Updated Review Features/Editor and Review Contest!

[Ed Mack]

It's a win-win for the member and us.  On one hand, the author will get the opportunity to exhibit their LEGO knowledge and experiences in one area and have others share in that and then we get to post that content on our site.  

[Quacs]

We will have A LOT of good articles live as soon as this feature is live. We will probably have to spend several hours reading them all

 

Definitely looking forward to reading all the new content!

[Ed Mack]

Here

[Ed Mack]

MAJOR CHANGE TO CONTEST!!!

 

Jeff and I have decided to separate the REVIEW & EC/BLOG ARTICLE CONTEST into TWO CONTESTS, one specifically for reviews and the other for Evaluation Corner and Brickvesting Blog articles.  

 

THE REVIEW CONTEST WILL OPERATE EXACTLY AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED:

• The Contest ends July 3rd, 2013.  The winners will be announced July 4th, 2014.  
• There will be 3 MAIN WINNERS...1st...2nd...3rd Place and an Honorable Mention prize(s)
• The prizes will be as previously mentioned(Haunted House, Palace Cinema, Jabba's Palace or their equivalents in LEGO gift cards).  The Honorable Mention prizes will vary according to the situation and quality of reviews
• Winners will be judged on quantity, quality and character count.  

As for the new contest for Evaluation Corner and Blog Article contest, let me explain what the situation is.  As you all have noticed, we have upgraded the forums.  Although there are still issues to iron out, it was a major upgrade over the previous forum template.  Along with the forum upgrade, there are other "modules" that go along with the Invision Power template...The Gallery is an example.  Another will be our new Brickvesting and Personal Blogs section.  Members will now have the ability to start their own blog on the site and submit content for publication to Jeff and I for approval.  The current Blog and EC article setup is much too labor intensive for Jeff and I.  Basically, we receive your content, then I go over it, add to it, modify it and add my notes...then Jeff has to take that and convert it to HTML code for the site.  While it ends up looking very polished and refined, it takes hours upon hours to do so.  Needless to say, Jeff's talents are best spent elsewhere...

 

That is where this new blog feature will come into play.  When we release it in the next week or so, members will have the ability to start and maintain their own blogs.  They will be rewarded with Brickpoints for doing so and other members will be able to comment on the content.  This is a win-win for the site.  Number one, it will give the site fresh and new LEGO based content on a daily basis which will be displayed on the homepage.  Things will get simplified.  All the older articles will be converted over into the new format and archived by date, but still readily accessible.  There will be one all inclusive blog, not an Evaluation Corner and Brickvesting Blog and Personal Blogs.  There will be sections to it like the forums, but overall, it will all fall under one main Blog.  There will be an "editor" similar to the forum editor and there will be a charts module added.  In short, YOU will use the editor to submit the blog article.  We will review it, tweak it if necessary, maybe add an editorial...but you are the one who will do most of the editing.  This will free Jeff up and make me the main editor.  We will also award Brickpoints for this content as well.  

 

Jeff has been messing around with this feature to a small degree and will put more attention to it this week.  We figure a week or two and it will be LIVE. Like I said, if used properly, this will enable members to see fresh content regularly and also enable the blog authors to gain Brickpoints and possible other LEGO rewards.  With regards to the Blog Article Contest, here is a basic breakdown:

• The contest is separate from the Review Contest.  Period.  The date this contest ends will be approximately 30 days after the new Blog feature is launched.  I'm figuring a rough estimate of August 1st, 2013.  This will give us time to make sure it works and that people know how to use it.  It will also give people time to resubmit articles in the new format.  
• The content submitted for the contest is the same which has already been submitted for the previous contest...basically any LEGO related information, stories, data, etc...pertaining to the buying, selling, collecting and investing of/in LEGO bricks.
• There will be identical prizes awarded to the Review Contest: 1st place-Haunted House or Gift Card equivalent...2nd place- Palace Cinema...3rd place-Jabba's Palace.  There will also be Honorary Mention(s) here as well, with some smaller sets/Gift Cards as prizes.  You can win a prize in both contests...even 1st place, so keep that in mind.  
• Winners will be based on quality, quantity and just an overall excellence that Jeff and I look for in content.  Sometimes, a very good short article will outweigh a larger article full of fluff.  So far, I have to say, the content and articles submitted have been excellent.  Keep up the fine work!
• IMPORTANT: As I stated earlier, any future blog content will be using the new blog editor.  Articles and blogs that were submitted to Jeff and I need to be resubmitted in the new manner(not the three that were made live).  I cannot tell you if everything will be able to be converted as written, but most will be simple copy and paste.  Images can be added and some charts will have to be redone with the new editor.  Because the site is evolving and improving as we speak, I apologize for any inconvenience this creates for people.  If you cannot resubmit an article in the new blog format, Jeff and I will try to do it for you.  For future articles, you can just let me know what you are working on and whether it is complete and I will enter it onto the contest list.  You can hold onto the content until the blog feature goes live, then you can resubmit or submit those articles for approval.  I know it is a pain in the butt, but at least this way you have more control of how your article is published and how it looks.  

