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What kind of AFOL are you?

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Recently Hispabrick Magazine interviewed Jan Beyer, LEGO Community, Engagement and Events Team, in which Jan stated following:

I see an increase in the number of LUGs (especially in Eastern Europe, Asia and North America) but also the member count of most LUGs is growing.

Unfortunately the number of active AFOLs seems not to have the same growth rate – mostly the same AFOLs have been active over the past years and the number of new very active people is not very high so we all together need to find ways to increase the number of actively participating AFOLs.

What kind of AFOL are you?

  • Are you a member of a LUG?

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG?
    • If yes, what do you do (e.g. helping out during events, making displays, etc.)?
    • If no, what's holding you back?

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?
    • If the answer is yes, where do you possibly see yourself contributing?
    • If the answer is no, what's the reason (e.g. lack of time, ...)?

Looking forward to read your feedback!

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1 and 2. I'm not yet part of a LUG, though in about two weeks my local group is holding a meeting, so I plan on joining then :classic: .

3. Yes I would consider supporting the community more, mostly in the classic - pirates area since I feel that's where I can contribute the most, as I have been blogging, scouting, etc.

Hope that helped!

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What kind of AFOL are you?

  • Are you a member of a LUG? No, I tried contacting the only LUG within 50 miles of me but got no response.

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.? Yes
    • If the answer is yes, where do you possibly see yourself contributing? I guess wherever there was a need but Sci-fi and Historical themes are my thing.

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I'm not interested in joining a LUG. I'm not comfortable in group environments. So I'll never attend an organised event. I'd rather just have a couple of friends who share a love of Lego and keep things small and personal.

I think that given my personality, it's unlikely I'd ever be asked to become a forum regulator or moderator. Even if I was asked I'd say no. I think it would kill any enjoyment I got from forum use.

I'm unlikely to ever do a set review as I rarely buy sets. I really only buy parts from pick-a-brick or the secondary market.

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1. Nope; outside of some friends I don't really talk about Lego with anyone else.

2. See 1.

3. Yes; hopefully in the future I'll be able to review some of the new History, Star Wars, or City sets since those are the themes I'm most interested in and that I usually buy from. Lack of time (university and future work) is really the only impediment for me.

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It was fairly recently (2 years or so) that my wife introduced me to Lego by giving me the Fallingwater architecture series as a gift. In the past year, I've become totally immersed in the world of Lego. At least in the part that interests me. I have all of the architecture series and all of the modular buildings. That was no small effort as three of the modulars were retired by the time I discovered Lego. I've also managed to track down a Taj Mahal 10189 as I was curious to see how a 5,900+ piece Lego set looked in person. I've also added some other sets that interest me as an adult......the VW van, the space shuttle, Tower Bridge and some of the trains.

I'm not involved in any LUG. Not that I wouldn't be interested, but I haven't had the opportunity.

I would like to be more involved in the online community. I've been on the Internet for over 20 years. I've seen a lot come and go. Eurobricks seems to have a very, how shall I say this, 'civilized' population. Very well mannered, very knowledgeable about the world of Lego. I would be interested in being a moderator.

Since I've retired, I do have some time on my hands. I enjoy Lego and I enjoy walking my English Springer Spaniel. After the walk, she lays down and falls asleep when I'm working ( using the word 'working' in its loosest form) at the lego table.

I would like to see at least two modular building offerings per year. With that said, I know nothing about Legos cost and return on investment as far as the modular series is concerned. Maybe sales only justify a once a year offering. Maybe a smaller building (1200 or so pieces) could be offered between release dates of the larger sets. This would seem possible, at least from a design standpoint, the Pet Shop was actually two buildings (the retail store and the residential building). Again, I don't know the economics involved. For all I know, I might be lucky in getting one release a year.

Eurobricks is what a website should be like. It's administrators, and its participants, should be complemented on the level of knowledge and civility that exists here.

Edited by TomLego

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I am in a LUG that a group of us just started last fall actually. There is a handful that are active in the group, while a few others are mostly watchers. We are holding a show in a few weeks where we all will have our displays. So I am active in the LUG.

I already am fairly active on the online community. I post fairly heavily here (see my post count) and brickset. I could possibly do reviews of some sets, but it is mostly due to lack of time that I haven't done anything like that before. I used to think I'd like to be a moderator or regulator, but I just don't have the time. I'm only around a computer at work and there is no guarantee I have time to get online during the day. So it would take away all the time I would get to actually look around.

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I'm not a Lug, there isn't one really around and I refuse to pay.

