1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
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Why is there such a bad reputation?

Jun 11, 2018

    1. I know people who just don't like moderated forums. They prefer Facebook, Tumbrl and other social media where you can write whatever you want and do inside joking with your friends.

      I'm little bit older and I prefer traditional forums. It is so much easier to find stuff you are looking for like photoreference. I don't use DOA to socialize, for me it is mostly wonderful archive full of useful knowledge.
       
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    2. Plenty of people have values/views that differ from DoA rules. You're always going to have disagreements within a community, so it's not surprising that some people on the other side of the fence see DoA as a hostile environment. I have to watch what I say to comply with certain sections of the rules here - nothing huge, but small things, like how I usually swear like a sailor. Stuff that you think of as "common sense rules" won't be for everyone.

      So what I'm saying, basically, is that everyone is different. You find DoA a welcoming community, but many people don't.

      Edited to add: Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love DoA even though I haven't been here long, but man, the apparent strictness of The Rules intimidated me before I joined and made me hesitate. I appreciate them, though, because it keeps things nice and light and ultimately calms me down.
       
      #62 staghaus, Jul 9, 2018
      Last edited: Jul 9, 2018
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    3. I was wondering exactly the same thing so thank you for posting this! I hope I can make friends here and I think all the info that everyone shares is super nice and interesting. I never thought I'd like engaging in this forum so much. I usually don't do it. I recently joined the hobby and I do feel welcome here. But I haven't had years of experience. I think as long as you follow the rules I don't expect that I'll notice any negativity. The rules seem fair and just.
       
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    4. Sometimes people don't know how to agree to disagree. Especially when there are like two sides of the coin (so two possible answers and the topic question encourages both) and one answers it and BUM! here comes some "HOW COULD YOU SAY IT?!" well... there was a question about an opinion and I just stated mine, that's it. If you are over sensitive, then just don't ask, duh... That being said, such situations happened to me only twice on DoA. And ended soon after, no drama, I don't even remember the names. Other than this, I like this community.

      I mean, where else can you get such constructive criticism? Look up that "critique" section - everyone is sooo helpful and yet so delicate. Like... hey, you can tell what's wrong with a faceup without being rude about it.. wow. This was a new thing to me and still surprises me. Warms my heart, really! Also, the gallery section is nice. It's world-wide, so it's super varied. The sculpts, styles, inspirations - no ripoffs. Every doll is OOAK. that's what I love. Also, that it gathers people of all levels, so that even beginners can feel at place. it's really encouraging. It's sometimes uncomfortable to post photos on forums where everyone tries to be ultra posh at all cost, only one brand of dolls if favoured, one style etc etc. Here, it's varied and I like it. I can post the photos and know that I'll receive some genuine sweetness, no judgement.

      I mean, I've been to quite a few forums, on one I was thrown out, from another I run away. DoA is where I've been the longest and with the least amount of problems. This is like the only place, where I could feel like I don't need to be scared of posting anything. And it's the one of few places with so many friendly people. And that is priceless.
       
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    5. Hello! I’m new here, just learning to navigate the forum. This is actually my first post. I think people maybe unfamiliar with a site that expects civility- not excusing rudeness or negativity, but maybe that is a problem for some. Do you all have any suggestions for finding places that a new member, me- to be honest- is able to interact and gain advice from more experienced long time members? Thank you!
       
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    6. Like some folks said, before making an account, I did some reasearch about DoA. It definitely caught me off guard with all the harsh criticisms and complaints. I was kinda hesitant to make an account here. But since I have joined, I haven't really seen any of the aforementioned criticisms. I am learning a lot of new info and it seems people here are happy to share their ideas and advice. Quite a positive environment. Since this community isn't too big compared to other hobbies, all the rules are just there to protect others to make sure it doesn't become a toxic environment. I at first was a little surprised about off-topic dolls, but then realized if off-topic dolls are allowed, it might be possible in the future bjds might be overshadowed in the hobby. There are other platforms to talk about other dolls. I know the idea of off-topic dolls upsets many folks.

      That said, I really enjoy this community. It makes me happy to visit this site and see others sharing their dolls. I feel like DoA is a great place for the hobby and probably one of the only online platforms this concentrated on the bjd hobby. People either just miss reading the rules, or just get confused which can lead to problems sometimes. I like the point @aestellica made about miscommunication, because that can be such a huge factor.
       
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    7. We have a section just for this! Welcome! You'll find that Newbieland is ideal for this kind of thing, or you can ask in the Ask the Moderators inbox too. Thats under the Help section in the toolbar.
       
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    8. Congrats on your first post!:) Are you wanting help with knowing what kind of posts go where? Or the best places to start learning about BJDs?
       
