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Is BZP a Dying Platform?


Calvirick

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To put it simply, yes it is. To put it more complex, it is a dying platform as all forums are, but this is also one of the strongest fanbases, that uses forums, out there. I think it'll be many many years before the site dies off in it's entirety. We've still got life, new members, and what have you, but I think we could use a restructuring to make it more mainly lego themed, and make BIONICLE a sidebar.

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To put it simply, yes it is. To put it more complex, it is a dying platform as all forums are, but this is also one of the strongest fanbases, that uses forums, out there. I think it'll be many many years before the site dies off in it's entirety. We've still got life, new members, and what have you, but I think we could use a restructuring to make it more mainly lego themed, and make BIONICLE a sidebar.

I'd say that's a good idea. Still have a bionicle forum on here, but re-brand the site to be more Lego-based. To be honest, a name and template change wouldn't be bad thing. The site is desperately in need of an overhaul.

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It seems from my perspective that the comic section is officially dead. But does that also mean the rest of the forums are dead?

I'm very curious what everyone thinks about this. BZPower literally was the sole reason I found my passion in life. Whether it was in Graphic Design and creativity or just watching or reading awesome content. I felt like there were so many talented and cool people on here (I'm sure there's a lot lurking around still). I would love to find that niche again.

 

Okay so this part depresses me the most because I'm right there with you (by the way - hey Cal! It's Kahi! Long time no see!)

 

Comics, back when it was Artwork III, was my childhood. I have a lot of memories and made a lot of friends there. And no matter how hard I've tried, I can't seem to replicate that genuine subculture that drew me in so heavily back then. I've been in other fandoms - sprite comics just weren't a thing there like they were on here. That heyday has passed, and I think it's honestly been lost to time. So many series have been lost to time with the downtime of Maj and Brickshelf, anyways. I was fortunate enough to save a bunch of my favorites before the first downtime, but even still. Relic of a time gone past, you know?

 

yeah forums has a whole aren't really a...thing, anymore. places like tumblr have overtaken them. bzp is still moderately alive because it has a few diehards who can't let go of the site. bzp has a strange grip to it that's seemingly difficult to escape really. i feel like the site will continue to have some level of activity for some time because of that, and the fact that its name is still very well known amongst People Who Still Care About Bionicle

 

nothing lasts forever tho, and with bionicle's second cancellation i don't think bzp's gonna survive as long as it did during the four years bionicle was gone (unless it completely reinvents itself in some way).

 

Alright, fine. Elephant in the room. TTV Message Boards are doing well. Like, not BZP in its heyday well, but well enough that I'm pretty happy with it. Live stats on the boards are telling me that ~400 users have logged in and posted 1.3k posts in the last 24 hours. We've seen a bunch of growth in the past several weeks because we've started some new initiatives on our YouTube channel to get people on the boards and talking about stuff, but throughout last year we generally averaged 700 posts a day with an absolute low of 400.

 

Granted, it's a different place with a different audience. Our boards were made to engage our audience on YouTube, so there's a bunch of younger members with a different expectation of interaction, a more neo-millennial (I don't actually know the correct term? Basically kids born after 2001) level of instant updates. We have to moderate a lot more posts because the younger kids use chatspeak a lot more, and they're only recently learning how to do longer, essay kind of posts. They're also more highly critical than I'd like - I think it's a holdover from how everyone comes from a YouTube personality wishing point. And the fandom focus is different. A lot more people do videos now than stuff like sprite comics or like RPG Maker games (both things I miss about the old fandom). MOCs are still super popular, that's not changed; stories are kind of popular. Art is super popular, there's a lot more really, really good artists doing consistently amazing art stuff now than I feel like there used to be. That's a carryover from Tumblr and how artists are discovered nowdays. Oddly enough, text games are really popular, like the ones they have in Completely Off Topic. I would think that that's something that would fade away, but I guess that is a level of interaction with the other members that you can't really get on social media like Tumblr or Facebook.

