diff --git a/benchmark/index.js b/benchmark/index.js
index 65c2a688..73c1575d 100644
--- a/benchmark/index.js
+++ b/benchmark/index.js
@@ -357,6 +357,33 @@ test('initial indexing', async (t) => {
 
   await ended.promise
 })
+test('initial indexing leveldb about-self', async (t) => {
+  await sleep(500) // some silence to make it easier to read the CPU profiler
+  const ended = DeferredPromise()
+
+  const sbot = SecretStack({ appKey: caps.shs })
+    .use(require('../'))
+    .use(require('../about-self'))
+    .call(null, { keys, path: dir })
+
+  const start = Date.now()
+
+  sbot.db.onDrain('base', () => {
+    sbot.db.onDrain('aboutSelf', () => {
+      const duration = Date.now() - start
+      t.pass(`duration: ${duration}ms`)
+      fs.appendFileSync(
+        reportPath,
+        `| Initial indexing leveldb about-self | ${duration}ms |\n`
+      )
+      updateMaxRAM()
+      global.gc()
+      sbot.close(() => ended.resolve())
+    })
+  })
+
+  await ended.promise
+})
 
 test('initial indexing maxcpu 86', async (t) => {
   rimraf.sync(indexesPath)
diff --git a/indexes/about-self.js b/indexes/about-self.js
index b5194c33..c04ed1ac 100644
--- a/indexes/about-self.js
+++ b/indexes/about-self.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const bipf = require('bipf')
 const pull = require('pull-stream')
 const pl = require('pull-level')
+const fastJson = require('fast-json-stringify')
 const Plugin = require('./plugin')
 
 const bValue = Buffer.from('value')
@@ -9,9 +10,33 @@ const bContent = Buffer.from('content')
 const bType = Buffer.from('type')
 const bAbout = Buffer.from('about')
 
+const stringify = fastJson({
+  title: 'AboutSelf Value',
+  type: 'object',
+  properties: {
+    name: {
+      type: 'string',
+    },
+    image: {
+      type: 'string',
+    },
+    description: {
+      type: 'string',
+    },
+  },
+})
+
+const valueEncoding = {
+  encode: stringify,
+  decode: JSON.parse,
+  buffer: false,
+  type: 'json',
+}
+
 // feedId => hydratedAboutObj
 module.exports = class AboutSelf extends Plugin {
   constructor(log, dir) {
+    // super(log, dir, 'aboutSelf', 3, undefined, valueEncoding)
     super(log, dir, 'aboutSelf', 3, 'json', 'json')
     this.profiles = {}
   }
@@ -57,7 +82,11 @@ module.exports = class AboutSelf extends Plugin {
   }
 
   updateProfileData(author, content) {
-    let profile = this.profiles[author] || {}
+    let profile = this.profiles[author] || {
+      name: '',
+      description: '',
+      image: '',
+    }
 
     if (content.name) profile.name = content.name
 
diff --git a/indexes/plugin.js b/indexes/plugin.js
index daa15836..2bd858eb 100644
--- a/indexes/plugin.js
+++ b/indexes/plugin.js
@@ -117,12 +117,18 @@ module.exports = class Plugin {
   // doesn't support it, but `level-post` is a dependency in `pull-level`.
   // Note, this._keyEncoding and this._valueEncoding are strings.
   get keyEncoding() {
-    if (encodings[this._keyEncoding]) return encodings[this._keyEncoding]
+    const e = this._keyEncoding
+    if (typeof e === 'object' && e) return e
+    else if (typeof e === 'string' && encodings[e]) return encodings[e]
+    // if (encodings[this._keyEncoding]) return encodings[this._keyEncoding]
     else return undefined
   }
 
   get valueEncoding() {
-    if (encodings[this._valueEncoding]) return encodings[this._valueEncoding]
+    const e = this._valueEncoding
+    if (typeof e === 'object' && e) return e
+    else if (typeof e === 'string' && encodings[e]) return encodings[e]
+    // if (encodings[this._valueEncoding]) return encodings[this._valueEncoding]
     else return undefined
   }
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 010cc7b1..656271f9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     "binary-search-bounds": "^2.0.4",
     "bipf": "~1.5.0",
     "debug": "~4.3.1",
+    "fast-json-stringify": "^2.5.2",
     "fastintcompression": "0.0.4",
     "flumecodec": "0.0.1",
     "flumelog-offset": "3.4.4",