Announcing the Brickset discussion forum... yes, really!

 

  • Announcing the Brickset discussion forum... yes, really!

    Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2011 10:52. Filed under Brickset.

    As announced yesterday, April 1st, the Brickset discussion forum is now live! (What do you mean, you thought it was an April Fool?)

    Yes, it's true, one of the most requested features in our annual user survey is a discussion forum and now, at last, I have decided to implement one.

    However, there's good news and bad:

    • The good news is that the forum is for over 16s only. This will ensure that discussions are mature and worthwhile, and it won't become full of flashing avatars and questions about 'which theme do you like the best?' and 'if you had $20 to spend which set would you buy?'
    • The bad news is that the forum is for over 16s only. I'm really sorry if this age limit precludes you from participating but I feel I have to keep the age limit high in order to maintain a high quality of discussion and to keep the moderating effort low.  If you are under 16 you are welcome to read the forum but, please, do not join. If the moderators suspect that you are under 16 we will delete your forum account.

    Click on the Forum link above and read the notes, confirm that you have done so and then a link to the forum will be available. (you'll only have to do this once).

    You can blame yellowcastle for the double-bluff April Fool, it was his idea :-)

    I look forward to seeing AFOLs and older TFOLs in there!


    135 comments, latest one posted 25 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 11:05

*Sniff* :( I SOOOO wanted to post there. :( Ah well... Guess I'm stuck on the rusty ol' LEGO Message Boards then...

Posted by legohpcity in Sweden, 02 Apr 2011 11:16

NO! I am under 16 years old! I am only 11! :'(

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 11:28

Come on, this is going to create separation on Brickset! I doubt people over 15 are really going to post here any more... :(

Posted by Sky-guardian in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:28

... that's going to be the boringest message boards ever.........................

Posted by Greyface in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:29

@Huw - I think this is very unfair. I am not allowed to use the forum, but I am not interested in people's favorite themes or randomly saying "lol" or whatever it is under-16's are supposed to do. I think it would be very mature of you to allow younger users to use the forum, if they can prove to you that they are not immature and that they are seriously interested in LEGO and discussing ways to build and collect with other Brickset users.

Posted by TooMuchLEGO in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:29

Yeah, I knew about this forum before everyone. :P Too bad I'm only 12. :(

Posted by TooMuchLEGO in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:31

@Greyface: Yeah, you know what, I agree. I think some of us we-can't-drives should be allowed in there. And I'm not immature! :P Well Huw, it's a good idea- are you gonna use it?

Posted by Greyface in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:33

@TooMuchLEGO - Thank you! I am not a typical A/TFOL. I go for quality builds, I've never built anything in different colors, and I hate Star Wars ship sets with a vengeance.

Posted by burakki62 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 11:33

well, I for one am happy that this is real. It will be nice to have a place here to discuss the news posted.

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 11:36

Look so far Huw, only people who are under 16 (besides burakki62) have commented here, and we're all UPSET! :(

Plus, burakki said "It will be nice to have a place here to discuss the news posted" and I don't think "a place here" is the main News pages.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 11:38

At the LEGO MB's, I am probably the jokiest (immature, Huw. :P) user around. :P But I can change myself when there are adults around... :P I promise. :P

Posted by Greyface in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:38

LEGO knows no age. It's pure creativity and fun for all. And all should be able to discuss it. Do I like conversations you have described? No, and I agree that users who ask such questions should not be included. But your age limit is a vast generalization, as well as discriminatory against younger fans. And this could mean less traffic from younger fans on Brickset.

Posted by PaulTR in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:49

I really like this idea of a forum; I want to discuss so many LEGO-related topics that I'm nearly bursting with anticipation! However, my joy is tempered by the fact that I'm not too sure about the age limit; I'm 17 and a half, and even I think this might be a bad thing. I understand the internet is filled with various forums containing kids who do nothing but troll and pout, but from what I've seen on Brickset, there's really not a big group of (for lack of a better term) "Halo and Clone kiddies". I'm torn; I like the idea of a forum, but I also think the younger guys and gals should have a chance to speak their minds. I'm not sure how you could make the forum clutter-free AND still have the younger people involved, but if there was a way, I'd fully support it!

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 11:49

Part of the purpose of the beta trial period is to see whether the forum does have an effect on the main site, either positively or negatively, and whether it alienates younger visitors.

You are still all welcome here, I have no plans to change the rules for the main site, but discussion forums have to adhere to legislation to protect young people (http://www.coppa.org) which imposes very strict guidelines for those that do allow under 13s to use them.

I decided to raise that to 16 for the reasons stated above. I know some under 16s can act and communicate in an adult manner, and it does appear that many of you here fall into that category, but unfortunately there are some that don't.

Look on the bright side: if you're 16 or 17 you can join, unlike at EuroBricks and other forums that, I believe, have a over 18 policy.

