Well a lot has been going on in the past 24 hours.  Certain things are still a mess and I still have a bit of clean up to do.  I don't believe that the site has propagated around the world yet, so there are probably a bunch of users that are not able to see the site yet. Hopefully by tomorrow, that will be done and everyone will be back on.   Even though things aren't the way I want them, this becomes a good time for me to start making changes that were planned in the future.  Here are a few updates:

 

eBay/Price Guide Data:

Well I finally learned that the main eBay site and all of it's global sites did a bunch of category changes and did not notify it's third party companies like Terapeak.  We are not the only ones that are waiting on data.  I was told it is of course a top priority and I will let you know when I actually get it.

 

Brickpoints: 

Ed and I have decided that we will be discontinuing the Brickpoints program. Brick Classifieds will not rely on Brickpoints.  For those of you that are over 5,000 points, we will be in touch to give options and claim some set, gift card or something you will appreciate for all your hard work.

 

Wordpress:

I officially hate Wordpress  Wordpress has been hosting our blog articles, but it has been a nightmare with the logins and just an extra added server and cost.  Blogs will be converted to a simple CMS that I have created and content will created by a group of editors.  Moving forward, we will be working on focused content.

 

Brick Classifieds: 

I need to settle this server stuff first, but I think there may be a shot that a few may get access at the end of the week or next weekend. 

 

Site Update:

For a while I have been working on a site update that will focus more on what people come here to see and getting it ready for the classifieds.  We know most are interested in The forum, Daily Deals, other discounts, classifieds, Brickfolio, etc.  It will be more simple, easier to view on mobile devices and by removing some of the extra stuff it should be a more enjoyable experiences.  Now will this server blowup, you might start to see some of these updates creep their way in sooner rather than later.

 

We appreciate everyones patience. 

Thanks for all the efforts.

Brickpoints:

Ed and I have decided that we will be discontinuing the Brickpoints program.

NO MORE BRICKPOINTS?!

....Alright, I can deal with it.

 

Wordpress:

I officially hate Wordpress

Word. :derisive:

Good stuff.  Thanks again for all your hard work Jeff and for keeping us updated.

So are free listings out of the picture now? I trust that you both are doing what's best for the site, and thanks for keeping us updated!

So are free listings out of the picture now? I trust that you both are doing what's best for the site, and thanks for keeping us updated!

 

You have to give us time to implement ideas.  All listings will be free in the beginning and we need to see how everything goes.  The more of a success it is, the more we can do.  We just need it to be simple for new people finding the site.

Jeff, thanks again.

Thanks for keeping all of us updated on this. I really appreciate it!

Just got the update from eBay that all my files are available.  I took a quick look and do see them there, so tonight I will start to work on the price guide update.  Since I am doing two months, it will take a bit longer than normal, but hopefully it should be there by Wednesday/Thursday.

 

I have fixed a bunch of the migration bugs, so sporadic errors should start to be minimizing.

 

Again, thank you for your patience, trust me, I know it's annoying when things don't work right.

Thank you!

Lol thanks a ton. No big deal - whatever is best for the site.

 

I actually enjoyed writing in wordpress, but I have heard its an absolutely you know what to manage. Whatever works for me.

 

Im gonna be along for the ride either way. Thanks guys.

Migration bugs?

Thanks. This site is awesome and the price guide is great as a general indicator. I can't wait to see the classifieds. I can't believe you still have a day job with all this work.

I just moved this post from the SSD thread

 

Believe me, Jeff and I discuss this every weekend.  It's not like we have an aversion to money, but before we take it to that level, there are site features that needed to be completed and/or tweaked.  Jeff has had two issues the past two weeks that set him back, both out of his control.  eBay's data has not been complete to finish the price guide updates and we had servers issues a week ago that shut down the site.  We pay big money for both, yet they were failures out of our control that delay other site features being worked on because Jeff has to deal with restoring basic site functions.
 
Jeff has been working on a complete overhaul of the site away from Wordpress, which has not been a stable or efficient platform.  He is creating his own which will make the site faster and easier to navigate.  The Brick Classifieds are about ready to go to Beta and the Brickfolio is getting a major update.  The blogs/editor will be tweaked and the new Daily Deals feature will be coming soon.  There is also a feature called Brick Watcher coming and various other improvements.  We have stated this before, but it is worth repeating...when we are ready to launch a premium service, new eBay data can be included as well, such as shipping and auction data. 
 
We want to offer the premium service when there is enough quality tools and data to make it worthwhile.  While we could charge now, the site is supporting itself so why rock the boat and get many members upset?  The premium features will be a major upgrade over current features, so we will feel more confident in selling the premium feature.  We try to be fair to all members.  When there are some premium features added, we can keep a basic "free" setup for some members and people who pay a fee will get more extensive data, tools, discounts on Brick Classifieds, special forums, etc...It's a work in progress.  Thanks for your input...