 

I hope this answers a lot of questions and enables more members to win a prize.  We feel that this new method of posting blogs and their content will enable all members to share their thoughts and experiences.  Just be patient.  There will be growing pains, but we will try to address and issues quickly and fairly.  The contest is still wide open and people have plenty of time to submit content for either the Review or Blog contest.  Good luck.  Any questions, fire away... 

[Grolim]

Sounds awesome Ed.  The best thing with people having control over there own blog content will mean we get to read some of those articles sooner, I've been hanging out for some on the list  

[Fcbarcelona101]

Sounds awesome Ed. The best thing with people having control over there own blog content will mean we get to read some of those articles sooner, I've been hanging out for some on the list

Like Attack of the Clones?? Lol

[Blackjack]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!  Thank you guys so much!

[Guest eightbrick]

I love you Ed. Point of clarification though, so the review contest ends July 3rd as planned but the Article contest ends August 1st? Can one person win prizes in both? *everyone looks at mikeur86* lol

[Fcbarcelona101]

I love you Ed. Point of clarification though, so the review contest ends July 3rd as planned but the Article contest ends August 1st? Can one person win prizes in both? *everyone looks at mikeur86* lol

Yes, the review one will end as planned on July 3rd. The tentative date for the end of the article contest is indeed August 1, but it all really depends in how long it takes for the blog feature to be released and to resolve some of the issues it may have at that point. It would end 30 days after the feature goes live.

Yes you can win prizes in both contests!

[Grolim]

Like Attack of the Clones?? Lol

 

I've already read that one 

[Ed Mack]

I love you Ed. Point of clarification though, so the review contest ends July 3rd as planned but the Article contest ends August 1st? Can one person win prizes in both? *everyone looks at mikeur86* lol

The review article contest will end July 3rd as planned, so if I was you, I would put a concerted effort into that right now.  The blog article contest will end in about 30 days after the new Blog system is up and running so that people can resubmit articles in the new format and get a hang of it...including Jeff and I.  I will have a lot of flexibility with this blog contest and it might end later than that.  Jeff is going to fix the log in issue and launch the blog feature at the same time.  It's all tied together, so we will have a better idea in a week or so as to what to expect with that contest.  The whole site is going through some major modifications right now that will enable us to provide members with fresh content, top notch member involvement and usability that is second to none.  These new changes should make it easier for everyone to use our site and to have their opinions and thoughts heard and read.

 

Yes, people can win prizes in both contests.  I will keep them 1000% separate.  We will judge the content separately and impartially.  So go for it.  I expect a ton of reviews from people in the next month.  You have a MONTH.  Remember, you also get a ton of Brickpoints from these reviews and can win multiple STAR WARS mini sets for just Brickpoints alone.  And as I stated before, just don't give up on the contest because you feel there are some people way ahead.  I will give out some quality Honorable mention sets to members who really make an effort.

[Ed Mack]

Here

[TheOrcKing]

Wowie-zowie, it looks like just about every possible topic will be covered by those articles! Good stuff there and amazing effort from all members.

[Ed Mack]

 

Here

[Ed Mack]

Here

[TheOrcKing]

Now that I think of it, I'm starting to rather look forward to Fcbarcelona101's 'sleeper' article. I think that term has been thrown around a little too much lately and could use a serious view.

[Fcbarcelona101]

Now that I think of it, I'm starting to rather look forward to Fcbarcelona101's 'sleeper' article. I think that term has been thrown around a little too much lately and could use a serious view.

Hopefully I can get that one live soon. I have been moving for the past couple of days, plus studying for the GMAT and some other things that I really have had little time to review or get some articles on the blog. That one is actually one of the easiest for me to convert, so I might be able to get it done before the others. I don't know if it will be what you are looking for, but I do hope you like it,

[TheOrcKing]

Hopefully I can get that one live soon. I have been moving for the past couple of days, plus studying for the GMAT and some other things that I really have had little time to review or get some articles on the blog. That one is actually one of the easiest for me to convert, so I might be able to get it done before the others. I don't know if it will be what you are looking for, but I do hope you like it,

No need to rush perfection.  If I did an article on 'sleeper' sets, it would probably just end up being a dumb ol' rant. Yours will be more interesting and useful, I'm sure of it. Good luck with your GMAT, that must be brutal.

[Ed Mack]

Now that I think of it, I'm starting to rather look forward to Fcbarcelona101's 'sleeper' article. I think that term has been thrown around a little too much lately and could use a serious view.

Next couple of days.

[Fcbarcelona101]

Are personal blogs also going to count for the second half of the contest? I only ask because I see that you are adding them to the list of Live articles.

[Blackjack]

Does anyone else think that Fcbarcelona101 is KILLING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!  TWELVE ARTICLES!!!!!!!! 

[Ed Mack]

Are personal blogs also going to count for the second half of the contest? I only ask because I see that you are adding them to the list of Live articles.

Yes, I will add them in.

[Ed Mack]

 

Here

[Blackjack]

Here's another question I'll get yelled at for asking: are you going to have a five star rating system for reviews like you have for blog posts and EC articles?  Also, Suppose for however many stars a review or blog post gets, the member receives so many BP?

[srm_520]

Man, go on a trip for a little while - and Bam!  It's like a million things are going on!  Thanks again for doing all of this guys.  You two are doing a fantastic job!  Plus, it'll teach me for not being active for a few weeks.