Posted by Greyface in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:51

@Huw - Wait, so why can't 13 - 15 year olds use it? I would assume that most of the immature users we speak of are 11 or under. After all, if a 13 - 15 year old turns out to be immature, just like any user, you could just disinclude them.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 11:52

@Huw: Can I "act and communicate in an adult manner"? :P I just have to get rid of all the ":P" smileys, that's all. :P

Posted by PaulTR in United States, 02 Apr 2011 11:54

Oh, I never thought of the legality issues! It makes a lot of sense now. I feel bad about the younger people, but as someone who plans on entering the law enforcement field, I understand the laws must be kept. I'm sorry that I bashed your hard work, Huw; I didn't have all the facts. :(

Posted by glamdring804 in United States, 02 Apr 2011 12:10

Maybe weather you're allowed to post should be decided on mature you act, not your age.

Posted by lewa99 in United States, 02 Apr 2011 12:11

some people are young and mature!

Posted by Sky-guardian in United States, 02 Apr 2011 12:16

@huw Do you realize the the age group for most lego sets is 12 and over? Also, why are kids under 16 considered immature when adults playing with kid toys are not considered immature?

Posted by miniman30 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 12:19

I like the fact the 16 age limit has been imposed, even if I'm not that age yet myself. But hey, only 4 more months... ;)

Posted by legoguy2805 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 12:25

I hope the over-16 thing is an April fool. :P

But seriously Huw, there are a lot of under-16s on this site that are extremely mature. I for one go around contributing constructively to numerous Lego sites and am a massive fan of Lego. Some people I know that are my age just don't care about anything apart from new sets but I know a lot about the hobby, for example I'm the only Lego fan my age in my town who knows what System i Leg is and what BURP means. Plus I hate bad grammar and simplified builds. :P

So could you grant those among us who are MATURE, SENSIBLE 13-16s access to the forum if we prove our worth? I understand that you have to comply with the law for under-13s, and I understand why you raised the age limit to prevent annoying kids from coming and disturbing adult discussions. But I'm certain that most of us 13-16s on Brickset can contribute sensibly to AFOL discussions; I do it all the time on some sites.

So I ask you, can you let some 13-16 people in if they show that they can behave in this way? 'Cause I feel pretty excluded...

Posted by Wiseman_2 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 12:29

I'm a bit mixed on the age limit. On the one hand, I know how irritating younger forum users can be when they are spamming boards with pointless topics, but on the other, I know there are a lot out there who are mature enough to know not to do that. One forum I regularly post at (a tech support site) has many members under 16, and a lot over 16 (many over 16 were below that when they joined, like moi). They almost all act fairly mature.
Also, I've been on plenty of boards which are adult only, and there are often more immature people there than on the all-age forums.

Plus, this IS Lego, which is meant for all ages, so I think excluding those 13-16 isn't the best of ideas. Maybe wait until after the trial run before deciding on an age limit?

Then there are of course the official Lego forums for those underage...

Posted by modena in Italy, 02 Apr 2011 12:35

Nice... However, I will just have to wait.

Posted by umptybagger in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 12:37

You act like one needs to be under 16 years old to be stupid and immature.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 12:40

Oh wait, you even have to sign-up to another site. :P Case closed. :P

Posted by rifraphy in Poland, 02 Apr 2011 12:42

^No offense Huw, but in my opinion, that is true. On Eurobricks, as you stated, their age limit is 18, and yet they let in builders like me, people who are 13 and under 18, in other words, when they saw I didn't go around posting Elite Commander spam and using elevens at the end of my every sentence. I think you guys are keeping out a lot of perfectly mature and intelligent builders who were looking forward to the feature, especially after finding out it was an April Fools' joke in the first place - that's getting people's hopes up twice.

Are the commenters on the articles on the main page immature? I wouldn't have said so - I don't see why they should be in the forum.

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 12:50

Plus, what if the majority of people who asked for a forum where under 16, they'd be really bummed...

Posted by madforLEGO in United States, 02 Apr 2011 12:55

Well I will say this.
I understand that while it is more likely to see spam and troll type comments from kids, it is not ALWAYS the case.
Heck I have seen guys hawking their eBay products on here and I have not seen any kids do this.

The only thing I can think of is that Huw does not want you getting into flame wars on a message board when there is more useful things to do on the space.
Also I would say it is a matter of the color of the content, as I am guessing it could get blue, as I have seen many fbombs on the other boards, BUt then again if you can still view, but not post, I do not see how that 'shelters' anyone from that language.

I think Wiseman_2 hit it on the head, try it without an age limit and see what occurs. If it gets out of hand,or discussions are not Lego related, then you can say you gave them a chance and they blew it.
If everything is fine then no harm done and you have a good base of people in the forums.

Posted by legoguy2805 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 13:01

@ rifraphy: I agree... it is a kind of ageism. There are so many sensible and mature builders like you and me who cannot be allowed on the forum because of our age. I just hope Huw reconsiders...

Posted by Tahu8993 in United States, 02 Apr 2011 13:04

Hmm... I tried creating an account but I was unable to see the security check. Is there something I need to set up with my browser to be able to view it, or is my computer just malfunctioning? I had this same problem whenever I tried joining the BCN (Brick Comic Network) and I just used another comp, but I don't think I'll be able to this time...

EDIT: I forgot to mention (if it is important) that I am over 16

Posted by rifraphy in Poland, 02 Apr 2011 13:07

^^^Yes, but then, what if we got banned again just because a small group started acting immaturely while we were acting all right? We'd get banned for no reason and it would be unfair.

