For those who would like to answer a question for my paper

[LiveLoveYarn]

Hey friends!

If there is anyone that wouldn't mind taking a few minutes to answer a question for me I would really, really appreciate it. If you don't know, I am writing a short paper about the DS for my Anth class and there is a thread ("A big favor to ask my DS friends" if you want to check that out, too

I've talked with Greyhaunt about how the DS came to be and now I would like to ask you all why it continues to be. There are lots of other forums out there (all with their pros and cons- except for the DS, the DS has no cons that I am aware of yet ), so why you do choose to visit the DS loyally? There is clearly a special bond between forum members and I just love that everyone seems to know everyone's dollieh.

If you want to play you don't have to answer my exact question, just give me a general gist about why you love the DS/why it is special/why you choose to be a member/ect. if you can, and you can answer as long or short as you want. Honestly, write me a book or a sentence. I love, love, love getting to know you all and really do find all your stories fascinating (I'm in the Humanities, gimme a break!) I can't promise I will quote you all but I will read every single one and be so very grateful that you have taken your time to help me out.

<3

[Kae915]

Well, like you said, this forum doesn't really have any cons =P This forum is more friendly than the others. People here don't talk down about any type of doll so it is very welcoming about every kind of doll and no one really acts like they are better than everyone else. On here, people talk about their preferences in a doll without a doll being trashed for being cheaper or being made of a different plastic.
Also, it is easier to get to know people and their dolls on here because the community is smaller than it is on doa and such.
Anyways, I'd rather stay on a forum where any dollieh I get is going to be welcome, then go somewhere else where I will be shunned for not spending $800-thousands on my doll.

[Nella]

I'll try to break down why I love DS into a few different parts. Also, this is probably going to be quite long. XD

I'll start with why I chose to be a member of this forum. I had been away from the bjd hobby for a few years and returned to find the large forum I was apart of had grown even more. I found myself wanting a smaller forum where I could get to know people and not feel bad about the quality of my photos or faceups. One day while browsing a BJD confession blog on tumblr, I found a mention of Dollieh Sanctuary. I was curious, as the name was unfamiliar, and I looked it up. There were some threads that piqued my interest and I decided to sign up.

I love how close knit and informal we are. Like you said LiveLoveYarn, everyone seems to know everyone else's dolls. I love the sense of community we have, which is in part due to having an OT subforum. We celebrate success and offer condolences. It's not just about the dolls here, it's about the people behind the username. That's something I haven't seen with other doll forums.

Another thing that makes DolliehSanctuary special is it's accepting nature. There are no off-topic dolls, every one you can think of is on-topic. I love that as even though I collect almost exclusively BJDs, I still enjoy other types of dolls. The acceptance is limited to dolls either. I was astounded by how welcome the other members made me feel. It was like I wasn't new at all. I joined in the discussions right away without lurking about to see how people act and 'talk'.

Why do I visit loyally? For the simple fact that we're an active forum, full of creative people and it feels like a real community. Ok, that's a bit sappy but you get the point.

[DollyKim]

I like the different people the forum has attracted, I've learned and been introduced to now things and ideas I might not have. It's also comforting to know that there won't be any arbitrary rule changes on which dolls, subjects, or people are allowed.

It's also welcoming to doll making, customizing, rerooting, and not caring what type of doll it is.

[magkelly]

When it comes to doll forums I'm not much of a joiner. I have a few bookmarked that I look at regularly but most of them don't appeal to me much in so far as any actual interaction is concerned. I'm primarily a lurker because I see a lot of stuff on those forums I don't like. I don't like cliques. I don't like people who look down on certain dolls as being inferior just because they don't meet a certain criteria. I don't like people who make people who are maybe less experienced feel bad about their attempts at doing things for their dolls.

I also don't like hypocrisy, people praising one person for doing something while condemning another for doing exactly the same thing. That happened to me on the one board I was interacting on. I got roasted for doing something pretty innocuous and yet only a few weeks earlier someone had done the exact same thing and they got praised for their initiative and I've seen it since too. (I still lurk on that board but I don't talk to them anymore.) I had a whole mess of people come down on my head over it and really it was just an excuse to run me out of there I think because apparently someone felt I was not fitting in or maybe I was too outspoken, whatever, but there was a certain group there who clearly didn't like me and wanted me gone and they used that situation as an opportunity to make me uncomfortable.

