People leaving the hobby?

I share photos much more on Instagram because it's easy to keep all of my stuff together that way, and after losing almost all of my photos in the Photobucket disaster last year, I honestly haven't been very motivated to even bother reposting things on forums. I do keep my doll profiles up to date here, at least!

For the community, I much much prefer DoA over others. Places like Tumblr and Facebook just seem so disorganized to me, I can't ever find what I'm looking for, and there is often a lot of drama, repeated questions and off topic chatter mixed in. I really like how DoA has everything organized so I know what subforum to go to and find what I need, and they except for Brigadoon, everything stays on topic of dolls. I do almost all conversation and information sharing here. On top of my other reasons, I love that names don't change here, it's so much easier to research someone's reputation before getting into transactions when they're not changing their name every other week. (Plus Instagram and FaceBook like to hide my DMs for days or weeks on end then randomly notify me after the message is irrelevant. >.> )

But, to be fair, I'm in my thirties and I started out using forums online when I was a teen, so using a forum is very easy for me. For younger people just getting into the hobby who are used to instant replies and social media, I can see how they might have the opposite feeling towards forums. It is easier to ask a question and get notifications than it is to dig through a forum for the answers.

I don't think the hobby is dying. I think we have more hobbyists, more companies, and more options now than ever before, but we're just more spread out now between DoA, Tumblr, FaceBook, YouTube, Instagram, Flickr and other forums. When I joined the hobby over 10 years ago, it was hard to find any info on BJDs. DoA, JunkySpot forums and Dairyland BJD were pretty much it for English speakers, and they were quite small.

 

True...if it would be easier to post, it would be more lively i think...

 

I think it's the fault of the like button. Much easier to push like than to post a response.

Seriously though, I think it depends where you are on DoA. Some threads are very active, but if you don't collect that type of doll, you'd never know it.

 

Seems a shame to me that forums are dying, I've always really enjoyed the format. I feel like it's easier to look at the information you want and not feel like you need to "catch up" on your feed all the time. I'm also only 23 but feel so behind the times with social media. XD DOA was the easiest way to enter the community for me because the entire thing is dedicated to BJD... I should look into facebook groups and things.

 

As others have said I also don't think that people is leaving the hobby, but in recent years forums have been massively disappearing. Facebook groups have become a big thing for example and there is a lot more activity around those, and Instagram as well.

Totally agree with this. I don't dislike Tumblr as much as I do Facebook though. Trying to make an informational/debate group in Facebook is impossible, relevant posts or topics get pushed down in matter of hours and then people complains no one answered them for example, simply because either many people posted after or Facebook's algorithm decided it wasn't relevant for it to appear on the feed. Also I don't like posting photos on Facebook, I had problems with them keeping temporary files of my pictures before (known bug it seems) and I simply don't trust it. Not that Instagram is much better since it's same company now, but at least the content is more organised. No idea why people went from Flickr, I still prefer it for pictures over the others and I still use it.
But when it comes to information and debates I always come here (although I should certainly participate more, I'm usually more of a reader really).

Also quoting this because another thing that could be a factor is that back in the time precisely because there wasn't much info around generally, many non-English speakers registered and participated on DoA because the communities in their countries didn't provide with anything or not much information and sharing (or as secondary source of information) but nowadays information is more accessible and instant (ask a question in some Facebook group) so not many people comes to DoA any more.
That being said, compared with other forums I was in that are now gone or nearly gone, DoA is very active actually and I'm glad it continues existing despite the trend of people moving to social networks.

 

I completely agree! I love how drama-free DoA is overall, and having a specific topic makes the information much easier to find. To me, it's a safe space to talk about dolls. I don't mind that it looks quieter, it makes surfing on the forum easier since only a few new topics are created every day.

I also use Instagram but it's very easy for anyone to leave nasty comments on my feed, especially considering the whole Luo situation from this past week... I guess there's bound to be bad apples anywhere you go on social media.

