View source for BrickWiki

{{Infobox website
| name = BrickWiki
| logo = BrickWiki logo.png
| logo_size = 154
| logo_alt = Six 1×2 LEGO plate bricks stacked to form the shape of a 2×2 brick. Each plate is a different color.
| screenshot = File:BrickWiki.info 20170114.png
| screenshot_alt = The Main Page of a MediaWiki website, featuring an index of major article categories.
| collapsible = y
| caption = Main Page on January 14, 2017
| type = [[Wikipedia:Online encyclopedia|Online encyclopedia]]
| language = English
| creators = {{ubl|Venkatesh Srinivas|Jamie Bliss}}
| url = {{ubl|{{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20191014130957/http://www.brickwiki.info/|brickwiki.info}}|{{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20090525053723/http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page|brickwiki.org}} }}
| commercial = No
| registration = Optional (disabled)
| num_users = {{formatnum:1094}} registered users
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|df=no|2005|6|25}}
| discontinued = {{End date and age|df=no|2024|11|20}}
| current_status = Offline (partial read-only archive from 2021–2024)
| content_license = [[Wikipedia:GNU Free Documentation License 1.2|GNU FDL 1.2]]
}}

'''BrickWiki''' was a [[Wikipedia:Wiki|wiki]]-based [[Wikipedia:Online encyclopedia|online encyclopedia]] for topics related to [[LEGO]]. Created by Venkatesh Srinivas and Jamie Bliss, it was launched in June 2005 and ran on [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software. It was initially used primarily by members of the website [[LUGNET]]. The site experienced major downtime starting in May 2010 until it was moved to a new server in May 2012. Activity on BrickWiki dropped around 2015 and its closure was announced in February 2017, though it remained online through 2019. By the time it closed, BrickWiki had {{formatnum:1386}} articles created.<ref name="bw stats" group="B"/>

BrickWiki was the first wiki dedicated to LEGO topics; however, the site never gained the same popularity as [[Brickipedia]], a competing LEGO wiki launched one year later. In comparison to Brickipedia, BrickWiki focused less on individual LEGO products and more on the culture and communities surrounding LEGO and various building techniques.

== History ==
BrickWiki was created by Venkatesh Srinivas, an electrical engineering student at [[Wikipedia:Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins University]].<ref name="JHUC"/> The idea originally came from LUGNET user Jamie "Astronouth7303" Bliss.<ref name="bw history" group="B"/><ref name="bw bliss" group="B"/> Srinivas detailed his plan for starting "LegoWiki" in a LUGNET message on June 8, 2005, stating that it would serve as an "electronic warehouse" of LEGO knowledge.<ref name="lug 51020"/> Following further discussion on what to name the website (due to concerns about the LEGO trademark),<ref name="lug 51046"/><ref name="lug 51031"/> Srinivas decided on "BrickWiki" and launched the wiki on June 25, 2005.<ref name="lug 51109"/> The site was originally hosted by the Johns Hopkins Association for Computing Machinery, which Srinivas was a member of.<ref name="bw history " group="B"/><ref name="JHU ACM"/> Srinivas planned for BrickWiki to be a multilingual wiki once he found translators, though no other language versions of the wiki were ever opened.<ref name="lug 51031"/>

Near the end of July 2009, BrickWiki went offline for several weeks until August 20.<ref name="euro 32243"/><ref name="euro 564631"/> Ted "Tedward" Godwin, one of site's administrators, attempted to contact Srinivas about it, but received no reply.<ref name="euro 559102"/> The site went down again in May 2010,<ref name="euro 743922"/> this time remaining offline for nearly two years. In a September 2010 [[Eurobricks]] post, Godwin expressed frustration that the site had "died thanks to the neglect of one person."<ref name="euro 806685"/> Srinivas found a backup of BrickWiki in early 2012 and restored the site in read-only mode.<ref name="bw history" group="B"/> Godwin and another administrator, Larry "Lar" Pieniazek,<ref name="bw lar" group="B"/> planned to move the site onto a new server with help from Brian Alano and Jeramy Spurgeon. BrickWiki was made operational again on May 8, 2012,<ref name="bw online" group="B"/> now hosted by Spurgeon's company Site Orchard.<ref name="bw history" group="B"/> In October 2012, the ''brickwiki.org'' domain name expired after Srinivas failed to renew it and users were unable to contact him about transferring it;<ref name="bw domain reg" group="B"/> as a result, BrickWiki's URL was changed to ''brickwiki.info'' on November 20, 2012.<ref name="bw new url" group="B"/><ref name="whois info 2023"/>

