People leaving the hobby?

I've become less and less active in general on the forum, but I'm still in the hobby. I moved, and my available time for taking pictures of things has decreased. I also used to love talking about new doll releases, but aside from IoS's Doctor Strange doll last year, my favorite companies just haven't released anything that makes me feel excited and inspired (and IoS isn't even one of my favorite companies). Which is a disappointing change from regularly being able to go "oh, I don't like that face, but that outfit would work for this other doll I have, I should try to make that!" or "that's an interesting face up idea" at least once every few months.

I also forgot the password for my flickr account, and the recovery email is apparently my student email account which was deactivated years ago because I am no longer getting my bachelor's degree. So that also makes me post less.

 

It’s all in the threads you follow. Been a member 9ish years now. At first my dolls, new releases, were popular and much discussion. Now those same threads are quiet, not because there are less people, but because the company either hasn’t changed much so there isn’t much to discuss or in many cases the company isn’t producing dolls in the same numbers and rates as it used to. But when I get a new doll from a new company, the specific discussion thread has that fast excited chatter that I’m familiar with, as the collectors ponder future releases and make new discoveries about the new dolls.

There is no better resource than DOA (despite the frustrating photo fiasco) and when I post I feel good that it’s not meaningless conversation to be lost in the void, it’s useful information or inspiration for other hobbiest

 

It is very common for people to come and go, same thing goes for every other hobby. But personally, I think the community is grow to be bigger and bigger, just by the increase of doll companies since the day I join the hobby.

 

I wonder if people are more likely to leave The Hobby if they started out by collecting bjds or only collect bjds rather than if they came to The Hobby by collecting dolls in general. There are some people who only collect bjds and never had an interest in any dolls before this. And, for others, the bjds are only part of their doll interests. So, they may not be 'leaving' The Hobby. They might be just dividing their time between other doll forums or even actual meetups and doll activities in real time.

 

I check in a fair amount. But, like you say, if I don’t have anything to add, I don’t feel like adding verbiage for the sake of saying something is adding anything! But, I still enjoy this forum.

I can’t even IMAGINE the mess you guys are dealing with after over a decade of Photobucket links suddenly gone dark!!! I am so sorry!!! Your work really is appreciated!!

And, judging by the Marketplace, this place seems to have a LOT of activity!

 

This is super true; I know I frequently check here, whether it's to look some info up for some work I'm doing on a doll, see what's on the marketplace, or just to check out the newest doll profiles (those are a really cool feature!). I also love reading the "what are you currently sewing/crafting" threads. But there are many times I don't post anything simply because I have already posted in all the discussion threads that are currently active that I would have input on and/or I don't want to just repeat myself.

 

I chat regularly with friends who have been collecting BJDs for more than a decade, and we all still have as much enthusiasm for the hobby as ever. If the average hobby only lasts 5 years, many of us old timers are still going strong!

I don't have a lot of interest in the newer style of BJDs, I still prefer early Volks and Dollzone in the more anime esthetic. So I'm not as active here as I used to be. I'm not sure if it is complacency or just being busy with other things. When I do come here, it is to visit the marketplace, to do research, or to occasionally catch up with specific doll discussion threads. I get tired of seeing the same old questions in Newbieland over and over, and the same General Discussion topics coming up again and again. You can only answer them so many times!

I appreciate the orderly topics, the marketplace, and the reliable feedback for confident buying and selling. I'm not into the social media "everything mixed together" format.

And thanks to you and all the mods for all your hard work on this! Much appreciated. I'm still angry with Photobucket!

Linda S.
galatia9

 

While DoA might seem quieter and therefore less active, I can say with confidence that DoA will never go away. It is our safe space. There is nothing as stable to me as DenofAngels, and I love it for that. I made an Instagram because I can find a lot more image content, but I will always come back to DoA and I spend most of my time on this site when it comes to the hobby.
Admittedly, I'm more often than not one of the lurkers nowadays, but as you can see from my commenting in this thread, I'm trying to be more vocal again.

I check DoA almost everyday. For me, I replied in a lot of general discussion threads back when I first joined and then kind of ran out of general discussion to post in. The BJD hobby is one with a lot of waiting, and none of my dolls are complete, so I don't have a lot to say about my own collection, or I simply don't have the experience to contribute to certain conversations because, despite lurking the hobby for 10 years, I only started collecting almost 2 years ago now. As others have said, a lot of the time, I have nothing substantial to contribute to a thread, and I don't want to sound disingenuous so I simply leave a heart or don't say anything.

But I want to make it clear that I love looking everywhere on DoA, even in discussion threads about dolls I myself would never collect. I love looking at what everyone else is doing with their dolls, what everyone's interests are, and what projects they're working on. I look in the box opening gallery and look at a new thread almost every time it's posted, just because I love seeing someone else experience what is, for many BJD collectors, a very fun and significant moment in their life as a collector.
That's why, everyone, please feel free to talk about your dolls! You might feel they are unpopular, but they will never garner discussion if no one talks about them. Please don't feel discouraged!

I have no idea how to start talking to people on DoA really, but I am always interested in what everyone else is doing. I'm sorry I don't say a lot; I know encouragement is very important. I hope it's a least a bit comforting for everyone to know that there are people like me on the forums, because I'm sure there are others just like me who love seeing what you guys share on here!
Everyone is so kind here though, and reading this thread gives me motivation to try and talk more openly! I will do my best!

