Doll Meets - Public or Private?

I wouldn't mind going to someone's home for a doll meet-up so long as I've met them once before and got along well with them. That or if I had a friend who already knew the person hosting the meet-up. Or even just a friend with me, then I would be alright with it being in someone's home. If none of the above applied then I most likely wouldn't attend.

As for having a meet-up in my home I wouldn't mind, but I would need to have already met them once and have gotten along with them pretty well. And as long as I'm really good friends with someone I wouldn't mind them bringing someone they've been friends with for XX amount of time. I couldn't have many people over because I live in a one bedroom apartment so any meet-up that happened at my place would be an invite-only gathering

 

I prefer in a public place, and I go with a friend if I'm meeting up with anyone online, doll meet or otherwise.

I would only go to a meet at someone's home if I knew them well.

 

for me i rather do it private (like 3-9 peoples) instead public

specially where i live BJD is rare common for the people here , even though many people knew BJD but they can't afford it because of the price , and when we go to dollmeet many people WILL just grab the doll without permission and just touch here and there specially the face (the main attention always the face ...)

not all people will just grab the doll without permission but 80% of it will and when they broke or scratch the doll they will find many excuse and get angry them self by being accuse broking the doll (which is true)

so i would prefer private WITH the people i knew instead random people , because it will be awkward ...
by private meet i mean in the mall cafe instead food court , in park almost like picnic instead someone's house ...

 

Since there are only few people who own BJDs in my country, I think I would go to private one. I suppose private meetings have warmer atmosphere.
But I wouldn't want to host one. Especially at my place. Unless it would be more of a meeting with one or two close friends.

 

I don't think I could go to a meet at someone's house, unless I knew that person-and I even get nervous when I go to a friend's house... so I wouldn't feel much better at a stranger's. I'm way to shy and asocial, and I'd be that chick in the corner with her doll that's too nervous to talk to anyone.

 

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?
I don't think I'll go to such a meet because I would feel rather uncomfortable, not knowing what's the type of behaviour the owner would allow. It's not just doll-wise, but for normal situations too, I'll prefer not going to someone's house unless I know them quite well. For doll meets, usually I'll be meeting with strangers so I'll feel it's a bit weird.

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?
No, because I'm somewhat of a clean freak so I don't like too many people coming in, and also because it'll be hard to explain to my parents why there's so many people (and dolls) there.

 

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?

I prefer meetings NOT at homes, mostly because I like seeing different places and it's just easier to go somewhere more public. But I've been to meetups at homes and they are lots of fun, too. Often more relaxed, really. You don't have to worry about strangers bothering you or walking off with items or dolls.

Fortunately for me, there are tons of meetups in my area. They are of all kinds--meeting various places of doing different things. And some are at homes and most not.

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?

Nah. I'm too lazy to clean up for a meetup. Not enough seating area, also.

 

The doll meet group I’m involved with meets once a mouth at a mall and we often go out to dinner after the doll get put away. After about a year or more one of our members had a meet at her house because she was going back to college and would be around as mush. So it was open to the public, but we all new each other very well.
I think a lot of doll groups would be that way with the old members all knowing each other and out numbering any new strangers unless it’s the first time the clubs meeting. We do try hard to include any new comers that show up and make them feel welcome.

 

The meeting place should not be very crowded, but I don't like home meetings. It's better to meet in cafeteria or park.

 

meeting doll people for the first few times has the same set of rules for me as meeting any online people. meet in a very public place, no alchohol, and arrange a friend to either call/ text you, or visa versa, at set intervals of time. while aware that most people one would meet online are harmless, you have to be prepared for the small percentage that isnt.
when we were younger and stupider partner & i went to a home meet for a first time meeting a group of gaming people. it involved a more than a few uncomfortable situations.

 

siead_lietrathua very good rules for staying safe.

I just think you’re less likely to get in trouble with doll people then gamers. I’m a gamer and I know how strange they can be. Plus you tend to have more men in the gaming community and more women in the doll community so it’s a little safer. I just think if you tack the rite precisions you can meet some grate people.

 

I would be fine going to someone else's home for a doll meet as long as there were other people there with us.

