot of the regulars knew each other in person (or at least very well through the forum). The common ground was LEGO. There was a place for general discussion, there were places for special topics/themes, and there was a place for chit-chat. Sometimes we just wanted to talk about... anything, really. But we wanted to be able to do it with our "LEGO friends" (see, we actually laid the groundwork for the theme) - here, and not someplace else. 

Again, I don't mind MOCs and people commenting, and I understand wanting recognition. But I don't want to "be guilted" into doing it. I don't feel guilty not doing it. So stop it. Thank you.

 

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Agree with @Hobbes, even though I'm coming from a different angle.

This is how the world is now because of social media - people do things for the smiley faces, the thumbs ups, the "likes," and I get it - I wouldn't post MOCs if I wasn't expecting to get some feedback.  But nobody is obligated to say anything, and I may not like a lack of responses, but I don't blame anybody for it - I know I'm not nearly as good a builder as a lot of other people.

 

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8 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

@JACKATTACKS
@VaderFan2187

@Hobbes

This is how I see things but the real question is what is the goal of eurobricks? For me less is more in a lot of occasions and having more and more members at the expense of having numerous pointless threads or posts is not the way to go. Also forum is not the best platform to deliver news (I always skip the frontpage, since I'm interested in other content). I read LEGO related news elsewhere and then find the thread about it here and read some opinions (at least I used to, when the conversation was mature and staying on point) ... Bud sadly such are the times now, it's only who's the first / biggest / ... that matters :(

 

 

I think that sums it up pretty well, there is too much chit chat about NEWS from TLG etc. Its everywhere, so why does it also have to be on EB?
If someone were to really put EB back to its old standards of interesting high quality MOC posting, the news and discussion threads should be banned from each topic into the "discussion" topic (and maybe divide that into each topic category). I mean, thats what the discussion topic is for - right?
That way MOCs will have more space. Some discussion threads take up half the scroll page...
In general, the whole mix of discussion here, and moc there isnt really that great. Perhaps seperate both of them....

Also, the main page should post more pictures frequently, especially of MOCs. I dont need to see what Set is up next or which contest is currently hosting for more than an hour. Perhaps split mainpage in one half announcement/ contests and the other in "newly added MOCs we regard worth a look at".

That way peoples attention would also be placed towards non TLG stuff more which is definately what a real AFOL community needs. Less fanboys and collectors, more active builders with genuine ideas in the topics that are about building...



 

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20 minutes ago, Ron Dayes said:

[...] there is too much chit chat about NEWS from TLG etc. Its everywhere, so why does it also have to be on EB? [...]

Because that's what EB was known for? In the beginning it was news of new sets and leaks. And fun banter around that.

 

20 minutes ago, Ron Dayes said:

[...] old standards of interesting high quality MOC posting [...]

Where do you get that from? I'm not saying the MOCs weren't/arent't high quality, but who says that's what EB was/is known for? Maybe that was just your impression? It wasn't/isn't mine...

 

20 minutes ago, Ron Dayes said:

[...] Also, the main page should post more pictures frequently, especially of MOCs. [...]

Hell, no!

 

20 minutes ago, Ron Dayes said:

[...] I dont need to see what Set is up next [...]

I do! Actually, that's what I still come here for...

 

20 minutes ago, Ron Dayes said:

[...] That way peoples attention would also be placed towards non TLG stuff more which is definately what a real AFOL community needs. Less fanboys and collectors, more active builders with genuine ideas in the topics that are about building...

WTF?! You know what the "F" and "L" in "AFOL" stand for, right? EB wasn't/isn't an AFOL community per se, it's a LEGO community (at least it used to be), that includes talk about the company and the toy, too...

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I gather by "non TLG" stuff @Ron Dayes is referring to official sets.

Still, I completely agree with you, @Hobbes; this is an "all things LEGO" site.  It has been since I joined (a lot more than 3 years ago).

I don't like wishlists (although at one point I thought they were interesting - I don't know what's changed), but I do like rumors.  For obvious reasons, other sites are better for actual leaks.

And discussions should be taking place in the forum about which they are about.  If I'm discussing prototypical historical building, then the historic themes sections is exactly the place I should start my discussion.

