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Age 13+ Forum?


Alyska

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Most of us would remember LEGO's policy change a few months back, meaning that LEGO staff, such as GregF, are no longer allowed to talk with children under 13 online. Greg was therefore limited to talking with the over-thirteens by PM. The BZPower staff talked about possible solutions to this, such as having an area of the site that can only be accessed by over-thirteens, but as far as I can tell, nothing has happened yet. Does anyone know more about this than I do? Furthermore, how do you think this should be handled?

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LEGO is currently working on revising their policy regarding this, which we will try to integrate into our forums as soon as we know it. Until then, you will have to be patient, sorry. You can, however, PM a staff member and ask them to PM Greg for you.

That quote is from Forum Mentor Gatanui who was answering a question similar to the one you had in this topic. :) Edited by Erebus

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Greg can't even talk to BZPers 13+ because we cannot prove that we are 13+! http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/angry.png Lego was always aimed at children under 12, so it's unlikely an age restriction is gonna happen any time soon. What I want to know for sure is how this will affect Greg's Name That GB contest, which was started before this was implemented.

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I do not support any type of forum that discriminates age. Why? 1. Ages on this site are changeable. There isn't a setting that makes your "age" permanent.1a. If that was the case, who knows what extremes they'll go to? They could make a dupe with a higher age, or realize there's a 13+ forum before joining and do so. That is an actual possibility. Just like females who hide they're female on BZP. :P 2. It would pique kid's interest in what goes on in there. Which could lead to my point 1a. 3. If it's only to talk to Greg, what's the point? Must there be a whole forum for it? 4. People probably already lie age-wise in order to contact Greg. If he does answer them. And he has.

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Greg told me he can talk to people he "knows" to be over 13 via PM. I presume this is based mostly on the profiles, but his personal experience with certain members probably plays a role in it. He would probably be hesitant to reply to someone he doesn't know very well, or doesn't display a certain level of maturity in their posts.

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i suppose it's a cool idea but from what i've seen browsing the forums, CoT seems to be pretty 13+ ANYWAYS.

Well, what they're talking about is a forum that's literally restricted to those 13+ -- other members under 13 wouldn't be able to post there. That forum would be specifically for Greg and other LEGO employees, where members over 13 can ask them questions and whatnot, because of LEGO's new policy where their employees are not allowed to talk to people under 13 online or something like that... But basically, what Erebus quoted of Gata is the current state of things. newso1.png Edited by Toa_Velox

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Wait,Dudes 13- cant even read what Mr Greg Writes? Cuz if not,They can make it so Members under 13 can read the Forum but Cant Post in it.And doesnt the new law thing say that 13- cant contact him directly? If so they (By "they" I mean BZP Staff) can "hire" a bunch of members that are sure to be 13+ and pass the questions thru them. Just some of my Idias.

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Wait,Dudes 13- cant even read what Mr Greg Writes? Cuz if not,They can make it so Members under 13 can read the Forum but Cant Post in it.And doesnt the new law thing say that 13- cant contact him directly? If so they (By "they" I mean BZP Staff) can "hire" a bunch of members that are sure to be 13+ and pass the questions thru them. Just some of my Idias.

This was suggested before the board went down, and I am support it fully. However, as much as I would love for this to happen (and I, being 14, would help act as one of said messengers,) it was also said in the previous topic that this basically undermines the rule in the first place (which is somewhat silly IMO since Lego has always been based around young kids.)
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Making another forum section for over 13s only would be rather pointless, as many topics of interest would be in the other sections anyway. Oh, and the whole lying about their age thing, as well. Theres just no way to prove it.

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Wait,Dudes 13- cant even read what Mr Greg Writes? Cuz if not,They can make it so Members under 13 can read the Forum but Cant Post in it.And doesnt the new law thing say that 13- cant contact him directly? If so they (By "they" I mean BZP Staff) can "hire" a bunch of members that are sure to be 13+ and pass the questions thru them. Just some of my Idias.