On February 7, 2017, Godwin announced that BrickWiki would shut down on March 25.<ref name="bw shutdown" group="B"/> He cited the lack of progress made in the previous two years as part of the reason, stating that that "clearly facts and history are not what the people want".<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Talk:Main_Page#Shutting_down.2C_March_24.2C_2017 |title=Shutting down, March 24, 2017 |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512072805/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Talk:Main_Page#Shutting_down.2C_March_24.2C_2017 |archive-date=2017-05-12}}</ref> Despite this, BrickWiki remained online until some point between 15 and 24 November 2019 before finally going offline due to server issues.<ref name="wikiapiary"/><ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info:80/wiki/Main_Page |title=Main Page – 404 Not Found |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20191124014850/http://www.brickwiki.info:80/wiki/Main_Page |archive-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> The site returned online in 2021, but in read-only mode and with many pages missing due to data loss.{{citation needed}} The ''brickwiki.info'' domain expired on 20 November 2024.<ref name="whois info 2025"/>

== Articles ==
[[File:BrickWiki Michigan LEGO Users Group 20160416.png|thumb|Screenshot of BrickWiki's article on Michigan LEGO Users Group, one of its many articles about fan communities]]

BrickWiki contained articles covering a wide variety of LEGO subjects, both official and unofficial. The wiki had a heavy focus on LEGO fandom and culture, featuring dozens of articles about LEGO fan communities (including websites, "Users Groups", and "Train Clubs"),<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Fan_groups |title=Category:Fan groups |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416113900/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Fan_groups |archive-date=2017-04-16}}</ref> events,<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Events |title=Category:Events |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020221707/http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Events |archive-date=2016-10-20}}</ref> and unofficial terms and acronyms.<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Terms |title=Category:Terms |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114053827/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Terms |archive-date=2016-11-14}}</ref> It also contained information on LEGO building techniques<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Techniques |title=Category:Techniques |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401221102/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Techniques |archive-date=2017-04-01}}</ref> and on buying and selling LEGO products.<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Buying_%26_Selling |title=Category:Buying & Selling |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122093242/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Buying_%26_Selling |archive-date=2017-01-22}}</ref> Articles for LEGO themes were usually limited to a single page for each theme, though some media received separate articles.<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Themes |title=Category:Themes |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020221254/http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Themes |archive-date=2016-10-20}}</ref> A number of fan-created "themes" from LUGNET also had separate articles listed alongside the actual themes.<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Fan_created_themes |title=Category:Fan created themes |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918021154/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Category:Fan_created_themes |archive-date=2016-09-18}}</ref> Ted Godward claimed in 2010 that [[Brickipedia]], in comparison to BrickWiki, lacked proper categorization and articles for many basic concepts, and that BrickWiki had better quality despite having fewer articles and a smaller community.<ref name="euro 806685"/>

BrickWiki initially grew rapidly, reaching 400 articles by November 3, 2005.<ref name="zapto 400" group="B"/> Following its return online, the wiki surpassed one thousand articles during July 2012.<ref name="bw how many" group="B"/> At the time of its planned closure in March 2017, BrickWiki had {{formatnum:1386}} articles, 417 uploaded files, and {{formatnum:1094}} registered users. {{formatnum:22693}} edits were made during its lifetime. The two most popular articles were "Trains glossary" and "Adult Fan Of LEGO", which each had over {{formatnum:35000}} views.<ref name="bw stats" group="B"/> The current version of the website has only 242 articles available; all other links redirect to the Main Page.<ref group="B">{{cite web |url=https://brickwiki.info/sitemap.html |title=Site Map |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718010847/https://brickwiki.info/sitemap.html |archive-date=2024-07-18 |url-status=live}}</ref> An alternate version of BrickWiki is still available at its former URL, [https://brickwiki.org/ brickwiki.org], appearing as it did at some point before its 2017 shutdown announcement. This version, however, is also missing most of its articles.

