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It's far from dead, but unless something gets done by the staff, it's not going to last much longer than another 18-24 months before the place becomes devoid of activity.

I made this prediction two years ago.

 

I was wrong. This place is a cockroach that refuses to die, even after the nuclear bomb of line cancellation should have spelled DOOM in big bold letters. That doesn't mean that it can't be improved, that we can't have more activity or whatever, but this place isn't going to close down next week due to lack of activity.

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It's far from dead, but unless something gets done by the staff, it's not going to last much longer than another 18-24 months before the place becomes devoid of activity.

I made this prediction two years ago.

 

I was wrong. This place is a cockroach that refuses to die, even after the nuclear bomb of line cancellation should have spelled DOOM in big bold letters. That doesn't mean that it can't be improved, that we can't have more activity or whatever, but this place isn't going to close down next week due to lack of activity.

 

 

Haha you're quite right. I was going to say a year, but I thought about it and honestly I felt like it was going to be more like 2-3 years before it's only 20 people active at any time. Right now, there's only been 60 people active in the past 20 minutes, back in the day, it used to be hundreds (I seem to remember it even reaching a thousand one summer? someone correct me if I'm wrong). Even if expanding the site only doubles or triples the amount of people online, I think it's worth it and it could easily add several years to the lifespan of this site.

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Ever since Bionicle ended I have referred to BZPower as a "LEGO fansite" and not (just) a "Bionicle fansite," even though our name references Bionicle. I see no reason why we can't expand our horizons to fit that bill more suitably. With the installation of BioniLUG we're already growing closer to the mainstream LEGO fan culture and it's not like we're forgetting our roots. Bionicle culture is still alive and well in the BZPRPG forum and the other art subforums, but to remain relevant in the current time we need to diversify.

 

And then maybe BZP will be a more vibrant community. But vibrancy shouldn't be the main goal; if done well that will just be a result that pops up on its own.

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Ever since Bionicle ended I have referred to BZPower as a "LEGO fansite" and not (just) a "Bionicle fansite," even though our name references Bionicle. I see no reason why we can't expand our horizons to fit that bill more suitably. With the installation of BioniLUG we're already growing closer to the mainstream LEGO fan culture and it's not like we're forgetting our roots. Bionicle culture is still alive and well in the BZPRPG forum and the other art subforums, but to remain relevant in the current time we need to diversify.

 

And then maybe BZP will be a more vibrant community. But vibrancy shouldn't be the main goal; if done well that will just be a result that pops up on its own.

 

The homepage title (the thing you see in the tab that holds the page) does read Bionicle and LEGO News and Discussion. And especially since the emergence of Ninjago and Chima, I would say that the focus has increased upon LEGO. Sure, the main focus is still Bionicle, but I would say it is around 65 / 35 in that respect.

 

So BZP has already shifted in the direction you are talking about somewhat.

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Most Lego fan sites are morally bankrupt - so there's a gap in the market here. What needs to happen, though, is for the site to shake off it's 'kiddiness'. Most of the AFOL community turn their nose up at BZP - its members are whiney kids, they discuss a line which is against everything Lego System STANDS FOR. In their view.

 

So shake off the Hero Factory focus, concentrate on System, and do things to get people coming here instead of other sites. Be the first to find news, allow pictures of leaked images - just give Lego fans a reason to come here instead of elsewhere. And not being horrendously immoral is a potential selling point - half the discussions that kick off on the blogs here get a) allowed and b ) dealt with accordingly. Bring up such topics elsewhere and you're in for a ban, even if you're just calling someone out on being a horrible person.

 

So yeah. Use that, and give reasons for Lego fans to come here, and shake off the 'kiddy' exterior. Maybe start to use more swears. :)

 

WAIT I'VE GOT IT. Use the blogs. Turn it into a Lego blogging community. Chuck the best posts/reviews/whatever onto the front page. Have people 'liking' and 'reblogging' stuff or whatever. That's something people will like and it's a unique selling point. Just give everyone a blog, but keep moderation up to make sure every blog is high quality. Advertise the site as a blogging community - replace the main forum page with a blogs page. People love that stuff. LOVE. My blog is really the only reason I come back.

