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=== Related websites ===
=== Related websites ===
Koblas's website that Lego got mad at
Koblas's website that Lego got mad at
<ref name="Betts"/>
 
in 1995 RTL founder David Koblas launched his website LEGO Information (also called the LEGO WWW Server) at ''legowww.homepages.com''
The site was hosted by his own company Home Pages, Inc.<ref name="Betts"/>
 
In March 1996 Koblas's website was featured in [[Wikipedia:MacUser|''MacUser'''s]] list of 101 must-see websites in the "Have You Lost Your Mind?" section.<ref name="MacUser"/>
 
<ref name="Sterne"/>
 


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
{{notelist|refs=
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=ATL date|The earliest alt.toys.lego post archived on Google Groups is from 18 February 1993.<ref name="ATL LaLiberte" group="U"/> An ''alt.*'' newsgroup listing from 5 February 1993 does not include alt.toys.lego;<ref name="AN alt" group="U"/> however, an archived message in alt.fan.warlord appears to reply to an ATL message dated 5 February 1993,<ref name="AFW Leverton" group="U"/> and ATL is mentioned in a news.admin.policy message from 8 February.<ref name="NAP Olivers" group="U"/> Koblas's RTL proposal from October 1993 refers to ATL as having been active for nine months.<ref name="RTL Koblas proposal" group="U"/>}}
{{efn|name=ATL date|The earliest alt.toys.lego post archived on [[Wikipedia:Google Groups|Google Groups]] is from 18 February 1993.<ref name="ATL LaLiberte" group="U"/> An ''alt.*'' newsgroup listing from 5 February 1993 does not include alt.toys.lego;<ref name="AN alt" group="U"/> however, an archived message in alt.fan.warlord appears to reply to an ATL message dated 5 February 1993,<ref name="AFW Leverton" group="U"/> and ATL is mentioned in a news.admin.policy message from 8 February.<ref name="NAP Olivers" group="U"/> Koblas's RTL proposal from October 1993 refers to ATL as having been active for nine months.<ref name="RTL Koblas proposal" group="U"/>}}
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<!--for some reason if I include a second efn nested in notelist instead of in the page text it throws an error for any references in it, even though the references in the efn above are fine?-->
}}
}}
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<ref name="Hahn">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/harleyhahnsinter00hahnrich/page/n115/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Harley Hahn's Internet & Web Yellow Pages |edition=Millennium |first=Harley |last=Hahn |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Adam Osborne|Osborne]]/[[Wikipedia:McGraw Hill|McGraw Hill]] |location=[[Wikipedia:Berkeley, California|Berkeley, California]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-07-212170-X |pages=115-116}}</ref>
<ref name="Hahn">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/harleyhahnsinter00hahnrich/page/n115/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Harley Hahn's Internet & Web Yellow Pages |edition=Millennium |first=Harley |last=Hahn |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Adam Osborne|Osborne]]/[[Wikipedia:McGraw Hill|McGraw Hill]] |location=[[Wikipedia:Berkeley, California|Berkeley, California]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-07-212170-X |pages=115-116}}</ref>


<ref name="Myers">{{cite web |url=https://www.toymania.com/resources/usenet/toyhist.shtml |title=A Brief History of Toy-Related Usenet Newsgroups |first=Eric G. |last=Myers |date=1996 |website=Raving Toy Maniac |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425105223/https://www.toymania.com/resources/usenet/toyhist.shtml |archive-date=25 April 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="MacUser">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/MacUser9603March1996/page/n83/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Welcome to the Web! |magazine=[[Wikipedia:MacUser|MacUser]] |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Ziff Davis|Ziff-Davis Publishing Company]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |volume=12 |number=3 |date=March 1996 |issn=0884-0997 |page=81 |first1=Rik |last1=Myslewski |first2=Shelly |last2=Brisbin |first3=Jason |last3=Snell |first4=Michael |last4=Swaine |first5=Christopher |last5=Breen |first6= Geoff |last6=Duncan |first7=Joseph O. |last7=Holmes |display-authors=3}}</ref>
 
<ref name="Myers">{{cite web |url=https://www.toymania.com/resources/usenet/toyhist.shtml |title=A Brief History of Toy-Related Usenet Newsgroups |first=Eric G. |last=Myers |date=September 17, 1996 |website=Raving Toy Maniac |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425105223/https://www.toymania.com/resources/usenet/toyhist.shtml |archive-date=25 April 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>