 

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On 5/4/2018 at 3:55 AM, Hobbes said:
  • There was a weird Australian pirate

 

The pirates have had their glory...

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Over in @LegoModularFans other topic we having been discussing a great idea that @paupadros came up with.

We think it would be a good idea to create a topic listing all the moc designs that get posted each month and maybe giving a poll at the end of each month inviting people to vote for their favourite.

The problem we've found on EB is that many of the mocs get swamped up amongst other discussion threads and once they get pushed off page one of the forum, nobody comments on them anymore and they just get lost and forgotten. That's a real shame when you consider the effort people go to designing and building these things.

So we think bringing them all together in a monthly poll would be a great fun thing to do and would also provide some extra exposure to the designers. I'm sure lots of people would enjoy this and it might even encourage more people to post mocs on here if they like the idea of it being featured in a monthly poll.

A different poll could be set up in each forum but would be especially relevant in the town forum where the mocs tend to get lost amongst all the other discussions going on.

What does everyone think of this idea? And if any of the EB staff are reading, is this something you might consider setting up? :classic:

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Maybe if people could actually tag their posts properly (like reddit requirements), then automating something that builds up a list of MOCs would be possible.  And what would the poll be?  Which one is best?  So then it feels like a competition, and a lot of people would not post something they might otherwise post.

At the same time, you're requiring someone - mods, or someone else, to do all the work of adding all the MOCs.

I would love to see a monthly post (2018-05 MOCs) if it didn't require constant effort.  A sticky with a link to each month, so you could go back through history, would be cool, too.  It could all be automated as long as people could follow a few simple steps (like preceding their MOC post with "[MOC]," and only doing it for a completed MOC (otherwise it should be tagged "WIP" or "MOC-WIP," but good luck trying to get people to follow guidelines.

As long as I'm posting in this thread again, and whining about posters who aren't clear in their post titles, and can't follow simple guidelines, I have to say I love it when someone posts about a great deal they found at their local store - without saying where it is, and without having so much as filled out (validly) their location.  If you're too paranoid that you can't fill out your location, then a post about a deal at your local store is absolutely useless, a waste of space, and a waste of my time.  It's funny, too, when they are trying to sell something, and say "domestic only," or that the buyer pays shipping.  This was particularly bad on the minifigure trading post.

 

 

 

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I'm definitely following and reading it. Last year I have been able to write some software which uses the Invision Forum API, so I am able to interact with the board. That opens up a lot of possibilities.

We appreciate this input, so please continue. We (staff) need to filter the data and come up with a plan to execute some of the suggestions.

9 hours ago, Bricked1980 said:

We think it would be a good idea to create a topic listing all the moc designs that get posted each month and maybe giving a poll at the end of each month inviting people to vote for their favourite.

...

What does everyone think of this idea? And if any of the EB staff are reading, is this something you might consider setting up? :classic:

See my previous comment about the API. I have been able to make a tool to more easily frontpage a MOC. However, it is still a manual action. If we could do some more developing I might be able to make different tools to collect and frontpage the MOCs. We can even have some members logging in on the tool and maintain the lists.

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On 16/05/2018 at 7:36 PM, Ron Dayes said:

That way peoples attention would also be placed towards non TLG stuff more which is definately what a real AFOL community needs. Less fanboys and collectors, more active builders with genuine ideas in the topics that are about building...

4

This is one of the problems with Eurobricks. Snobbery. People thinking that they are the real (or true, or best, or whatever other words you want to use) AFOLs, and that if others aren't exactly like them, then they are not part of the real AFOL club. What makes a MOC builder any more an AFOL than someone that only collects and builds retail sets? Clearly, they are more of a MOCcer, but then they are also a worse LEGO collector. And vice versa for the collector. They are both AFOLs though.

 

As to tags, I see them but they mean next to nothing to me. Maybe if they were linked when you clicked on them to a list to say what they mean, then there might be some further point to them. For example, on Jim's above, I see an R in a bottle cap - no idea. A technic gear - so presumably something to do with technic, although it is a bit redunant as I know that from "technic admin". A black thing with a red square - no idea. A lightsaber - so presumably something to do with SW. And a NL flag - I can see he is from NL anyway from just above it.

Maybe they are the sort of badges that you are meant to wear with pride because other people don't know what they mean?