Then again, I've also familiarized myself with using forums when I was younger, so it may be part of why I like using DoA in the first place.

 

Speaking of college exams I know I'm pretty much not in the hobby at all during the school year. I only really take my dolls out of their boxes during the summer months, so I don't really think about being on DoA unless I have my dolls out.

 

I’m here on DOA everyday. I just rarely post as my choice in bjds is very unpopular and those sculpt specific threads are basically dead. I come here just to read and enjoy other’s dolls and spend a lot of time lurking. Perhaps there are quite a few people like me? Here, but not obvious.

 

I'm another person who's on DOA nearly every day. I've been in the hobby five years now, and on DOA since the beginning. The number of people on the forum seems to have grown to me. I collect one of the least popular sizes of BJDs, 1/6 mature tinies, and interest in them seems to have gone up recently so there are more people in the thread about them.

 

So true. Sad that it seems people can't be bothered to do much more than that these days if they even do that. I'm just old I guess. Don't have the obsession with driving up my stat counters on social media or here. Honestly I'd rather this place not have like buttons.

Forums have definitely declined in general though. I run a forum and on the forum for the forum software itself the decline of forums is often discussed. Some "forum" software is even going to the social media model of new on top and everything old can basically be forgotten. I really don't see the point of that. Unlikely a random forum is going to compete with the social media giants by mimicking them.

I see people lurk on my forum. Come and read 40+ stories and never bother to leave a single comment. I won't hide that I find that frustrating.

 

I'm very active on Instagram when it comes to uploading photos. It's easy to upload.
So I'm guessing many are doing that too.

I come to DOA mostly looking at discussion, reference, and marketplace.
Honestly, I seldom visit the gallery because what I see first are gonna be words.
Instagram and Facebook shows you a wall of photos first. It's more eye grabbing in my opinion.

But I really appreciate this forum. REALLY! That's why I keep coming back!

 

I don't use Facebook or Tumblr or Flickr(anymore) and I tried using Instagram but I just can't keep up with updating my photos constantly. I don't really care about keeping up with how many followers I have or don't have for that reason either. It just feels too competitive. I don't have a business promoting the things I make for my dolls like so many others do. But I try to give support and hitting that like button just shows how much people agree with what was said or like your photo and that's comforting to know IMO.
I also like to read a lot and I lurk around looking for information. So if I come across a post I like but don't have much to comment about it or can't find the right words, I will leave a like for it to show support.
I stopped using DoA for a while because I was in a bad place in my personal life and I didn't have anything good to say. After this Luo problem arised I wanted to show my support and came out of hiding. I did consider leaving the hobby a few times but only because life comes first.

 

Easy way to share pics on here from mobile: use Flickr. Chose to download from Flickr then just copy the image and paste into the image box on here.

I agree. I hope this forum continues. I hate Facebook (various reasons... Cambridge Analytica, anyone?) but also I like restricted forums because there’s less drama. It’s more controlled and moderated on here, and people actually share ideas. A lot of social media comes across as very “Look what I did!” “No, look what I did!” with little real interaction or discussion. I do look on Instagram occasionally but I’m not a fan of the format at all. I think it’s difficult to find things and it’s more just eye candy than anything else.

A lot of people seem to love those platforms, though, so maybe I’m just old and grumpy.

 

I see less posts on this site, right DOA has TONS of great information! Amazing on topic conversations! but I personally have been a blip in and out for a few years here because of how strict the rules are and how on topic it is.

I find it hard to connect with people on here because the rules are so strict with posting, it makes it very hard to have conversations and get to know the person behind these amazing dolls they post. Aside from information, isn't a big part of a forum enjoying what its about and making friends? I like growing friendships with people who like the same hobby but have more to offer; for example loves dolls but also loves video games and photography.