Posted by Be-Burger in Israel, 02 Apr 2011 13:19

Would it kill you if a 15-year-old joined? Oy gevalt, I can't wait that long to join :P

Posted by jonbuddy in United States, 02 Apr 2011 13:27

Okay, I guess I can wait 3 years...

EDIT: @Alemas (the one before the recent one), no need to remove ":P" smilies! :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 13:33

@jonbuddy: There is. :P It would be good for me too. :P

Posted by joetheman in United States, 02 Apr 2011 14:26

First i would like to say announcing your age on the internet may not be the most ideal thing to do and secondly (for Huw) what if you are a childish over-sixteen year old who's language sounds as if it is an eleven or twelve year old? I'm in fact not just under sixteen myself but I would suggest that maybe you could figure out a way to lower the age limit for the more mature, younger members of the Brickset community.

As a side note you may want to state what your definition of mature is because obviously the adults here play with Lego's. Although no one wants to admit it there, may be a slight less level of maturity in the adults here than others who do not play with or collect Lego's, but again just a suggestion.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 02 Apr 2011 14:29

No matter where you set the age limit, there are going to be frustrated people. It's just a no-win situation. That being said, we'll just have to see how things go. Each of us is a valued member of the Brickset community and we are all welcome to read the forum. Younglings just can't join.

Try not to expend too much angst on this as we have just got Series 4 Collectible Minifigures and the Farnsworth House, not to mention the Pirates of the Caribbean Queen Anne's Revenge being only 14 days away!

Posted by joetheman in United States, 02 Apr 2011 14:30

Well said, I put my case at rest, but just keep in mind people will lie about their age.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 14:32

@yellowcastle: ...so, Brickset will have two areas: For us kids, here; for the adults, the forum. :P This'll be an endless argument... :P

Posted by Theredbrick in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 14:59

Just took a peak at the forum and to be quite honest, It is very confusing.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 02 Apr 2011 15:07

@Alemas - As I mentioned above, you are very valued member of the Brickset community. However, until you reach 16, you will not be allowed to post in the forum, though we're all welcome to follow any discussions there that interest us. I know for a fact that there are already many people (ahem, Elizabeth) that visit Brickset often but never post. I do that a ton myself both here and at other sites and do not feel that my lack of participation has greatly lessened my experience. Please note that we will continue to work at making Brickset a rewarding experience and valuable asset for younglings and oldlings alike. :o)

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 02 Apr 2011 15:09

@Theredbrick - It is definitely a step in a different direction which I think is a good thing. I was also a little apprehensive at first but it has definitely grown on me the past several weeks. As I've said before, though, I'm not one to spend a lot of time in forums so Brickset will continue to be my main squeeze. :o)

Posted by Phantom in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 15:13

Dont discourage younger people from joining the forum, obviously you must adhere to the law but whats wrong with making it 13+? Im certain more people will join and feel welcomed.
You could always ban people from the forum if they cause a nuisance...
And idont think there are lots people ages 16-29 that are fans and collectors of lego, only 30+ so this is going to be essentially an adult discussion forum.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 15:17

@yellowcastle: "[I am a] very valued member of the Brickset community"? Really? :P

Posted by rifraphy in Poland, 02 Apr 2011 15:46

Precisely, Alemas. This stuff is age discrimination, whether mature or not. Au revoir!

Posted by LobsterWarrior in United States, 02 Apr 2011 15:59

@Huw This is going to sound stupid, but in the news you made grammar mistakes :P.
By the way, 13+ year-olds can be very mature. Dont you, Huw, yellowcastle, and those other crazy dudes (:P) remember being underage and being excluded of something? You couldn't get this and that cause you too young? Remember that? Well, thats how we feel. It would be awesome if you could put instead of 16+ year old guys who have way too much free time and money to go to brickset (:P) 13+ who could contribute a lot more and, of course, they can be mature too.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 16:02

@rifraphy: To which of my comments are you replying to? See, I can do mature. :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 16:04

Let's remember that you still have to join another site. :P The Brickset forum is on another site. :P So, a second account is needed. :P Case closed for me. :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 16:08

Good news: Huw has opened a topic (is thread more mature? :P) on the age issue: http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/161/the-age-issue.../ Discuss there...

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 16:11

Do the posts at the forum go through instantly? Unlike the LEGO Message Boards, where each post has to go through a person?

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 16:28

This is not 'age discrimination' at all. I am under 16, yet post often on another (Non-lego) forum where the majority of people are adults. I admit I screw up sometimes, but for the most part I am the equal of any of the adults, at least in typing skill and not just doing posts that say 'LOL evry1 look at that' (You get the idea), I'm almost a Black Belt in a martial art. I'd say I'm pretty mature.

If Huw said under 16s couldn't join because they he thought they were stupid, THAT would be age discrimination. But he's not.

What he's saying is under 13s can sometimes not be mature enough. A 7 year old generally can't type well, and no one wants to see 'i woldbuy the drod gunship. the old one at liek 40 puonds.' Not that all 7 year olds type like that, indeed, I wonder whether any does.

Even some 13+ year olds get overexcited, or just don't bother think about their words. It would take a lot of effort to weed out some of the worse ones, and the Mods have enough to cope with.