 

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18 hours ago, fred67 said:

And what would the poll be?  Which one is best?  So then it feels like a competition, and a lot of people would not post something they might otherwise post.

Yes the idea of the poll was so that people could vote for the one they thought was best, but you have a point. Some people probably would like the idea of their mocs being judged against other people's.

Another option could be that if the the moc builders want their designs to be featured in the poll then they have to manually add their mocs to it themselves. This would solve the issue of anyone getting upset and would also mean that it wouldn't have to rely on one person having to sift through all the new entries and compile the list each month.

I don't know really. It seemed like a good idea in principle but perhaps it wouldn't be very easy in practice to set up something like this.

15 hours ago, Jim said:

See my previous comment about the API. I have been able to make a tool to more easily frontpage a MOC. However, it is still a manual action. If we could do some more developing I might be able to make different tools to collect and frontpage the MOCs. We can even have some members logging in on the tool and maintain the lists.

This sounds good. Some sort of system that automatically adds new mocs to the home page or highlights them so that they are more easily spotted amongst all the other topics and discussion. That would be great. :classic:

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On Tuesday, May 01, 2018 at 9:07 PM, Captain Nemo said:

Would you like to see more contests?

  • What is your opinion of Tags (those small images on the left <---)?
  • Do you use, if ever, Eurobricks reference materials (ie. lists of Reviews, lists of MOCS, lists of Forums)? 
  • Have you participated in games on Eurobricks (ie. Role-Playing, Mafia, etc.)?  
  • Do you use/visit the Eurobricks Facebook page? Eurobricks on Flickr? etc. 
  • Do you post MOCs online? What hosting platform do you prefer to use? 
  • Do you prefer broadly defined threads or multiple specialized threads? 
  • What is the first page you visit when opening Eurobricks on your browser? 

I love reviews and MOC indices; they're such a helpful place to find things out and to browse for MOCs; maybe I'm lazy (OK I'm totally lazy) but it gets a bit tedious to click on very thread in the Town forum to see if a MOC is worth my interest; my days of browsing EB for hours on end are long gone. Whatever happened to @alex54?

Yeah I've played a few games and you were in my first one, though my inclination to participate in games has gone down along with my general inclination to come to EB.

I believe I am part of the EB group on Flickr? I don't really pay attention to it though, since I keep my interests in more specialized groups.

I post on Flickr and then post a subset of images on here, usually with a narrative or explanation of the topic of my MOC. But I haven't done that for a long time (sorry, school and life got in the way).

No comment on the structure of threads, though as others have mentioned having several speculative threads is a little tedious.

I always open to the Portal because I like being able to see announcements about MOCs that I'd miss if I siloed myself into the Town, License and RPG subforums.

On Tuesday, May 01, 2018 at 10:57 PM, KotZ said:

Absolutely, especially more LDD ones as there are definitely members who for one reason or another stick to LDD as their primary building. Even if it's a collab build (when was that last one?). They were a lot of fun.

Gosh, I had a blast participating in the Western community build, especially since I was at uni at the time and away from the bulk of my bricks.... I've only participated in one contest here because sometimes it gets hard to feel inspired, but I'd totally buy into another community build if I'm around at the right time to join in.

On Thursday, May 03, 2018 at 1:00 PM, MAB said:

EB has quite a bad reputation on other forums. EB is used as a bit of a joke when it comes to moderation, forum police, etc for over-active moderation and banning people. This does put people off joining.

This made me chuckle; I started back in the day browsing FBTB in around 2005 and then moved partly over to classic-castle.com (which seems to have properly died by now) and occasionally I'd follow links over here, and it looked intimidating and Very Serious. Not to mention, as someone else said here, that admitting you're underaged used to end in instant bans, even with otherwise respectable, active members.

On Thursday, May 03, 2018 at 1:55 PM, Hobbes said:
  • Speculations were called ideas and lasted for a few posts, maybe pages, within a topic - not whole topics with 300+ pages
  • There was a cowboy who told ghost stories about the Wild West and knew what it meant to own a pristine 7760

If we didn't have hundred-page threads in the Star Wars forum, people would still find a way to post the same amount of (non)content, I feel.