 

I think I've single-handedly solved the whole problem. Not even joking.

It's precisely the "kiddiness" as you describe it that is a great charm of this site. The internet is full of curses and swears and insults, I think it's nice to have a place that's more civilized (which isn't to say BZPower isn't the only civilized place in the web that I know).

 

You make an interesting point about the blogs, though. I don't know any other LEGO fansite having that, I'm sure there is something we could do with it (that is not replacing the forums).

 

As far as being the first to find news is concerned, I'll do my best. ;)

 

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Most Lego fan sites are morally bankrupt - so there's a gap in the market here. What needs to happen, though, is for the site to shake off it's 'kiddiness'. Most of the AFOL community turn their nose up at BZP - its members are whiney kids, they discuss a line which is against everything Lego System STANDS FOR. In their view.

 

So shake off the Hero Factory focus, concentrate on System, and do things to get people coming here instead of other sites. Be the first to find news, allow pictures of leaked images - just give Lego fans a reason to come here instead of elsewhere. And not being horrendously immoral is a potential selling point - half the discussions that kick off on the blogs here get a) allowed and b ) dealt with accordingly. Bring up such topics elsewhere and you're in for a ban, even if you're just calling someone out on being a horrible person.

 

So yeah. Use that, and give reasons for Lego fans to come here, and shake off the 'kiddy' exterior. Maybe start to use more swears. :)

 

WAIT I'VE GOT IT. Use the blogs. Turn it into a Lego blogging community. Chuck the best posts/reviews/whatever onto the front page. Have people 'liking' and 'reblogging' stuff or whatever. That's something people will like and it's a unique selling point. Just give everyone a blog, but keep moderation up to make sure every blog is high quality. Advertise the site as a blogging community - replace the main forum page with a blogs page. People love that stuff. LOVE. My blog is really the only reason I come back.

 

I think I've single-handedly solved the whole problem. Not even joking.

 

Well . (And yeah, it would be nice indeed if that word wasn't filtered. It's not that bad. ;) ) That's a great idea. The target age group for BZP definitely does need to move up a bit, and I suppose the lifted restrictions were kinda the first step towards that. I'm not sure if a blog centric board index is the ideal solution, but maybe. The coming IPS Social Suite 4.0 upgrade will allow for that since all the IPS apps will no longer be dependent on IP.Board itself. I think a more heavy focus on blogs is definitely something for the staff to consider. The blogs really are a lot more active than the forums.

 

Here's a little more info on the coming 4.0 upgrade for those of you who don't follow IPS. http://community.invisionpower.com/blog/1174/entry-8650-ips-social-suite-40/

It's precisely the "kiddiness" as you describe it that is a great charm of this site. The internet is full of curses and swears and insults, I think it's nice to have a place that's more civilized (which isn't to say BZPower isn't the only civilized place in the web that I know).

You make an interesting point about the blogs, though. I don't know any other LEGO fansite having that, I'm sure there is something we could do with it (that is not replacing the forums).

 

As far as being the first to find news is concerned, I'll do my best. ;)

 

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Rock Raiders United has it's own charm, and their word filter is far less restrictive. It doesn't really make it any less civilized, in my opinion, although I do see your point.

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I think saying other LEGO sites are "morally bankrupt" is a huge exaggeration. All the LEGO sites I know have their share of serious flaws, just as BZPower used to (and to an extent still does), but for the most part they still attempt to be welcoming and socially-conscious communities. If any one site were perfect then I wouldn't feel a need to remain active on multiple sites, but as it is I get something different out of the Brickset forums than I get from Eurobricks, and something different from Eurobricks than I get from BZPower. And on all of these sites, there's at least SOME level of human decency that is maintained.

 

Occasionally, you see disgustingly backwards, bigoted, or self-aggrandizing viewpoints from some of the members, sometimes to the extent that it's difficult to have a reasoned discussion about things. But you get that kind of thing in plenty of segments of society, even in real life. That doesn't mean every place where this kind of thing goes unpunished is morally bankrupt. No amount of rule-making and enforcement can cure ignorance, and it's better to try and create a welcoming environment that ignorant or misguided people can learn from than to push them away so they retreat to a bubble of like-minded people who will only reinforce their ignorance.

