Last night, one of the largest and most popular LEGO enthusiast websites, BrickShelf, was shut down. By now you've probably heard about the fallout, and seen what it's done to other sites, including BZPower - all the broken image links in avatars, sigs, and especially in the creative forums.

(Having just re-read my previous blog entry, I find this topic eerily appropos.)

First, let me say I can understand Kevin Loch's position. It's difficult to build a major web community (like BZPower or Brickshelf), and then be saddled with that responsibility. I know what it's like to feel chained at the ankle to something that's no longer a joy, but has become a job. One that you might not see any money from. There've been several times in the history of BZP that I've wanted to walk away from the fairly onerous responsibilities of keeping this place going, especially during the tough times when we were being hacked, or the hardware/software was acting up, or we were having problems with our host. At those times, we seriously debated whether or not to just shut BZP down for good.

But I couldn't. Oh, I tried to walk away a couple of times, but I was always dragged back, fingernails leaving furrows in the linoleum. And the thought of having set up such a cool site and getting people emotionally invested in it, then snatching it away, was just something none of us could do. We have a responsibility to you, to the people who've made this place your online home. It's not just about me, or how tough it can be to keep things going. So whatever issues have cropped up here (like during the last couple of months), we've done what we've needed to keep it going - regardless of what it cost us (me) emotionally or physically. I don't see that changing.

Back to Brickshelf.

Although I understand Kevin's position (or think I do), I don't understand his actions of simply shuttering the site. He is of course within his rights to shut the site down at any time - it said so in his terms of service. But the closure clearly wasn't due to technical concerns, as Maj is still running.

There are two things that bother me about his abrupt closure of Brickshelf.

One, no notice. Brickshelf has become a mainstay of LEGO online fandom, and is deeply integrated into dozens of websites - including BZP, of course. Kevin allowed Brickshelf become an important, vital part of perhaps hundreds of other web sites. Shutting it off just like that was highly disrespectful to the web sites who depended on it, not to mention the tens of thousands of people who visited it, directly or indirectly. It shows a level of contempt for LEGO fandom that's hard to fathom.

Two, he provided no opportunity for anyone else to help him. When Lugnet was foundering, rather than just shutting the site, they pursued a couple of different options to keep it afloat. Rene in Germany has done a fine job of maintaining the site and growing it slightly, although it's an antiquated dinosaur that's ready for the tarpit. But at least it's still going.

So yes, I appreciate the fact that Brickshelf has hosted pictures for free for so many years. That site did more for getting people (especially AFOLs) interested in LEGO again than just about any other single resource out there. But a lot of that goodwill was shattered by the abrupt manner in which it ended. I have all my pictures backed up, of course, but there are innumerable places on the web where I've linked them from Brickshelf, some of which can't be edited. For example, Lugnet is completely hosed from an archive perspective, since you can't edit Lugnet posts. (Yes, my feelings about Lugnet's outdated paradigm are clear.)

Other options will spring up, and who knows, maybe BZP will have something to contribute toward that. We're looking into it. But in the meantime, one of the foundations of bringing LEGO enthusiasts together has been shattered, along with a fair amount of trust. I could not recommend majhost.com as an alternative, since it's the same code with a different header. There's nothing to say it won't suffer the same fate as its older sibling, with just as little notice.

Make sure your stuff is backed up!

Update 7/16/07: Looks like somebody twisted Kevin into reopening the site until the end of the month. That's good news. Even better news is that there's a utility available for you to download all your stuff. You can download it here.