Unfortunately they were very dominant there at the time. The main mod there really wasn't pleased to see me go. She emailed me about it asking me not to, but in the end I just didn't feel particularly welcome or comfortable ignoring the situation and I chose to go back to non-talking status. But what happened there it had me very reluctant to join another doll board. It was not a very nice experience. But then I saw this board and I started lurking and I started liking what I saw. After about a year I finally talked and I found I was genuinely welcome and I seemed to fit in here just fine and there was none of that backstabbing, cliquish, critical bullshit going on and I liked that and so I stayed.

To be fair there are other doll boards that I've seen that are decent. I've got half a dozen bookmarked and of those at least two are really nice from what I've seen, but for the most part I just don't feel like joining them. This is the only doll board I am interested in being a member of for all the reasons listed above.

[KitKat]

Honestly...its the people. I have tried other forums through out the years and none come close to the comaradery that DS has. I've known some of the people on here for years. It's like checking in with old friends and finding new ones. Our community comes together when people need us. We protect the members here, we care about the people here, and we have fun with everyone!!!

[SetsunaKou]

DS is my first go-to forum every single morning because it's so welcoming, fun and friendly----I want to find out how all my friends are doing!

Everyone here really cares about each other, and not just for their dolls, though that is how we all got to know each other. We are like a family and great friends now----we may not always agree on everything, but we all know that everyone here is trying to help or encourage or support---just like a real family does.

Plus, it's wonderful to know everyone's dolls (or at least their favorite doll[s]) by name and also to see how everyone cares and comments and gives input.

It's really a blessing to be a part of such a family like we have here at DS! ^^

[Mirrin]

Well, I'm a member on nearly every BJD website. I think I like this one because it's more social and laid back. I don't know if I am close to anyone here or made a lot of friends, but it's still a more tight knit community than others I am involved in like DoA.

It's also nice to see other people's dolls that are off-topic on other forums. I may only collect resin 1/4 scale ball-jointed dolls, but that doesn't mean I don't like seeing everyone's cool and unique collections.

[Kirahfaye]

I intentionally did not read anyone's response, so forgive me if mine sounds similar. Then again, I think most if not all of us remain here for the same reason.

What makes Dollieh Sanctuary different that any other doll forum I've been to or are a member of is its sense of community. Not only is no dollieh left behind, no person is either. People aren't judged for being different. Aside from the deviant (i.e.: sex dolls - ask GreyHaunt ....) or trolling, which is not tolerated, anyone can come here and feel not just welcomed, but respected. We've had a few individuals that didn't work out, but not without trying to understand them first.

We probably have members of every ilk in the forum. The bond that melds us is the love of dolls and toys that run the gambit from tiny fluff-haired trolls to giant plushy animals. Just like the dolls that are accepted with open arms, the members here can feel safe and secure enough to share personal hurts and private joys without the fear that someone will take that information and use it to cause harm. No one is ridiculed. No one is rejected. The rules are simple, straight forward and just make common sense. Play nice and others will play with you.

I visit here several times a day - more because I want to keep up with what is going on with the other members than to see if there's a new doll thread or post, actually. I enjoy the dollieh talk, but I care about the members. And I think that sense of community is pervasive.

[OkamiKodomo]

I think I share the same feeling that has been posted already. Most of us are here for the same reason: the sense of community. I saw it posted somewhere on a tumblr or another forum... might have even been said a few times here. We're adults that collect and play with dolls, some of them being obscenely expensive dolls, and the internet has noticed us. Here, we're safe to share the love we have for our dolls, and the creativity that so often goes hand in hand with them. Everyone is welcome, and given the benefit of the doubt, but in the rare event someone is hurtful to others, they are dealt with swiftly, and so the forum is never in a state of unrest for long. Then there's the common ground we find here. Most of us engage in at least one creative aspect of the hobby, whether it's photography, sewing, face-ups, sculpting, or full blown customs. No-one is ridiculed for having a Barbie; they're just as accepted as the most expensive Soom or Volks limited edition. The internet is full of bullies, but this small forum is literally a Sanctuary from that. We're sort of an extended family, and it's oddly comforting.