Ah yes, @WesternOutlaw was one of the great reasons to follow the Town forum, though some of his image links have died. Didn't he previously have a different name?

Edited by jamesn
Content update

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2 hours ago, jamesn said:

Ah yes, @WesternOutlaw was one of the great reasons to follow the Town forum, though some of his image links have died. Didn't he previously have a different name?

@Hobbes and @jamesn

A dark and foreboding cloud blows over the sky... Goose bumps form on the arms of your minifig.  You feel a chill and hear a faint whisper, TheBrickster was his name.

:pir-skel: Road to Gravestone :pir-skel:

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On 19/05/2018 at 3:11 AM, jamesn said:

Whatever happened to @alex54?

I'm find and still here event if I'm not as active as before.

So I will answer the questions asked :

  • Would you like to see more contests?
    • Yes, evenif I don't have all the time I want to enter those contest.
  • What is your opinion of Tags (those small images on the left <---)?
    • Don't have any opinion about them.
  • Do you use, if ever, Eurobricks reference materials (ie. lists of Reviews, lists of MOCS, lists of Forums)? 
    • Lists of review is very usefull. And alsow lists of MOCS, if they are from good quality.
  • Have you participated in games on Eurobricks (ie. Role-Playing, Mafia, etc.)?  
    • I have participated to one game like that, and it wad funny.
  • Do you use/visit the Eurobricks Facebook page? Eurobricks on Flickr? etc. 
    • No facebook for me at all. Flickr not too. I don't like social app like that.
  • Do you post MOCs online? What hosting platform do you prefer to use? 
    • I still use Brickshelf, old style!
  • Do you prefer broadly defined threads or multiple specialized threads? 
    • multiple specialized threads
  • What is the first page you visit when opening Eurobricks on your browser? 
    • The index page

Personnaly, I have less time to go on EB. I was more active when I was student. And all the people with wich I speak here seem to be in the same situation. So, I don't know the newer member.

And with the smartphone and all those apps, It seems that the discussions in general are not as constructive than before. Maybe it's just an impression.

And last, because I don't come often here, I don't write in english, and I lost a lot in that. It's harder for me to think abour how to write properly.

All in all, I'm still an EB lover, where I discovered the LEGO online univer, other AFOLS, during my study, when I didn't have my real bricks with me!^^

I'm still mocing my town, with some inspiration moment and other period without envy to MOC. I often think about posting some new pics to share my work, but I don't have the time to take pictures, host them and post.

Or maybe I don't take the time to do so...  I know I have to, but I have so many things to do aside...

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56 minutes ago, alex54 said:

[...] but I have so many thongs to do aside...

Please elaborate...

 

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13 hours ago, Hobbes said:

Please elaborate...

 

Things and not thongs, sorry!

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I'm not in favor of introducing a poll for the MOCs. German forum 1000steine.de does that, and imo there's just too many factors that prevent it from being fair. If you're a popular member, you have a higher chance of winning, if your MOC is enormous, you have a higher chance of winning, and the position of your MOC on the voting page may factor in aswell (further up -> more likely to receive votes).

An index sounds like a great idea, but needs administration - we already have many outdated indices, no need for more. I actually thought about doing what paupadros did, and create an index tropic for my own MOCs, but if everyone did that, it'd just clutter the place up even more...

 

I think the best way to satisfy both the needs and wants of MOCers and collectors/set builders would be to create separate boards for MOCs and official stuff.

The MOC forum automatically would be some kind of index, while the official forum would have all the discussions/rumors/wishlists etc. about official sets / themes in general. MOCers would not be annoyed by their thread being pushed down by umpteen 'useless' discussion topics about official sets, and collectors/set builders would not have to sift through all those pesky MOCs to find the topics they're interested in. And those that fall in both categories can just check both.

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1 hour ago, RogerSmith said:

I'm not in favor of introducing a poll for the MOCs. German forum 1000steine.de does that, and imo there's just too many factors that prevent it from being fair. If you're a popular member, you have a higher chance of winning, if your MOC is enormous, you have a higher chance of winning, and the position of your MOC on the voting page may factor in aswell (further up -> more likely to receive votes).

 

2

Yes, all very true. Maybe an alternative is just to highlight MOCs randomly. If the point of doing it is to get people looking at MOCs, at least it will do that, whether they are good or less good.

