Do you ever wonder about the state of the 1:6 hobby? I have to admit that I haven’t thought a lot about it other than, “gee I wonder where I can get such and such” etc. But I had a conversation with one of my fellow 1:6 customizers this week and she said it seemed that a majority of of people who used to keep websites / blogs related to the doll hobby have either pretty much stopped posting or have disappeared all together.
To which I said, well, maybe part of it is economics.
My friend pointed out that yes, the hobby does take money & time resources, and I agreed that with the current state of things dolls & action figures probably aren’t on the top of folks priority lists. (Ok, they’re pretty damned close on mine though)
I said that maybe one of the reasons people have 1) stopped maintaining blogs is that they weren’t getting the feedback or comments from people. Some people depend more on outside validation than they do on their customs. Some people don’t. I think it’s probably half-a-dozen of one or the other either way. 2) they’ve got other things going on that don’t give them the time or energy for the hobby.
I know that for myself, I am a bit happier whenever someone can be bothered to take the time to comment. I think that there are about 5 people in total who ever comment on my blog. 5. Not a lot, and it’s not one of the popular blogs out there.
Does it really matter to me?
Well….I’d be lying if I said no. But does the lack of comments make me not post? No. (Although I’ll admit that if I got more comments I’d probably bother to post more stuff and better photos) My blog is more about me having some kind of record of what I’ve been up to, as well as a way to communicate with other people interested in the hobby. Would I like more comments? Sure! Who the heck wouldn’t?
11 Responses to “With regard 1:6 related blogs”
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Yes, the economy has had an affect on my blogging. I don’t write as often about purchases as I did a year ago. So I report what I see and what I would like instead. Or about the dolls and action figures that I have. I’ve lived with this hobby for years, and I’m still not bored by it. There is always something neat that someone else does or that I would like to do.
But comments … oh yes, I adore comments. I consider comments as
1. ways to explore a post discussion and
2. a “thank you” to the blogger.
As you write, I too would continue blogging even if no one ever commented. But comments, followers, and reciprocal links – they are bonuses.
From a Frequent Commenter
I just wanted to show how I appreciate your blog. Thank you.
I have to admit that I’m guilty of not posting as frequently as I used to (but I’m getting back in the habit).
Economics are not a reason for me. Yes, I buy less (or rather I think a lot more about it before I buy) and obviously the high quality figures (Hot Toys) are too darn expensive, but every now and then I indulge myself, if I really really want a figure. Latest example is the She-Predator I bought last weekend. 20 Euro cheaper than I saw her elsewhere and no shipping because I picked her up. Patience is the key.
Besides, I’m in the lucky position to keep the money I earn to spend for myself. And believe me – I know I’m very lucky!
More comments (and maybe an engaging discussion every now and then) might be nice, but that doesn’t keep me from blogging. I regularly check my referrers and for someone not active on any of the boards I feel my blogs are surprisingly well visited. And I admit I don’t comment as much as I could myself. So I really can’t put the blame on anyone else.
The reason I started blogging was that I wanted to give interested folksa chance to see what I’m doing when I left the boards. There are a handful of people I really want to keep updated and it works. But most of them are people I stay in touch with offline, so there is no need for them to comment. And as a benefit I even made some new contacts solely from the blogs.
So why is it I don’t post that much? Real life. Working overtime, a lot of nightshifts, having other commitments, the usual… Plus I went through some phases of not being interested in dolls earlier this year and at one point even thought about giving up the hobby. I’m past that at the moment and have several small projects that progress very very slowly.
I have some more spare time this month, so I hope I’ll update a bit more.
D7ana, Niel, Ursula–thanks all of you for taking the time to add your feedback and opinions on this post.
I agree with you D7ana, that it is nice to get a comment–as a thank you (or acknowledgment) of the effort or thought or sharing of the original blog post.
Ursula, I agree that posting is quite a bit about saying/showing what’s going on, what you’re working on, or interested in.
And that state of mind, stresses and real life can get in the way of blogging. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’m down I don’t want to blog… :straight:
I don’t think there’s a blame to be had on people commenting or not commenting. ^_^ I know that I often visit blogs & I usually want to say something worth saying, but either am too tired or in a rush so I don’t. I think that’s something I’ll work on this next month. Actively responding to folks’ web blog posts.
Thanks everyone!
hi Erica, economics is the main reason that I’ve personally cut back alot on collection. No new toy = no new post for me. I dropped a few lines, which include Terminator, Transformers 2, etc, cos I felt the need to rein in on my budget due to two factors: the uncertain times, and God willing, a son in January.
Re: “My blog is more about me having some kind of record of what I’ve been up to, as well as a way to communicate with other people interested in the hobby.”
I started blogging so that I could refer to my toy pix whenever I had a break/was bored at work. It serves as my personal visual reference/archive of my collection. I’ve come to know very cool people in this hobby, and I’m glad that my blog was a platform for me to do so. However, I don’t really mind the lack of comments on my posts, as ultimately, I’m posting for myself.
For the record, I’ve always been a fan of your customs and the effort you take to construct dioramas, both here and on your flickr.
