Don´t worry 
Hi Noah,
I think your question is interesting and probably many had it too. Let´s see if it can be answered. Did you read Frits’ words below? Do that words answer your question?
Cheers!
Francisco
Well actually I have one question.
Dear: Franciscodr
Does anybody know what Fritz is doing now? I’d love to hear that!!! I love Fritz and we would all be intrested I think.
From: Noah
About
Dear Noah,
There are public and privated things about everybody, also Frits’ ones. The public you know already: he sold LMR and in his comment below you can read his OWN words, did you read them? What do you think?
The private things are for each person, and we have not the right to ask, only each person to disclose. However, for what LMR is, I think most of the reasons are already explained:
- LMR was too big and complicated project for actually one person,
- who has to live his own life after 7-8 years rising it,
- finally he saw some good members who can keep going with the site and community to the next level,
- also RobotShop who can finance and contribute in robotics with REAL experts inside (there are not many companies on that way).
From my point of view any change implies a crisis, as people we are reluctant to changes. However any change is also an opportunity to do new things, get new chances and try to improve. It is now also in our hands to improve LMR and contribute on the best way possible. So…
LMR?!
Sorry I didn’t think that was private.
Dear: Franciscodr
Thank you I didn’t think that was private.
From: Noah
Hi Julie, Thanks for your
Hi Julie,
Thanks for your reply. I’ve just read the rules, from the link you provided. I understand that you’ve introduced the 3 strike rule, however the rules still appear to require clarification.
For example, we have in rule 1, “share” . I think it’s important that LMR members share, however this shouldn’t be classed as a rule. The term is too broad. Am I to receive a strike, if I don’t share some news, or a video? That would appear a little harsh.
Rule 3 “pictures”. We all attempt to take good pictures, but who is to decide the difference between good and bad pictures? Is someone with a low quality camera, to be punished for it? If an LMRer decides not to post something, because they’ve been unable to capture good pictures, they would also be in conflict with the first rule about sharing.
Rule 4 " logo". This starts with the following sentence,
We encourage you to put the LMR logobot in all your videos, or even just a title that reads “letsmakerobots.com”.
By any definition of the word “rule” the above, does not fit.
I really think, if you’re prepared to punish members for breaking rules, then the rules should be fair, just and not in conflict with one and other. A small concise, set of instructions are required here and strikes against members breaking these, is not necessary for all of the rules, only the most important.
I would suggest a short set of rules, followed by a more in depth set of guidelines, where breaking rules earns you a strike, while breaking a guideline, is a permissible offence.
I also noticed the grammar could do with a little tidy up, if we’re to takes these rules seriously.
Thanks for your time,
Paul
Don´t worry, as you read not all was private
Dear Noah,
As you read from Frits not all was private so don´t worry about that.
Cheers!
Francisco
This will be clarified with Terms and Conditions
Hi Paul,
Thank you for reaching out. Things will be clarified more shortly with the terms and conditions of the site. LMR did not have any terms and conditions and we will be informing users of these terms shortly.
This is more of a guide on how to be a happy LMR member. We will of course not block any members for bad pictures, not sharing and not using the LMR logo. We are reasonable and accounts will only be blocked for good reasons.
We have not changed the LMR guideline. We have added the Profanity paragraph as well as the 3 strikes warning system that users have asked for. The rest has remained the same.
Don’t worry Paul, we will make everything clear with the terms and conditions.
Yes, especially since suddenly articles and members disappeared
I didn’t notice what was going on, I was in the middle of a discussion, pondering about a problem a couple days before replying, and wondering why suddenly articles and members were gone.
I thought it might be due to the restructuring of the page.
It’s sad that it has turned this way. Is there a way to stay in touch with those people who left?
We are sorry maelh
We are sorry maelh. Unfortunately, some members have voluntarily decided to leave the community and have asked that we remove their content. These members are all welcome to return to LMR at any time.
There are much many members and articles still here
Hi maelh,
It´s nice that you ask because that means that LMR means to you. It´s sad that some people left, let´s hope it´s something temporary. But there are still many articles and members here and more to come, as there will be good interesting things coming. Let´s see and Let´s make robots
’Why I sold LMR’
- I think I can answer that question pretty simple: Running a site the size of LMR as a spare time project… I think you do not realize how much time, money, focus it takes… There’s always someone - nice or irritating - who’s contacting you with this or that. Also on wednesday, and also in your weekend, and also when suddently the server breaks down, or OddBot wants something changed because he lives in China 5-10.000 people passign by every day, so many mails, all the time…
In the last couple of years, I have wanted to take LMR to a higher level - because in many ways it had outgrown itself, the members needed more, technology is moving… While managing soem optimisations, failing others, it all involved many, many initiatives. For every one thing you have seen online, there has been at least 10 things going on.
Suddently I saw a post from Mario in my (otherwise not used) LinkedIn inbox, and we started talking from there.
