People leaving the hobby?

Thank you! I appreciate you talking to me as well I'm flattered, there may be a few hidden gems in this site after all.

 

Seconding the others saying that the social media platforms have become much more popular these last few years. Still, I've been inactive for about a year and returning to DoA, I haven't noticed the place slowing down at all. It's the same as it was before.

Heh, me too. But then again, I'm not so fond of social media anyway. Too fast, too shallow and an annoying attention grabber. Help me, I'm getting old XD.

Having quite a few older dolls that seem to have been forgotten today, I can feel you. But please, don't stop talking about them. You've got an interesting collection (yes, I do recognize the sculpts ) and it is nice to see some variety, instead of the same old popular sculpt again, and again.

 

Im a newbie, so i dont know how DoA used to be, but i noticed the facebook group im a part of isnt very active either, however Instagram is booming and is also my platform of choice. I do come here to see what gorgeous dolls i dont ssee on Insta though

 

I don't have social anxiety, but hearing about people who use online presences to socialize makes me think we're doing a disservice by not being as welcoming as possible and encouraging of new voices (we in general, not here on DoA). Though the fact that this space is relatively drama-free and respectful speaks to the mods, doing a great job keeping the community safe.

 

Hmm... You know, I was on here 8 or so years ago (always as a lurker, though!) and recently kind of thrust myself back into the hobby at light-speed. I think maybe the forum does seem a bit quieter now, but I think part of that is due to the fact that half the pictures on here are broken by photobucket losing their minds. Could also be that my reasons for being into BJDs have changed, so I'm looking at threads that tend to be a bit slower now.
Hadn't thought about social media, though -- that's a really good point! Also I'm thinking I might need to give in and get an instagram, if that's where it's all happening now.

 

I'm sure I'm going to be saying the same thing as other people have said but I think it's a mix of some people leaving the hobby but also that forums aren't being used as much now.
Because while people do leave the hobby, there are people getting into it so that's not too much of a difference but I think more that people don't use forums as much nowadays since there are other means to sharing information with social media sites.

I know for kpop, I used to be a little more active on forums but most of those forums are dead now last I checked. Maybe people are still using them but it's definitely more quiet and not as updated say their Twitter or Facebook or Tumblr. I feel like maybe it's a bit easier to use social media than a forum since forums have regulations, which is not to say that social media doesn't, but it's structured differently.

Well that's about my two cents. Not sure if I added more XD (btw, I am new to this hobby and the forum is somewhat helpful to me but it is a lot of information that just overwhelms me so yeah :3)

 

Hi, very new here even though this account is pretty old haha. I think inactivity is becoming a lot more common among the YouTube BJD community. I think Instagram and other social media of the like is becoming more and more popular making it seem like less and less people are on DoA and YouTube. Just something I have noticed recently!

 

A lot of people have mentioned the declining popularity of forums in general and that’s definitely a part of it. But as someone who follows a different forum about games, this forum is surprisingly slow. I joined a couple years ago, but I fell off because getting a BJD wasn’t possible at that time. Now I’m here again as a doll newbie, and here’s my newbie impression of DOA that might get me banned: lots of kind people, but so many different forum topics that posting is very confusing, a lot of previously useful reference threads that are now useless because of broken photos, it’s not clear if we can make new threads to replace them, and for new people looking to discover places to buy things for their doll, marketplace access takes a long time. On social media, none of those barriers exist. BJD is a bit overwhelming as a hobby and the dated design and numerous forums of DoA doesn’t make it easier. So I think a lot of people get turned off that way. I might make some people angry for saying that, but I also think it should be something looked into at some point so DOA can continue to be a great gathering place for people in the hobby.

I have to say though, I see new threads about the tiniest details of the hobby, and someone always answers kindly, so DOA definitely doesn’t suffer from a lack of awesome people.

 

I don't think DoA is any less busy than it has ever been. I just think people are incredibly spoiled by the instant gratification of social media. They expect constant content being thrown at them every few seconds, which is simply not the goal or intended function of DoA. Social media like Twitter is great if you just want to scream at people and have them yell back at you quickly, but it's absolutely terrible for archival purposes and for reference. The doll fandom that only posts on social media is missing out on huge swaths of knowledge and information, and there's no way for them find meaningful information in one consolidated place.

DoA is huge and encompasses a lot of different brands and types and areas. Just because a thread you're subbed too isn't particularly active doesn't mean there aren't threads that are constantly being posted to.

