I have noticed that the website is quite sluggish and often returns errors, specifically, a 404 error. I have also noticed that information on the detail pages sometimes does not load correctly. Certain elements will display "no items have been found" when, in fact, there are items to be found. I would like to note, however, that this is most often true. A lot of doll information in the database is still blank!

A slow refresh usually rectifies these issues.

Also, the edit profile feature does not work. There is an issue with the password field. Again, this issue is on the service providers side.

I have contacted the service provider, and they are aware of these issues and are trying to fix them.

All the other forms and such work, including the sign up forms. All I need to do now is pull some money out of my ass to subscribe to the advanced teir so I can get some file upload elements. The database needs pictures. I do have a work around, but its a pain. You an submit the information, then upload the image afterwords. Not many people have the patience to do this, so this method is not ideal.

Regarding file uploads:

I have noticed that previously uploaded files are getting completely deleted when editing an entry. I am hoping this also gets fixed in the next update.

The Doll Finder site is coming along slowly. I am focusing on designing the application, and then I will be cleaning up the database and making changes to it. Baserow and its application builder are not as advanced as the Airtable/Pory combo, so it will no longer be viable to include all versions of a doll in the database, or display them on the doll details page.

I will be designing Doffee in between all this and my full-time job, and other hobbies. I am a very busy person!

⚠️NOTICE⚠️

• After all the work I put into users and user profile, I learned that Baserow is going to start charging $4.00 per user. Obviously, that is absolutely not sustainable for this project. Especially when the project is reliant on the income of a minimum wage worker.
• It's still unclear if that means seats on a Baserow team and/or a user-defined user table.
• When that time comes, all users and user profiles will be gone with the wind. The Doll Finder will then have to go back the the "update request" method. It's also possible that all entries will have to be approved before appearing in the database since anyone and everyone will be able to use the submission forms.

I discovered that Pory is no longer free. To use it, Pory.io would cost $99/month in addition to the Airtable subscription fee. Since that price is ridiculous, I started using Baserow. I have to redesign everything from the ground up, which will take some time.

When is rains, it pours. Another blow has been dealt to Doll Finder!

Airtable announced that their Airtable plans were changing! Free accounts have now been limited even further.

• Attachment space has been REDUCED from 2GB to 1GB
• Record count has been REDUCED from 1,200 to 1,000 records.
• They have also removed the cheaper database plans from Airtable, increasing the cost of the database software Doll Finder uses.

Doll Finder is now at a point where we will need to purchase a database plan if anymore dolls are to be added. The increased cost would be as follows:

• $20 per month (if paid yearly)
• $24 per month (if paid monthly)

This would give Doll Finder

• 50,000 records per base (complete overkill for the Doll Finder as 5,000 would probably be sufficient)
• 10 GB of attachments per base

What does this mean for Doll Finder? A lot. I cannot afford to run the database on my own with my minimum wage job. There are other options available, but Airtable is the easiest to use and is no-code.

Wix has a database option with their website builder, but is heavily reliant on their Velo code. While I can figure some code things out, configuring the forms with code to be able to submit a doll are beyond my expertise.

Notion also has a database and is the cheapest of them all...but is very cluttered looking. Presenting doll information and images is not ideal at all. Everything Notion related is very tedious.

If you have any other solutions I am more than welcome to listen. You can use the contact form to contact me. You may also help run the database in various ways, including donations and buying advertisement space.

Google Domains and Squarespace announced that Squarespace has entered into an agreement to purchase all domains and customer accounts from Google Domains.

Squarespace has agreed to honor the current pricing of the purchased domains for 12 months.

However, I expect that major price hikes are soon to happen.

What does that mean for Doll Finder? Well, nothing too major. Doll Finder just won't have a pretty web URL anymore, but the site will still exist for individuals to use.

If you are interested in donating to the Doll Finder, please check out our donation page for more information. Doll Finder is also considering accepting doll related advertisments!

I have successfully added the ENTIRE Doll Legend catalog into DFF! I have yet to add the features, as that will take a little more time.

I am also happy to see other people adding dolls as well! However, after a doll adding wave, the website host decided to crash the DFF site. UGH.

It was only down for about an hour though and is now back up and running!

Good news! Individuals can now edit the doll company database entries on their own! However, there are some downsides.

Pros:

• Updates are nearly instant, giving the editor satisfaction. YAY!
• No one has to wait on me to update the listing manually.