Content written on BrickWiki was made available under the [[Wikipedia:GNU Free Documentation License|GNU Free Documentation License]]. The current version of the ''.info'' website, however, has an "[[Wikipedia:all rights reserved|all rights reserved]]" message instead.

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="JHUC">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/commencement2010/page/92/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Johns Hopkins University Commencement 2010 |date=May 27, 2010 |page=92}}</ref>

<ref name="JHU ACM">{{cite web |url=http://www.acm.jhu.edu/members.php |title=Members |website=JHU ACM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051108214409/http://www.acm.jhu.edu/members.php |archive-date=2005-11-08}}</ref>

<ref name="whois info 2023">{{cite web |url=https://www.whois.com/whois/brickwiki.info |title=brickwiki.info |website=Whois |date=October 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104200710/https://www.whois.com/whois/brickwiki.info |archive-date=4 November 2024 |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref>

<ref name="whois info 2025">{{cite web |url=https://www.whois.com/whois/brickwiki.info |title=brickwiki.info |website=Whois |date=January 2, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250107035500/https://www.whois.com/whois/brickwiki.info |archive-date=7 January 2025 |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="wikiapiary">{{cite web |url=https://wikiapiary.com/wiki/Brickwiki |title=Brickwiki |website=[[mw:WikiApiary|WikiApiary]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240719042440/https://wikiapiary.com/wiki/Brickwiki |archive-date=2024-07-19 |access-date=18 July 2024 |url-status=live |quote=Last updated: 2019-11-15 12:51:51}}</ref>

<!-- LUGNET -->

<ref name="lug 51020">{{cite newsgroup |url=https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51020 |title=Legowiki |first=Venkatesh |last=Srinivas |website=[[LUGNET]] |newsgroup=lugnet.general |date=8 June 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716075252/https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51020 |archive-date=16 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="lug 51031">{{cite newsgroup |url=https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51031 |title=Brickwiki |first=Venkatesh |last=Srinivas |website=[[LUGNET]] |newsgroup=lugnet.general |date=11 June 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718212825/https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51031 |archive-date=18 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="lug 51046">{{cite newsgroup |url=https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51047 |title=Re: Legowiki |first=Venkatesh |last=Srinivas |website=[[LUGNET]] |newsgroup=lugnet.general |date=13 June 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716232201/https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51047 |archive-date=16 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="lug 51109">{{cite newsgroup |url=https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51109 |title=Brickwiki |first=Venkatesh |last=Srinivas |website=[[LUGNET]] |newsgroup=lugnet.general |date=8 June 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716074151/https://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51109 |archive-date=16 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<!-- Eurobricks -->

<ref name="euro 32243">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/ |title=What's with Brickwiki? |website=[[Eurobricks]] |author=desultor |date=August 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717034837/https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/ |archive-date=2024-07-17 |access-date=2024-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="euro 559102">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-559102 |title=Holy mother of... somebody actually read the blog?!?! I guess I better start posting again. |type=comment on topic "What's with Brickwiki?" |website=[[Eurobricks]] |first=Ted |last=Godwin |date=August 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717035654/https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-559102 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |access-date=2024-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="euro 564631">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-564631 |title=Looks like we are back online. |type=comment on topic "What's with Brickwiki?" |website=[[Eurobricks]] |first=Ted |last=Godwin |date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717035654/https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-564631 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |access-date=2024-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="euro 743922">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-743922 |title=Please excuse me for reviving such an old thread, but Brickwiki hasn't been operational for the last week or so. |type=comment on topic "What's with Brickwiki?" |website=[[Eurobricks]] |author=MetroiD |date=May 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717035654/https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-743922 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |access-date=2024-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="euro 806685">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-806685 |title=And yet it still has no categorization and lacks articles on the most basic concepts. |type=comment on topic "What's with Brickwiki?" |website=[[Eurobricks]] |first=Ted |last=Godwin |date=September 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717035654/https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/32243-whats-with-brickwiki/&tab=comments#comment-806685 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |access-date=2024-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

