New Survey for Adult Fans from LEGO

LEGO has created a new survey to help them work better with the adult fan community. Go ahead and tell them how you really feel!

14 comments on “New Survey for Adult Fans from LEGO

  1. notenoughbricks

    Took the 2 minute survey. Last questions dealt with Brickjournal. I hope everyone that enjoys reading this magazine takes the time to share their opinion of it with the LEGO Group. Brickjournal is an amazing publication that gets us into the LEGO conventions all over the world, grants us access to amazing builders and their stories, offers instructions and set reviews and on and on. Great magazine! I just went through issue 6 and was upset to find that Comic Book Shops would no longer be carrying this mag but it can still be bought at select Barnes and Noble stores.
    notenoughbricks

  2. Kevoh

    I found it really weird that half the survey was about BrickJournal. Why would a LEGO survey be about a fan magazine? And does anyone even read BrickJournal? I though it was just as relevant as LUGNET, aka not at all.

  3. Dan Post author

    I’m not sure about the specifics of the deal, but Brick Journal is definitely affiliated with LEGO in a much more direct way than Lugnet or this site, or most other fan sites. As anecdotal evidence, I offer that they sell the magazine at LEGO stores, and give it away for free in corporate buildings in Billund. I’ve also heard more specific things, but I probably shouldn’t share them.

  4. Kevoh

    I guess LEGO feels that a 3rd print publication is the ideal way to communicate with adult hobbyists?

    I wasn’t too interested in reading BrickJournal from the start, but knowing it’s in the pocket of Big-LEGO, I’m even less interested.

    Is there any LEGO community left out there without leadership firmly entrenched in NDAs and unsharable secrets?

  5. Andrew

    ^ I for one am no longer under NDA with TLG.

    And I was also a bit confused by the focus of a TLG survey being on BrickJournal…

  6. gigahound

    @Kevoh

    Big-Lego? First I’ve heard that term, could you elaborate?

    As for community leadership under NDAs, I wonder if those people would have any “secrets” to share without the NDA. Seems more like a catch-22 than anything.

    Lego is probably wondering if they can/should increase their presence over BrickJournal, especially if the magazine is losing readership.

    I find it interesting that this magazine was ever in comic book shops at all. But, I haven’t read it before, so what would I know?

    Also, I’m not sure I want to do any more of these surveys. Way back when they published their first one, I asked for an anime style theme (got it, lost it) and for aliens (got it, mixed blessing)…so I’ve pretty much seen what they are willing to do with anything I’d be interested in buying. All that’s left now are Bricklink orders and some odd “Awesome” sets from time to time.

  7. Dave

    Wow…I am really surprised at the number of people throwing Brickjournal ‘under the bus’. In my opinion it’s a great magazine and a great way to alert the community to what is going on. I subscribe to the print edition and usually read it cover-to-cover. For me, it’s just really nice to see a magazine dedicated to the adult LEGO fan community. The articles are usually well written and cover interesting and sometimes thought-provoking topics. I think the AFFOL and event coverage is great. It’s always nice to see what the rest of the community is up to. I look forward to each issue that hits my mailbox. :-)

    As for the survey, I suspect LEGO is gauging how much interest there is in Brickjournal to see how they should be involved with it in the future. Remember…LEGO does not ‘own Brickjournal’. Joe Meno is still in charge.

    Finally, what is with this whole ‘Big-LEGO’ attitude? I see this more and more from adult fans and I just can’t understand it. Did they wrong you somehow? Help me understand what the issue is. I guess I just don’t see what they are doing wrong.

  8. Nannan

    I took the survey only because the discussion here made it so interesting. I’m a BrickJournal subscriber, but I only read the pictures before tucking the magazine away. It doesn’t mean the magazine’s no good, I’m just more interested in seeing MOCs and event photos than reading about them.

    I have no comments regarding the survey.

  9. brickeddad

    I took the survey, and support and subscribe to BJ. If TLC supports it, I don’t see the harm as long as the editors stay at arms length wrt product reviews and such. I see a relationship between the mag and TLC as mutually beneficial, and we’re not talking journalism here, so what’s the big deal? As for the attitude, maybe it’s just anti-corporate in general, maybe it’s misunderstanding that TLC is a Danish privately owned for-profit company whose target audience has always been the retailer (TRU – now that’s Big) and secondarily young children. They have been trying to reach out to valuable AFOL’s and I think this is commendable. As for NDA’s, name a company or a business sector which doesn’t use these. As for BJ, if you don’t like it, you don’t need to read it, and you can let TLC know this in the survey. Or, you could make some helpful suggestions to BJ as to how it can be improved.

  10. Andrew

    I have no idea how well BrickJournal is doing, nor what the magazine’s current business relationship is with LEGO. My earlier comment was not intended as a slight toward Joe Meno or BrickJournal — not in the least. Having a printed publication among the communication channels that AFOLs can choose from is a good thing — alongside online communities, offline LUGs, blogs, and more. Choice is good.

    And so is competition. Joe and I are friends, but we’re both Editors-in-Chief of successful and reasonably relevant media outlets that cover LEGO (from MOCs and sets to people and events). Constructive, friendly competition between different media with similar focuses is good for all of you.

    Nevertheless, I remain a bit baffled that an official survey is so heavily focused on one particular LEGO fan communication channel. I’ll certainly be curious to hear the results.

  11. Rocko

    Meh, magazines are dead or dying. The internet is a better place to find more in depth coverage of anything. And it’s free. They are still good for reading while taking a dump but only because I don’t want to balance my laptop on my knees.

  12. BubbaGoatboy

    Hmm, maybe I am biased as I’ve spent years writing questionnaires, but I think this could have been better.
    Have you heard of brickjournal: Yes
    Please rate brickjournal on a scale.. : I said I’ve heard of it, doesn’t mean I have read it – so my rating (as there is no opt-out option) is meaningless.

  13. Josh

    I also thought it was odd that the survey was about BrickJournal. One of those things that makes you go “Hmm”. I have a BrickJournal subscription and its fine. I like to see what is going on. Joe covers a lot of events that I can’t make it to, so that is nice. He also interviews a lot of people that I haven’t met in person. He makes some editorial choices that I don’t exactly agree with, but its his magazine. I have no problem with that. Overall, I think its a good asset to the community. I think it was a better asset when it was free, but everything needs money to survive. I don’t fault him for that.

    @Kevoh – I’m Andrew’s co-editor here and I’m also not under an NDA. I signed one once and I felt it was incredibly pointless. The only “secret” information was relevant for about 12 hours. After that it became public information…and not very interesting information at that. I don’t see any reason why I would sign one again. So, yeah, anyway.

    @Rocko – I actually agree with you. I have several magazine subscriptions, but I don’t rely on them for anything cutting edge or timely. I don’t think they will ever die out, but their day is definitely over. Also, the vast majority of my magazines make their way to the bathroom before going to the great recycle bin in the sky.

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