The LEGO Ambassador Program - 2011 and beyond
Overall Purpose: Give the AFOL Community a gathering place to be represented as a whole to the LEGO Group, interact with members of the LEGO Group and interact with one another.
The LEGO Group’s Promise to the AFOL Community: The Goal of the LEGO Group in this endeavor is to give a highly engaging discussion platform to the chosen representatives within the AFOL Community, and to provide consistent interactions that will encourage participation. The LEGO Group’s hope is that the AFOL Community is able to gain more insight into how the company works and also have a direct line to the employees of the LEGO Group in order to share their ideas and suggestions. The LEGO Group wants to give the AFOL community special access to put forth ideas that can affect the way the company does things.
The LEGO Group will check the forum regularly, respond to every thread, and feedback for other parts of the LEGO Group will be reported directly to the correct parties.
What the LEGO Group hopes to gain from this program: The LEGO Group hopes to build relationships with, gain insights and ideas from, and provide feedback to the LEGO Ambassadors and the AFOL communities they represent.
Contents:
Section 1: Definitions of the Groups Represented
Section 2: Format
Section 3: Gaining Membership
Section 4: Tasks and Touch Points
AppendixA:Example LUG qualifications application
Section 1: Definitions of the Groups Represented
LUG: LEGO User Group. This is a Group of Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) who gather together in person or via online communities around their common interest in the LEGO Hobby and all things associated with it. Different types of LUGs can include:
-In person clubs centered around a city or region
-Online communities centered around specific themes
-Interactive Blog sites that focus on the LEGO product and AFOL community.
AFOL Community: Adult Fan of LEGO. This is anyone above the age of 18 who still chooses the LEGO hobby as one of their primary hobbies. Many choose to be part of the AFOL community but it isn’t necessary to be part of the online/offline community to be considered an AFOL.
TFOL: Teen Fan of LEGO. This is anyone between the ages of 13-17 who chooses the LEGO hobby as one of their primary hobbies. TFOLs interact as part of the AFOL Community.
LEGO Group Employees: The main point of contact within the LEGO Ambassador program will be the LEGO Community Engagement and Communications Team, but there will be opportunities for many other aspects of the company to be involved.
-LEGO Community Engagement and Communications (CEC): This is the entity within the LEGO Group charged with interacting with online and offline LUGs. This group has been referred to as the LEGO Community Team (LCT).
Section 2: Format
The idea behind the LEGO Ambassador Programs format is to give LUGs the opportunity to choose a representative of their group to act as their Ambassador and voice to the LEGO Group. The entire program will therefore be as thorough as possible a representation of the entire AFOL community.
Format:
Entry (expanded in more detail in section 3):
-The LEGO Ambassador Program will consist of representatives from all LUGs that meet the requirements for entry into the program and submit their qualifications to the LEGO Group during the “open window” periods to sign up.
-“Open Window” Periods to sign up for the Program will occur every six months and will last for four weeks at a time. LUGs that do not turn in their qualifications during one “open window” will have to wait for the next one.
-Once a LUG has gained entry into the program they will be able to keep a representative in the group indefinitely as long as they continue to meet the qualifications.
Interactions (expanded in more detail in section 4):
-Discussions will take place in an online forum provided by the LEGO Group.
-There will also be occasions where Ambassadors may have the opportunity to meet LEGO Employees in person at various AFOL events.
How to treat information received in the program:
-No NDA’s will be signed so that dialogue and discussions can be shared back with the LUGs
-In some cases the LEGO Group will ask member to wait before sharing certain information, but these instances will be made very clear in the forums.
-A release form will be required in order to give LEGO Ambassadors the freedom to submit ideas directly to the LEGO Group.
Section 3: Gaining Membership
Joining the LEGO Ambassador Program is a two step Process:
Step 1 - submit your qualifications:
Apply as a LUG for a spot in the program. Groups seeking a spot in the LEGO Ambassador Program will be asked to provide specific information in the following categories to show what part they play in the AFOL Community.
Membership:
-When submitting an application and then every three months onward LUGs will be asked to provide a current member figure. This figure can be:
- For offline clubs: Number of members who attend meetings or are on the LUG’s forum
- For online communities: Site traffic for the previous year month period and number of registered users.
Why membership figures are important: It helps the LEGO Group know how many people are being represented by the LEGO Ambassador Program and therefore how effective the overall program has the potential to be.
Requirements for your application:
Offline - Your LUG should have a minimum of ten active members before you apply to the program. Active members are members who have participated in at least one LUG activity in the last year.
Online - You LUG should show that there are at least 10 people that contribute to your site (people putting up posts/forum threads and people commenting on posts/ forum threads).
Longevity:
LUGs must be able to prove that they’ve been in existence for at least one year in order to gain representation in the LEGO Ambassador Program.
Why longevity is important: This is important because it rewards groups who have taken the effort to establish themselves and solidify their identities within the AFOL Community.
Activity:
LUGs need to show that they are an active community.
-LUGs must provide information to show that they have actively engaged in community oriented activities within the previous year. For example:
- Forums and Blogs should tell the LEGO Group how many new posts they’ve had in the previous six months.
- Offline LUGs should report what shows they have participated in (with public attendance if available).
- Online and offline LUGs should include a list of all community oriented activities they have participated in (contests, swap meets, etc.)
Why activity is important: This helps us know that the LUGs being represented within the LEGO Ambassador Program are alive and well. It also helps us keep track of some of the great things LUGs are participating in so we can share it with our colleagues.
Requirements: Each applying LUG needs to show at least 2 activities for the previous year.
Who needs to provide this information?
-All LUGs seeking to gain entrance into the program during the “open window” period.
-All LUGS already in the program that wish to continue in the program.
How often does this information need to be updated?