The LEGO online community has gotten out of control to the point that I normally just go into the Town and sci-fi sections here and see what new MOCs there are. I had to disable the news feed on Brickset because i got sick of them making posts whining whenever they don't get their way. And if one more idiot goes 'Simpsons are too adult for LEGO. I'm going to tie them to a chair and make them watch all the Star Wars, Super Hero, PotC and more so LotR movies.

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-Are you a member of a LUG? Yes, I'm member of ItLUG, the italian LUG.

-Are you actively participating in your LUG? Yes, I attend 3-4 events per year, bringing my Star Wars sets that always do a crazy scene :grin:

-Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.? I'm already very active online but if you need something and time permitting, I think I could help with Star Wars, Historic and maybe Sci-fi.

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I'm not a LUG member. There is a group that is a few hours away but I haven't joined yet because I'm terrible with directions so getting to meetings and such would be interesting. I keep up with what's going on with them via their site and am planning to attend the local show either this or next year.

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1 and 2, I consider myself part of two lugs. I still occasionally display with my old LUG, and after a recent move, I also have been attending meetings with my local LUG (have a meeting today). I attend as many shows as possible, but only if I have something to display. Display is funnest part of the show for me, and I really enjoy talking and showing my creations with the general public. I also assist with setup.

I would consider helping with the online community, although now may not be the right time.

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1. Yes

2. Occasionally I do, it depends on the event. I may get more involved in future, but it depends in what capacity.

3. Yes I would, probably on Brickset.

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Are you a member of a LUG?

No, I live in very rural Missouri and the nearest LUG is an impractical five hours away.

Are you actively participating in your LUG?

Not applicable

Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?

Sure, I enjoy Eurobricks. I think it's a very useful dynamic, creative site and would like to help.

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  • Are you a member of a LUG?

Yups, apart from EB I am member of de Bouwsteen, 1000steine and BeLUG. I am also a sleeping Lugnet member (who isn't of course ;))

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG?
    De Bouwsteen: Active, more times a year I go to exhibitions with my creations, today we are just back from a meeting in Hardenberg, NL
    1000steine: occasionally I visit maybe once every other year, I participate at the forum weekly,
    BeLUG: we go to at least one meeting a year and now and then to other meetings as well depending on our job / study workload

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?

I just joined the regulator force, I have been a review academy member for a while but my masters next to my job took up too much time, I often visit the train forum and enjoy participating in it and help making it even better.

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  • Are you a member of a LUG? No, but I've considered contacting them about joining. The local LUG seems pretty active. They recently had a huge city display put together at a local museum, and I noticed that they have a display setup at our local Lego store.

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG? Time. I don't think I have the time to commit to a group right now.

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.? Not really. I love being a contributer and discussing Lego with this great community, but again I don't really have the time for any sort of responsibility.

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What kind of AFOL are you?

  • Are you a member of a LUG? No, lack of time plus events of the closest LUG held far away.

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?
    • If the answer is yes, where do you possibly see yourself contributing?
    • Yes, set reviews would be great! Unfortunately most of the times I just can't get the hand on a set before someone else has already made a review (eventhough I get them a soon as available in my country).
    • TLG, if you send me a set that has not yet been released, I'll make you a very objective, attractive and fun review :wink: Give it a chance and see your sales growing by let's say 2% in switzerand! ( = me buying the most sets I can after the review, even if I have to ask my bank for little kindness this month (but hey, it's a review on EB, my contact at the bank will love the idea, I am sure), + me spamming all my friends on FB, twitter, etc., + writing an article in the local newspaper + putting huge posters at the bus stations and spraying THESE BRICKS DON'T DESERVE TO STAY IN A BOX, GET THEM AND FREE THEM on the posters + Nooooooo, I don't need to do any of this, I am sure the quality, design, playability of the set will just be self-speaking :sweet: (And as the set is not yet released, you cannot benchmark and therefore not even tell if there is a sales increase, so you just have to trust me, it will!

Edited by SwissBrick

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Thank you for an interesting topic.

I have been an active AFOL for around a year and a half now - and an adult LEGO builder for five+ years as a parent. I am not a member of any LUG and I'm not aware of any LUG activities in my area. I'm sure they are some, I just haven't really looked into it.

So far I have been mostly interested in pursuing this hobby by myself, with my son and through online communities - probably because that is the easiest way to align the hobby with the demands of everyday life. Time constraints have been the main issue. It is fairly simple to squeeze and hour or two in the evenings at home, as opposed to going to some meeting. Not saying no to meetings, just telling it how it feels at this time.