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Just to make it clear, I never talked about being restrictive, what I'm talking about is keeping our kid-friendly image. Overall, I prefer to rely on responsibility than on restrictions.

 

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Just to make it clear, I never talked about being restrictive, what I'm talking about is keeping our kid-friendly image. Overall, I prefer to rely on responsibility than on restrictions.

 

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By less restrictive I meant less kid-friendly. :P We don't have to be totally 18+ here, but honestly most of the members here aren't 10-14 or whatever you would consider to be "younger". It's mostly 15, 16, 17 and up, and I think in general we're ready for BZP to be a little less kid-friendly.

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Just to make it clear, I never talked about being restrictive, what I'm talking about is keeping our kid-friendly image. Overall, I prefer to rely on responsibility than on restrictions.

 

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By less restrictive I meant less kid-friendly. :P We don't have to be totally 18+ here, but honestly most of the members here aren't 10-14 or whatever you would consider to be "younger". It's mostly 15, 16, 17 and up, and I think in general we're ready for BZP to be a little less kid-friendly.

 

I do think it would be great to make the site inviting to those as well just as it was inviting to me when I joined. Most other LEGO fan sites out there are mainly for AFoLs, and that might turn off younger fans. And anyway, what would you like to see that would be inappropiate for kids? Swears? I think we can do without those.

 

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By less restrictive I meant less kid-friendly. :P We don't have to be totally 18+ here, but honestly most of the members here aren't 10-14 or whatever you would consider to be "younger". It's mostly 15, 16, 17 and up, and I think in general we're ready for BZP to be a little less kid-friendly.

The only "kid-friendly" rules here on BZPower that have tend to cause older users undue restrictions are some terms on the word filter (which I think even the staff agree are due for an update) and the rule against sharing your full name (which is basically mandatory if we're going to keep the site open to younger users at all). Otherwise, I'm not sure what you're referring to.

 

Some things currently prohibited, like actual swearing or links to sites that include such, are things this site is certainly better off without.

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I think saying other LEGO sites are "morally bankrupt" is a huge exaggeration. All the LEGO sites I know have their share of serious flaws, just as BZPower used to (and to an extent still does), but for the most part they still attempt to be welcoming and socially-conscious communities. If any one site were perfect then I wouldn't feel a need to remain active on multiple sites, but as it is I get something different out of the Brickset forums than I get from Eurobricks, and something different from Eurobricks than I get from BZPower. And on all of these sites, there's at least SOME level of human decency that is maintained.

 

Occasionally, you see disgustingly backwards, bigoted, or self-aggrandizing viewpoints from some of the members, sometimes to the extent that it's difficult to have a reasoned discussion about things. But you get that kind of thing in plenty of segments of society, even in real life. That doesn't mean every place where this kind of thing goes unpunished is morally bankrupt. No amount of rule-making and enforcement can cure ignorance, and it's better to try and create a welcoming environment that ignorant or misguided people can learn from than to push them away so they retreat to a bubble of like-minded people who will only reinforce their ignorance.

I've been banned from Eurobricks for calling people out on their misogyny and Islamophobia. I was banned from Brickset for calling someone out on their homophobia.

 

I know you 'work' for EB so you're going to be biased, but there is basically no level of human decency among their staff, and the same applies to Brickset.

 

Perhaps if their staff were more socially or politically aware they'd understand the responsibilities they have when running a forum, but they don't. They just have tantrums or say 'this is not the place' when you're calling people out on their deep-rooted bigotry - which they often seem to not even realise they're airing.

 

Rule making can't cure ignorance - you're right - but either banning the morons or only allowing them to be part of the site once they've educated themselves are both examples of attempts to do so. The fact that those courses of action are not taken - and that I'M the one who gets banned - is a sure sign that certain Lego sites are run by terrible people.

