** Notice of forum closure 4th November 2023 **

Huw

The forum will be closing in November.

Unfortunately, Higher Logic, the service provider, is not able to reduce our annual fee, and in fact is not able to offer the service at the current fee, either. 

It seems the platform is nowadays primarily intended as a means for multinationals to interact with their customers so is priced accordingly, about 3x what we are currently paying, so far exceeding anything that I can justify given the level of use.

I am told that they are willing to assist with data export so I'm hopeful that the discussions can at the very least be ressurected in read-only format elsewhere, and perhaps a new forum can be started from scratch.  I will look at options.

I know this will be disappointing for many of you and not the news you wanted to hear. I'm sorry it's come to this.

Huw

Switchfoot55

Huw, thank you for your transparency and notice. I am positive that the crew who volunteered to look at options will be up for the challenge. I'll send you message with a few questions that might help direct the next steps. 

Honestly, I think knowing for sure will help move us in a new direction more effectively than it being a mystery. 

GothamConstructionCo

Thank you Huw for all you have done to maintain the forum in its present guise for as long as you have.
I’ve spent eleven great years here and will miss it dearly.
I hope we can find a platform to continue the legacy this forum has created and continue to cultivate a wonderful community of like minded people.

Mr_Cross

Aww, balls!

Thanks @Huw for fronting the cost of this for so long.

Fingers crossed we can migrate elsewhere. Fwiw, having been forced into using discord, it might not be the correct kind of forum format for many, but it may provide a workable environment to discuss the search for alternatives?

Huw

I am not convinced that Discord is the solution either but we are testing it and I will send you, and anyone else who'd like to try it out, an invite.

BrickBelt

Yeah I will say that I really don't think discord forums is an option. I was in a discord that moved to using discord forum and it drove off a number of users. 

CCC

Makes sense. It is interesting the platform is now mainly for multinationals advertising to customers. One of the most active recent threads is just that!

ickis

Karabast!

oldtodd33

Sucks they've raised the prices for the average user. Another example of the common people being priced out of an activity that makes a small contribution to a happier day. 

Modeltrainman

Huw said:

I am not convinced that Discord is the solution either but we are testing it and I will send you, and anyone else who'd like to try it out, an invite.

Could I please get the link?

jmeninno

^Samesies!

Umandraug

Yea, I’d like the invite as well.

pxchris

I too would like the Discord invite.

karrit

I'm game to try it also, please send invite.

560Heliport

Me too, please!

jason1976

And me too please!

Cymbeline

Please include me!

Huw

We're just going to set a few things up and test them before opening the floodgates. It's important to remember that we haven't yet decided on Discord so you're not mssing out on anything.

datsunrobbie

I'd like to be on the Discord invite list too, when you're ready.

FollowsClosely

Looking forward to whatever you decide to go with @Huw.

Brickchap

Add me to the Discord invite list.

ryjay

Has anyone looked at the pros and cons proboards.com? 

It basically is this forum's set up right now, i think photos require 3rd party hosting...and i believe it is free.  After this forum ends you might even be able to give it the same name

Russell844

ryjay said:

Has anyone looked at the pros and cons proboards.com? 

It basically is this forum's set up right now, i think photos require 3rd party hosting...and i believe it is free.  After this forum ends you might even be able to give it the same name

Yes. I set up a test forum that a couple of us have looked at.

ryjay

Russell844 said:

Yes. I set up a test forum that a couple of us have looked at.

How does the test forum look/feel?

The biggest obstacle is how to make it relevant with everyone spread so thin around the internet.  For the most part, many forums just become a data base for past thoughts and opinions. Forums need to stay current  to foster the best discussions.  Which brings us back to the main topic...is Lego still exciting, fresh and interesting to draw new discussions with new guests?  I dont know that answer.

Brickchap

Add me to the Discord invite list if thats what we are going with

Brickchap

@ryjay Id argue yes. There are always new Lego fans, and certainly always new Lego sets coming out which people will want to talk about. I also much prefer this comment style forum (more traditional) than Facebook type stuff which is basically just designed for people liking or disliking others posts and either saying things like "Cool" and leaving it at that, or commencing personal attacks.

im2cre8iv

Brickchap said:

Add me to the Discord invite list.

Brickchap said:

Add me to the Discord invite list if thats what we are going with

Patience, young grasshopper. 

Huw said they were testing it out before opening the floodgates. Those that expressed an opinion earlier to help and volunteered their time/expertise have been sent an invite. Surely you know that an announcement will be made when a decision has been reached.

Brickchap

@im2cre8iv Sorry, it was still in my 'draft' comment box and I've had horrific internet for the past few weeks so I assumed I typed the comment and it never got posted.

Brickchap

If any admins want to remove my repeated comment, then please do so.

Switchfoot55

Things are still very much in the testing phase. Nothing has been decided on. Pros and cons to each platform in the end, so just trying to decide which would be most ideal to run with. 

Umandraug

im2cre8iv said:

Brickchap said:

Add me to the Discord invite list.

Brickchap said:

Add me to the Discord invite list if thats what we are going with

Patience, young grasshopper. 

Huw said they were testing it out before opening the floodgates. Those that expressed an opinion earlier to help and volunteered their time/expertise have been sent an invite. Surely you know that an announcement will be made when a decision has been reached.

I had initially offered to help test a Discord at the start of the process, and I haven’t received any invite.

madforLEGO

Interested too, once things are decided

bandit778

@Switchfoot55.
Just a quick enquiry but is there any news on if or where the forum would be moving too.
I still visit 2-3 times a day even though I don't post so much these days but would like to move to wherever we end up.