There's a "me" aspect to this site, this is not necessarily a bad thing but there's flaws in this. There's a lot of statements and sharing of personal things. But lack of responding to them and conversation making thus making the sharing kind pointless in the first place, or when people make a connection and the conversation gains momentum its shut down and becomes what I think is shallow and basic facts and information again. I slightly blame this on the strict rules but I think this also scares the newbies who come here as well. It certainly did for me. But the curiosity of the market place keeps me coming back and trying again lol.

I don't think conversations that touch upon dolls and different kinds of things and interests as shallow I see it as finding things in common and forming connections. I also find on topic discussion to be an amazing thing since it also helps with people who have no idea what they're doing don't get me wrong this is so needed. But I think there are things to make a community successful 1. Information and facts 2. Rules and 3. Freedom to communicate in other environments. Brigadoon is pretty cool since it allows more off topic conversation with loose rules but its still limited in what you can talk about. you can't randomly post a thread to just say "hey! how are you doing today? come join in and chat!" (or can I?) have people come in and actually converse and ask "hey hows the doll making going that you showed pictures of last week?" and within the same thread have a group conversation and share shortly after about how your doll got restrung and kicked your other doll off the shelf because it was strung too tight and share goofy stories that could then branch off to an other conversation within the same thread. It may be silly or could even be viewed as shallow but its a great way to network and make friends with a common like, but I see this lacking the most in this website. I would imagine doll meets go along like this right getting to know people who like the same things in the hobby but still talk about various things? I would find meet ups quite boring if its just random information and debate with no connections.

 

There have been a lot of interesting replies to this thread and I've enjoyed reading them. They have made me realize something I wanted to add.

A lot of folks these days, myself included, have social anxiety. When I was younger, that didn't manifest online, but over the years I've been finding it harder and harder to socialize online. A big part of the problem is that when you post something online, especially on a forum, it's pretty much permanent. That post is there forever for people to see, and for some reason that makes me pretty uncomfortable. I always worry that years from now I'll see a comment I made and cringe at it. For a long time, I wouldn't post any comments online, and on the rare occasions I did, I'd often delete the comment later.

I know that people find likes shallow, but for me, that's my silent way of saying "I see you, and I agree with you/enjoy what you posted" (and I realize some folks just like everything, but I don't, I only leave a like on things I genuinely do like). It's a great thing for those of us who don't really like to comment to show our support. I'm still largely a lurker in most of the places I frequent because of all this. I like instagram because it feels smaller and more intimate. I don't have a whole lot of followers and I don't care about that number either, I just wanted to share my photos and make friends, and by doing it on a personal account, I feel like there's less of a spotlight on my images and the few people who do comment and like feel more genuine to me. I've made more friends and had more conversations there than I have here.

Oh, and like @kurogane , I also tend to find my choices in dolls aren't as popular in the hobby and if they have a thread at all, it's usually quite slow, so I don't really talk about them much. I don't really mind that, I choose my dolls because I like them, but it'd still be nice to have more people to talk to about them.

 

Compared to facebook where I just select from my album and click “post”. Flickr, I struggle with their albums, gallery and whatnots and the copy/paste url is pain in the butt. It’s more steps and as rule of thumb with web design, people prefer easy, brainless ways. I am those. But if it’s easy for you, great!

 

well I will one up your like with a comment of how much I loved reading it. I do cringe at my past posts but its something I can laugh about later as I grow, its interesting to see how far you've come and it is pretty cool its like peeling back the years and seeing what you were doing. I haven't necessarily done it on this site because well its hard to share much. but on others I frequent I do. Hopefully if you do post more often, I hope it creates good memories for you. I encourage you to post more about your dolls as well it may not be others cup of tea but voicing your opinion and interest in these dolls encourages others to do the same. If I had a dollar for every time someone said they had an unpopular doll I would be rich. Who knows it may not be as unpopular as you think. Either way you can still find a few people who enjoy them just as much as you do.

 

Thank you, that was really sweet and encouraging! I am trying to get better with interacting these days. It's hard, but as you said, the more people post, the more others will be encouraged to share too! I hope other folks who struggle with the same issues I do will read your response, it was honestly really lovely.