This is why I can't join yet. I feel slightly (I've gone a bit 'off' Lego at the moment, so not too bothered) disappointed, but I don't begrudge the Mods for this. They've gone to a lot of trouble, and this IS Huw's site. Our membership is a privilege, not a right.

@Alemas: Not sure whether that was a sarcastic comment, or a modest comment. If it's the latter, yes I'd say you're a valued member. Your comments are nice and easy to read, and you're well tempered. Good dog :p

EDIT: By the Brick, my comment's been ninja'd!

Posted by joeyzbrown in United States, 02 Apr 2011 16:49

This is a great idea.

Huw didn't do this to discriminate anyone, but he knows how annoying and nonsense-posting some kids and teens are. He dosent want to always have to worry about the forum being trashed by little kids

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 16:52

@DrathMaul: To what comment of mine are you talking about? And what do you mean by "ninja'd"?

Posted by Death Watch in United States, 02 Apr 2011 16:53

Can the youngers at least have a trial? I've been on other sites, and I haven't had a problem...

Posted by mlavwilson in United States, 02 Apr 2011 17:01

The lack of integration to brickset is unfortunate. You have a lot of data on brickset that could integrate into the forum very nicely. I don't see the point in launching another LEGO forum. You are too far behind eb to catch them without something new to offer.

Just a thought.

Posted by atkinsar in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 17:19

^ this was a concern of many, why does the community need another LEGO forum. The general consensus was that the topic of collecting, which is core to the Brickset ethos, was actually not that well catered for by other forums, and that this should be they key focus for the Brickset forum.

Posted by ancient-collector in Italy, 02 Apr 2011 17:26

As a LEGO fan, I can only appreciate all your efforts on Brickset, which has always been a marvelous resource.

But as an IT engineer, I still don't understand the technical solution: did you take a look at (for instance) http://yetanotherforum.net/ ? It could have been easier to integrate with Brickset current platform and furthermore, you would not have to worry about users/traffic splitting.

Of course, I am not aware of the present Brickset status, and therefore this is just my personal viewpoint.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 17:42

@ancient-collector: Gah, Huw would hate the looks of that forum. :P He hates emoticons, signatures, and animated avatars. :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 17:44

Another point: My spelling and grammar is better than some +16 year-olds. :P And adults. :P And I'm Italian, too. :P And I'm under 16. :P

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 02 Apr 2011 17:57

@ancient-collector, yes, I did look at YAF but didn't like it: it's too old-fashioned in its design and, actually, pretty damn difficult to integrate with the rest of the site due to the use of the .net membership mechanism, which isn't used here (that part of the site was written for asp.net 1.0 and if it ain't broke I didn't fix it)

@mlavwilson, time will tell if lack of single sign on/integration is a problem, that's what the beta period is for.

Does the internet NEED another LEGO forum? Probably not. Do Brickset members WANT one? It seems that they do, and again, the beta will determine whether it's a success or not and whether it has any long term future.

We don't intend or expect to 'catch them', that's not what it's for. It's for people who feel more comfortable hanging out here than at other sites, and 'something new to offer' that we have is that it's not a out-of-the-90s phpBB style board with all the associated clutter and dated user interface.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 18:13

@Huw: Yes, we DID want a forum, but NOT an age-restricted one! I DON'T want an age-restricted forum!

Posted by bionicleboy95 in N/A, 02 Apr 2011 18:48

^I bet he's over 16.

Posted by bionicleboy95 in N/A, 02 Apr 2011 18:53

Okay, here's my problem with the age restriction. I'm fifteen, and a member of Eurobricks. Not only a member; a teacher in the Reviewer's Academy (cralegoboy; I've updated my username since joining this site). I've achieved some level of respect and a position on an 18+ board, but I'm not allowed to join this forum?

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 19:02

@bionicleboy: Who is over 16?

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Apr 2011 19:08

Guys, we're talking more about age restrictions than LEGO. :P Take a moment or two to process that. :P The forum has led to this. :P Endless droning about forums and age restrictions. :P Probably the best thing to do is scrap the forum altogether. :P If it's leading to this, it's better having no forum at all. :P

Posted by TopperTwist in United States, 02 Apr 2011 20:06

I'm just mad because I can't participate here, or Eurobricks. I just want to talk about my true love, Lego, and not be annoyed by pestering, and spamful little snotty-nosed children. Being 13 sucks. Not only on the Internet, but every time I'm in a store guards watch me like I'm some sort of criminal. Grr...

Change the age limit to 13+ so we the 13 year olds aren't excluded like we are from everything else in the world. I'm sure many of us will be able to conduct ourselves in a very adult-like manner. Plus, everyone wins with this arrangement. For the most part it would keep the forum free of spam, allow teenagers to share our opinions (believe me, we have them), and Lego is a TOY, and AFOLS know that, so they should be used to dealing with mature teenagers.

My suggestion: Lower the age restriction to 13+ and find a few adults willing to act as forum moderators to make sure none of the teenagers (or adults for that matter) are polluting the forums. Case closed. :)

Posted by itsaturkey in United States, 02 Apr 2011 20:38

Wait, is the forum on another site? I don't know much about forums, but could you make a 16 under forum? Then you could have a sophisticated 16+ forum, and give us other not 16+'s something to do while we wait to turn 16.
Just an idea.

