Dollies and Social Networking: Fun, or Just Wrong?

I'm inspired to try this!

 

I have just enough time to update my own Facebook account. There aren't enough hours in the day to maintain a blog/LJ/whatever for my characters too. I don't mind RPing, but I prefer to keep it within the hobby (within emails or on doll forums).

I don't mind if somebody else decides to do it. Whatever floats your boat. Those constant Farmville updates, on the other hand...

 

I tried joining a doll-related social networking site, because initially I thought it would be a fun way to interact with other people's dolls. I really enjoy the social aspects of the hobby itself--although I certainly can have fun with my doll sitting alone in my apartment without taking any pictures or telling anyone, I like interaction, whether it is talking to someone about doll things, sharing doll pictures, or enjoying doll-related activities together. :3 I thought that being part of a network where I could "play" my doll amidst others playing their dolls would be fun.

However, I found it wasn't very enjoyable for me. My doll isn't a specific long-developed character. She doesn't have a detailed story or incarnations across multiple platforms. She's not an otherworldly creature or a human being; she's a doll. She's also a child, not a teenager or adult. I didn't have much to do on the social networking website. There weren't enough other dolls of the same "kind," so it was boring for me.

I don't think that making a social networking page for your doll is entirely ridiculous, but I'm not really interested enough to do so. It was one thing to make one within a specific doll-related network, but I don't feel the need to make something on another social network for a non-person entity because I don't think I would get anything out of it. If other people do, I don't mind; I certainly wouldn't look down on anyone.

I do think it would be odd if someone made a social networking page for a doll without mentioning, somewhere, that the "user" was a doll. Otherwise, I think that could be confusing and awkward for other members of the service. As others have mentioned, it would be weird to think you are talking to a person and find out you are talking to someone's character!

 

I can hardly keep up with my Social Network accounts let alone one for one of my dolls lmao! However, for those with the time, why not?
It's a way to get in touch more with your doll's personality!

 

Heh! My general opinion of the social networking sites is that they're some kind of Millennial Generation thing.. ie, kids raised in the High Self Esteem Era just KNOW the world is *that interested* in their every brainphart!

Being a scruffy neglected latchkey Gen Xer, I guess I'm just full of sour grapes! XD Just kidding, mostly... Self esteem is a good thing, but yeah. Sometimes I think it can be taken a bit far!

As for dollies on social networking sites? Heck why not! There are far less interesting and more commercial ways to waste your time, right? And at least some amount of creativity is involved, so it can't be all bad, imho. If I were looking over such a... whatever you call it, I'd judge it on its artistic merits like any other creative endeavor. Is it thoughtfully executed? Visually interesting? Skilfully done? Is the story/character compelling to me in some way? Is it elevating?

But personally I find these sites creepy and rife with potential for abuse by advertisers and other Evil Forces, so I've stayed away. Big Brother does not want to know what I think! ^_^ I'm not going to tell him what my dolls think, either! XD

Raven

 

Thanks Ostrich, Your post said exactly what I was thinking! Right down to the Farmville comment...everytime I see one of my friends playing this, I think "Farm-Vile" Oh well, JMHO, who am I to judge how someone else chooses to spend their time? Afterall, I spend a good deal of my free time on doll boards.

 

Ah, I'm happy that my point was portrayed in a clear manner, despite my lack of choice words. n_n; I'll have to practice my largely unused vocabulary more often haha. It's good to know that you share my mindset; I find few people do. Others seem to misunderstand and think I'm some crazy elitist or something Ouo;;; Which I most certainly am not. My concern regarding that is plebeian or commonplace things tend to gather crowds which I personally do not approve of. I suppose..the things I disapprove of most are immaturity and insincerity.

Yes, while I welcome newcomers into the hobby and acknowledge that everyone must start somewhere, there is certainly a distinct pattern of thinking which mostly fits the generations of today which I really don't appreciate. The immediacy of "demand" and "must receive!" from the people I see now is absolutely horrifying. People don't even bother to search up how to take care of a doll before they buy one. There are countless threads even here on DoA where someone has damaged a doll because of their own lack of concern. They just want one. It's disrespect to the artist, and disrespect to the doll as a work of art. People also seem to post rather 'stupid' or obvious [is perhaps a better word] questions on DoA. And I find this highly disrespectful to the hard work of our moderators. A little personal investment of time shows sincerity in affection for the hobby. I think all people should be able to manage this at least, but I am often disappointed. This sort of unthinking attitude has been, imho, flooding DoA and the doll hobby lately. 8V I don't know if I am the only one to say this. But really, it's kind of repulsive. I am terrified of this engulfing the hobby, like the recent trends in twilight or the jonas brothers or something equally ridiculous.

I'd like to keep the doll hobby something that is important and sacred to me, if I could. I might just have to shut myself away from the larger communities. This is all of course my own opinion. :]

 

I joined Facebook back when you had to be in college to join and there were no apps. It was chiefly a quick and efficient way to send out party invites, post pictures from parties, and a challenge to think up the wittiest status line. Now I'm a little boggled by how huge and advertising laden it's gotten. It was more than a little bizarre for me when my parents friended me on FB. And quite frankly I kinda wish it was still the bare bones site it once was. I barely find time to update my own page, so I can't really see myself running a page for my doll. And there is the dorkieness fear as well. I have co-workers as FB friends. They know I collect dolls, but I think it would make me look a little obsessive if they found a FB page for my doll.