    9. I wondered if anyone would bring this up. That's totally what I was thinking of when I was reading this. I remember when they splintered off but I totally did not understand taking a stand against... treating people with respect? Similarly, I never joined that other forum because the premise sounded unattractive.

      Artistic endeavors take a lot of time and energy and I'd rather focus my scraps of personal time on positive and creative things. I think the structure here keeps the focus where it needs to be, which is on the dolls.
       
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    10. I gotta say that I do find a bit confusing and illogical that some vinyl dolls that use the Obitsu frame are off-topic because they have painted eyes. If Obitsu is grandfathered in then it shouldn’t matter because they’re still “ball-jointed” and they’re relatively rare in the BJD world anyway (it’s mostly just Azone that still does this), but it is what it is I guess. It’s nice that there’s a forum specifically to discuss 1/4 and 1/3 BJDs, though.

      I can also see how some people would be turned off by how regular users will sometimes come into a post to point out very matter-of-factly how something is off-topic. Like, let the mods do their jobs, there’s no need to hear from the peanut gallery? I was really put off by that in a couple of threads where it turned out that the dolls were not, in fact, off-topic :eusa_naug
       
    11. As far as I have come across that "elitist" description, e.g in youtube comments or fb: it seems to be used most often by recast owners who feel the difference to buying a legit doll is merely a financial one. They don't seem to get that they are not banned for owning dolls that are cheap. That's at least my impression. But then I don't really follow that kind of discussion, so I might be wrong.
       
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    12. Ofc that's not the reason, otherwise resinsoul and other cheap companies would be ostracized on the forum, while actually many people here are fan of them.
       
    13. It's funny to think about how uspetting the rules of preserving civility were to some people now. These forums feel like one of the last bastions of productive discussion among the rest of social media. Tensions seem really high in many online places nowadays, to the point where misunderstandings can happen a lot and having different opinions is often treated like a warfare instead of exchanging of ideas. I'm aware that's quite vague as a statement so let me be clear that I mean opinions as simple as having different artistic tastes in dolls, or different opinions of music and such. In my experience, I feel like I can better rely on the DoA forums for fun (and more in depth) discussions.
       
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    14. From my experience since stepping back into the hobby around 2014/2015, a lot of the hostile/negative opinions about the forum that I've seen have been from people who could either not abide by the rules here or it's standards against recasts. There's also the moderated factor for some, as unfortunately there are people out there who don't either like to follow the rules, or be told what to do.

      DoA does have its pros and cons, but it's one of the few online spaces where I'm regularly (even if it's just in lurker mode) active hobby-wise. IG's too much of a photo gallery and not really a place to hold conversations, and people on Facebook can get quite rabid about differing opinions. I recall starting a discussion in one other FB groups, and heated opinions ended up leading to the post being deleted. The same topic has been brought up here on the forum, and people have been very civil with their discussion.

      And don't get me started on my Tumblr days—

      I sometimes don't understand why people prefer to engage in places where opinions get heated and out of control. That's why I'm thankful for this forum's existence. :kitty2
       
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    15. I could see it to be mainly the strict and enforced rules who got people banned - and then they become sour. A bad rep and drama story always is told more so, and is heard more than good reviews sadly. I could imagine this to apply towards DOA as well.
      I think this is a great resource and way to lear about all the different things this Hobby has to offer. I love it and I am trying my best to comply to all rules, and essentially “learn” how to use this page. To me it is a bit of a learning curve since it tends to be a bit more complicated to post. Also marketplace access isn’t a given but earned bonus to get access. And I think people don’t like that either.
      Overall people here have only been nice to me, and I enjoy it. It is great to talk to people, read on topics from this hobby, see and learn about so many beautiful dolls :love
       
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    16. I joined DOA in early 2006 when it was essentially the only place to truly join the community, and it really did wonders for me to be able to see pictures of other dolls and ask questions/access resources for the hobby as it was still fairly new to the world. Through DOA I was able to connect to my local community, who at the time, had some members that "rebelled" against DOA for its rules and formed their own forum.

      Honestly though, it seemed the real reason they were upset with the rules was because they wanted to discuss 18+ topics and use sailor language freely. Which, to each their own, but it did make me uncomfortable at the time as a minor/teenager, and I did distance myself from that part of the community quite quickly.

      I did notice way more elitism in some instances back then though, and I can see how or why that would rub people the wrong way. But I did my best to ignore those members and stayed to those who were truly kind and were here to just enjoy the hobby.

      All in all though, I love DOA and how much it connects people from all around the world. Especially the Discussion threads for specific companies/doll lines, and the waiting rooms. Connecting to people who love the same dolls and sculpts is really fun!
       
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