 

I don't really mean this to be blatant self-advertising (only lowkey self-advertising  ;)), but I'm seeing a lot of posts here that are kind of pointing towards social media as the reason forums aren't doing so well. I'm not so sure - and trust me, we've done a ton of investment into researching the Bionicle fandom on different social media outlets. They all have their own niche. Tumblr focuses mostly on MOCs or Art, stuff you can see, like artist stuff. Facebook is how a lot of people get their news. YouTube seems to be either stop-motion or MOC review based. Twitter is personality and comedy based (180 characters make it hard for anything else!) The engagement is spread upon different social media, and there's definitely aspects of the fandom that aren't being met anymore. For instance, fanfiction doesn't really have a one stop location or social media destination like it used to. But regardless, our social media engagement on all of these platforms (outside of YouTube) is distinctly much, much less than the direct engagement we have on our boards.

 

I do think there's still some room for forums, based on how many people are using ours. And I think BZPower has a distinct place in the fandom that has definitely been shifted, but hasn't been lost. I definitely don't want to see this place die, it's very nostalgic for me and it's how I met some of my best friends online. There's still ways for this place to be more active.

 

So before you guys all write the activity here off as forums being dying, maybe there's another explanation for it? Just throwing my perspective in the mix.

 

 

KAHI! OH MY GOSH I MISSED YOU!  :bowdown:

 

I think you bring up some extremely interesting points! 

 

I think all of you bring up good points. This thread actually doesn't seem that bad than I initially expected. I was expecting some strange remarks about the end that was probably coming.

 

I think in my opinion one the decisions the forum makers need to consider is BZPower's future. An overhaul might take some planning, and I think it might be putting us back in the stasis stage again. (like the downtime)

But I think if the forum makers intentions are to keep the site around, they should think about it. One aspect I would say is really research how websites or writing/reading networks are currently working for the contemporary teenager/kid/college student that's into lego. I think they need more visuals and buttons. Keep the traditional BZPower feel and vibe for the old cronies like the rest of us, but design a little more for the younger crowd. The dynamics, just from reading Kahi's resourceful claims I think drive this point across pretty strong. I think one good decision BZPower made was allowing the forum users to discuss other websites, and sort of turn BZPower into the Living Room. Like for example, you got a kid that loves LEGO. He goes to Youtube because that's also where he watches Minecraft, which I think is a huge chunk of what kids do these days. They see youtube, and then if they are interested, they can find links to BZPower where they can write and discuss about it. (and in my opinion, discuss in a place that is MUCH safer than most Youtube or Tumblr communities.)

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We should get a topic started dedicated to coming up with ideas that can revitalize BZP. Work to turn all this doom and gloom around!

Seconded.

"You humans are absurd, Rook. Furious when you're not in control, terrified when you are. Pull it together."

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I suspect that the largest obstacle driving people away is when they come here and see people ranting about how they think things are dying.

 

I'd like to hear more about how (specifically) people think BZP should be "restructured" or "rebranded". I feel like I'm hearing complaints saying that we should do things that we've already been doing. Perhaps people in this thread are thinking more about specific subforums that are less active, and not focusing on the newer things we've announced on the front page? Or maybe some of us are ignoring or forgetting about things we're not personally involved in?

 

As a BioniLUG member, convention circuit participant, regular convention attendee, regular draft participant, and news reporter here, I feel like BZPower is doing a ton of interesting things outside of forums already. We're one of the (if not the absolute) most advertised LEGO fan websites at LEGO conventions. I know we've been discussing more LEGO things outside of Bionicle, and even toys outside of LEGO. My impression is that some of our regulars (like myself) need to be kept from getting too far away from the Bionicle community stuff that's been this site's bread-and-butter over the years.

