New Beginnings.

When a new year comes along, so does a chance to start your life over, in a way. I've never really seized it before, and I feel a little guilty for it. So when 2012 comes, I'm going to go above and beyond. I'm going to be fantastic. I'm going to be beautiful. I'm going to be someone people can't help but love. It sounds really shallow, but I want to be that girl that every girl wants to be. Unfortunately, Stardoll is holding me back from doing just that.

I can't make good grades when I find it so hard to just get off of the computer and study. I can't have a decent social life when the entire time I'm with my friends, I can't help but wonder when I'll be able to go home and go onto the computer. I won't be able to concentrate on my work when I can't stop thinking about what to say to my friends in TC or how to style my medoll next. Stardoll has been controlling my life for three years now, and I'm ready to put a stop to it.

I've been fantasizing about leaving for awhile now, but I only started thinking about it seriously fairly recently. I've been going over the pros, why I should leave, what I would gain, and the cons, what I would miss, and my strategy for leaving for awhile now. Because I do need a strategy. This is a war for me. I'll really regret it in the beginning. I'll be torturing myself, denying myself of something that I'll be convinced I need to survive.

Yes, sometimes I really do feel that I need Stardoll to survive. That it's just as important as air, food, or water, and without it I'd die. I remember one time my parents cut off my Internet for the day. After a few hours, I was curled up in my bed in fetal position telling myself I need it. I do not need it. I'll regret leaving at first, I'll say it was one of the worst mistakes of my life and I'll want to come back.

But in the long run, I won't regret it. Why would I want to cling to some website that's honestly designed for eight-year-olds when I could have so much more. I could have friends. I could have a job, I want to start modeling, and it would be harder if I'm preoccupied with the desire to come online. I could be a better person. I could make good grades. Why would I trade my life for Stardoll?

I am aware that this is a short notice, but first thing I'll do when I wake up on January 1st is get on Stardoll and delete my account. I'll ask my Dad to use the Parental Controls to block the website, so I won't be tempted to go on. Then I'll shake the virtual dust of this place off of my feet, wash my hands clean of this place and start my new life.

I'll miss everyone I know or knew on Stardoll. I hope you understand why I have to do this.

Taking a bit of time off for Christmas!

As you've probably noticed, Christmas just passed. You've might have also noticed that while I usually post every day, I haven't been recently. I figured I'd give myself a bit of time off to spend Christmas without having to stress over posts for the day, especially because my computer's keyboard has been broken and I have to write on my parent's computer, because the On Screen Keyboard is ridiculously slow. It's fine for normal stuff, but I haven't been able to talk to many people because it would probably take me half an hour just to type this out.
So, enough for excuses. I'll be back to posting every day on here and every other day on Stardoll's Vogue either tomorrow or Thursday.

Non Superstar Outfit #3

Items Used:
Fallen Angel Tube Top, 40 starcoins
Basics Red Mini Skirt, 40 starcoins
Wild Candy Checkered Jacket, 70 starcoins
Fallen Angel Black Velvet Wedge Boots, 50 starcoins
Fallen Angel Silver Cuff Bangle, 42 starcoins
Pretty N'Love Cream Woven Scarf, 55 starcoins

Total Price- 357 starcoins

Catwalk

Everyone who is a member of Stardoll has heard of, and probably participated in the Catwalk competition at some point in time. The idea is simple: you save your own or someone else's doll in your album and the outfit should be entered. People have three outfits to choose from, and they choose their favorite. The person who gets the most votes wins.

Pros:

• It's actually pretty fun. I'll go on sometimes and vote for different outfits, even if I've already gotten all of my starcoins for the day.
• The winner gets a lot of fame from it. Not lasting fame, or fame on the covergirl scale, but still, you get lots of suite visits and guestbook comments.
• People could offer constructive criticism about the outfits. I doubt that anyone does, but still, it's a nice idea.

Cons:

• Most of the outfits honestly aren't brilliant...
• I don't think everyone gets entered! How many times have you entered, only to have no one tell you that they've seen you. Not that this isn't understandable. A lot of people enter, even if they don't realize it.
• With the fame comes the spam.

Possible Improvements:

• A comments section would be nice. I like the idea of being able to contact who you voted for from that page and complement the outfit or offer constructive criticism.
• Stardoll needs to show everyone, or at least inform them that they appeared on the Catwalk.