 

And that reflects on the Lego community as a whole. Which is pretty harmful. There's no defending them, so please don't waste your time attempting to. And, y'know, maybe leave their staff for obvious reasons. Or not, do whatever you want. :)

 

OOH I think I might make two new accounts on EB - one with a sig of a straight couple kissing, and one with my current sig and JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT. :D

 

I don't work for Eurobricks at all. It's just one of the LEGO sites where I happen to be active. The most work I've ever done for them is volunteering to correct colors on LEGO Digital Designer, and it's been many months since I've done that with any kind of regularity or in any official capacity.

 

And I've been able to call people out for having bigoted or backwards opinions there in the past without being banned or even given any kind of warning. Granted, I'm not making it a personal crusade of mine. If a person is being difficult and getting me angry enough that I'm having a hard time expressing my thoughts without things descending into a flame war, I usually prefer to back off lest I say or do something I'll regret. After all, even if I'm in the right, I'm not going to convince anyone of that by getting into a virtual shouting match with them.

 

I'm going to be honest with you here. I like to see the best in people. So to me, it takes a lot more than stupid prejudices or inane decisions for me to think of someone as a "terrible person". That doesn't mean I like or agree with them, and I'll gladly state my disagreement if I happen to be a part of or a witness to a conversation where such views and actions are being shamelessly promoted. But at the same time, I try to avoid provoking people, because I absolutely don't want to make it any easier for people I disagree with to convince themselves and others that they have the moral high ground.

 

I know you feel like everything you say is right (and I'm sure a lot of it is, especially with regard to this particular issue), but in these kind of disputes it's not just about being right. Real change comes from convincing other people — either the people you are disagreeing with or witnesses to said disagreement — that you are right. And that means approaching these kind of issues cautiously and with a certain amount of propriety. If you're already convinced of your own rightness and aren't managing to prove that rightness to anyone but yourself, then your efforts aren't exactly going to good use.

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One suggestion I saw pop up at least once was to change the name of the site to something like "LEGOPower" and I'm just going to be frank when I say that's the worst possible way to go about achieving this goal.

 

BZPower is an old site. Not as old as Neopets, or the Space Jam website, but it's old. It's older than Facebook and Tumblr, and quite a few other sites of note. And, as many old sites that have lasted over a decade are bound to, it has a reputation. There is an image attached to the name BZPower, an image besides the eerie face of Hapori Tohu. BZPower has history, and even influence.

 

I am all for this site taking a more-general LEGO focus to remain afloat. I just think it would be suicide to rename the site itself.

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It has been a while since I visited BZP, and I still see people trying to bring back people here. This has been going on for a long time, but I still don't see anything being done. I would say advertising would bring people here but that cost money for ad campaigns and all.

 

What I had been doing to keep my bionicle spirit up is by drawing this web comic which involves bionicle, but yeah... It is hard to bring people back here unless there is some sort of reboot of the series like what I am doing with my comic.

 

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One suggestion I saw pop up at least once was to change the name of the site to something like "LEGOPower" and I'm just going to be frank when I say that's the worst possible way to go about achieving this goal.

 

BZPower is an old site. Not as old as Neopets, or the Space Jam website, but it's old. It's older than Facebook and Tumblr, and quite a few other sites of note. And, as many old sites that have lasted over a decade are bound to, it has a reputation. There is an image attached to the name BZPower, an image besides the eerie face of Hapori Tohu. BZPower has history, and even influence.

 

I am all for this site taking a more-general LEGO focus to remain afloat. I just think it would be suicide to rename the site itself.

Well, not all of BZPower's reputation is positive. But at the same time, I agree that changing the name is stupid. BZPower's name is a testament to where it came from: two separate sites called BIONICLE Zone and KanohiPower. The name "BZPower" has no obvious meaning tying it to BIONICLE. The B could stand for BIONICLE, or it could stand for Bricks, or Blocks, or Barbecue. To a newcomer, it doesn't have any obvious meaning at all. So I don't think that's a big factor in whatever might or might not be holding us back.