=== BrickWiki pages ===
{{reflist|group=B|refs=
<ref name="bw bliss">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/User:Astronouth7303 |title=User:Astronouth7303 |first=Jamie |last=Bliss |website=BrickWiki |date=31 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208061203/http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/User:Astronouth7303 |archive-date=2008-12-08 |quote=Oh, yeah. And I originally thought of it, but Venkatesh got to post it. And he owns the server. I'm not complaining. He gives me free hosting for my site.}}</ref>

<ref name="bw domain reg" group="B">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/User_talk:Lar#Domain_Name_Registration |title=User talk:Lar § Domain Name Registration |date=21 December 2012 |orig-date=20 September 2012 |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010045037/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/User_talk:Lar#Domain_Name_Registration |archive-date=2014-10-10 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>

<ref name="bw history">{{cite web |url=http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Brickwiki:History_of_Brickwiki |title=Brickwiki:History of Brickwiki |website=BrickWiki |date=26 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108001211/http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Brickwiki:History_of_Brickwiki |archive-date=2017-01-08 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>

<ref name="bw how many">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page |title=Main Page – How many? |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718012938/http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page |archive-date=2012-07-18 |quote=There are currently 1,048 articles on BW}}</ref>

<ref name="bw lar">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/User:Lar |title=User:Lar |date=6 April 2008 |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208033834/http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/User:Lar |archive-date=2008-12-08}}</ref>

<ref name="bw new url" group="B">{{cite web |url=http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Main_Page |title=Main Page – News |date=November 20, 2012 |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206041426/http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Main_Page |archive-date=2016-02-06 |quote=BrickWiki has a new URL: www.brickwiki.info. |url-status=unfit}}</ref>

<ref name="bw online">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page |title=Main Page – News |date=May 8, 2012 |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617154257/http://www.brickwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page |archive-date=2012-06-17 |quote=BrickWiki is back online.}}</ref>

<ref name="bw shutdown">{{cite web |url=http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Main_Page |title=Main Page – News |date=February 7, 2017 |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321185304/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Main_Page |archive-date=2017-03-21 |quote=BW is shutting down. If you have material you wish to save please do so before March 25th. On that date www.brickwiki.info will be shut down. |url-status=unfit}}</ref>

<ref name="bw stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Special:Statistics |title=Statistics |website=BrickWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027120424/http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Special:Statistics |archive-date=2019-10-27 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>

<ref name="zapto 400">{{cite web |title=Main Page – News |website=BrickWiki |date=November 3, 2005 |quote=BrickWiki has 400 articles! Thank you, authors! |archive-url=https://archive.is/qIT7e |via=Zapto |archive-date=12 December 2005 |url=http://brickwiki.zapto.org/index.php/Main_Page |url-status=unfit}}<!-- NOTE: Wayback Machine archive mirrored through archive.today due to MediaWiki's spam filter blacklisting the Zapto domain BrickWiki used at the time --></ref>
}}

== External links ==
[[File:BrickWiki banner.jpg|right|Do you BrickWiki?]]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025054529/http://brickwiki.info/wiki/Main_Page |title=Official website}}
* [https://archive.org/details/wiki-brickwikiinfo BrickWiki dumps] by [[wikimedia:meta:WikiTeam|WikiTeam]] from August 2014 and May 2018 (via the Internet Archive)

[[Category:2005 establishments]]
[[Category:LEGO wikis]]
[[Category:LUGNET]]
[[Category:Online LEGO communities]]