Posted by MisterFubar in United States, 02 Apr 2011 21:49

What about those of us who have grown old, but refuse to grow up? Are we allowed to post if we are 13 at heart?

Posted by Orthobotrex in Philippines, 02 Apr 2011 21:53

I think we cannot begrudge Huw for his age restrictions when he has the welfare of those below the limit in mind.
More than being the owner of the site, he has a responsibility to make difficult decisions which may make him unpopular, and that is part of being an adult.

You know how kids can be sometimes...doggedly persistent, sometimes rebellious and repetitious. I think if you are mature enough, you don't need to dwell on the same topic over and over again...just look at how much traffic there is in this thread, yet it's basically the same people talking about the same thing. This is partly what he wanted to avoid. But as can be seen, it's happening here! So just looking at the comments on this topic gives the people who favor a 16+ age limit more reason to implement the said restriction.

Posted by Allanp in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 05:28

Many people below the age of 18 are regular posters on Eurobricks. However they are mature, you would never guess their age by reading their comments and so go unoticed. So whilst the policy is "no under 18's", the reality is more like nobody with a mental age below 18. It seems to work pretty well so lets not get too whiney** about it ;^)

**please note that I understand there is a huge difference between just stating your case of which it is your right to do so and childish whining, but not everyone can see that when the person stating their case is 12 years old.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 08:42

If someone wants to set up a forum for under 16s that's much the same as the Brickset forum, and for free, I'll point you in the right direction, but I won't actually do it, or run it, or have any responsibility for it.

Posted by rabk295 in United States, 03 Apr 2011 09:43

Well that's too bad, I was really hoping to join. Ah well, too bad. I was looking forward to some good discussions.

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 09:47

@Huw - Would one need to know the language of HTML to make that kind of a forum?

Posted by legoguy2805 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 10:00

@ TopperTwist: Ditto.

Posted by bionicle212 in United States, 03 Apr 2011 10:50

"16 or older." well that's just perfect, I bet 9 out of 10 brickset members are under 16, like me.

Posted by PocasNuckie in Portugal, 03 Apr 2011 11:42

To be honest with you all, I am a bit indifferent to the new Brickset forum. It was always my conviction (and this proved by a series of posts/comments by Brickset admins) that Brickset would never have a forum and well I lived well with it.

It's nice to have sites for different purposes, and well Brickset had (still does of course) a lot of very useful purposes, and beeing a discussion forum was hardly one of them.

Seriously, the forums aren't going to be or have anything knew. They'll probably go on replicating a lot of topics I can find on EB, FBTB, or whatever other LEGO forums are there.

I registered because well, it's nice, but I sincerely doubt I'll access the forums ever again.

On the age limit issue, well I am 21, so totally not bothered. Although I support the Admins decisions, more because of the legal issues rather than the maturity (or lack of it) question.

Just my 5 cents. :)

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 12:06

@Jarod, no, you need know nothing about all that.

@Pocas, consider the forum a separate site (which it is). If you're happy here and don't need the forum, continue to use the site as before: nothing's going to change the way it works or is operated, the forum is just an extension of it. Just ignore the forum tab :-)

Posted by PocasNuckie in Portugal, 03 Apr 2011 12:22

Exactly what I'm doing, Huw.

Keep up with the excellent work. :)

Posted by thesub in United States, 03 Apr 2011 13:26

The people who ARE going to span and stuff will just lie about their age. That means you are punishing all the good people! :(

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 15:29

Um Huw, is it possible to lower the age limit to 15? I've been wanting a forum for ages, only to find out I'm a year too young! :(
Thanks for the work you've put into this anyway (even if I do have to wait another year ;) )

Posted by mlavwilson in United States, 03 Apr 2011 16:02

Guys stop arguing with Huw about the age requirements, this is the internet, you can be what ever you want to be. Just don't give him a reason to kick you off.

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 16:06

@Alemas: I meant the, "@yellowcastle: "[I am a] very valued member of the Brickset community"? Really? :P" comment :P

By "ninja'd" I meant that because I took so long typing my comment, you managed to post one that I hadn't yet seen in the time I posted mine. For that matter, you managed to post four!

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 03 Apr 2011 16:11

@DrathMaul: Ok. :P That sentence was a mixture of both sarcasm and modesty. :P Or probably I should have simply avoided the ":P". :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 03 Apr 2011 16:14

Hm... *Checks Quantcast stats* Small increase in traffic, boys. :P

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 16:25

I believe that some under 16's, should be allowed to participate in the forums, if they act maturely enough. It's easy to see who acts maturely and who doesn't based on these 'comments pages'. The ideal solution would to have a over 16 and below 16 forum, however I do realise that this would take twice as long to create, update and monitor, so is therefore out of the question.

@Alemas; I've only just noticed that you use a ':P' smiley! I guess I don't pay much attention!

@mirandir; I know there is no way for people to know your age and I was tempted to register on the forums, however I'd feel subcontious about lying and (more importantly) I've already said here I'm under 16, so I'd be more than likely to be blocked/banned from the forum! :(

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 16:53

Hey, wasn't there a review ranking system implemented a while ago? (Haven't been keeping track lately)

What if... Under 16s could join, if they had a certain rank? Somebody who has 15+ good reviews is most likely going to know how to type nicely, and not to 'rant'.

