Comments on: Interview with an Admin: Eurobricks

By: Interview with an Admin: Classic Space | The Brothers Brick | LEGO Blog

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:45:31 +0000

[...] our interview with Eurobricks admin, Mark Larson, as well) Josh posted this entry on Friday, February 6th, [...]

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:28:57 +0000

@snefroe – I’m sorry you feel that way, but you can’t ignore the past. I was attempting to let people know that Eurobricks has moved on and is trying to form a new reputation. There are many people who did not know that.

It is nearly impossible to understand where a someone or something is going in the future if you don’t understand where they have been in the past.

By: snefroe

snefroe — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:55:04 +0000

It’s really a shame that an interview with barely a few questions devotes half of the available time on EB’s past. Being one of those early staff members who used to take part in the decision taking, let me say this:
EB always was, and still is, a site for Lego fans. Wathever staff members did, it always was to inform fans, to my knoledge, nobody ever got rich or had any other great deal out of it. In fact, it was quite the opposite, not to mention the free publicty for Lego’s products. I can only assume that appointing Copmike as ambassador was Lego’s way of saying: “what’s done is done, let’s move on”. It’s sad that some fans and interviewers still aren’t capable of doing just that…

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:36:04 +0000

EB is definitely a true fan site. Very friendly, much less elitist “attitude” than some other places. There’s a place there for everyone – builders, collectors, and people who just want to talk about LEGO. That’s why it has seen more growth in its users during the past year or two than any other fan site.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:58:37 +0000

@Sassy – I have to disagree with you. Eurobricks is a true fan site. You may not agree with them or their policies, but to say that they aren’t truly a fan site is ignorant and rude. I am a member of Eurobricks, along with several other sites, and I have found the site to be full of “true” fans. Every site and forum has a different culture, which is part of the reason that I started this series. Just because you don’t like a particular site doesn’t mean they are inferior or “lame”. I am registered on all the major sites, as well as several of the lesser known ones, and they all have “true” fans.

As for the series, I have interviews completed from several other sites, including Classic-Castle and Classic-Space. There are others in progress.

By: Sassy

Sassy — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:43:12 +0000

Eurobricks is a joke. As Hawkles referenced, a mod there posted a leaked image on their homepage, and the Admins could only offer a lame justification on their policy. They may say that they are not "Euroleaks", but a lot of work needs to be done in that area. Much kudos to TBB for this series, though. When will you have a interview with a true Lego fan site, like Classic-Castle or FBTB?

By: TheBrickster

TheBrickster — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:00:18 +0000

Where do you guys come up with this stuff? Mainstream? “Kiss TLGs…”? And what site has no rules? I’d like to see that.
There’s a lot more to any site than sharing leaks and pictures of new merchandise. If that’s the only thing you’re after, then your missing the true idea of a community site. As a long-time member of EB, leaked information was not at all why I joined. It’s a community where many different themes and topics can be discussed.

By: "Fairplay"

"Fairplay" — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:18:29 +0000

EB isn’t anything like it was many months ago… Now they are mainstream, like Lori said, and they seem to kiss TLG’s *cough*MegaBlocks*cough*. I think that many sites are better than EB with their no-rules policy, which EB dissolved.

By: Mark "Hinckley" Larson

Mark "Hinckley" Larson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:24:43 +0000

No problem, Badger! If I’d call you back, I bet you’d remember my name…Sorry about that. :)

I find the difference between the responses here a great indication of how it’s impossible to please all of the people. Some think we’re still leaking, others wish we were still brazenly posting whatever we wanted. So, we just reach an agreement as a staff and try to stick to it. That’s the best we can do. Plus look for feedback from TLG, which is definitely new. :D

The only thing I can disagree with that’s been said is that our policy is more strict than other sites. Some other sites won’t even let you discuss rumors or leaked images. We won’t stop people from doing that. Discussions can occur about anything-even if the pics aren’t allowed to be posted-we won’t try to censor anyone or stop them from discussing certain topics. If pictures are removed, people still want to talk about what they saw and, in my opinion, that’s okay.

By: enigma that is badger

enigma that is badger — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:09:38 +0000

Nuts, I mean Mark, not Mike. Don’t know why I keep doing that, Hinckley!

By: enigma that is badger

enigma that is badger — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:17:21 +0000

“someone else will step up to provide “unofficial” news.”

I believe Mike is pretty clear that while Eurobricks plans to respect TLG materials marked as confidential, the EB staff still wants the site to be a place where fans can see early pics of upcoming TLG products. In the time EB has been operating under these rules, it’s still been a great place for early images, and if a closer, more cooperative relationship with TLG means high-quality pics earlier or exclusives to fan sites (as was done with the MMV), I certainly have no issue with it.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Actually, I have to disagree with Hinckley re: people not noticing the change in newsleak policy. One of the best things about Eurobricks was its “wild and free” policy. They were “the” news site, and it was fun and exciting. I miss it badly!

However, those days are gone as EB has become much more mainstream, and is more concerned about what the LEGO company thinks of them. In fact, their policy on leaks is significantly stricter than on many other AFOL sites, so where they used to lead they now follow. There have been times where pictures that were on BB for days were removed from EB.

Personally, I don’t find that a change for the better. It’s disappointing. EB is still a great site, but not what it was.

By: Hawkles

Hawkles — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:23:49 +0000

And on the same day as the article about changing the way people view Eurobricks, a leak is posted to the Eurobricks main page.

By: Marc Nelson Jr.

Marc Nelson Jr. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:28:14 +0000

That’s too bad to hear that Eurobricks has been co-opted by TLG. Oh, well – someone else will step up to provide “unofficial” news.

By: TheBrickster

TheBrickster — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:22:20 +0000

This is a very good interview. Thanks for sharing on Brothers Brick. As a long standing member of Eurobricks, it’s a great Lego community web-site that offers something for everyone. The many members of Eurobricks are a fantastic group of individuals who have been quite successful in promoting and improving the AFOL community. Great job!