Hey. Read your blog and am intrigued by your dolls. And I got the idea you might be parting with some of your clothes etc.? Can you fill me in? Thanks
I saw the link to your blog on your doll divas post with the science class and by the way I love that diorama and where it looks like you are going.
!
This is my first time on your blog. I just recently found out that people blog about their dolls. After finding Bashette’ I realized that there are lots of people like me that do extensive collecting for their hobbies and I was in complete bliss. I started doing searches on google for pieces to buy or just collections/dioramas to look at. I love dolls that much that I love to see what others have created. I still search on google for blogs but always fall short but as of lately I have been getting more and more sites.
I also have a blog which I created just to display my collection which I love because it fits my mood. I also wanted people to come and look at my collection and after reading your blog I have to admit especially to myself that comments do make you feel good. It is crazy because I never realized that I wanted that validation and it is a validation of my creativity in the designing of my dioramas.
Anyway I cannot wait until you come back to the states but if that will be a while then I would rather just pay for international shipping
You and your hubby are so talented, good job. I will be watching.
I do most of my “blog” reading (and therefore commenting) through LiveJournal (and also Dreamwidth now that about half the people I read are there). I only think to check non-LJ blogs once a month, maybe, if I’m caught up on LJ!
Sometimes I read Doll Divas regularly and sometimes I go for weeks without checking it (that’s sort of low traffic, too) and even though I post a lot to flickr, I don’t often browse there, even my contacts.
This is all mostly to do with how much free time and energy I have, which hasn’t been all that much this year.
Shaun–thanks for popping by!
Congrats on the future rug-rat! 
You’d best start putting toys in trusty places out of mouth and toddling range. I like the idea/fact that you started your blog as a way to look at your own toys online! How awesome! If I ever get another paying job I’ll have to consider my blog as an outlet like that as well. 
And thank you for checking out my customs & stuff. Hope to have more stuff to share soonish.
Sharon- thanks for checking out the blog!
Have you seen the main site (http://www.corsetkitten.com) ? About the clothing: most of the of it that I’ll be parting with are barbie clothing and I’m probably going to flog them up on feebay. I had some furniture and re-ment for trade and you can find them on my flickr account.
Eve - thank you for stopping by and checking out the website
I’m glad you found my blog! Hopefully I’ll get around to working on the school classroom diorama again this year (although I have a lot of different things going on and that’s on a back burner). I checked out your blog and it looks like you’ve got lots of stuff going on there. I think it’s great that you started one and I hope you keep up with it.
but he may start taking commissions for smaller things that people are willing to pay the postage for. So, watch this space (I guess?)
“I also wanted people to come and look at my collection and after reading your blog I have to admit especially to myself that comments do make you feel good. It is crazy because I never realized that I wanted that validation and it is a validation of my creativity in the designing of my dioramas.”
I’m not really looking for validation, so much as feedback –but I admit that there is validation in the fact that by blogging you meet others interested in the hobby who don’t think that playing with toys, dolls & action figures is weird (and something you should put away!) As for any customs from Mark’s workshop–we won’t be home to the states this year
Sheila - I think I’m a bit like you in that I’m a drive-by blogger. I read posts at different blogs somewhat sporadically. I hit the forums a few times a week and mainly lurk. The past few months I did even less than that although now I’m on a semi-upswing which I hope continues.
When you have time, energy & the inclination–the web, the blogs & the dolls & figures will still all be there. Take it easy. 
Erica, I have looked on your website here and there, mainly because 1:1 life takes way too much of my time. More of my time that I would like, to spend on my hobby. The work you do is amazing (which I have stated earlier), because I have wanted to do dioramas for some time. I have wanted to set up my own blog on collecting, but I haven’t had the time.
I’m wondering if the advice I gave on your camera problems worked out?
And I appreciate your return email when I asked you about some of the furniture items you had to sell, considering you didn’t know me from Adam. Many don’t return emails (I can’t say I’m not guilty of that at work), but when it comes to my hobby (at my home address) I always respond. I know people in this hobby generally have questions or remarks, mostly positive.
I’m sorry I haven’t posted more.
Hi! Nice to see your blog for this very first time, and I am quite happy to know yet another 1/6 doll collector online. I must agree that people really don’t post much in the past year. For me myself I was just too busy at work, and I picked up another hobby last year so my dolls were just standing on the shelves untouched for over a year. Even the artists are giving less surprises (quantity and quality), so I did not get enough motivation to share on the Internet about dolls until quite recently. People are selling their collection now, so I can adopt some before they are lost… (in the mail or being brutally altered >_<) Well, I don't know how to explain this, but if you see more and more people are selling, you might doubt that hobby. For me, I just can't get myself to part with any of the hand-painted ones, and so… Money is a problem also if one has to start care for familiy and all that. At a time, I was buying useless toys and doll accessories in terms of the average price of a doll and often regarded things comparatively affordable, but now I think in terms of how many other stuff I can buy with the price of a doll. Several meals with friends at the price of one doll. Hmm… Want dolls or friends? Haha, it is just my thoughts going deep and mad, but it really is what I want to say since no friends of mine collect any dolls these days, and I thank you for this very recent opportunity for letting us share on the topic.