Every LUG that participates in the LEGO Ambassador Program will need to provide updated information every three months to remain qualified for the program. The information that needs to be continuously submitted is:
-Accurate member figures for offline LUGs and site traffic/number of registered users for online LUGs
-List of events with public attendance numbers for offline LUGs and list of special activities for online LUGs
Note: If your LUG has not participated in a show or activity during a three month period LUGS should just submit an email stating this. It will not disqualify them from the program. The LEGO Group wants to be kept up to date as best as possible though. LUGs that have no activities over the course of a one year period will be asked to leave the program.
Step 2 - provide a representative:
Part of the application process is for the LUG to select a representative. The process for choosing a representative needs to take place inside each LUG and then the representative should be submitted to the LEGO Group as part of the application.
Is there a process that the LEGO Group wants LUGs to follow when selecting a representative?
No, this process should be internal to the LUG and the LEGO Group will not interfere with the LUG’s selection.
Note: Only one representative per LUG.
What to expect during the “open window” period:
When the LEGO Group posts for an open window the LUG will need to send their qualifications application with a representative to the appointed LEGO Group Employee. LUGs will be contacted back after their email is received to acknowledge receipt of that email.
Once the LEGO Group has processed the qualification applications they will let the LUGs know whether or not they have met the qualifications. Once this has happened the LUG can let the LEGO Group know who their representative will be and this person will be added to the LEGO Ambassador Discussion list.
Expectations for how to treat one another:
All members of the program will be expected to live up to a few expectations:
-Respect your fellow fans
-Respect the LEGO representatives you’re interacting with
-Actively participate in the program - post at least once a month
Summary: Please treat everyone involved in the program with respect and do your best to actively participate in the program.
Removal from the LEGO Ambassador Program:
If the LEGO Group feels a representative is not living up to the above expectations they will send that representative a warning email to let them know how their behavior is negatively affecting the program. The representative will be asked to adjust their behavior.
If the representative shows no desire to adjust their attitude then the LEGO Group will remove them from the program and request a new representative from the LUG they represented. If the LUG does not wish to send a replacement then they will be removed from the program altogether.
Section 4 -Tasks and Touch Points
Tasks
Discussion: The LEGO Ambassadors will be expected to participate in discussion topics brought up by the LEGO Group and by their fellow Ambassadors. You do not need to comment in every topic but please be involved where you’re able to be.
Gain feedback from their LUGs: Work with the LUGs you represent to gain feedback either on your own initiatives or to answer questions posed by the LEGO Group.
Ask Questions: This is your opportunity to ask whatever you want of the LEGO Group either on your own behalf or on behalf of the LUG you represent.
Present ideas: If you have ideas then this is the place to bring them. You have signed a release form specifically for this purpose.
Spread News: Occasionally the LEGO Ambassadors will be given news to spread to the rest of the AFOL community, but the focus of the program is not to be reporters for the LEGO Group. Any information shared via the the LEGO Ambassador Program may be shared with the rest of the community or public. Press releases and new items will be reported directly via the LEGO Affiliate program (this is a mailing list that all Ambassadors will be added to).
Touchpoints:
Online - LEGO Project Rooms
This is the online forum where LEGO Ambassador discussions take place. New representative s will be given access to this forum once they enter the program.
Offline - the LEGO Community Engagement and Communications team will post
events they will be attending on the LEGO Ambassador Forum so that LEGO Ambassadors have the opportunity to link up with them in person and get to know them better.
Expectations - how much time will be put into the program?
The program is a vehicle to give the LEGO Ambassadors opportunities to work with one another and with the LEGO Group. The members of the program (including the LEGO Group) will get out of this program what they are willing to put into it.
The LEGO Community Team will work to schedule people as best as possible to minimize downtime from the LEGO Group within the discussion forum.
Forms to be signed:
Representatives that become a part of the LEGO Ambassador program will be asked to sign a release form upon entry into the program. This will allow them to freely submit ideas to the LEGO Group. The release form is a waiver acknowledging that the LEGO Ambassador in question does not desire to retain ownership of the ideas they are giving to the LEGO Group. This is to give the AFOL community the best possible ability to feedback into the company what they want out of LEGO Products and the LEGO Group.
Appendix A: LUG Qualifications Application Example
Here is an example of the form you’ll need to submit with your qualifications to the LEGO Group. We would like to see the forms as either PDFs or MSword documents.
Remember you are applying on behalf of the whole group and not as individual members.
BrickLUG (placeholder name) LUG Qualification Application
General information:
Group Name: BrickLUG
Location: LUG location for offline, blogs and forums can put primary language/nation or denote global coverage here
Website: If you have one
Primary contact person: name/email
Identity: Write a short description of what aspect of the AFOL Community you think your LUG represents.
Membership:
Overall Number of Members:total number of members for an offline club and registered members of a site for online LUGS.
Active members in the Last six months: Number people who have shown up to at least one LUG activity or posted online that you would consider members
Longevity:
Describe when your LUG was started and how long you have been doing things together as a LUG.
Activity:
Events (if applicable):
Name of event
Location of the event
Number of club members participating
Number of public visitors at the event (to the best of your knowledge)
Repeat for as many events as you have participated in within the last six months.
Site Traffic (if applicable):
How many unique visitors did you have in the last six months?
How many registered members does your site have?
How many posts have gone on your site in the last six months?
Special Activities (if applicable):
Has your LUG put on any contests?
Has your LUG done any other types of community building that you think are relevant here?
How to list your activities:
Events and special activities:
Name of Activity:
Date of Activity:
Location of Activity: (physical or on the website)
Number of LUG members who participated:
Number of public attendees:
Description of your representative:
Name of Representative:
Age:
Brief description of Representative (one paragraph please)