Feature #2

Hey, today I have a user to feature. Her username is _D_0_D_A_, and she's a 14 year old girl from Poland. She does good sceneries. The poses aren't necessarily stunning....they're normally either very simple or very messy, or even not posed at all, but I love their ambiance. Here are some examples:

Visit her suite here.

Non-Superstar Outfit #2

Items used:

• Rio Alessandria Top, 40 starcoins
• Wild Candy Glitter Party Skirt, 80 starcoins
• Windows on the World Satiny Jacket, 70 starcoins
• Decades Pumps, 40 starcoins
• Rio Emerald Print Belt, 44 starcoins
• Rio Bangles, 30 starcoins
• Rio Muticolor Feather Clutch, 65 starcoins

This outfit cost 369 starcoins in all.

Covergirl

The whole idea behind the Covergirl system is a good one. Everyone is familiar with it: people vote for a user that they think has an amazing medoll, suite, and possibly personality, and the person with the most votes is awarded with loads of attention and a trophy. Maybe this worked a few years back, when there weren't over one hundred million users on Stardoll. But it sure doesn't now.
People do it just for the attention now, putting thousands of stardollars into broadcasting, or buying LE just for a raffle for if they win. The title of Covergirl is something to be bought now, not something to earn.

Pros:

•  You get a day of fame! Honestly, just about everyone would love the spotlight on them, even if its just for a little while.
• Inspiration for your outfit and suite.
• If you feature people on your blog, you can go to the covergirl and go to one of their best friend's page, then one of the best friend's best friend's pages, and go as far back as you'd like or need to find someone that's really talented.

Cons:

•  Famewhores galore...
• It's expensive! Even if you don't do a raffle, all of those little broadcasts can really add up. For example, the top broadcaster today, (December 16, 2011) is a user named Kiiing. He broadcasted 1,519 times yesterday. That adds up to 7,595 stardollars spent on broadcasting. I think it's safe to guess that he was running for Coverboy.
• The fame dies fast.

I asked people earlier what they think of the whole covergirl system, and even though I only got one reply, I think it sums the whole post up pretty well:

"I think the Covergirl was a good idea at first - rewarding an SD member who had put effort in her suite and doll and deserved the votes she got by featuring her on the magazine cover. But, like most things on SD, it changed to fame-whoring pretty quickly - and now most of the Covergirls are only Covergirls because they bribed their way into it. For me, the ideal covergirl would be someone who actually EARNED her votes, not someone who bought them with old LE." -JeweI

Addiction

Sorry, I feel like such a slacker! It's exam week at my school, so I hope that you can imagine how things get stressful and I have to spend more time studying then I normally would. Tomorrow are my last two exams, and after that I'll have more time and post more.

When you hear the word 'addiction', what do you think of? Most people will probably think of drugs or alcohol, and how you use them more and more and they slowly drive you insane. You probably think about how you know the drugs or alcohol are bad for you, you just can't stop using them. But addiction knows no bounds, you can be addicted to almost anything. Think of the TV show on Discovery Fit and Health, 'My Strange Addiction'. People on there are addicted to things like pulling out their hair, bathing in bleach, or sleeping with their blow dryers.
But one addiction that is becoming increasingly common is Internet or video game addiction. I'd say that most people that use Stardoll regularly have been addicted at one point in time, or are addicted. I'm not innocent of it either, I'm addicted. I've been on Stardoll for years, coming back even when I try to leave or getting an account deleted because I'm not sane enough to be on Stardoll. Here's a list of common Internet addiction symptoms...can you see any of them in yourself?

• Going on Stardoll every day without skipping. Do you ever get anxious when you can't go on to check your guestbook comments or go on for 'just five minutes' to see what your friends are up to?
• Losing track of time after getting online. Do you ever get on Stardoll, intending to just check your guestbook messages or see what your friends are up to, being on and off in fifteen minutes, but then look up at the clock and see that hours have passed?
• Going out less and less. Have you ever chose going on Stardoll to talk to your online friends or work on a project rather than going out and doing something with your family or real life friends?
• Spending less and less time on meals at home or at work, and eating in front of the monitor. Have you ever went to get lunch, and then instead of eating at the table like a normal human being, eating while going on Stardoll? After all, you're multitasking!
• Denying spending too much time online. Have you ever lied about how much time you spend on Stardoll? Have you ever not been able to see a friend's point of view when they say you spend too much time online, after all, three hours isn't a lot....right?
• Others complaining that you spend too much time online. Have your parents ever gotten mad and said you spend too much time on the computer?
• Checking Stardoll too many times a day. Even if you can manage to go on in short bursts, have you ever caught yourself checking Stardoll ten times a day or something?
• Logging on when you're busy. Have you ever spent time working on a Stardoll project when you should have been working on schoolwork, or doing your real job?
• Sneaking online when family members are not at home, with a sense on relief. Have you ever tried to hide how much that you're on, going on in secret whenever they're gone?