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I personally see it more as the platform shrinking rather than dying. It's still got a lot going for it that other more popular places don't have, like the organization and how easy it is to host and keep up with and maintain conversations and find the content you wanna see and share things with an audience that for the most part is there for your content. It's less active, certainly, but I don't think it's losing all it has to offer and I think as long there's a good amount of users keeping things alive it'll stay that way. There's a lot of shared interests within the LEGO sphere that keeps people talking about something close to Bionicle, and shared interests outside that sphere that keep people going as well.

BZP is one of the absolute best, most enduring and close online communities I've ever known in my way too many years on the net and that strong community during its height is what set it up to endure for as long as it has and, hopefully, as long as it will. 

There's also the LEGO conventions and how they're these big events multiple times a year for BZP members to organize here on the forum and then enjoy together, or make lasting connections and continue them here. It's a really cool thing that might not be as effective on other platforms, maybe? Let's not forget about the advertising :P 

On the other hand, I've seen how a portion of BZPower activity and community migrated over to other platforms and in many cases merged with the bionicle fandom at large, and honestly? Maybe that's not so terrible. The spirit of BZPower will live on in the members it sustained, inspired, molded, and returned to the world with something special to spread to the rest of the fandom, and that definitely will go on and on. We're too big of nerds to let it die :P :D

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That's some interesting insight, Kahi! I'll have to take a look at TTV. I think that those who find this topic to be depressing are missing the point. We're trying to solve problems, not mope about them. How would BZPower become more system friendly, ToaTimeLord? And how would it help?

If BZPower expanded to system sets as its focus over Bionicle we can attract more individuals who are fans of Lego lines outside of Bionicle.

Hey I got a Flickr because I like making LEGO stuff.

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That's some interesting insight, Kahi! I'll have to take a look at TTV. I think that those who find this topic to be depressing are missing the point. We're trying to solve problems, not mope about them. How would BZPower become more system friendly, ToaTimeLord? And how would it help?

 

 

 

To put it simply, yes it is. To put it more complex, it is a dying platform as all forums are, but this is also one of the strongest fanbases, that uses forums, out there. I think it'll be many many years before the site dies off in it's entirety. We've still got life, new members, and what have you, but I think we could use a restructuring to make it more mainly lego themed, and make BIONICLE a sidebar.

I'd say that's a good idea. Still have a bionicle forum on here, but re-brand the site to be more Lego-based. To be honest, a name and template change wouldn't be bad thing. The site is desperately in need of an overhaul.

 

 

 

I think the name and template is fine, but expanding our purview is definitely a good idea.

 

 

 

That's some interesting insight, Kahi! I'll have to take a look at TTV. I think that those who find this topic to be depressing are missing the point. We're trying to solve problems, not mope about them. How would BZPower become more system friendly, ToaTimeLord? And how would it help?

If BZPower expanded to system sets as its focus over Bionicle we can attract more individuals who are fans of Lego lines outside of Bionicle.

 

To all of you saying that BZP should branch out from just Bionicle, that's a start to a solution but it isn't just the end to it. I don't know if you guys remember, but BZP already tried this before, back after Bionicle ended after Generation 1 in 2010. I remember, because I had a topic on the old forum called "BrickZone Power", which was a lengthy pitch for BZP consolidating several Bionicle forums and restructuring into a general LEGO site. Several staff members confirmed that what I was proposing back then was somewhat what they wanted to do in the future, and that ended up being implemented.

 

A lot of people didn't like that, however. Granted, people almost always hated change. But there was a good bit of backlash, some saying they were abandoning their roots, others saying that they were losing focus. They were a minority, but the site did also start to stagnate past then too.

 

One thing that I had neglected to think about in my pitch all those years ago was that when you branch out into a new audience, you have to make sure you can offer them something different. I remember our number one rule when we were making the TTV Message Boards was don't use InvisionBoard, because BZP, Eurobricks, and a ton of other fansites used either InvisionBoard or phpBB. We opted for something completely different - a software infinite scrolling, Markdown instead of BBCode, inline quotation - that looked different. And that comes with some drawbacks too - I know quite a few people who haven't been able to get used to how it works, and it's been a turn off for them. But it made it clear that we were hoping to do something new with the board. We've added more stuff since then - our version of "Hot Topics" is honestly one of my favorite designs I've seen on forums - but our core of do something new was something that, by then, we knew, because that's how we seperated ourselves on YouTube. Same strategy, different application.