Bit of a 'Show us you're nice, and we'll accept you early,' kind of thing.

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 03 Apr 2011 16:56

@Drathmaul; Nice idea, only I never write reviews- I'm completly hopeless at them, and wouldn't have a clue where to begin. Something along the lines of ranking would be better than age though.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 03 Apr 2011 17:25

@DrathMaul: Here are the "Top Reviewers": http://www.brickset.com/reviews/topReviewers/ I have 10 "helpful" reviews. :P

Posted by TBOC in United States, 03 Apr 2011 18:16

That's great, can't participate. I think that is unfair to the younger TFOL's like myself that can have mature conversations about Lego.

Thought the age limit is very well thought out, it's too bad some of the more mature people can't join in.

Posted by rifraphy in Poland, 03 Apr 2011 19:41

If I may say this, I think that if people under sixteen made a LEGO forum, they'd be all for letting AFOLs join.

Posted by fredolego in France, 03 Apr 2011 20:07

well, if nothing too annoying happens with the teens in the future of the forum, maybe, lower the limit at 15 at some point would be fair?

Posted by LEGO_Lord in United States, 03 Apr 2011 20:32

Too bad... I'm only 13.

Posted by yys4u in United States, 03 Apr 2011 20:48

I was actually surprised to see so many kids on this site. I thought for the most part that most if not all online lego communities were for AFOLs. I was always surprised to see someone post that they "can't drive" or "I'll have to ask my parents to buy it for me."

One the issue of the age limit, I have to say the way some people on this thread have been posting over and over and over made it very difficult to read all the comments in one sitting, because many of the posts had no substance. For that reason alone I'm glad the forums will have a 16+ age limit.

That being said, although I am of age for the forums, I most likely will not be using them. I like brickset because it's easy to follow the discussion, there's only a set amount of topics and there's usually not new News everyday. So it becomes very easy to keep up with discussions. I use Eurobricks from time to time, but there's so much going on its impossible to stay on top of every post. Basically I like brickset because its NOT a forum, but the fact that the forum isn't on the same site I think is fine. I'm totally for the forum, and its rules, I just probably wont participate.

Posted by jamesster in United States, 03 Apr 2011 21:22

I'm 14. Dang it.

Also, due to BZPower's "no linking to or discussing websites with other forums" rule (which, IMO, is a bit silly) we now can't talk about Brickset there or even mention it's name. Though that's not a problem with Brickset, I'm all for a forum here, I'm just against BZP's no other forums rule...

Posted by General I. Jones in Australia, 04 Apr 2011 00:02

I for one think the age limit is a good idea. 16 is the perfect age for people to post without going 'i realy realy want this set lol it looks so awsum'

Bye the way if everyone complaining about the age limit is as mature as he/she is stating, he/she would not be going on about it so constantly.

Maybe if you just accept it you will seem even more mature which in turn will allow the age limit to be slackened.

Edit: DrathMaul1997 nice idea about the review thing-that would certainly work.

Posted by fredolego in France, 04 Apr 2011 01:11

Kids, just so you know, maturity doesn't necessary imply austerity, cynicism and cold boredom as you could be led to believe... Obviously, smileys are also happening in adult forums, as long as it's not ten thousands of it on one single post! Olders don't hate you! ;)

Posted by Stardusty in Croatia, 04 Apr 2011 08:14

I will need to wait 2 looooong years to join the forum. :(

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 10:42

Many people in the forum want the age limit lifted to 18+, even saw one guy wanting it to be 20+. Did you know I can get married at 16 (with some legal stuff)? I can join the british army at 17.5 years, and die for my country. Yet I can't join a forum that talks about a child's toy? *Snort*

You know, I'm starting to wonder whether the age limit is really sensible at all. Other people have said this as well:

The 'bad' people. These people either don't care, or can't, care about what's in their posts. They type badly, start flamewars, and troll. If you don't/can't care about other people, why not join the forum anyway, despite being under 16?

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 11:19

Sorry, my last comment didn't make much sense. :P

My point was: The 'bad people' will just join anyway, and be booted quickly. The 'good people' won't join because of the age limit. Thus, all you're doing is keeping the 'good people' away.

The people in-between who aren't 'bad' as such (No trolling, flaming, etc), but just don't bother typing, can either be shown that the forum won't tolerate the bad typing, and helped to change. Or can be booted if they won't show the effort. Assuming that most people fall into either 'good' or 'bad', this wouldn't make that much more work. Even if not, having a automated message Mods could activate when needed to ask people to improve should reduce the workload greatly.

Am I just being naive, and stupid, in thinking this? :P

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 11:31

@Drathmaul; I get your point, and it does make sense. I made a comment earlier saying I was thinking of registering, but I'd feel subcontious about lying.