So, could you be addicted?

Feature #1

Yes, yes, I know I just posted something, but I was going through Stardoll, looking for someone to feature tomorrow or the day after, and I came across this one user. I knew I would not be able to remember her username, so I decided that I may as well post now. I hope that you don't mind.
Her username is 876540276478302. She is amazing at designing suites, and she had received attention on a MUCH bigger scale for it before. Here are some of my favorite rooms:

Visit her suite and see it for yourself here.

Non-Superstar Outfit #1

Items used in this outfit:
Fudge High Waisted Skirt, 50 starcoins.
Decades Coco Top, 50 starcoins
Bonjour Bizou Grey Tribal Print Tights, 79 starcoins.
*Note: This outfit would work just as well with the free black tights everyone gets when they sign up.*
Windows On The World Shoes Inspired by Ivana Helsinki, 50 starcoins
Rio Gold Detailed Lace Up Belt, 40 starcoins
Stardoll Boyfriend Jacket, 40 starcoins
Rio You Can Toucan Brooch, 43 starcoins
*Note: This outfit would work just as well with any brooch/pin you may have in your suite, but it would work better if it was a light or bright color.*
Gold Necklace, 50 starcoins
Pearl Earrings, 50 starcoins

Total Cost: 452 starcoins

Polls

Polls on Stardoll have been around since I joined. The idea is that it is changed daily, and most people only answer it because it gets them Starcoins, which I think is perfectly reasonable. I mean, why else would you want to answer it. Most of the time, it isn't changed on time, and when it is, its not even a poll at all, its a trivia question. Even when it is a poll, meaning that it asks your opinion on something, it asks you something like, 'What do you think of the new LE?', and the first option is always that they like it. This would be fine, it would be nice if there was a way for Stardoll to really see our feedback, but most people are too lazy to select their actual opinion on it. If they hated the new LE, they might say they liked it just because that didn't want to move their mouse more than just to press the button to send in their answer.
So how can Stardoll improve it? I've got my ideas, and I'd like to hear yours. Leave them in the comments.

• For God's sake, ask us our opinion on something besides a new store or collection that just came out. I'm bored of trivia questions and I'm sure other people are too, especially when its something that a lot of people will not know.
• Do not automatically select the first answer. Make it so they have to select an answer themselves, not just press one button and get some starcoins.
• I'd like it if it wasn't so far down on the page, I have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to answer, then scroll all the way back up to go to 'Contests & Events'. This may just be flat out lazy, but hey, I'm a teenager.

Introduction

You probably do not know me, but maybe that will change. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lyndie, and my Stardoll username is -Lyndie-. I've been on Stardoll for about three years on several accounts that I have had to leave behind for different reasons. I've felt left out on Stardoll for awhile.
Why?
Well, it's simply because everyone seems to have all the stardollars and starcoins in the world to be able to buy whatever they want, whenever they want. I don't like spending money on Stardoll. It's just a game, after all. I can spend my money on real things, like a designer bag or Christmas presents for my family.
That, and Stardoll's been terribly boring recently, I figured that no one would mind if I attempted to add some sort of excitement. Or at least whatever excitement you can get out of this. I've always enjoyed writing, and I like to think that I'm half decent at it, at least.
So here you go. Here's a blog for all of you with an LE taste and a Basics budget. Here's a blog for those of you that can't or won't get superstar, or spend all of your money on a website. Here's the blog for all of you that need something to fill up your time while on Stardoll, but don't have the clothes/money to buy loads of stuff. Expect a little bit of everything, from fashion to features on people with brilliant talents to rants.
I'll be writing my first official post soon. If there's anything that you'd like me to write about, be sure to tell me, whether its in the comments or on my Stardoll account.