Since 1947, Lego plastic blocks have been one of the world’s favorite toys. Lego block kits let children build creations of their own design, or kids can follow instructions to build models of airplanes, cars, trucks, characters from movies and television shows, and robots. Lego uses its social networking efforts to stay connected to its customers in many ways. In 1998, Lego introduced its Mindstorms product, a programmable computerized brick that includes sensors and motors. Mindstorms was designed to be the basic building block of a programmable robot.

Although it is a toy, the Mindstorms product is also a powerful and functional robotics tool that allows people (young and old) to build robots without having advanced degrees in engineering and computer programming. In its current version, Mindstorms includes the programmable brick, several servo motors, a color sensor, a touch sensor, an infrared beacon, and several hundred building blocks to create more than a dozen different robots. The Mindstorms product comes with printed instructions and programming to build these basic robots, but the brick can be programmed and/or controlled by a personal computer or a mobile device (tablet, phablet, or smartphone) to create more robots. By adding additional Lego components, highly complex and large robots can be constructed and programmed.

Lego’s Mindstorms social networking contains very little direct product advertising or promotion content, yet the company invests substantial resources in maintaining and developing its network of users. For example, Lego organizes in-person events and competitions where members can demonstrate their skills and learn from each other. An elite, invitation-only group called Mindstorms Community Partners tests new ideas, software, and hardware elements for the robotics system.

REQUIRED
1. As a toy manufacturer, Lego must always be sensitive to the needs of its customers, both children and their parents, which requires the company to pay close attention to changing preferences and trends. Visit the Lego Mindstorms Web site and identify specific social networking features. Based on what you learned in this chapter, write about 200 words in which you describe current developments in social networking that Lego will need to understand as it decides whether to continue, remove, or modify the social networking features you identified. In your discussion, identify at least two specific social networking features.

2. Lego provides a complete set of instructions with this product for building the basic robots. In about 200 words, explain how a new owner of this product might learn how to build and program complex robots using social networking elements provided by Lego.

3. In this chapter, you learned how newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters are using participatory journalism to have their readers to create news items and stories. In 200 words, outline at least five specific ways in which Mindstorms community members create value for Lego.