And @KathrynB, you made a lovely post earlier in this thread! I definitely agree. Also, you were in one of those Yahoo groups!? I've always wondered if I would find anyone on DoA who was in those groups! Back in 2008 I would visit DoA but I never joined, and I didn't have a BJD so I felt like I could only watch from afar - somehow I ended up joining one of those Yahoo groups - at least I think that's what it was, it was so long ago and I was only 11 or 12 (a baby!) so I can't remember well... But I would just silently read through all of the discourse. It's true those moved very fast, because eventually I couldn't keep up anymore and had a year of unread discourse in my inbox.
I definitely prefer DoA. I think it's quite organized, and because of that it gives off the illusion of being less active than it is, because activity can be so spread out across this forum.

 

Also, considering how much more BJD stuff is for sale in places other than DoA, people are definitely NOT leaving the hobby!

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I think for photos, ppl are most likely to use instagram... I opened an ins account for purely posting my doll photos... However, that doesn't stop me coming to DOA for bjd news update and chat with bjd owners. I think diff platforms are for diff purposes

 

Aww, I don't want to look at it as people "leaving" the hobby, but more-so taking a break or hiatus. For me, I needed a break and haven't bought a new bjd since 2015 I believe? I still have many dolls on my wish list, but financially, the hobby was starting to get more stressful than enjoyable. Sometimes you don't really get what you put in, and can be out a lot of money for something you thought would look good in person, but didn't. Example: certain sculpts in person, wig and eye combinations, etc. I also learned that just because you can afford a bjd or two, doesn't inherently mean that the hobby is within your means. We know that enjoying the hobby is a lot more than owning the doll you want. Not just financially, but to maintain my dolls, it's a lot of work. Over the years I've been enjoying other dolls and collections I have, and it made me realize that what makes me happy isn't just one hobby or franchise, but a combination of them together. Sometimes you focus so much on ONLY bjds because everything is so "time-sensitive." Everything is limited, even clothing, accessories, and wigs. The hobby can easily turn into a cat and mouse game if you're not careful. I envy people on this forum that didn't struggle or get stressed out like me, but I'm slowly starting to come back and check what's new I sincerely miss the people who have left, but I know they'll come back eventually. Sometimes you need to be away from the things you treasure, to remind you of how special it is.

 

I've taken a break from doll stuff, just because I've had some health issues arise that required surgery and I've turned more towards my movies, plushies, etc. and also a few new hobbies that I'm exploring I've been slowly getting back on DoA though, since I still love this hobby. I want to take my dolls out, but I have lifting restrictions and I don't want to hurt myself. I just needed some time for a mental break as well, and I'll likely need more time, but I know that my dolls will always be there when I want to take them out again

 

Take care of yourself first and always! You are missed!

 

I know of many people in my country who have moved to Facebook for chatting and Instagram for photos, leaving forums mostly empty. In fact, the only forum I am part of which still has movement is DoA.
I haven't been really active anywhere except here for a couple of years or so due to a lot of things changing in my life. Of course I still have my dolls and I love them to bits but I am barely taking any pictures worth posting (No surprise on that, I weren't any good in the past to begin with xD) so I mainly comment on posts.
I am really grateful to those of you, moderators and useres, who keep this forum full of interesting stories and topics. Thank you!

 

I had to move away from Instagram, as I find the community there to be really awful as of late. If I knew more about how to put my pictures here, I’d probably exclusively use DOA. Everyone has been so nice here.

 

As everyone else is commenting, media outlets are playing a part, but I think there’s a bigger reason to it. People that were once previously active on here have more than likely just “grown” a bit and started bigger chapters in their lives. Not to say they aren’t still interested in BJD’s, just that they may have jobs they took up, got married or have kids.

 

I think the social media platforms aspect has been touched on and I'm not going to be able to add on too much there, other than I saw a lot of people move off onto other platforms and then unsurprisingly drop from the hobby at least socially as they found much less of the focused engagement elsewhere. I've got an active dislike of Facebook after so many years of using it and I find that a lot of more niche within niche forums tended to fall into small, unfocused conversations.

I will say the meetup threads feel much quieter now. I don't know if in general people are less likely to meet up now (and I met tons of of people and friends this way) or if a lot of the folks I used to meet up with have a hard time finding time to dedicate to a meetup now, which I definitely feel.

Overall, I think there's a cross of many people who have indeed left the social aspects of the hobby (due to lack of interest, time, or the like) but also a lot of new people. I've tried to make an effort to be more active in the newbie area since there's a lot of information I tend to recognize quickly and can chime in on. Especially at the moment my dolls and creative supplies can't be out very much due to space I just can't add as much as I'd like to photos and creative work.

Many thank yous to the mods stuck with having to clean out old threads and Photobucket issues. Checking through old photo resource threads and trying to find the stuff that's still there past all the old stuff that's got broken links can feel like a bit of a slog some days, I can't imagine your end.

 

Sometimes it’s either time with your dolls, doing faceups, sewing clothes or making things or taking pictures, OR it’s being online. You kind of have to choose what you do with your free time. Just because people aren’t online doesn’t mean they’ve left “The Hobby.”

 

I'm new to the hobby and to DoA.
I found groups on FB first, and a lot of people referred to DoA. Eventually I went looking for it and found it. I joined straight away.
I check DoA throughout the day. I'm not big on social media a lot of the time because it's too...social...for me. I do like the nearly instant feedback if I need help though.

I do feel isolated in the hobby. On FB and here. Maybe because I'm new, but I also get very obsessive and single minded.

I love DoA because it is organised and I can find information relatively easily. I love looking through the galleries or the tutorials etc. I find that social media lacks the organisational features of forums like DoA. I learn more here than I do anywhere else.