After some frantic work this weekend, the webpage to the magazine is finally online!
Why did it take so long? After all, it's been two years...
Well, it took one year to get BrickJournal to a stride that I like, but I wanted to be able to do some other things too that only a website could do. Like be able to post information within hours of getting it for scoops - wouldn't it be cool to have a Toy Fair report the same day as it happening? Or an event report just as soon?
The magazine simply cannot be that responsive. And magazines as a media form aren't meant to be that way - they are usually one of the last words on a news item, as they have the longest time to get facts and information. They also tend to be the most features-oriented - so there are many stories that are not news but about people and and newsmakers. BrickJournal follows that model, and I'm pretty proud of it.
With the website, BrickJournal is expanding to become an archive for the community, both in issues, and in information. The event calendar on the site is the most complete calendar around, with events worldwide being listed. Also, the magazine now has a true presence beyond the PDFs.
The site is also easy to manage (just a lot of pages) - so it will be easy for others on staff to add content as needed. Because I am using a webservice, if something goes down - I can call and get it fixed!
The webservice is Near-time, and I have been working with them for about two years - they were a startup that came into being about the time that I was starting to work on BrickFest 2006, and I used them to coordinate much of the event. They started on collaborative sites (essentially Yahoogroups, but much more organized) and have grown. I have grown to like them because much of their stuff is easy to work with. They like me because I was one of the first to work with their site, and I have become a beta tester of sorts. So both the Journal and Near-Time are growing and learning.
The plan for the site is to be able to post news as soon as possible and provide content that the magazine can't use - video is the first example to come to mind. BrickJournal.com is going to be a type of newsservice for the community, and I am excited with the possibilities!
Andyes, the magazine is still in the works - I need to get in touch with the publisher to establish timelines and deadlines. And there's another trip I gotta go on....
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Skimming news items....
At San Diego Comic-Con, LEGO has a display with Chewbacca, R2-D2, and Threepio. There's an article with a short blurb here.
Meanwhile, at Detroit, the NMRA is showing some LEGO models...
The new thing that has caught my interest: Can event reports on my website be link to the event calendar? Hm, that would be neat to keep a running timeline..
Meanwhile, at Detroit, the NMRA is showing some LEGO models...
The new thing that has caught my interest: Can event reports on my website be link to the event calendar? Hm, that would be neat to keep a running timeline..
Okay, Im really distracted (off-topic)
Marion Ravenwood is going to be in Indy 4!!!
The movie went from a really cool movie to...well, beyond that.
Why? Because Marion was the best female character to be with Indy, period. And Karen Allen, the original actress is playing her!
Okay, back to work:-)
The movie went from a really cool movie to...well, beyond that.
Why? Because Marion was the best female character to be with Indy, period. And Karen Allen, the original actress is playing her!
Okay, back to work:-)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
BrickJournal's site...
Yes, it's happening.
The broad vision is to archive all the stories in one site and also provide a point for both AFOLs and public to be able to see the best of the community.
The site will have the articles, news that happens between issues, and reviews and things that won't fit in the magazine. There's also going to be video and hopefully multimedia.
There will be a public side and a subscriber side - this will be for the site, not the magazine. Those subscribing will have access to the archives and exclusive archived material.
And there's some other perks with subscriptions..
The broad vision is to archive all the stories in one site and also provide a point for both AFOLs and public to be able to see the best of the community.
The site will have the articles, news that happens between issues, and reviews and things that won't fit in the magazine. There's also going to be video and hopefully multimedia.
There will be a public side and a subscriber side - this will be for the site, not the magazine. Those subscribing will have access to the archives and exclusive archived material.
And there's some other perks with subscriptions..
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Brickshelf...
is going to cease operations July 31. It has been brought up to allow users to get their files.
So I am evacuating my files. There's a sadness to this, but I would be lying if I said that this wasn't going to happen. Brickshelf was a labor of love, and so it could have ceased at any time.
I am grateful to Kevin for creating this resource and maintaining it for so long. All good things must come to an end, though.
The community will have to consider what to do. I am aware of some efforts, but have no specifics to give. I support these initiatives and hope that something can be created that will be essentially Brickshelf 2.0.
With my work on BrickJournal.com, it is possible to have a mocpages type set up with photos imported - most likely this is something that could be offered to subscribers.
But I am interested to see what else is being planned. What I really want to see happen is a central point of reference for all materials, photos, clubs, etc. across the board for the AFOL community - and this would have to be supported by subscriptions. A long-range plan for BrickJournal the company is to become the repository for the community in terms of history and reference. The website would become the concordance for AFOLs.
To be clear, this is not an attempt to take over things. Far from it - it would be an effort to centralize. The website will not be another Brickwiki, but a growing resource based on the content generated for it. And the target isn't exclusively AFOLs - the magazine will be an invitation for others to see and join the community.
The event calendar is one effort to centralize information, and the result has become a webpage that is being seen by many people. Tie that in with a magazine website, and there is a draw. Anyone can see an article, check out an event, find one close to them and find out about the club hosting. And afterward, people can use the same calendar to see what happened...the calendar becomes a record of the year.
