Rebrick

Steve_J_OM

This came to my attention via Eurobricks, and it has quite a lot of potential IMO. I love browsing through random stuff on brickshelf and LEGO groups on Flickr, and this might raise the visibility of great user content.

Courtesy of Eurobricks, here is the description of Rebrick from TLG:

What is the basic idea with ReBrick?
ReBrick is a social media platform where adult users can share and discuss user-created LEGO content online.

It will not be possible to upload content to the site. Instead the basic functionality is for the user to bookmark content from other sites, such as Flickr, Youtube, MOCpages and similar sites, and have a discussion at the ReBrick hub.

ReBrick is a public stage for fans of the LEGO brick to share their wonderful models and creations with the general public.

Here's the site, currently in Beta:

http://rebrick.lego.com/

krklint

The site looks cool, don't get me wrong:

but to me, this site will use the concept of "fan functionality" to help lego build a tracking platform for all the non-lego controlled brick sites and links out there... a "ghosting" platform, if you will, where the fan base offers all the pieces needed to gain intimate knowledge of the customer base.

Teaching my 3rd year writing students this concept, and how businesses use sites like this to track and monitor the movements of the IP addresses that visit the site... and see what other sites they travel to after visiting. Gives TLG a chance to gain strategic knowledge of their customers habits and interest.

And of course I'll probably use it... my internet fingerprint is too widespread already to worry about "big brother" enjoying where I go...

Blue1dot

When I saw this title I thought it was new terminology about re-gifting - but then again, who would regift a Lego set?
The site is interesting, I'd probably visit but not join.

Redbullgivesuwind

^^ Looks more like a place for everyone to share MOCS and involve fans more. I think they will use ideas about some of the MOCS to target an audience or see which themes are popular. Dont forget Lego often had members on sites. They are often known to the owners and they already report on what goes on. How do you think the photos get asked to be taken down? But i think there are more honourable intentions than using it to keep tabs on us in some big brother society

krklint

I'd like to think the action is completely honourable; but after researching how much information can be collected on a person, simply be seeing where their I.P. address travels to after connecting on a site, the Big Brother angle (along with the TLG desire to re-assess where they place their assets starting next year), I question why they would offer such a site... outside of wanting to control the hobby within the fan community as well.

Seems to me what is being offered through re-brick already exists. So to spend the funding to build and maintain re-brick, one has to question all the possible benefits-gained will be. Trust me, I'm not a conspiracy theorist... if I was, I wouldn't be on this site ;) but the marketing that goes behind the creation of such a site is rarely purely honourable when money becomes involved. Thats why I love this site, which exists out of fandom and love of the product... and not out of making money.

Redbullgivesuwind

true completely agree that where money is involved nothing stands in the way. However I dont think there is anything realy like this. there are personal websites and sites dedicated to MOCs of a certain type but not really anything along these lines aside from http://www.mocpages.com/. So iots more for me about imbracing the adult fans of lego as I think they know we are a prime market but also want a place where people can share designs.