 

So let's think about what BZP has that other places don't. Because, if you're an InvisionBoard forum that focuses on System, essentially you're just a smaller Eurobricks - which is kind of what happened the last time. I've noted beforehand that Bionicle fan fiction doesn't have a dedicated location, but I'm not sure how much the demand for that is now, but that's just an example.

 

One of BZP's core unique features for a while, in my opinion, has been blogs. No other LEGO fansite had the same kind of blog feature. And the community built up around the blog was very strong. I wasn't a part of it, so I don't know how it's doing now, but it was definitely a huge draw for people back in a day and it still thrived for a good bit after Bionicle had ended. The blogs were one of the few features that kept their archive after the downtime, and they also are a unique part of BZP that no one else has really done or emulated since. RPGs are another big thing here that I enjoyed as a member, although it got away from me pretty quickly. I'm not sure where people are at with TBRPGS right now, but it's another great unique aspect.

 

Now, again, are blogs and TBRPGs the future of BZP? I wouldn't say so, not exactly. But it's ideas like the blogs that you guys should be focusing on. To draw in a general LEGO audience, something needs to be offered that actually draws people in. So look at InvisionPower's website and their marketplace to see what apps they have, what features they have that Eurobricks, FBTB, Brickset, TTV, or anyone else isn't offering. And then think, how would that aid the current audience? How would it bring in more people? What doesn't the Bionicle or LEGO fanbase have right now that they really need?

 

But I think if the forum makers intentions are to keep the site around, they should think about it. One aspect I would say is really research how websites or writing/reading networks are currently working for the contemporary teenager/kid/college student that's into lego. I think they need more visuals and buttons. Keep the traditional BZPower feel and vibe for the old cronies like the rest of us, but design a little more for the younger crowd. The dynamics, just from reading Kahi's resourceful claims I think drive this point across pretty strong. I think one good decision BZPower made was allowing the forum users to discuss other websites, and sort of turn BZPower into the Living Room. Like for example, you got a kid that loves LEGO. He goes to Youtube because that's also where he watches Minecraft, which I think is a huge chunk of what kids do these days. They see youtube, and then if they are interested, they can find links to BZPower where they can write and discuss about it. (and in my opinion, discuss in a place that is MUCH safer than most Youtube or Tumblr communities.)

 

Definitely, because YouTube became such a big hub for creative content that by not enabling that early on, a new faction of the Bionicle fanbase formed (the BioTubers). That was definitely something that could have been mitigated.

 

BZPower as the "Living Room" is a good concept, but I've also seen the need for "hubs" get smaller and smaller. People like being in their own bubbles a lot, on whatever platform they're in. That was super beneficial to BZP back when there were a ton of people here, but now, if you're wanting an influx of new membership, it's going to be a little harder to get.

 

It's definitely harder to brainstorm, because even in the wake of Bionicle ending, the TTV Channel has been still making content. There's always something to be discussed, and our site was always meant to be based around our own channel and personalities. So for us it's been a little easier. BZPower's cultivated one of the most popular and curated places for discussion for Bionicle on the web in the history of the franchise, but sometimes you can be at the nicest dinner table and still run out of things to talk about. Bionicle's abrupt cancelation definitely didn't help, like, at all.

Edited by Jonathan Juan
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@Jonathan Juan

 

I don't think BZP needs more bells and whistles. Even if we went more System orientated, I doubt we'd become an ersatz-Eurobricks or what-have-you, since BZP's culture is so markedly different. BZP's been a safe space on the internet since its inception; with the demise of the Lego Message Boards, I think there's still a space on the internet for this site.

Edited by Ta-metru_defender

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