I think we should all be allowed onto the forum, but with a 'trial period'. Depending on our posts/forums posted over a certain time, it will be easy to see who keeping the "high quality of discussion" and those who are creating pointless topics like "which theme do you like the best?" as Huw said. Once the trial period is over, those who were littering the forums with childish posts can just have their accounts deleted. :P

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 11:47

Yes... very nice idea. And if it was possible to write a program that alerted a Mod when a trail period was over (Alerting Mod 'A' for the first one, then Mod 'B' for the second one, then Mod 'C', Etc) they could just quickly check through your posts, then make judgement.

Assuming a record is kept for each member's posts that can be viewed by people, or just Mods?

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 12:04

@Drathmaul; I think during the trial your posts should be seen by all, so others can also see what you're like as an actual part of the forum community. Any exetremly bad posts/fourms can be identified quickly and removed to ensure that the quality stays high.

Reading over some of the forums really makes me want to take part! Even though we're under 16, we still have some of the same LEGO related questions and problems

Posted by Be-Burger in Israel, 04 Apr 2011 12:48

I think that a trial period would be a good idea...

Its true, all the under-16s you want to keep out won't respect your guidelines and come anyways, as DrathMaul said earlier. Us under-16s that use excellent grammar and can keep a conversation with adults are going to respect your rules which is why there is the fuss about the age requirement.

Posted by legominifig221 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 13:17

the trial period idea is a good one.
Also what about buttons (like on reviews and bricklists)saying was this post helpful to you and once people get over a certian number of unhelpful posts there accounts could be deleted.

Anyway,keep up the good work Huw.

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 15:00

Huw, I looked at a lot of the posts under the "The age issue..." discussion and a lot of the people seem to just want the age limit to be about as old as they are. Like SampiSatan said "17+, sure, but 18+? Nah. Wait 8 months and I'll be ok with it." I'm not even 13 yet (but I will be later in April), but what I think you should do is set up a trial forum for people who are 13-15 to see if we can handle it and if someone makes an immature comment you could take them off the forum and see how we do after a month.

Posted by benjadude11 in United States, 04 Apr 2011 15:08

Even if 13-yr-olds can be mature, thats not something you can judge from a few snippets of conversation here and there. I am 14, so i wont be able to use it yet, and while this is frustrating, its a good thing, because it will, i believe, have the desired effect of sifting out useless conversation.

Posted by benjadude11 in United States, 04 Apr 2011 15:20

Ok, I take that back. After reading the feed called 'do you buy lego with your head held high' i am itching to post. Just today i was pondering this issue extensively, and i feel it is one that applies to people of my age (~14) more than adults, so why should we not be able to post? although, understood, an 11 year old could really put a damper on the quality of that conversation.

Posted by Greyface in United States, 04 Apr 2011 16:13

You know what I just noticed? This thread has gotten some of the largest amounts of activity I've ever seen in some of the shortest periods of time... And yet nothing's being done about it.

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 16:21

@Greyface - Huw's not saying we're stupid, he just doesn't want immature people on the forum and some people (15 and under) can be very immature.

@Greyface - That's probably because the admins/mods are too busy over in the forum or they're wanting to see our ongoing arguement over who should be allowed to post on the forum.

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 04 Apr 2011 16:41

But I still stand by what I said before, Huw isn't doing this to spite us. He's doing that to prevent Spam, Flame-wars, and all those things many people seem to like to start. If I can get him to lower it, or find a way to help people around it (Legally of course, the options discussed earlier being a good example) then I'll push for it nicely.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 04 Apr 2011 17:51

@Jarod98, DrathMaul1997, Greyface, Be-Burger, etc. - The moderators have not forsaken Brickset or your comments above. I think you have each made good arguments and much like Alemas et al, are valuable members of Brickset. As you no doubt have already noticed, there is ongoing discussion in the forum regarding the 16+ restriction so please note that your points have been heard and championed by others. My recommendation is to just sit back, know that you've put your best arguments forward, and see what happens. The less time fretting means more time building and collecting....or in my case, fixating on the great POTC and Alien Conquest sets just around the corner. :o)

Posted by Sherblock in United States, 04 Apr 2011 18:10

Great idea with the strict age limit Huw! I'll try around!

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 04 Apr 2011 18:17

*Checks Quantcast stats* YEPPERS! :P Huge increase in traffic, boys! :P New record for page views! Reached on April 2nd! The forum HAS increased traffic! And it'll keep increasing!

EDIT: Ahem, new record for THIS WEEK. :P Sorry guys. :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 04 Apr 2011 18:29

Oh, one thing Huw DEFINITELY shouldn't too, if he lowers the age limit, to attract younger people, is... ranks. THAT would cause MAYHEM. :P The LEGO MBs has ranks, and... well, go and look. :P Here's a link: http://messageboards.lego.com/en-GB/default.aspx I post there. :P And I'm a Maniac, the highest possible rank. :P

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 04 Apr 2011 18:32

BTW, I agree on the "trial period" idea. :P But you still have to sign up on another site... :P

Posted by Greyface in United States, 04 Apr 2011 20:58

@yellowcastle - Thank you very much for your assurances that our distress has been heard. I can now spend more time counting down to new HP sets!

Posted by 1265 in United States, 04 Apr 2011 21:10

@Alemas: You’ve made quite an impression standing up for what you believe is wrong by not allowing those under the age requirement from joining the forum. In the beginning, I listened to you, along with others, and agreed to many of the points put forth. However, recently, the posts, mostly from you, became sarcastic, argumental and disrespectful to which I now fully support Huw’s decision.