I do think the idea of a social network just for doll role play is kinda neat though. Don't really have the time for that sort of thing myself, but it seems like a nice way for like minded people to connect.

 

OK, Yumiko Natsume, my Dollfie Dream Yukino-type, now has a WordPress blog. I don't have anything else on WordPress so this should be well isolated from the rest of what I do. I am writing a novel based on the characters that my dolls represent, so this way I can play with ideas on the blog.

http://yumiad.wordpress.com/

Right now the primary musings here are about Hollywood...not surprising for a film student. And there's a little bit of the Y+Z stuff in here too.

 

I have friends and family members who like to keep in touch on Facebook, but as I have no particular desire to be looked up and contacted by various ex-husbands, former friends, or other undesirables, I joined under my doll's name and photo. I keep up with my friends, but rarely post myself, and if I do, I use my doll's name. Anyone who actually knows me can find me, but no one else.

 

That's actually a great idea. I refuse to have any social networking profile except for my "strictly business" LinkedIn under my own name. If someone is a friend of mine they'll know where to find me, otherwise, it's not their business.

 

I have seen lots of things out there in the social networking community - people who make pages for their cats, fake celebrities, you name it. I don't think it's odd to take it to the next level and make a page for your doll, but I personally wouldn't make one myself.

While I definitely think my doll(s) have personalities and I like to find ways to get in touch with them, this just seems a bit too much like trying to make them into people. I guess that element is added to them because they are already human-like, and we try to make them have fashionable clothes, hair, etc, so trying to get them online friends (other BJDs or real people) is maybe one step too far. But, then again, I'm not the kind of person who'd make a Twitter account for my cat, so maybe it's just not my thing.

 

Weirdly enough, my doll is on not one but two social networking sites, but they are both strictly for dolls so there's no confusion! I don't spend much time on them, but they are good for expanding your doll's personality and letting it interact with other dolls. It's also helped me develop his storyline and see how other choose to develop their dolls' characters (or not as the case may be). Strangely, I have no facebook or myspace or whatever. I just don't feel the need to constantly update myself or be absolutely au fait with everything my friends are doing. If I want to find out how they are, I'll talk to them, rather than checking their facebook status or whatever.

 

I can't see the point of a Twitter account for a BJD. A character maybe, but not strictly a doll. The fun of Twitter is the musings you spontaneously type out, if you're thinking about what a doll might wonder about it's like taking a step back and thinking too hard about what you're going to say. You end up censoring yourself whilst you'd be more open and spontaneous otherwise.

Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook for dolls I understand more, since I have a lot of friends who have made Facebook profiles for their Austin/Rover Minis. Most of the Minis simply have other Minis as friends and they have characters and interact with each other. It's extended role-playing if you like. The owners like to photograph and display their cars and Facebook allows them to share these pictures with likeminded folks (or folks pretending to be their cars) and I just think it's cute, not weird. If my dolls had doll friends on Facebook I might be tempted to make pages for them, but they don't, so I probably won't. I don't even have a Facebook profile myself.

 

I don't like social networking. I stay away from it as much as I can. Cos I simply don't like posting information about myself on the internet. It isn't anyone's business, imo, and my friends and family do know me well enough, so I definitely don't have to put that stuff online for their sake.

So, when I don't like to build social networking pages for myself, why should I do one for my doll?

 

I have a Facebook for one of my off topic dolls 'Dad', he has a MySpace too but doesn't update any more. I clearly state he's a doll. Everything is family friendly incase kids see. He accepts friend requests, most on MySpace were other dolls and their parents, and occasionally blogs or posts something to his wall, usually about the dollhouse and what's going on with the other dolls. When he goes somewhere he shares the pictures. He doesn't chat, doesn't play games or Apps.

With all the weirdos out there you need to be careful. On MySpace I gave Dad the age and stats of a middle aged man, just for technical reasons, and got tons of adult themed spam and friend requests. I shudder to think what a teenaged girl doll could receive. If it was something I did a lot I might have my dolls join as a group so any of them could post if they wanted.

 

I guess I'm with the majority here - I have no problem with it, but I just don't see myself doing it. I don't think having a Myspace or Twitter or whatever for your doll or your doll's character is weird, but it's just not something I could get that invested in.

I do RP as some of my dolls' characters and write backstories and such for them, but that's about as far as I take it. And like a few other people have said - I'm not a big fan of social networking sites XD

 

A few of my dolls have Live Journals but this is because they were characters in my stories years before I had even heard of BJDs. I co-write with two other people and it's easier to interact via LJ with character journals.

However, I am starting a blog for them but it clearly states that these are resin representatives of my characters.

 

I very much am of the opinion that, as long as things stay within the boundaries of no one getting harmed in any way, do what is fun

I don't even do those things for myself, but I see nothing wrong with people doing that for fun and enjoyment, even as characters of dolls.
I find people using the internet for violence and inquiries after how to be violent more effectively IRL 1,000 times more disturbing.

 

Agreed. The "hay look i just went potty lawl" comments are obnoxious. However, I think it's pretty helpful. It's a way for me to update everybody without spamming emails. I can imagine it'd be just as useful for serious doll RPers.