 

I will step up and say I am one of those lurkers. The ones that have read everyone of your stories and said nothing. Why? Because I have nothing to say. I'm not much of a talker, and one of the things I like about online interactions is that I can just talk if I feel I need to. I probably lurk on about a dozen topics here. I was lurking on this one after all. If I said something it would basically just be me forcing myself to say something for the sake of filling space. I feel like a like is better for that sort of thing, otherwise I would just be putting "neat!" on every post and that's kind of boring.

 

I'm another person who's here every day, but doesn't look it! For one, I'm bad at commenting and hesitant to do so because I very quickly realise I said something silly in the comment, or something. The only other forum I frequent has more people and less hosting capabilities and thus gets wiped every year, so posting history isn't really a thing there. Because of the difference in forum culture, jumping between them can be difficult! Additionally, I post differently to DoA than to Instagram. I tend to post whatever garbage photos I take on IG, leading to about three million photos of the same doll(s) from slightly different angles. That would be really boring to post here! So I try to have something to say when posting to the forums - either talking about a project, or posting edited photos from a photoshoot... Which I of course do less often than saying "Dang my boys look cute today!"

That said I'm also a little slow because all but three of my dolls are without faceups, three still don't have proper clothing, and it's been winter for the past six months - once I get a few of these taken care of, I'll be back with many more pictures and projects!

 

From what I've witnessed in different parts of the community across social media, I've seen a lot of people that prefer the fast-paced, easy sharing style of places like Facebook and Instagram. I can agree with others that have pointed this fact out as one of the big reasons that DOA seems more quiet these days compared to in the past.

I can also understand the time constraints of posting on forums and turning to quick gratifications on other social media instead, being that I'm kept pretty busy with classwork and school in general myself. It's easy to add a photo with some tags onto IG on my phone versus typing up a message on here, or post a quick comment on FB while I'm on the go with a mobile device (those touchscreen keyboards weren't designed for long typed up essays, and can be a pain for anything lengthy in my experience).

I tend to lurk on here and post where I feel it's most applicable. I like posting lengthy, wordy responses to threads where I have something to input, and find it hard to insert commentary if I have nothing to really add. But, I must say this: I am more frequently on here than most other platforms when it comes to the BJD community specifically (outside the FB groups I've been frequently checking in on recently). I honestly much prefer the forum layout to most other other social media platforms. I like to get involved in the community and talk about things related to bjds with other people, and don't always feel up to typing up a long list of hashtags only to post some more mediocre photos taken with my phone.

Also....I guess I could be considered a little old fashioned. I find a lot of social media irritating with it's lack of organization and structure, and the focus being put on popularity and cliques and screaming at one another. I personally love the forum layout, especially when the drama is kept monitored so that things don't break out into petty insults being thrown back and forth between people.

 

I think there are people who broke with this hobby. But there are more poeple new to this. Doa is kind of hiding. I main there are a lot of people don't know Doa. But everyone knows FB and Instagram thu.

 

I am not very into social media. I do not like all the anger and angst and people screaming about politics and religion you see on Facebook and such. I really like DOA, people are polite and kind and encouraging here. There is a lot of information to be found. I have been on here for about a decade now. It took me a long time to get enough courage to post, I must hold the record for longest time ever to get access to the marketplace, I used to post so infrequently that it took me several years. I am almost computer illiterate. I still don't know how to post pictures on here, I have to get someone to do it for me. I am truly obsessed with BJD, and this is the one place I really enjoy discussing my dolls and all the weird things I make for them. I particularly enjoy the workshop section, and the sewing circle, which is something I have not seen on other forums.

 

This is interesting, because what you see as faults, other people may see as virtues. The subforums and threads keep the info organized so it can be found again; the slow process of getting marketplace access is what makes the MP more secure than social media. You're right about the broken photo links though.

I think it's all in what you (general you) are looking for. If you like the fast-paced, everything-mixed-together format of FB or IG, you won't like forums. If you like reference archives and themed discussion, you will.

 

I've been around DOA since 2006 and don't really engage with the bjd world outside of it (save for some in person or Instagram people I follow)

Doa definitely feels a lot quieter than it used to be. I remember that discussion threads moved really fast. There was a lot more engagement but I guess people have transitioned away

I still like DOA though and will stick with it.

 

I've been away from the hobby for several years myself, but came back to DOA, and it felt great to see all the info I wanted right here at my fingertips. Yes, it does seem to be quieter, but I still believe it's a prime source of info every collector needs. As far as the hobby, I think it's spread out more.