<ref name="Seybold">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/outsideinnovatio0000seyb/page/392/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Outside Innovation: How Your Customers Will Co-Design Your Company's Future |first=Patricia B. |last=Seybold |year=2006 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:HarperCollins|HarperCollins]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |ISBN=0-06-113590-9 |p=392}}</ref>
<ref name="Seybold">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/outsideinnovatio0000seyb/page/392/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Outside Innovation: How Your Customers Will Co-Design Your Company's Future |first=Patricia B. |last=Seybold |year=2006 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:HarperCollins|HarperCollins]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |ISBN=0-06-113590-9 |p=392}}</ref>


<ref name="Sterne">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/worldwidewebmark0000ster/page/133/mode/2up?view=theater |title=World Wide Web Marketing: Integrating the Internet into Your Marketing Strategy |first=Jim |last=Sterne |publisher=[[Wikipedia:John Wiley & Sons|John Wiley & Sons]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-471-12843-0 |chapter=Interactivity Is King – LEGO On-Line |pages=133-136}}</ref>
}}
}}


Revision as of 23:25, 31 October 2024

rec.toys.lego
A rec.toys.lego message from September 1994 viewed in a Windows 3.1 newsreader
Type of site
Usenet newsgroup
Created byDavid Koblas (RTL)
URLrec.toys.lego
Launched
  • January 1993 (ATL)
  • 10 January 1994; 30 years ago (10 January 1994) (RTL)

rec.toys.lego (often abbreviated RTL)[1] is a Usenet newsgroup dedicated to the discussion of LEGO products and LEGO-compatible toys.[2] It was one of the earliest online LEGO fan communities, starting in early 1993 as alt.toys.lego (ATL)[3] before moving to the rec.* hierarchy one year later.

History

The alt.toys.lego newsgroup was created in January 1993.[4][note 1] It was the first of a number of toy-related newsgroups in the alt.toy.* hierarchy; others created later in 1993 included alt.toys.hi-tech in May and alt.toys.transformers in September.[U 1][U 2] ATL received continuous activity soon after its creation; however, the alt.* hierarchy was not well-propagated due to many dial-up Internet service providers not offering it to subscribers. Suggestions were made in many alt.* groups to migrate to one of the Big 7 hierarchies.[4] A new LEGO newsgroup under the rec.* (recreation) hierarchy was suggested in September 1993,[note 2] with the goal of making the community more accessible.[U 4][U 5]

On 14 October 1993, ATL user David Koblas drafted a proposal for the creation of rec.toys.lego and rec.toys.misc, both under a new rec.toys.* hierarchy.[5][U 6] The name rec.toys.construction was alternatively suggested as a more inclusive name that would allow for discussion of other construction toys. Koblas rejected this idea, as his original intention was to increase the LEGO newsgroup's readership by moving it out of the alt.* hierarchy, and he felt that the alternate name would not appeal to ATL's readers enough to draw them away from that newsgroup.[5][U 7] Voting for the two new groups began on 30 November and ended on 21 December.[U 8][6] The results were announced on 3 January 1994: 243 users voted, and both newsgroups passed overwhelmingly.[5] The new rec.toys.lego newsgroup was created on 10 January 1994 under the following charter:[6]

To provide a forum for the discussion of all things and experiences relating to the Lego(tm), Duplo(tm) and compatible construction toys. Including interesting models that one has built, experiences one has had using legos, or questions about how to build particular components.

rec.toys.lego seen in a list of rec.* newsgroups, c. 1994

As it was proposed alongside RTL, the rec.toys.misc newsgroup was originally described as covering "non-Lego toys topics, from Barbi [sic] Dolls to My Little Pony gift sets." Its charter's wording was soon altered so that it would cover all toys that did not have their own newsgroup within the rec.toys.* hierarchy, without any reference to LEGO. Many other toy-related newsgroups were created in rec.* over the following years, though some groups like alt.toys.transformers remained active in alt.*.[5] ATL was largely abandoned, though it continued to exist and receive occasional posts.[4]

Discussions

What content was discussed on RTL. Also a section about related sites, including fan sites, the reasons for LEGO.com, and LUGNET replacing RTL.