I do wish to contribute to others, though, and have been posting in various LEGO forums such as here. I greatly appreciate and admire forums such as this one and the various LEGO resource sites such as Brickipedia, Brickset, BrickLink, Peeron and so forth. These have made all the difference compared to my KFOL years decades ago - hats off to all you wonderful guys/gals making these services what they are!

My main contribution so far has been documenting my AFOL journey through a small amateur blog (http://questforbricks.wordpress.com/), hopefully providing some resources to new AFOLs such as myself in the process.

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  • Are you a member of a LUG?

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG?

I am not a member of a LUG due to my location. There apparently are none in y state, only surrounding states. So, distance is hindering that.

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?
    • If the answer is yes, where do you possibly see yourself contributing?
    • If the answer is no, what's the reason (e.g. lack of time, ...)?

I am interested in in contributing to the forum, but like some have said, I am worried about how much time is needed to do so. I am most interested in Town/Train forums :classic:

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  • Are you a member of a LUG?

NO I'm not, Would like to see what it's like dont think there's too many around here. I have lots of interaction with kfol's, tfol's and afol's as sell at markets fairs and online and have many repeat customers

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG?

See above

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?

Yes would love to review a few sets, (who wouldn't) dont know If I have the skills, and there are more deserving ones with more knowledge and online participation would happily help if I could be useful

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Okay now, I'm sort of member of a LUG......where the meetings are held the store owner doesn't like me......serious and true ! :look:

Hence, any display work of mine I do on my own.....i.e. Railshow.

Well I'm in the RA, but if offered I wouldn't say no to being a regulator or moderator.....town is where my design heart lives, but like I wrote if it's offered. It's not my place to ask for something that's given as an honour.

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  • Are you a member of a LUG?

Uhm, no. Just returned from the dark ages a few weeks ago, but who will know what the future will bring?

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG?

See above.

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc.?

Not sure yet, but i do love to review stuff! As a former moderator, i have some expierence on other forums, but for now i'm not interested in doing that. (work, other interests, just cannot commit)

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I am not a member of a LUG, as far as I am aware there are none within a few hundred miles of me? At least I cannot find them online anywhere? I may join if there was one local, it depends on the rules they stipulated, I am not sure. I like the idea but in the past my experience of joining 'club' type things has not been good, people are just not committed or one or two want to take over everything.

Being a cripple I find it hard to get out and about to anything beyond say, a ten mile radius of my home. I can drive but only short distances and then my wife has to take over which she is not to keen on. A lot of the time she is at work when I have a day off so it is not possible. Having said that, if there was a LEGO event near to me I would probably try to get there and have a look. There is a local train club for people generally into trains, (Not LEGO ones but just ordinary model Trains.) I have tried to go to that as a visitor but it is mobbed by families with hundreds of children which due to the nature of my crippledness I find really hard to cope with. I had wondered how they would react to a stand with LEGO Trains, would they allow it or not in their group, I am not sure but I would need a lot more general scenery before I could put on a decent show.

By the time I get home from work I am way too tired to do anything like mod a forum. I can barely keep my eyes open long enough to check my e-mails and read the 'Train' section and 'General' section. I occasionally.

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What kind of AFOL are you?

  • Are you a member of a LUG? Yes I'm a Member of BeLug for a few years now.

  • Are you actively participating in your LUG? yes.
    • If yes, what do you do (e.g. helping out during events, making displays, etc.)? We ( a friend of mine try to go once a year ) help out, build MOC's and stuff ( we are miles apart in building , I build Star Wars , he does Technic ) . We help setting up and cleaning afterwards, as should be.

So any offer made is welcome, butt events wise, there is not a lot to do in The Netherlands, I will not !! go to LEGOWORLD because of the high intensety ( meaning it's very , very tyresome and the benefits arn't the trubble ) and shitty organisation in the past . I like small , personal events were I can take the time to meet and learn about other builders and have fun , instead of being seen like an extension for a commercial feast .

  • Would you consider supporting more actively the online AFOL community (e.g. Eurobricks) as moderator, regulator (indexing, ...), making set reviews, etc. Well... yes and no, I've been a moderator before and I know how hard it can be. I only contribute in topics I can relate to , or, I think it's funny. I don't do much reviews, because a lack of funding, ( see answer of Swissbrick :laugh: ) I build MOC's and do want to display them here . So I keep in the background.
    • If the answer is yes, where do you possibly see yourself contributing? With my MOC's

Edited by Saint

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