Posted by itsaturkey in United States, 04 Apr 2011 23:16

@Alemas: There's ranks on the message boards?
I'm actually glad that Huw put the age limit, because other wise I would have of joined, and I become easily excited and type quickly and...um...badily :D So I probably wouldn't contribute much to the forum if I was allowed on any way.

Posted by yys4u in United States, 05 Apr 2011 03:02

I'm trying to use the forum but it's not working out too well....
I dunno maybe I'm just not that good with computers. I managed to log in a couple times using my google account during the beta period but now it's saying I'm inputting the wrong password... I always use the same password for everything so I didn't just forget it.

I dunno maybe its just me, but I wish the forum would just disappear lol ( sorry I'm sure you put a lot of work into it) too many problems

Posted by Be-Burger in Israel, 05 Apr 2011 06:10

@yellowcastle - Thanks, you're right, for now I'll just keep deciding which of the POTC sets I'll buy first :P

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 05 Apr 2011 10:25

@Yellowcastle; Thanks for listening to our arguements and ideas. Hopefully new arangements can be made that allows for everyone to be happy and enjoy the new forum that Huw has kindly made. :P

Posted by marcus880 in United Kingdom, 05 Apr 2011 10:49

Being a teen not quite older enough to join the forum I have to say I am offended by this ageism and "kids arent smart enough to post." Honestly Legos a kids toy

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 05 Apr 2011 12:48

@1265: Ahem. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. Or too sarcastic. Anyway, I apologise.

Posted by Sherblock in United States, 05 Apr 2011 12:55

And honestly, Marcus, the forum isn't a kids place. A couple years ago the community was more open to younger members, but then the effects started to show. I joined Eurobricks when I was around 12, but I didn't complain about rules and had better grammar than half the people there.

Posted by The Green Brick Giant in United States, 05 Apr 2011 14:30

I find it funny that Eurobricks has an age limit of 18 when the site started most of the mods weren't over 14.

An age limit is needed, because most places have an age limit of 13 on joining websites to begin with. I think even LEGO.com you need to be 13.

The forums need some work, I know it's new, but the setup is very 90s and clunky. But it's a start...

Posted by Doctor Leg O'Brick in United Kingdom, 05 Apr 2011 15:16

Well I have known about this for ages but as I am under the age I can not join. I am anoyed at the age range because I have stuff thats not swearing or slang. I can not even join MOC pages because I don't have £100 to buy the gear you need to take pictures. As a fan of lego, I only have three friends near me who like lego, and I can only speak to two of them once a week. One of them is going into a dark age now, ones turned into a bully and the other lives two miles away. I look at forums but can not join in. Its like I can see it, but Im behind a four mile wide glass window. I am part of Lego.com but when I post nobody takes notice. Sorry Huw but I agree with Alemas and co....

Posted by freeze992 in United States, 05 Apr 2011 19:24

@The Green Brick Giant: I am pretty sure that LEGO.com does not have an age requirement. I've been a member for 5 or 6 years, which means I joined before I was 13.

Posted by pop3465 in United States, 05 Apr 2011 21:22

I Agree :legoguy2805 :\ But at the same time I have a facebook acount...So can I join?
joeyzbrown:So Anyone under 13 is a nonsense trash posting kid...I'm not... I am in forums(not this one but I wish)
I would't Lie about my age unless my parents knew that I was doing it as long as their OK with it then I am allwoed...maby their should be like a thing where if you are under 16 like me you have to have the parents Email and it has and have a little link where the parents have to click on it to make sure there OK Whith it. :) I don't know its just a sugesstion...

Posted by pop3465 in United States, 05 Apr 2011 22:31

When I said I am in forums I did not mean I am a Nonsense Posting kid...I did't mean to make that so close.

Posted by TopperTwist in United States, 06 Apr 2011 20:54

Okay, I'm pretty happy about the upcoming sets. I hope our arguements get through to you administrators. In other news: I'm excited about the release of Alien Conquest, but does anyone know if the new NinjaGo sets will be released at the same time?

Posted by Bran-don-jin in United States, 07 Apr 2011 22:34

My, how far this site has come in the past, five/six years since I joined. A FORUM. Wow. Thats what we all wanted back in the day. Hehe.
Good job brickset team, this website is most impressive.

Posted by Bion in United States, 09 Apr 2011 19:33

Sigh! Oh well, I see where your coming from Huw, so I guess I can't complain to much.

Posted by General I. Jones in Australia, 10 Apr 2011 20:49

@pop3465 you do realise that facebook also has an age limit of 13+

Posted by awesomestudios in United States, 11 Apr 2011 16:14

Really, Huw, really? I mean, most 16 teen year olds are immature on my bus, saying swears and whatnot! But, some 11-15 year olds are way more mature some 16 year olds, which every other word that comes out of their is an offending word. You should do it based on maturity, not agewise!

Posted by DrathMaul1997 in United Kingdom, 12 Apr 2011 05:05

@Above

But, as we've discussed, the problem is finding a way to base it on maturity, without letting in all the 'Bad' people. :P

Commenting has ended on this article.