If I didn't live with people who don't understand my hobby (my family), then I would have no problem hosting one at my house.

 

actually, i was perfectly fine. a few of the fairer sex were constantly trying to force themselves on my primary, however. took alot of willpower to not choke-a-b****

 

Hmm. This is actually a pretty good question discussion. Personally, I'll have a meetup almost anywhere (home, public, park, etc). I put a lot of trust (probably more than I should) in BJD owners that I meet online. Some, I've spoken to online so long that I "know" them longer than people that I go to school with. But I digress.

My first meetups have always been in library meeting rooms. For years, it was either that, or some anime con. So, when I went off to school and there was a meetup at someone's house, I did think it weird, but only because I thought libraries were the "standard" place to meet. But honestly, going to someone's house is just another place to go. If this person is comfortable enough to open his/her home to me and a group of other people, then why should I be uncomfortable.

As for hosting a meetup at my house, I probably would if my situation was different. I could never hope to house that many people (that tend to show up) comfortably in my 1 bed apartment (that I have at scool). And at home home, it's my mom's house, so it'd be up to her. But since I live on the outskirts of the city, I'd feel like it'd be out of the way for most people. So, it actually isn't that people would be in my house, but that other things cause it to be an inconvenience in one way or another.

 

I usually have better luck with woman behaving appropriately, but there are always exceptions that make the rest of us look bad.

 

I think our local group has a good mix of public and private. I like that the public meets give folks a chance to get to know people outside of their homes, so once they know them they feel more comfortable going to a meet in a private residence. I personally like both with no real preference. However, I have yet to host a meet at my house, it is something I am keeping in mind for the future.

 

I have no problem going to a meet up at somebody's house as long as I have met or interacted with them beforehand. It doesn't even have to be a face to face meet, like, if I've had at least a conversation with them, then whatever. Ultimately, if I don't like that person or the people, I can always leave.

But for hosting one at my own place, the same thing goes. My place is small though, so it would only be for like 2 or 3 people. The point of meets are to mingle! So public places are nice, but at least with going to one's house, you usually don't have to worry about money, the weather, or random people walking around. I prefer them personally.

 

Admittedly I haven't really thought about this before. I can see it may not be a problem if the whole group apart from the host and maybe one or two others had gone their seperate ways and the 2/3 left ended up getting more familiar with each other and going to hang out for an hour or so at the host's house or near it, but with a big group like an open event...I wouldn't be comfortable participating in one or setting one up, unless it was an established group in which all the members knew each other pretty well, and of course if necessary the parents/family of the person hosting it.

 

My community is lucky in that we have places to hold larger public doll meets, which are open to anyone who is interested in bjds.

I would not go to a private meet held in somone's home unless I either knew the host or had at least 2 other people with me and had a phone check in scheduled with someone not at the meet. I would also have an exit strategy. Basically treat the whole thing like a blind date. I wouldn't go to a stranger's home without a plan in place for leaving, and a doll meet isn't any different.

I know people who host what they call "private meetups" that are really more like parties and they invite the people they are comfortable having in their homes.

 

This is a really tough question for me, and since I'm new and haven't been to any, one I've been thinking about lately. I mean, I want to meet other bjd owners and maybe see other bjds in real life.

However, I don't think I would like an overly public place- I don't think I could be at a Starbucks surrounded by bjds, for example. It would make me very self conscious. I mean, I live in Miami, gender stereotypes are downright enforced here. I've had women be openly hostile to me for no other reason than they are very traditional Hispanic women and I am a dude with long hair, which is frowned on a Hispanic guy. I'm pretty sure that a very public meet would have a good chance of getting awkward for me at some point.

However, I know most bjd owners are women - some even very young women. I'm a married man in my early thirties. I have no doubt having me as a stranger show up at someone's home has the potential to be very awkward. And if the host was, say, in their teens or early a living with their parents? That's a nightmare scenario right there. Just...no.

So yeah, maybe I'm over thinking it, but I'm not really sure how I'd work at a meetup. As for hosting, I'm not sure I would without having met the invitees in real life first.