Cons:

• Data can accidently be deleted.
  • Not to panic, revision history is a thing...up to two weeks worth. I can always fix it at a later date. I get an email when a record is added or updated, so if I notice something wrong I can fix it quickly.
• Only 100 instant updates a month are allowed (unless I upgrade my plan from free to paid). I don't think this will be to much of an issue as no one is really adding or modifying...or even using the database. #sad

I am still debating if I want to do this with the actual doll listings. The process is much more tedious because of the amount of information is in the doll finder. There is also more of a chance for things to go wrong.

​That is all the updates for now!

It has been awhile since I last posted an update! Real life got in the way as I have been busy at work (we are shorthanded). Anyway, I have started cloning the site on a new platform. The site will look much the same, but the doll records will look better. The search functionality isn't quite there yet on the new platform, so for now I will be keeping the current setup, even though it is kind of a mess.

In the meantime, I plan to hire some data entry people on fiverr or something to help add dolls to the database. There are a few companies that have been completed, or nearly completed by myself and some fantastic volunteers. However, I can't expect them to add a million dolls by themselves. They have since moved on and I am flying solo again. I want to thank them for there support! All of you were amazing.

What I really need right now are entries from art dolls from individual artists. These are hard to find because they don't have a large company and are mostly working by themselves. So please, if you know of any, add them to the database!! I can easily add the large companies myself, but I don't know of many doll artists!

Updates are slow, but they are getting there.

Tell your friends!!

I have been slowly working on graphics for the website. The process is slow, because I also have a day job that takes up most of my time. Not to mention I am working on several other things at the same time. So much to do so little time! On another note, I added the entire Rosette School of Doll (by Soom) catalog! Even the new dolls Soom re-released on their Neo-Angel Region website. I may decide to tackle another companies catalog later. I am doing all this by myself at the moment so....yea. Doll entries are scarce at the moment.

Not much else has been done. I received approval from Den of Angels to advertise this site in the news section. YAY! I have also been researching alternatives to the system DFF has, just in case the project gets too big for its britches. :)

Until next time!

I was advertising my database when I was contacted about another database! Currently, they only have a google spreadsheet available and are working on a website. You can find their spreadsheet here: BJD Size Comparison

What does this mean for the future of DFF?

We have decided to collaborate! For now, it means a huge influx of data. They are also working on a website, but it is not currently available to the public. We have exchanged ideas and both sites have or will incorporate features from each database. Most of everything was the same anyway! <3

When they get their site up and running, there will simply be two databases, or three, or four....depending on how many more pop up. I think this is great as it provides more tools and options to the community. The more databases, the less chance of all this information disappearing!

On another note, my free plan only allows me to add 1,500 records to my database and BJD Size Comparison (BSC for short). That means I will need to upgrade my plan and pay money. For now, I am covering the expenses out of my pocket and will have to take donations.

Why not find a different solution that is cheaper or free? This solution allows anyone to add to the database with a simple form and the information is updated immediately. There is no coding involved so everything from A-Z can be changed quickly and efficiently! However, I am always open to suggestions!

I have been missing the old doll feature search website from years ago (dollection.fi), which went MIA due to the owner no longer being in the BJD hobby. I have been thinking about making a database for a long time, I just never knew where to begin. I created a Flickr group many years ago to help recreate the "dollection" drag and drop compare feature, but I never really did anything with it. With new technologies, it is now easier than ever to create such a database without the need for knowing how to code!

Right now, there are practically no entries in the database. I have added a few as examples, but I am going to need the help of the community to see this idea into fruition.

I created the initial database on March 8, 2021 and posted it on the Den of Angels website. I received feedback and suggestions and the DFF has already changed for the better (hopefully) because of this suggestions!

I hope that this database keep evolving to get bigger, better, and more helpful so that everyone can find their dream dolls.

To get to know how DFF works, head on over to the How To Use page. ​Go to the Find A Doll page to start looking up features. If you would like to contribute, feel free to hop on over to the Add A Doll page. Have a suggestion or comment? Contact me!

Doll Feature Finder Website: dollfinder.org

Dolls to Scale Flickr Group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/4096769@N22/​

Future plans:

• Incorporate the Flickr group "Dolls to Scale" to recreate the dollection.fi drag and drop photo comparison.
• Include links to the relevant doll scale photos to the DFF finder.
• Make everything pretty. :3
• Get a domain name. DONE!
• Add more dolls. Lots and lots and dolls. Please help me! T.T
• Add more features such as face shape, body types, etc.
  • Slim, muscular, round face, chubby, mature, child-like, etc?