 
 
Like Ed mentions, we talk about subscription options all the time.  I personally am a huge fan of it and would love to have it in place right now, but like Ed talked about, we want to make sure that it is a no brainer for people to want to sign up.  Personally I think there is a lot here already and by adding a paid subscriber only area on the site would benefit many.  If you don't want to subscribe, that is ok, there will still be plenty here for you, but having those funds would allow me to do a lot with this site.  I have too many ideas, not enough time.  If anyone thinks that Ed and I like asking people to click links, believe me, we really don't.  But clicking the links is not really much to ask of people, it is free to them and helps us big time.  Many don't click any or most use other programs to collect money for themselves which is why starting a subscription option of this site will 100% unavoidable.  Do you know how many Armored Lex's we need to sell through the site to pay for just the monthly server fees?  I can tell you, it would be a lot.
 
Below are just a few screenshots of the work I have been doing for a while and to back up Ed's statements that a lot has been going on. A big focus was on mobile/tablets.  The amount of users on this site using those devices is always growing and this will make the experiences that much more enjoyable and usable.  Pages are very easy to read on mobile devices which they currently are not.  Brick Classifieds and Daily Deals/Discount hunting was of course major factors in this redesign.  We know that is what many are looking for, so we will continue with tools and features to make that be more beneficial for you.  Will some new features get locked behind a premium service.  Probably...
 
Down at the bottom is finally a screenshot of Brick Classifieds.  Just wanted to show so that you didn't think we have been lying to you  
 
 
LEGO Discounts

 
LEGO News

 
LEGO Reviews

 
Brickfolio

 
LEGO Blog

 
Brick Classifieds

Things are looking up around here.  Excellent work Macks.  I have been getting paid as a web designer (heavy design/weak coder) for 15+yrs now.  Not saying I am any better than anyone else but if you need some opinions I am full of them.  Learning to critique others is part of the process.

 

I like the connection to pinterest and the more common google play/nexus type of left side menu.

http://tympanus.net/codrops/2013/07/30/google-nexus-website-menu/

 

Looks like you guys are going in the right direction.

 

I look forward to the classified section.  Thanks again for all the hard work.

Scott

First major critism would be the search.  The breakout of catagories is nice but as you can see the list is lengthy.

 

What makes other selling sites so successful (eBay) is their search in my opinion.  Very prominant and up at the top of the page.

Yours is there, near the top but not as apparent. 

 

When referring too "featured products and New arrivals" section

 

What about considering "top selling/trending/hot" catagory might be included. 

Something else to think about...not sure how to do it...in many of the forum threads product/sets are mentioned...can the set numbers be linked to the classified section?

 

"OMG everyone is talking about set 10xxx, I can just click on it and it whala there it is in X number of stores within the classifieds.

or maybe it would be better to have that in a advance search on the main site. 

 

In the search box I type 10210, results show where it is mentioned, forums, blogs, articles, classifieds

 

Just spit balling here.

 

On a different note...when viewing your brickfolio is the new version going to include any filters?

Filtering by value? Set number? Catagory/theme?

 

some of that is there now, sort of. 

 

Click on My Brickfolio - summary page

From there you can click on view brickfolio items (catagory list)

from there you select catagory....

 

Couldbe revamped much like the classified start page with all of the catagories listed on the left for each individual brickfolio.

The initial click on My Brickfolio takes you too a combo page of smaller summary and the full list of sortable sets below it.

 

From there the option to click on select catagories which appear on the left menu or a user can interact with the full list, sorting by price, piece count, quantity owned etc.

 

Given some time I could mock some images up for a better visual representation of the above text.

 

Regards

Scott  - Brickelements

@Brickelements, thanks for the thoughts/ideas.  Just send me PMs if you have more.  Let me release the stuff first, then you can rip it apart.  I usually don't like to post shots because then it does cause people to start questioning things when they really haven't see how it works yet.
 

You can already search by set or theme in the current brickfolio:
http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/brickfolio_collections.cfm

FWIW I missed the news posting about the Godzilla minifigure prints/shirt and just ordered 1 of each.

Below are just a few screenshots of the work I have been doing for a while and to back up Ed's statements that a lot has been going on.

Really nice update to the site.  Looks simple and fast to use.  I like the look of Brick Classifieds. To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect, but like the direction.  Personally I like the list of categories.  Once people get used to the site, they will learn to use it the way they like it best.  Everyone will always have a suggestion for how they think it should be.  His suggestions were good.  You can always change stuff if something isn't working.

Love to see the progression! Can't wait to play around with the new Brickfolio and the Brick Classifieds! Keep up the hard work!

Looks wonderful. Going to continue to be the site I visit the most for sure.