This was suggested before the board went down, and I am support it fully. However, as much as I would love for this to happen (and I, being 14, would help act as one of said messengers,) it was also said in the previous topic that this basically undermines the rule in the first place (which is somewhat silly IMO since Lego has always been based around young kids.)
I wouldn't say it undermines it at all. The policy is designed, probably, to make parents feel more secure about their children using Lego-based sites on the Internet. Internet safety is something a lot of parents are concerned about, and Lego has decided that having a fortysomething year old staff member chatting to under-thirteen year old kids is, um, not a good look, to say the least, regardless of what they are actually chatting about. Whereas, I think a lot of parents are more relaxed about children talking to other children and teenagers. By having a middleman, parents can rest assured that their child is not talking to a forty-five year old man. At least, not one employed by Lego. It's all about perception, see? And when Greg gets a PM from one of the "messengers", he may not even know who it was originally from, creating an even thicker barrier between him and the kids. I don't think the policy is something that is going to work effectively in practice (especially since half the ten year olds I know just lie their way onto social networking sites anyway), but I think it is important that Lego is trying to tackle these issues.

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I'm still trying to figure out why LEGO would implement such a silly rule. What are the worried about if Greg talks to a twelve year old?

Even though Greg works for LEGO and is most likely not going to try and find people and kidnap them, he is a 45 year old man. It's just safer that people 13 and under don't talk to him. LEGO, BZPower, or any other site Greg is on, can't know what he is talking about with people. Another thing that is a main factor, is most people above 13 year of age, have matured more than people under 13. A lot of 12 year olds wouldn't be smart enough, or mature enough to comprehend some of the things a kidnapper or some other kind of criminal would say. If a criminal said, "Hey, wanna go meet me at the park? I can give you tons of candy," most kids under 13 would agree. That is not saying that Greg is some kind of criminal and most likely he is not. But it is a precaution, that I think is very necessary. -Rez
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I'm still trying to figure out why LEGO would implement such a silly rule. What are the worried about if Greg talks to a twelve year old?

Even though Greg works for LEGO and is most likely not going to try and find people and kidnap them, he is a 45 year old man. It's just safer that people 13 and under don't talk to him. LEGO, BZPower, or any other site Greg is on, can't know what he is talking about with people. Another thing that is a main factor, is most people above 13 year of age, have matured more than people under 13. A lot of 12 year olds wouldn't be smart enough, or mature enough to comprehend some of the things a kidnapper or some other kind of criminal would say. If a criminal said, "Hey, wanna go meet me at the park? I can give you tons of candy," most kids under 13 would agree. That is not saying that Greg is some kind of criminal and most likely he is not. But it is a precaution, that I think is very necessary. -Rez
Well by that logic, everybody over the age of 18 should be banned from talking to minors.I know that predators exist on the internet, and I know there are measure needed to make sure their goals are not easy but banning discussion of any kind when the target audience is 12 years and under is just silly.
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I'm still trying to figure out why LEGO would implement such a silly rule. What are the worried about if Greg talks to a twelve year old?

Even though Greg works for LEGO and is most likely not going to try and find people and kidnap them, he is a 45 year old man. It's just safer that people 13 and under don't talk to him. LEGO, BZPower, or any other site Greg is on, can't know what he is talking about with people. Another thing that is a main factor, is most people above 13 year of age, have matured more than people under 13. A lot of 12 year olds wouldn't be smart enough, or mature enough to comprehend some of the things a kidnapper or some other kind of criminal would say. If a criminal said, "Hey, wanna go meet me at the park? I can give you tons of candy," most kids under 13 would agree. That is not saying that Greg is some kind of criminal and most likely he is not. But it is a precaution, that I think is very necessary. -Rez
Well by that logic, everybody over the age of 18 should be banned from talking to minors.I know that predators exist on the internet, and I know there are measure needed to make sure their goals are not easy but banning discussion of any kind when the target audience is 12 years and under is just silly.
Guys, remember, LEGO is trying to revise their policy, which translates to "change at some point in the near future". The discussion that's been going on since the policy was announced has brought out one sole fact; you can't be sure of a person's age in the internet, and the whole idea of the 13+ forum is silly by itself. BZPower will be adjusting to the new policy as soon as possible, so there's no reason to be upset about this matter right now.
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I'm in favor for having some kind of 13+ forum or topic. A big problem I have with this site is the number of younger members and a prohibition of anything to "mature". I really think that this kind of restriction would be a step in the right direction. Rivin

The admins have gone on record before stating that a forum for more mature content will never be created. BZP is a forum that is meant friendly for all ages, and the staff intend to keep it that way.
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I'm in favor for having some kind of 13+ forum or topic. A big problem I have with this site is the number of younger members and a prohibition of anything to "mature". I really think that this kind of restriction would be a step in the right direction. Rivin

But that's what made this site what it is, and this site WAS made towards lego fans, not towards "Mature" content. I think it's kept the site classy.