Edited by MAB

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Just wanted to chime in and give my response to the questions:

 

  • Would you like to see more contests?
    • Yes. Even if I don't have time to join with something selfmade, it's always lot's of fun to see what others have come up with.
  • What is your opinion of Tags (those small images on the left <---)?
    • I know they are there and I know that some of them have a special purpose behind. However, like someone mentioned already, a list of Tags and who has been awarded this tag would be nice.
  • Do you use, if ever, Eurobricks reference materials (ie. lists of Reviews, lists of MOCS, lists of Forums)? 
    • Yes, sometimes. Mainly Reviews and MOCs, but also LDD files shared here. I also would like to have an updated list of Academy Reviews, maybe sorted by theme and / or time frame (set release date), please :wink:
  • Have you participated in games on Eurobricks (ie. Role-Playing, Mafia, etc.)?  
    • Nope. Not intending to, way too little time on hand to get into.
  • Do you use/visit the Eurobricks Facebook page? Eurobricks on Flickr? etc. 
    • Until now I didn't even know that EB is on Facebook. I'm neither using Facebook nor Twitter. EB on Flickr was new also, thanks for the info!
  • Do you post MOCs online? What hosting platform do you prefer to use? 
    •  Only once. And then it was Flickr.
  • Do you prefer broadly defined threads or multiple specialized threads? 
    • Multiple specialized threads, but also depends on the topic. I.e., a general discussion thread about Steam Train building techniques would be something I wouldn't like to see splitted up.
  • What is the first page you visit when opening Eurobricks on your browser? 
    • The Forum Index, Train Tech subforum, General LEGO Discussions, in that order.

 

And on the topic of EB on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook:

  • I do use YouTube, but only for viewing videos or music clips I'm already interested in. Browsing over YouTube sometimes happens, but most of the time I click on links or search for what I need. I can't see how filling YouTube with official EB videos would help the forum.
  • As stated, I do not use Twitter, Facebook nor any other social platform. So I couldn't care less if EB would be promoted over those. But I can see some appeal to the younger audiences in those platforms. If the postings there are short and only decorated with 1 picture maximum and a link to the corresponding EB thread, I'd guess it could work out.

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I was asked to check this out so I'll throw in my 2 cents:

Would you like to see more contests?
If it's doable sure, they are always fun.

What is your opinion of Tags (those small images on the left <---)?
Doesn't make me a better builder.

Do you use, if ever, Eurobricks reference materials (ie. lists of Reviews, lists of MOCS, lists of Forums)? 
Sometimes the pinned tutorials. I find the lists of MOCs often either not up to date or just cumbersome. 

Have you participated in games on Eurobricks (ie. Role-Playing, Mafia, etc.)?  
I run the Great Brick War in the Special Theme Section and played in SoNE for a while. 

Do you use/visit the Eurobricks Facebook page? Eurobricks on Flickr? etc. 
No on facebook, but check flickr album all the time. 

Do you post MOCs online? What hosting platform do you prefer to use? 
Yes - Here and Facebook Groups. 

Do you prefer broadly defined threads or multiple specialized threads? 
I'm all for organizing into specialized threads, soooo much easier to find things.

What is the first page you visit when opening Eurobricks on your browser? 
I check the Great Brick War Section of the forum.

Additional Info:
Given that I run a game/section here, I am often trying to pull players in from Facebook and Flickr who are very talented builders. Over the course of time, I've run into countless people who like what I'm doing but have no interest in coming to Eurobricks. When I ask them why, the majority of the complaints people give me are along the lines "Everyone on there is an Elitest, pompous, sarcastic #(*$)@". Having been on here for a while myself, I know that is not true for the majority. However, there are certainly some arrogant sarcastic people on here (members and staff) who are extremely over the top and seem like they argue just for the sake of arguing. That can suck the fun out of it for people. So that has made bringing new members in difficult for me. I don't know how to fix this preconception people have other than doing your best to be welcoming and not killing the fun of it.

Suggestion:
I'd very much like if the themes had separate categories for MOCs and Mods, Sets and Reviews, and then the speculation junk. It would make browsing sooooo much more pleasant. 

 

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