I was not alone, Gamborg was runing the server (and a lot of members helping on various levels, but he and I was the core at that time) - again, I do not think you can imagine how much work and money is needed in something of this magnitude - and we all agreed on a solution where we could get ‘out’ with no loss of money, and no loss for the users.
The idea was, that since I have not been building robots for a very long time, and it was hard to turn the site into something ‘bigger’ and still just do it as a spare time project - I thought it was a great idea to pass LMR on, and it appeared to be the right time to have a company focused on robotics, a company that had the muscle to implement new stuff and lift LMR - to have the key.
I thought it was the best for everyone, I am not a big company, LMR was getting big and heavy, we needed a big and strong group to take over, I gave what I have, now is a good time for something new 
Thanks fritz!!!
Dear: Fritz
Thank you for the comment. I wish you good luck elsewhere.
From: Noah
It’s a great site, let’s
It’s a great site, let’s hope it will be a productive and fun place for all without being too strict but also respectful. (I don’t know what happened so I wont try to take sides, just hope it wont be overregulated, but respectful, too).
Looking forward how this all develops
I can understand your
I can understand your motives. I have been writing and supporting free software since about 10 years. It’s a lot of effort and becomes a duty after a while. It’s certainly not easy to find a way out that works for everybody, especially if so much effort was put in and you want to save the collected greatness. I hope this will be a good solution for everyone involved.
Enjoy your new freedom and thanks for this great site
A lot has changed…
Seems that the last time as was able to devote a lot of time to LMR was a little before the school year started. Logging on to respond to the change of hands, I was confronted with the Terms and conditions. For anybody who has not read it, it is imperative that you do. If you care enough to read this, please care enough about our community to read it (link right here).
First of all, I would like provide my assurances to Fritsl. While I can not speak for others, I do not in any way or form resent you or your desision, and I for one am understanding of your motives. I joined LMR over three years ago, and it has made life a more pleasurable experience. I hope that others share this sentiment, and that we may cherish what you have given us all, and keep you in our highest regards.
Back to the topic. To understand the situation, we must understand the motivations of RobotShop. If we do not understand why RobotShop has agreed to invest the recources into operating LetsMakeRobots.com, we can only speculate the fate of LMR. I would like to recieve an answer for that: either speculations or a direct statement by RobotShop. I don’t have the nessisary information to create a valid answer to that question and back it up with evidence.
Of course, I can comment on what I do know about: the legal terms and conditions. It is justified by the need to mitagate liabilty, which is a reasonable explanation. However, it was somewhat frightening (but admitably reasonable under the prior stated goal). Of course, the terms and agreements grant RobotShop a great deal of power, but whether or not they will abuse it is up for debate. First, paraphrasing section 1.9, paragraph 4, they have the power to remove or suspend any account for any reason while not being required to make any statement, justification or explaination. The rest of section 1.9 overveiws some rules they intend on using, but they still have all legal authority as stated in 1.9.1. Once again, that power that is not nessisarily bad, but easily abused. As of section 1.10, “Except as may be provided in LMR’s Privacy Policy, RobotShop will not sell or disclose your personal information to third parties without your explicit consent”. However, I have not yet found the privacy policy and therefore am unknowing of what constitutes the “exept” componet. If someone knows where that is, please comment to its location, as it is an important part of understanding the powers granted to RobotShop.
In conclusion, I suggest we avoid panic. We must remain calm and calculating as to be wary of RobotShop, but not hostile. I must emphasis that this is our community. The website is nothing more that a pile of data now residing somewere in Quebec, all connected to a complex network of computers we like to call the internet. But what makes LetsMakeRobots.com great is the people who sit in front of those computers. We form the community, not a domain. Great minds will, one way or another, find a way.
With the greatest respect to all parties,
Kidbot (just another teenager, but one who deeply cares about LMR.)
Many of us are still here. Many good things are coming if…
Thanks Kidbot for your analysis. As I think many of us have done more or less the same. At the end I think you get the point: we (many of us) are the communication, and keeping all of us (not a few) enjoying LMR IS important for RobotShop, but not at any cost. RobotShop has also to protect it against liabilities.
For the ones who are still thinking on their own content here, it’s not the interest of RobotShop to appropriate our content as it declares it in many places and you have proff of your creation in the first time.
So let’s keep going and LMR!
And one more thing…
Even though RobotShop has the has power to abuse, I can not think of any situation in which abusing their power will end well for them. They own and moderate the website, but to abuse the community would be to prod us away. LetsMakeRobots.com is worthless withought us, and I think RobotShop understands the nessesity of keeping us content. Nevertheless, we should all be informed. Without informational basis, we are unable to find a logical conclusion, or if nessisary, plan of action.
Thank you so much !
Fritz,
Thank you so much for what you gave us through LMR.
My very best regards.