 

On a side note related to name changes, you guys should have seen the amount of hilarious backlash there was to this year's Eurobricks April Fools gag, where the name was changed to "AmeriBricks". To a lot of people, names are serious business, whether or not they still have any relevant meaning. :P

 

Changing the logo, or at least minimizing the use of Hapori Tohu in the site layout, might be more worthwhile. To us, it's our forum's mascot and protector. To the average LEGO fan, it's a weird (and as you say, eerie) robot face that doesn't have any obvious connection to LEGO, and stares down at you from the top of every page. An average LEGO fan would not understand that it has any connection to LEGO, and might think they stumbled onto a Transformers or Gundam site. If we could create a new header that exemplifies both our heritage as a BIONICLE site and our wider focus on all things LEGO, I'd be all for that. Perhaps something based on LEGO Technic gears, since those are not something unique to BIONICLE, Technic, or any one theme, but they are already a prominent part of the site layout and identity.

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Changing the logo, or at least minimizing the use of Hapori Tohu in the site layout, might be more worthwhile. To us, it's our forum's mascot and protector. To the average LEGO fan, it's a weird (and as you say, eerie) robot face that doesn't have any obvious connection to LEGO, and stares down at you from the top of every page. An average LEGO fan would not understand that it has any connection to LEGO, and might think they stumbled onto a Transformers or Gundam site. If we could create a new header that exemplifies both our heritage as a BIONICLE site and our wider focus on all things LEGO, I'd be all for that. Perhaps something based on LEGO Technic gears, since those are not something unique to BIONICLE, Technic, or any one theme, but they are already a prominent part of the site layout and identity.

You know, I never thought about that, but it's so obvious and brilliant. :P

 

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Changing the logo, or at least minimizing the use of Hapori Tohu in the site layout, might be more worthwhile. To us, it's our forum's mascot and protector. To the average LEGO fan, it's a weird (and as you say, eerie) robot face that doesn't have any obvious connection to LEGO, and stares down at you from the top of every page. An average LEGO fan would not understand that it has any connection to LEGO, and might think they stumbled onto a Transformers or Gundam site. If we could create a new header that exemplifies both our heritage as a BIONICLE site and our wider focus on all things LEGO, I'd be all for that. Perhaps something based on LEGO Technic gears, since those are not something unique to BIONICLE, Technic, or any one theme, but they are already a prominent part of the site layout and identity.

You know, I never thought about that, but it's so obvious and brilliant. :P

 

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You want to remove Hapori Tohu!? Treason!

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Changing the logo, or at least minimizing the use of Hapori Tohu in the site layout, might be more worthwhile. To us, it's our forum's mascot and protector. To the average LEGO fan, it's a weird (and as you say, eerie) robot face that doesn't have any obvious connection to LEGO, and stares down at you from the top of every page. An average LEGO fan would not understand that it has any connection to LEGO, and might think they stumbled onto a Transformers or Gundam site. If we could create a new header that exemplifies both our heritage as a BIONICLE site and our wider focus on all things LEGO, I'd be all for that. Perhaps something based on LEGO Technic gears, since those are not something unique to BIONICLE, Technic, or any one theme, but they are already a prominent part of the site layout and identity.

You know, I never thought about that, but it's so obvious and brilliant. :P

 

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You want to remove Hapori Tohu!? Treason!

 

No need to remove Him entirely, but I'm sure something could be done to show how our site is related to LEGO. ;)

 

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Tohu is a staple of the site, but we need to be willing to make some stringent changes if we want to survive, or thrive in the long run. I see no reason to keep Tohu around for the simple reason of keeping him around. "That's what we've always done" is simply not ample reason to continue doing something.

I'd like to see Tohu stay as any longtime BZPer would, but at the same time, it might "scare off" - so to speak - potential new members. I'm with Aanchir as long as we don't eliminate Tohu entirely, but perhaps a less prominent role would be a more apt for the BZPower of today.