 

I'm curious about what people think "The Hobby" is exactly. I mean, if I never get on social media or share any photos or chat about my dolls, but still have a room full of them that I enjoy every single day and that I paint and sew and shop for, does the lack of the social aspect mean I'm not in 'The Hobby'? And, conversely, when I was on the old Yahoo chat groups chatting up a storm and sharing The Hobby (as well as a lot of personal stories about people's pets!) I found it ate into any spare time I had to actually DO anything with the dolls!!

I've always been intrigued by people who announce that they're "Leaving The Hobby" and sell all their dolls because of something that upset them on social media. I guess I don't understand how they could give up the dolls or why they can't enjoy the dolls without the social component. I do understand the desire to share your dolls and how much enjoyment you can get by connecting with other people with the same interests. Back when the old Yahoo! Groups were in their heyday (and actually usable!!) I made a lot of really good friends, who I am still in contact with to this day. They were very warm and friendly social places, with hundreds of posts a day.

Depending on the rules of the particular group, the conversations could be all over the place. And, it was a blast! But, if I actually needed information or was doing research on a particular doll I was interested in, I would always come here because the information was so specific and easy to find because of the rules that kept the conversations on topic and the threads in a particular category.

As warm as many of our memories are of those groups back in the day, one of the biggest complaints many people had about the old Yahoo! Groups was how hard it was to find any useful information they needed because of all the "fluffy kitty" conversations, cat pics and off-topic personal content you had to sift through - and no one would change the title of the thread when the the subject matter changed. So, searches were mostly useless. Ask anybody who was on the Yahoo groups about this and they will tell you how literally enraged some people got when they joined some groups expecting to find information that was easily searchable! So, actual information was often impossible to find!! But, the camaraderie and immediate nature of the conversations in those groups was GREAT fun! But, if you want evidence of how that kind of free-form forum can unravel, just look around at all the abandoned and orphaned Yahoo! Groups that used to have thousands of posts a week and are now dead and abandoned.

I think the DoA mods have done an AMAZING job in keeping such a huge and diverse forum civil and well organized for the purpose it serves. The photo sharing thing has gotten hinky through no fault of their own. And, they appear to be doing their best to address that. But, this group is still around because of how organized and consistent the many generations of mods have been with the rules.

 

I've been wondering this same thing ever since I got into bjd and heard people referring to the social community as "the hobby."

I know for myself, I got my first bjd almost 5 years ago (it will be 5 years this July), and I've gone thru spurts here and there where I feel like doing more online sharing, but also lots of periods where I just...don't. No particular reason, I just sometimes don't feel any major urge to get online and participate in that side of things. And yet, I have never left the hobby...my hobby is customizing my dolls, sewing clothing for them, taking pictures of them whether I share those pics anywhere or not, and just generally having fun with them. I've never stopped doing those activities, even when I just don't feel like doing a lot of online sharing/interacting for chunks of time.

As for the forum vs. social media question: when I started my bjd hobby, I did it through Flickr and Den of Angels. I first saw bjd on Flickr, and from there, a really nice bjd blogger gave me an invite to Den of Angels when I mentioned in the comments on her blog that I was looking to get a bjd. When photo sharing on DoA got wonky and I couldn't make it work, and Flickr started running really poorly and constantly locking me out of my account/app kept crashing, I decided to give Tumblr a shot...but it's so disorganized and chaotic. There's no way to really get to JUST the doll content without wading thru 50 million fandoms and endless "discourse"...which is fine, but not what I'm after when I want to do online doll stuff. And the doll content itself is just really random and unorganized and often feels recycled tons of times. So...although i kind of enjoy the aspect of keeping a doll blog, the Tumblr experience is not ideal. Hence I've also tried Instagram...because most doll people seem to be on it these days, and it seems like there are more accounts concentrated on just dolls. But it feels so rushed and chaotic and overwhelming just by sheer volume. Like there's no keeping up, and it's just pic after pic. And the information/reference/knowledge sharing aspect is totally missing.

Honestly, I would way rather see Den of Angels keep going, and for the Joint forum thing to happen (I've been working on sculpting for months now and i don't want to just show off on Instagram but it would be rad to actually talk to people who are also sculpting in an organized conversation!) and for pic sharing on here to be easy again (I have NO IDEA why I can NOT get a pic from Flickr to show up here anymore... I always get the tiny square with the red X over it next to the link to my Flickr, instead of the actual pic showing up). I prefer this to the social media mess....and I prefer Flickr to Instagram.

 

I used to participate in a forum for a different doll fandom. Things were chatty and social. It also thrived on drama and a cult of personality surrounding the board creators. I prefer the stricter rules and calmer discourse of DoA over the other mess.