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Does Greg really have time to talk to us anyway? Does it really matter?

Considering Greg's busy with his actual Lego job, and that he has a child to take care of, his time would be limited; even if he had some to spare. Nevertheless, answering questions has been a 'hoby' he personally enjoys to do, so I'm sure he would find more time to interact with hardcore fans. Edited by Riglax
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I'm in favor for having some kind of 13+ forum or topic. A big problem I have with this site is the number of younger members and a prohibition of anything to "mature". I really think that this kind of restriction would be a step in the right direction. Rivin

But that's what made this site what it is, and this site WAS made towards lego fans, not towards "Mature" content. I think it's kept the site classy.
I can't imagine a 13 plus forum having anything to "mature."There would still be young people visiting it remember.
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Surely Greg could get a check of some sort? Like, here in Britain we call it a CRB check, which is a check to make sure someones not got a criminal record in any way that can affect them working with children. But surely lots of members here are also adults? So there's bound to be other people talking to 12 year olds. So it's more of the responsibility of the parents to keep an eye on what their children are doing, rather than the responsibility of anyone else. I've always felt that children under the age of 13 should be supervised when on the internet, no offense to any really mature 12 year olds. It's just the way I've been brought up. ~Argentum~

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I thought as a policy, it was a bit late. Baring in mind that Greg had been talking on this forum for years, I don't see why he should stop now. A forum that only allows 13+ people would seem to be the solution, but that wouldn't strictly speaking stop anyone, as a lot of people usually put themselves down on sites as over 18 for convenience sake. Obviously a 13+ rule is a bit controvertial in itself, as lego lego is primarily directed at people below that age. I guess it's up to the high-ups to ultimately decide on what BZP does about it, but that will take time, as there's plenty on their agend, both on and off BZP.

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No. I'm sorry, an age restriction on a forum? That's a bit of a big step, and unfair to members under that age. Everybody should be able to post wherever. Although this might be a rough estimate, at least a quarter of BZP has people under that age. That means a quarter of BZP's member will probably either leave, or just won't come on BZP as much. The policy itself is a bit outrageous, considering LEGO caters to 6-12 year-olds, or people over that age sometimes. =/ Still, there's not much you can do about it, but as long as BZP doesn't let that policy interfere with the forums, I'm happy.

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I'm still trying to figure out why LEGO would implement such a silly rule. What are the worried about if Greg talks to a twelve year old?

Even though Greg works for LEGO and is most likely not going to try and find people and kidnap them, he is a 45 year old man. It's just safer that people 13 and under don't talk to him. LEGO, BZPower, or any other site Greg is on, can't know what he is talking about with people. Another thing that is a main factor, is most people above 13 year of age, have matured more than people under 13. A lot of 12 year olds wouldn't be smart enough, or mature enough to comprehend some of the things a kidnapper or some other kind of criminal would say. If a criminal said, "Hey, wanna go meet me at the park? I can give you tons of candy," most kids under 13 would agree. That is not saying that Greg is some kind of criminal and most likely he is not. But it is a precaution, that I think is very necessary. -Rez
Well by that logic, everybody over the age of 18 should be banned from talking to minors.I know that predators exist on the internet, and I know there are measure needed to make sure their goals are not easy but banning discussion of any kind when the target audience is 12 years and under is just silly.
You are completely missing the point I made. There is a difference between an 18 year old on BZPower posting on the topics and a 45 year old man talking with 12 year olds. LEGO is just trying to be careful. That is not silly. -Rez
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I do not support any type of forum that discriminates age. Why? 1. Ages on this site are changeable. There isn't a setting that makes your "age" permanent.1a. If that was the case, who knows what extremes they'll go to? They could make a dupe with a higher age, or realize there's a 13+ forum before joining and do so. That is an actual possibility. Just like females who hide they're female on BZP. :P 2. It would pique kid's interest in what goes on in there. Which could lead to my point 1a. 3. If it's only to talk to Greg, what's the point? Must there be a whole forum for it? 4. People probably already lie age-wise in order to contact Greg. If he does answer them. And he has.