Related websites

Koblas's website that Lego got mad at

in 1995 RTL founder David Koblas launched his website LEGO Information (also called the LEGO WWW Server) at legowww.homepages.com The site was hosted by his own company Home Pages, Inc.[7]

In March 1996 Koblas's website was featured in MacUser's list of 101 must-see websites in the "Have You Lost Your Mind?" section.[8]

[9]


Notes

  1. ↑ The earliest alt.toys.lego post archived on Google Groups is from 18 February 1993.[U 9] An alt.* newsgroup listing from 5 February 1993 does not include alt.toys.lego;[U 10] however, an archived message in alt.fan.warlord appears to reply to an ATL message dated 5 February 1993,[U 11] and ATL is mentioned in a news.admin.policy message from 8 February.[U 12] Koblas's RTL proposal from October 1993 refers to ATL as having been active for nine months.[U 6]
  2. ↑ A rec.toys newsgroup had previously been suggested in news.groups in April 1993, though it had not been created.[U 3]

References

  1. ↑ Seybold, Patricia B. (2006). Outside Innovation: How Your Customers Will Co-Design Your Company's Future. New York: HarperCollins. p. 392. ISBN 0-06-113590-9.
  2. ↑ Engst, Adam C. (1994). Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh (2nd ed.). Indianapolis: Hayden Books. p. 850. ISBN 1-56830-111-1.
  3. ↑ Bender, Jonathan (2010). LEGO: A Love Story. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-0-470-40702-8.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Eaton, David (July 25, 2013). "20th Anniversary of the Online LEGO Community!". Brickset Forum. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Myers, Eric G. (September 17, 1996). "A Brief History of Toy-Related Usenet Newsgroups". Raving Toy Maniac. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Eaton, David (10 September 2013). "The AFOL History Project". Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Text is CC BY-SA 3.0.
  7. ↑ Betts, Mitch (September 11, 1995). "Lego finds unauthorized Web pages easy to build". Computerworld. Vol. 29, no. 37. Framingham, Massachusetts: IDG. p. 68. ISSN 0010-4841.
  8. ↑ Myslewski, Rik; Brisbin, Shelly; Snell, Jason; et al. (March 1996). "Welcome to the Web!". MacUser. Vol. 12, no. 3. New York: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. p. 81. ISSN 0884-0997.
  9. ↑ Sterne, Jim (1995). "Interactivity Is King – LEGO On-Line". World Wide Web Marketing: Integrating the Internet into Your Marketing Strategy. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 133–136. ISBN 0-471-12843-0.
Cite error: <ref> tag with name "Hahn" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.

Usenet posts

  1. ↑ USENET news (20 May 1993). "Create newsgroup alt.toys.hi-tech". Newsgroup: alt.toys.hi-tech. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Steven Mar (12 September 1993). "Transformers E-Mailing List". Newsgroup: alt.toys.transformers. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.
  3. ↑ E. Kontei (23 April 1993). "Test Baloon: rec.toys". Newsgroup: news.groups. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Ron Carter (16 September 1993). "A thought for discussion..." Newsgroup: alt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Ron Carter (18 September 1993). "OK, how about a modified suggestion (trying to please all :-)". Newsgroup: alt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Koblas, David (14 October 1993). "RFD: rec.toys.lego and rec.toys.misc". Newsgroup: alt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  7. ↑ Koblas, David (16 November 1993). "2nd RFD: rec.toys.lego vs rec.toys.construction (straw poll vote)". Newsgroup: news.groups. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Ed Bailey (30 November 1993). "CFV: rec.toys.lego and rec.toys.misc". Newsgroup: alt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  9. ↑ Daniel LaLiberte (18 February 1993). "Lego strategy game". Newsgroup: alt.toys.lego. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024.
  10. ↑ The Society for Reviling ATnT (February 5, 1993). "Another listing of newsgroups in the "alt" Usenet hierarchy". Newsgroup: alt.newgroup. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024.
  11. ↑ Nick Leverton (11 February 1993). "Re: LegoLand in England??". Newsgroup: alt.fan.warlord. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. In alt.toys.lego, article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Nick Pettefar) writes...
  12. ↑ Erik Olivers (8 February 1993). "Re: Anonymous postings to non-personals newsgroups". Newsgroup: news.admin.policy. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024.

External links

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