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Changing the logo, or at least minimizing the use of Hapori Tohu in the site layout, might be more worthwhile. To us, it's our forum's mascot and protector. To the average LEGO fan, it's a weird (and as you say, eerie) robot face that doesn't have any obvious connection to LEGO, and stares down at you from the top of every page. An average LEGO fan would not understand that it has any connection to LEGO, and might think they stumbled onto a Transformers or Gundam site. If we could create a new header that exemplifies both our heritage as a BIONICLE site and our wider focus on all things LEGO, I'd be all for that. Perhaps something based on LEGO Technic gears, since those are not something unique to BIONICLE, Technic, or any one theme, but they are already a prominent part of the site layout and identity.

You know, I never thought about that, but it's so obvious and brilliant. :P

 

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You want to remove Hapori Tohu!? Treason!

 

No need to remove Him entirely, but I'm sure something could be done to show how our site is related to LEGO. ;)

 

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Thank you. I never advocated for removing Tohu's image from the site. He could still remain our mascot, but our domain name shows nothing about how it is a Lego forum (if we were going to change to a Lego fan site, which we should). I Googled "Lego Forums" and BZPower is currently on the bottom of page 3 (it may vary for other people), but that's pretty far back. No way are we going to get new members through Google searches unless we change the focus of our site.

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Thank you. I never advocated for removing Tohu's image from the site. He could still remain our mascot, but our domain name shows nothing about how it is a Lego forum (if we were going to change to a Lego fan site, which we should). I Googled "Lego Forums" and BZPower is currently on the bottom of page 3 (it may vary for other people), but that's pretty far back. No way are we going to get new members through Google searches unless we change the focus of our site.

 

The problem is, to me, changing the domain name makes even less sense than changing the mascot. As I said, there is reputation. Some of it may be negative, but it's impossible to have a 100% positive reputation. I can practically guarantee the estrangement of several long-time members if the name of the site is changed. I simply don't see it as a necessary change, especially since it could cause more harm than good.

 

Not that this site can't take a more general LEGO focus; I am in support of that. I just think it can be done just as effectively without changing a name this site has held for over a decade.

 

Obviously, the start would be to change the title of the page to read BZPower - LEGO News, Reference, and Discussion. (Though somehow I just noticed it already says Bionicle and LEGO News, Reference and Discussion.) Most of the changes should probably be to the front page, since that's what people first see, and thus leaves that first impression. The Bionicle images should probably be replaced with more general LEGO images, like minifigs or bricks. I wouldn't advise using anything theme-specific, since that would likely lead to needing changing once again, so something general would work best as a long-term change. As for Tohu, I'm not sure I advise for his complete removal from the front page, but having some more general LEGO things around him might minimize the overwhelmingly Bionicle impact of him.

 

(The front page has also looked the same the entire time I've been on this site, so it might be due for an update anyway. I don't know a lot about web design, but I've been here for almost seven years and this is the only ongoing site I've been on where the front page has remained the same throughout. Now, at the same time, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's a judgment for someone more experienced.)

 

Obviously after that, it's restructuring the forums to be more generally LEGO-friendly. Move BIONICLE-centric forums to their own little areaof the site if they're necessary, and probably remove/merge them if not. Then probably have a forum for general LEGO discussion, and a few more for the big themes, like Chima, Ninjago, and Hero Factory (and maybe some for themes that aren't about to end any time soon, like City, though that doesn't get much discussion.) The forum's design itself is pretty simple, so I can't see a lot needing to be changed as far as that goes.

 

Obviously, this is just my opinion, but I think that's our best bet on staying afloat as a LEGO community. We've always been a LEGO fansite, just one with a focus on Bionicle. Moving forward is just about broadening our horizons.

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We should grow closer and closer to the LEGO community in general. By doing which, we should float along until LEGO revives Bionicle, in maybe eight years or so.

I occasionally return to BZP for a nostalgic trip back. Hit me up on discord if you need anything. 
 
BZPRPG Characters that I will possibly revive, Mons-Shajs-Tarotrix-Aryll Vudigg-Jorruk Yokin-Senavysh Angavur

 

 

 

 

 

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There are several causes of BZP's current situation as I'm sure we are all aware of.

