BrickJournal.com's New Groove

One of the things that has been lagging with BrickJournal.com is that is that it has not really worked as a web counterpart to the magazine. There has been a long-range vision for the magazine for it to be part of a media platform, with the magazine being one part of a larger group. This makes sense, because printed media is only one way to present the hobby, and a way that has advantages and disadvantages.

Print advantages are:
1. Very portable - you can carry around the mag at will in your bookbag.
2. Nice presentation - well, if designed correctly:-)
3. Easy to disseminate - why pass a link when you can pass a publication???
Print disadvantages are:
1. High investment - need some programs to produce content
2. Production cost is high - to make cost-effective, there have to be large magazine runs.
3. Decay - a magazine will last only as long as you take care of it.

The web as media offers:
1. Video - some displays, like the Great Ball Contraption at events need to be seen in motion to appreciate them.
2. Audio - an interview that is taped has more than the written word.
3. Space - for photos and instructions - the web is as big as we make it!
4. Interactivity - links to galleries, other pages, and more can be made...

so the question is: how can these be worked together? There's some ideas already being floated around...but the first priority is to make (or at least try to make) the website a destination for those wanting to know about the community and the magazine.

As a designer (I have a design degree from North Carolina State University), I realized early on that the web has tremendous potential for showing MOCs. A viewer can see all of a model with a video and with new media. I am planning BrickJournal to be part of this and am doing some research and development on my own some areas. Stay tuned to see what is going on:-)!

Hey! What happened?

yes, the website is changing. Not to this blog, mind you, but to a new site design!

Here's what happened and what is happening...

We switched webhosts from Near-Time, as they are changing their services to a new model. Notice was given to us about a month ago, and with that the process of receiving all the files from them was done over the next week. From there, a new webhost was found and set up, and...

I looked at this as an opportunity. While BrickJournal.com had some good things about it, I wanted to see more.

For those wondering about the subscription for the site, it's gone. The subscription was meant for a premium level of accessibility for the website and its contents, however, it was a failed experiment. The site generated a very small amount of revenue, but not enough to support the site and any content I wanted to use as enhancements. The revenue gathered was used for support of the site, but it ultimately declined to a very low level and shut off entirely by Near-Time.

So, the site as we know it is now gone. The content is now with the new webhost, but will have to be reconfigured for something new.

So what is going to happen? In the next couple of weeks, there will be some new construction going on with the website. Instead of a blog like page like it formerly was, BrickJournal.com will look like, well, a website. There will be a section devoted to the current issue with exclusive content, such as video and photos that didn't get in the magazine. A second section will have the current news items that we get from LEGO and other sources, such as DK Publishing. And a third section will have exclusive content on the site, such as video and instructions. And that's just the beginning...

And now is an opportunity for you. What would you want to see on the new BrickJournal site? Drop a line here - I'll be watching.

And I'll be putting updates on the website design - a basic design has been decided, and now refinements are going on. As we closer to launch I will be posting some layouts.

So when is launch? The goal is to have the site set up and running to cover the Festival of the Masters in Florida, in about two weeks. As new sections are completed, they will be added.

Excited? I am!

Caption Contest Winners!

This past weekend, we held a caption contest with prizes from DK Publishing. Here are the captions that won a LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Minipak (a copy of the LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary and a launch event t-shirt):

By Alfred Jr:

I find your lack of height disturbing.

by Edward:
How come I always get stuck with R2?
Where's my bikini-clad slave Leia?

by inkblob:
You can see here, the Death Ball orbiting the forest moon of Encrab.

and the winning caption of the LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Megapack
(LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary, one launch event T-shirt, one San Diego Comic-Con postcard pack, and a Darth Vader minifigure):

by wyndryder:
That's right, son. Now run up and kick it!

I need mailing addresses for all the winners to send their prize packages, so send your mailing info to: admin@brickjournal.com
Many thanks to all who entered and also to DK Publishing for providing prizes!

Caption Contest Deadline

The deadline for caption submissions to the three pictures is 12:00 AM Monday, October 12 Eastern Standard Time. So take a look and drop a line or two!

Caption Photo 3

DSC00133, originally uploaded by jmenomeno.

Here's the last pic to caption - you can choose from one or all of them. Put your caption in the comments and the best one overall will get a LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Mega Pack, and the next three will get the Mini Pack! Have fun!

Caption Photo 2

DSC00132, originally uploaded by jmenomeno.

Here's the second pic to caption - you can choose from one or all of them. Put your caption in the comments and the best one overall will get a LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Mega Pack, and the next three will get the Mini Pack! Have fun!

Caption Photo 1

DSC00131, originally uploaded by jmenomeno.

Here's the first pic to caption - you can choose from one or all of them. Put your caption in the comments and the best one overall will get a LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Mega Pack, and the next three will get the Mini Pack! Have fun!