I hope that steps go in that direction.
So I am evacuating my files. There's a sadness to this, but I would be lying if I said that this wasn't going to happen. Brickshelf was a labor of love, and so it could have ceased at any time.
I am grateful to Kevin for creating this resource and maintaining it for so long. All good things must come to an end, though.
The community will have to consider what to do. I am aware of some efforts, but have no specifics to give. I support these initiatives and hope that something can be created that will be essentially Brickshelf 2.0.
With my work on BrickJournal.com, it is possible to have a mocpages type set up with photos imported - most likely this is something that could be offered to subscribers.
But I am interested to see what else is being planned. What I really want to see happen is a central point of reference for all materials, photos, clubs, etc. across the board for the AFOL community - and this would have to be supported by subscriptions. A long-range plan for BrickJournal the company is to become the repository for the community in terms of history and reference. The website would become the concordance for AFOLs.
To be clear, this is not an attempt to take over things. Far from it - it would be an effort to centralize. The website will not be another Brickwiki, but a growing resource based on the content generated for it. And the target isn't exclusively AFOLs - the magazine will be an invitation for others to see and join the community.
The event calendar is one effort to centralize information, and the result has become a webpage that is being seen by many people. Tie that in with a magazine website, and there is a draw. Anyone can see an article, check out an event, find one close to them and find out about the club hosting. And afterward, people can use the same calendar to see what happened...the calendar becomes a record of the year.
I hope that steps go in that direction.
I'm 42!! (definitely off-topic)
I was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky on July 17, 1965.
A rather average day, except that at Anaheim, Disneyland celebrated its tenth birthday. I like to think that there's something special about my birthday being the same as Disneyland's.
That is cancelled out, though by the fact that my birthday is the same as Phyllis Diller's. Yuck. But Donald Sutherland shares my birthday, so that's not a bad thing.
So what am I doing today? Not much, really. Goingto see my parents aand relaxing for a little bit. I am pretty much old enough not to be carded and will never be mistaken for a younger age, thanks to the grey and thinning hair.
But I refuse to see my spirit grow older. I have seen many friends 'grow up' and become trapped by what they call responsibilities and obligations. Some of that is true (being married is very much a responsibility that has to be maintained), but it's saddening to see people turn away from their dreams because of the risk...it's how much we risk and sacrifice that makes our dreams so important.
I have stopped to ponder why I am doing what I am doing, and in many ways. my life has made it easy to risk..I have no commitments, no relationships to jeopardize. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain - more or less.
I am happy about my life - it's been one great adventure. Before joining the AFOL community, I did some great things, and there are more things that will be coming down the way. There have been trying times, but also wonderful times.
Right now, I am climbing a mountain that was large and even dangerous. As I have climbed the face with friends helping along the way, each step has become more and more difficult, but also more exhilarating. Looking back, it's amazing to see how far the path has been, and what lies ahead.
I'm 42. Ten years ago, I was working at an ad agency and volunteering my time at a museum. Five years ago, I was working at a newspaper, after I had lost my agency job and worked at Disney World. I started to 'grow up' and get a bit cynical.
Two years ago, I started what became BrickJournal.
Amazing what a couple of years can do.
I'm 42.
A rather average day, except that at Anaheim, Disneyland celebrated its tenth birthday. I like to think that there's something special about my birthday being the same as Disneyland's.
That is cancelled out, though by the fact that my birthday is the same as Phyllis Diller's. Yuck. But Donald Sutherland shares my birthday, so that's not a bad thing.
So what am I doing today? Not much, really. Goingto see my parents aand relaxing for a little bit. I am pretty much old enough not to be carded and will never be mistaken for a younger age, thanks to the grey and thinning hair.
But I refuse to see my spirit grow older. I have seen many friends 'grow up' and become trapped by what they call responsibilities and obligations. Some of that is true (being married is very much a responsibility that has to be maintained), but it's saddening to see people turn away from their dreams because of the risk...it's how much we risk and sacrifice that makes our dreams so important.
I have stopped to ponder why I am doing what I am doing, and in many ways. my life has made it easy to risk..I have no commitments, no relationships to jeopardize. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain - more or less.
I am happy about my life - it's been one great adventure. Before joining the AFOL community, I did some great things, and there are more things that will be coming down the way. There have been trying times, but also wonderful times.
Right now, I am climbing a mountain that was large and even dangerous. As I have climbed the face with friends helping along the way, each step has become more and more difficult, but also more exhilarating. Looking back, it's amazing to see how far the path has been, and what lies ahead.
I'm 42. Ten years ago, I was working at an ad agency and volunteering my time at a museum. Five years ago, I was working at a newspaper, after I had lost my agency job and worked at Disney World. I started to 'grow up' and get a bit cynical.
Two years ago, I started what became BrickJournal.
Amazing what a couple of years can do.
I'm 42.
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