  1. BIONICLE ended. No new BIONICLE fans led to a decline in member activity and a exponentially dwindling amount of new registrations.
  2. Site Downtime. The long downtime definitely didn't help.
  3. Divisions between remaining members. Hostility between remaining members segmented the remaining active members with regard to various issues. Kids vs Adults, Hero Factory vs Bionicles Return, Sets vs Story etc
  4. No more Greg.
  5. Decline of Web forums as a discussion platform medium due to the boom of microblogging and social networking/media.

In my eyes there are limited responses the community and the staff can take to each of these causes.

 

Dealing with Issue 1.

With no sign of BIONICLE's return on the horizon, we are essentially left with a few choices.

  • We can either stay as we are; primarily a BIONICLE forum which slowly dwindles but will inevitably stick around for a several more years.
  • Alternatively we change and shift our focus entirely to the new product lines, their stories, sets and fandom surrounding them
  • Or a hybrid approach, with our core staying BIONICLE but introducing new forums for the other lines, but always putting BIONICLE first.

Dealing with Issue 2.

  • Essentially, ensure it doesn't happen again.

Dealing with Issue 3

This thread is a pretty decent representation of the various parts of our current community all throwing their viewpoints at one another vying for different forms of change, though from my lurking, I've noticed we've gotten a lot more tolerant in terms of accepting the other viewpoints than when BIONICLE ended. Though again, we have a few options here particularly with the Adult vs Kid side of things..

  • Stay as we are, playing it safe and keeping what member-base we currently have.
  • Aim more towards the Nostalgic Bionicle fans who are now older and AFOL's. Remove the filters and change the rules etc. Aim for more activity of our existing members essentially.
  • Aim more towards the kids who don't know Bionicle and are solely focused on other LEGO theme's, aiming for more new member activity.

Dealing with Issue 4.

Greg is gone. And we are pretty much guaranteed to never get him back, all we can really do is continue to update the compendium when he posts on other sites and with the updates the BZP story guys manage to grab.

More integration of the BS01 Wiki would probably be our best other bet for getting story interested visitors.

 

Dealing with Issue 5
This is currently the single biggest killer of BZP in my opinion.
The social revolution has provided multiple platforms and media options for both the youth of today and the youth of yesterday to talk about LEGO and reminisce about BIONICLE.
This is probably where we need to put the most thought as to how we proceed.

  • We could actively find ways to integrate more with social networking platforms and media. Dropping the rules around linking to such platforms of communication.
  • We continue as we are and focus on the forum platform solely. Continue our formal easy to moderate safe-haven, which is child-friendly.
  • We integrate more but keep our rules and limit exposure of uncontrollable content. Add more elements like the blogging platform and have staff run social media exposure.

To be honest, It's been a while since I've been active in this community, I lurk a lot more than I post. But I'd hate to see this place die.
A lot of my thoughts listed above are probably wrong or out of date, but I thought I'd just brain-spill onto you all.
I also don't actually advocate for any of the suggestions I wrote above, it's more just opening up a few areas for further discussion.

 

-Roki

Edited by Roki
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Dealing with Issue 5

This is currently the single biggest killer of BZP in my opinion.

The social revolution has provided multiple platforms and media options for both the youth of today and the youth of yesterday to talk about LEGO and reminisce about BIONICLE.

This is probably where we need to put the most thought as to how we proceed.

  • We could actively find ways to integrate more with social networking platforms and media. Dropping the rules around linking to such platforms of communication.
  • We continue as we are and focus on the forum platform solely. Continue our formal easy to moderate safe-haven, which is child-friendly.
  • We integrate more but keep our rules and limit exposure of uncontrollable content. Add more elements like the blogging platform and have staff run social media exposure.
The rules about not being able to link to social networks has already been dropped. Social media exposure has already increased, with BZPower now having official presences on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

 

Honestly, I never really saw the social networks as the biggest problem, but the other four issues you addressed. Other LEGO sites, like Brickset and Eurobricks, are going strong, so that doesn't seem to be such a great issue at all. Though including social media involvement would definitely help.

 

-Gata signoff.png

Edited by Gatanui

- Gata

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Please don't use my avatar or signature without permission, thanks! ^_^

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