Bricks in Motion
We are a friendly filmmaking community devoted to the art of stop-motion animation using LEGO® and similar construction toys. Here, you can share your work, join our community of other brickfilmers, and participate in periodic animation contests!
A place to discuss, share, and create stop motion films.
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Looking at the general activity of the forums, it brings me to the question whether or not they're dying. Is this just a low point or could this become a long term issue?
Looking at the general activity of the forums, it brings me to the question whether or not they're dying. Is this just a low point or could this become a long term issue?
Yes, I agree.
I think forums in general just tend to be on a downward trend. Several other forums I use seem to be having similarly decreasing discussions. That being said, in my experience, BiM is doing the best.
Also, summer is something to take into consideration. Although most have more free time now, brickfilmers tend to be more active in the fall and winter months...
The LEGO Movie's release could be another potential factor as well. It's largely brick-built atmospheres have seemingly increased attention to that aesthetic among brickfilmers. Plus, the average animation quality has been on the rise. More sets & longer animation lead to greater forum downtime, since members are likely off brickfilming instead. Can you blame them? Why break up the flow of a several month long project just to pop in and say hello.
Also, since the brickfilming community has been around in one way or another for over 16 years now, there's so many tips and tricks out there - plus, most simple questions (how to use audacity, animation software glitch fix, what inspires you?) have already been asked to death and are now common knowledge for newcomers who take the time to search).
Generational gap could also be a sign. While threads like this were similarly posted on brickfilms.com, even in it's heyday, they still continue to pop up now and then. And, while light gaps in frequency of use have always existed, it could now be a sign of a generational gap. The average user age of BiM has been continually increasing - meaning lots of audience retention, but not a lot of newcomers. Plus, things like forums were just easier to find and more accessible in the early days of the internet - while now, apps, youtube, and discord servers seem to be overshadowing smaller websites, forums, and chatrooms. That, and the closure of Toys R Us in america and increasing popularity of smartphones & games over toys (along with LEGO's revenue drop... the first in like 14 years) - may all indicate a shift in focus the new generation has from the old.
And, while I personally believe Bricks in Motion (at it's core, the continuation of a strong brickfilming collective of both amateurs and professionals) will never cease, down times like this are a bit sad to see. And, if the whole generational theory is true - that may continue for another 10 years or so; not just a problem for BiM, but a problem for LEGO, and brickfilming in general as well.
The more you post, the more active you keep the site, and the more you maintain a future home for next years brickfilmers. I admit, as an admin who still brickfilms (and voice acts... and scores music...), I don't post as often as I could. But I still find myself coming back. I simply can't pass up the films, discussions, contests, and fun that continues to remain an integral part of the brickfilming community - and Bricks in Motion in general.
If Bricks in Motion went away, gone would be my favorite resource for films, filmmakers, voice actors, and music. And I love brickfilms & stop-motion too much to ever forget it & walk away. Should the forums die, I'd have half-a-mind to make another one. I still believe a forum-setting is best for brickfilmers to share their films, receive constructive criticism & peer review, and share their unique process with others for the betterment of the craft. - And I don't want to see that go away.
I'd say it's true that there is less activity in general on the forums, and not always because people aren't visiting the site anymore, but rather people don't always post every single day. I can go for weeks without posting on the forums, but I do visit BiM at least 2 times a day as always, and try to watch and comment on as many films in the releases forums as I can.
As Dyland stated, there are some software related questions that just don't need to be answered anymore, as there are likely several old threads that will answer your question, or as is the case for most things now, you can type the question on YouTube and chances are, they'll be several tutorials explaining what to do.
Also, with Discord having backlogs, and being as active as it is, people are more likely to post their software related questions on there and receive their answer much sooner than if they posted the same question on the forums, meaning that activity, especially on certain areas of the forums like 'Equipment & Software' just aren't going to be used.
To be honest though, every morning, when I get up and check the forums, there are a decent amount of new posts to look at, and I feel like forum activity isn't continuing to go through a consistent decline. There are always certain times of year that are going to be less active than others. I personally find the beginning of each year, post-THAC to be a particularly quiet time, but it does pick up as the year goes on.
And obviously, BiM is currently in a transitional period. I trust that Rioforce is working on updating the forums, to make it feel less like a 2008 forums and more like a 2018 forums. The trick is to change it up enough to make it feel more updated, whilst maintaining the classic atmosphere of the old BiM community. With the right balance, I think it'll work!
I have the same experience William, and Dyland brings up some good points. There was a commercial a few months back where the girl is busy with an ipad and her mom says "whatcha doing on your computer?" and the girl says "what's a computer?" While I think this was partially ipad marketing snark, it's also kind of true in that most kids don't use a traditional laptop or desktop computer, and in phones and tablets, apps seem to be the main way they are connecting, which might explain any decline in forums, which I find much easier to use on a more traditional computer.
I think forums are still completely relevant, when compared to discord for example, which is good for moment by moment, real time discussions, but lacks the organization by topic that makes forums so useful. Maybe taking some of the more casual and non-topic specific talk away from the forum and over to discord can be seen as a decluttering of BiM, simply putting the different discussion types and purposes in more appropriate places. BiM is far from dead, compared to a lot of forums I've come across. What I've noticed dwindling or at least being inconsistent are the more trivial but fun threads like the caption contest. The releases, contests & festivals, and other brickfilm specific threads seem to be alive and well, and the best way to find each other's work and stay relevant with current activities in the community.
I'd say it's true that there is less activity in general on the forums, and not always because people aren't visiting the site anymore, but rather people don't always post every single day. I can go for weeks without posting on the forums, but I do visit BiM at least 2 times a day as always, and try to watch and comment on as many films in the releases forums as I can.
As Dyland stated, there are some software related questions that just don't need to be answered anymore, as there are likely several old threads that will answer your question, or as is the case for most things now, you can type the question on YouTube and chances are, they'll be several tutorials explaining what to do.
Also, with Discord having backlogs, and being as active as it is, people are more likely to post their software related questions on there and receive their answer much sooner than if they posted the same question on the forums, meaning that activity, especially on certain areas of the forums like 'Equipment & Software' just aren't going to be used.
To be honest though, every morning, when I get up and check the forums, there are a decent amount of new posts to look at, and I feel like forum activity isn't continuing to go through a consistent decline. There are always certain times of year that are going to be less active than others. I personally find the beginning of each year, post-THAC to be a particularly quiet time, but it does pick up as the year goes on.
And obviously, BiM is currently in a transitional period. I trust that Rioforce is working on updating the forums, to make it feel less like a 2008 forums and more like a 2018 forums. The trick is to change it up enough to make it feel more updated, whilst maintaining the classic atmosphere of the old BiM community. With the right balance, I think it'll work!
Yeah I agree with you. I barely post content on BiM for weeks, or even months, but I do a lot of lurking here. I think this transitional period should help these forums as a whole too. I also think, since more of the bigger lego youtubers don't use these forums/ don't know about it, up-and-coming brickfilmers are going to be less aware of the forum. However, I still think these forums have a place in modern brickfilming, with it's contests and overall nice community.
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