This all the way. I mean really, age restrictions blow my mind. This IS lego right? What's a company without feedback from its target?

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I'm still trying to figure out why LEGO would implement such a silly rule. What are the worried about if Greg talks to a twelve year old?

Even though Greg works for LEGO and is most likely not going to try and find people and kidnap them, he is a 45 year old man. It's just safer that people 13 and under don't talk to him. LEGO, BZPower, or any other site Greg is on, can't know what he is talking about with people. Another thing that is a main factor, is most people above 13 year of age, have matured more than people under 13. A lot of 12 year olds wouldn't be smart enough, or mature enough to comprehend some of the things a kidnapper or some other kind of criminal would say. If a criminal said, "Hey, wanna go meet me at the park? I can give you tons of candy," most kids under 13 would agree. That is not saying that Greg is some kind of criminal and most likely he is not. But it is a precaution, that I think is very necessary. -Rez
Well by that logic, everybody over the age of 18 should be banned from talking to minors.I know that predators exist on the internet, and I know there are measure needed to make sure their goals are not easy but banning discussion of any kind when the target audience is 12 years and under is just silly.
You are completely missing the point I made. There is a difference between an 18 year old on BZPower posting on the topics and a 45 year old man talking with 12 year olds. LEGO is just trying to be careful. That is not silly. -Rez
What you described is the same thing. An 18 year old who posts on BZPower is still talking to twelve year olds, just like the 45 year old man who has been doing it since the forum was filled with twelve year olds.
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I don't really have any argument to add to the conversation, other than the fact that I find it kind of depressing that they can't communicate with an age group that comprises the majority of their fanbase. It doesn't really make sense to me.

Also, I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Greg hasn't updated any of the Bionicle serials in months? This must be a pretty solid blow to his established rapport with his Bionicle fans, which were the whole reason that the serials were still being updated. :/

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Notable fact: few people on this forum are still under 13.-Dovydas

Exactly. I highly doubt there are many BZP members left who are younger than 13.

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Meh, I was "40" on many sites when I was really 15. Violence, swearing... I could take all that, so I didn't care. My point is: Having an age limit on a forum won't do anything. People will lie. Some 14-year olds write just as good as 20-year olds. Some 30-year olds write just as bad as 6-year olds. It would be very hard to determine age based on writing style. Therefore, Greg would be unable to know who he's really conversing with. In any case, Greg is presumably respected employee of the company with no bad track record regarding fan interaction. Why would they block him from talking with young fans, as he has done for so long? I find it ridiculous that he can no longer answer member questions due to this, though. Greg is basically the only source we have for official facts regarding the storyline, and now he's been cut off. The solution would be to compile member questions and have an admin mail them to him (Did they do that before the great forum Time Slip? Can't remember.) but that's a clunky solution at best.

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Practically speaking, it's ridiculous, and legally speaking, it's completely understandable. Though I would venture that the vast majority of BZP's userbase is now over 13, the fact remains that it is a fansite for a line that was marketed for ages 5 to 16 (if Wikipedia is to be believed). If LEGO wants to play it safe when it comes to interactions between its employees and younger children, it simply cannot give BZP a free pass just because it's been around for a while, because at the end of the day they have to be able to point at it and say "we are doing our part to make this site as safe as possible for younger users" if they want to work with it in any official capacity. We don't know what the details of their revised policy are at the moment, but while this particular policy is in place I'd say they're doing what they can to recognize and sanction BZP while still following their own rules.

Hey: I'm not very active around BZP right now.  However, you can always contact me through PM (I have email notifications set up) and I will reply as soon as I can.


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I thought we had gotten around that problem with the Greg Dialog Team. Wasn't there a group in the old forums whose job it was to post everything that Greg said on the Fourms?

The Greg Team was created to archive the GregF quotes properly so that quotes can be easily accessible and searchable, not necessarily to bypass the 13+ rule. :)

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Does Greg really have time to talk to us anyway? Does it really matter?

Whether he has time or not is his lookout, and in the past he has consistently said that he welcomes PMs. If I were Greg I suspect I would enjoy answering PMs about something I had worked as hard on as Greg has worked on Bionicle. Personally, it matters to me. It's an opportunity to talk to the man behind the sagas that this whole site is based on.

Practically speaking, it's ridiculous, and legally speaking, it's completely understandable.

So true. :P - 55555
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