Switchfoot55

Admittedly, no. I'd love to have it all nailed down as soon as we can. The options currently appear to be either Discord or another traditional forum. That may not sound like it's been narrowed down much, but I think there is likely a top choice for the forum host. Pros and cons to each. 

Hopefully we can have something more concrete here soon!

Huw

My attention has been diverted elsewhere for the last few months but I'm hoping to spend more time on this soon, once it's cooled down a bit (we are having a bit of a heatwave here in the UK at the moment)

Switchfoot55

I'll start by putting this here, but does anyone have a good foundation in the technical aspects of Discord that might be available/willing to assist in putting together some general layout stuff and working with a committee on technical aspects of that platform? 

Please message me directly if that describes you at all!

andhe

Would it make sense for these two threads need to be merged?

https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/1298598/the-future-of-brickset-forums#latest

MorkMan

@Switchfoot55 you beat me to it! 

Hopefully someone on here has the skills. 

Switchfoot55

Trying to connect dots here. For anyone interested in helping us test our new Discord server, please review this link below: 

https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/1356975/discord-server-beta-testers/p1?new=1

KeithB

Did some searching on Discord and went to their Beginner's guide page.  Looks like you must have an account to see anything on Discord.  Is this correct?   I don't have a Discord account and like to "see" what I'm getting into before I sign up.  I'm no fan of facebook, but you can see pages on facebook (in some limited kind of way) without having to have an account.  People can view/read all the discussions on the Brickset Forum without needing an account, and I'm sure that has caused many people to eventually join (including me).

Also, looks like you can only join a "server" through an invite from the person who set up the server, is that correct? 

If Discord is this restrictive, my question is how is anyone going to find the Brickset "server" discussions on Discord?  I think many people "lurk" in an online forum before deciding to join in.  How will that happen on Discord?

ryjay

I have the same exact questions as @KiethB.   On some lazy saturday afternoon will I be able to stumble upon a lego discussion board, follow some conversations, have an interest, sign up, log on and begin to interact?  Or do i need to knock on a door and ask to come in, then have a look around?

oldtodd33

My son says you have to have an account.

KeithB

oldtodd33 said:

My son says you have to have an account.

And then beyond that, if you have an account, how do you find the Brickset Lego discussion server?  Do you have to be invited in?

Brickchap

Yes you need to be invited via a link. I would also note that for some reason the two Discord servers I've interacted with required one to have a 'role'. This role does and means nothing, but you can't interact unless you choose one. It's weird. Someone like Huw would obviously be a moderator, but then it's just random.

Maybe the 'go to forum' button on the Brickset main page could have the Discord invite link (ideally this would be visible all the time on the main page so it's really easy to locate it). The other problem is that you need people to monitor people wanting to join, which could become overwhelming if there's a bunch of applications per day to join.

I would also note that with leaks for example it would be really hard to read that because the chat just keeps updating so you're scrolling through hours worth of posts (in my case due to the time difference) whereas currently even if it's on a previous page you can easily check back and forward. I would also mention that this is even if every single comment was just a straight up leak with no discussion whatsoever, you'd still very easily miss out on news.

This leads me to wonder whether it would be possible to keep the Leaks & More Leeks thread on the current forum (where it is just posts of leaks), and then the leaks can be discussed in Discord. That way we can keep discussing new sets while ensuring the news gets through.

I would also suggest some channels based on a gaming discord I'm in. So there's a 'General' channel which is for anything. In our case I would suggest a general Lego channel so if you have a question you can ask that, some people can respond, and we move on (rather than the current situation where one needs to start a whole new thread that potentially no one even replies to, or go off topic in another thread). 

Then there's Off Topic (doesn't have to be Lego, same as currently). Then a News channel (which can be made that members can't comment)

Perhaps a channel specifically dedicated to Leaks/New sets discussion. Moderators can also make sub channels so if there's a topic warranting it's own channel that could be done (like General Star Wars discussion).

KeithB

Has anyone looked into groups.io?  I am a member of two groups that use this platform.  Can't recall what the costs are for the current Brickset forum, but this looks cheap.  These are the monthly fees.  It's slightly cheaper if the owner pays by the year.  No idea what storage capacity is needed, etc.  Just thought I'd post this.  Quite a few Yahoo groups moved to groups.io when Yahoo groups shut down.

Switchfoot55

To answer at least a couple of questions, yes, you do have to have a discord account in order to be able to view the server. 

We would link the Discord Server Invite Link to the main page in place of the current Brickset Forum option. 

We will almost certainly NOT be using roles outside of Admins/Mods for Discord. maybe we would consider roles for something like Brickset Secret Santa. But even then, there isn't really a need for them. 

I can certainly understand and appreciate that this option feels more restrictive than the current forum option. I'm not saying it's the perfect solution and know that we will inevitably lose out on some individuals joining us or transferring over. While I want to eliminate that as much as possible, I certain know that it's just the reality of what is happening. 

My perspective is that, regardless of where we transfer, we will lose members. And, seeing as the current forum has been on a decline for it's user base, my hope is something new might bring in some additional members. I'm not saying a traditional forum format is bad or can't be jumpstarted again. I'm just wondering if it's time for a change. 

My opinion and thoughts are not the end-all-be-all of the conversation, however. I don't pretend to be in charge of things. I'm just trying to get us at least something rather than nothing as this community has done a lot for me over the last several years. 

I think if we move to Discord and realize that it's a disaster, we can still make a transition back to a traditional forum. The people who are committed will remain committed through several changes (I hope). 

I'd just ask that people be open to considering this particular option.