Polls don't really work on forums, Bergie.

[Anonymous]

The Z poll aspect was rigged somehow, I'm not sure how, but rigged it was. I enjoy polls in forums even if they are completely accurate as to the general population responses. Anything on an electronic medium such as the internet is going to skew responses to a younger audience since youth are more into the internet than some of the older guys and gals. I know some of the NMRA types tried to switch to electronic webs for their members but there was a tremendous resistance to it, since so many didn't have computers yet! or weren't using the internet - even though they were signed up on one!

But you just need to look to the Atlas forum to see that responses are not reflective of the population. N scale responses out number HO responses; when you consider the ratio of N scaler's to HO'rs this is surprising, but not really. There are more younger people in N scale than in HO, and the younger people are more active on the internet so N scale is strong in the electronic media.

Often I do dual posts in the Atlas N and HO forum. It is more common for the N scale thread to garner more posts than the HO thread. This has been true for the past couple of years.

But the polls can give me a sense of what people are doing from questions like - how many have staging on their layout - to how many free lance vs prototypical, etc. So I like the polls as long as they aren't dominating the forums.

[Anonymous]

A "danger" is that the results are being quoted in other news groups as a Model Railroader poll. And being used to "prove" unsound things because "A Model Railroader Poll" said so. Since this site is the arm of the publisher and since the polls are posted by the agent of the publisher, there isn't any clean denial.

C Tucker
NY

[Anonymous]

A "danger" is that the results are being quoted in other news groups as a Model Railroader poll. And being used to "prove" unsound things because "A Model Railroader Poll" said so. Since this site is the arm of the publisher and since the polls are posted by the agent of the publisher, there isn't any clean denial.

C Tucker
NY

[Anonymous]

GO TO THE BATTERY OPERATED TOY TRAIN POLL!
IT IS YOUR DESTINY!

-I'll be back.

[Anonymous]

GO TO THE BATTERY OPERATED TOY TRAIN POLL!
IT IS YOUR DESTINY!

-I'll be back.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Javern

I find them interesting. However i don't make personal decisions based on polls taken in here, for instance I'm not gonna model in Z just becuase it won out in a poll. Just like I don't vote for a person that is ahead in national voting polls.

I'd have to agree. I like voting in them and seeing the results, but don't take them too seriously. On any forum, workplace, volunteer organization (insert any scenario), you will always have the ones that are active, the inactive and the afraid to be active. Nothing in these polls will change my mind - it might make me raise an eyebrow now and then. Aw, what the heck, keep the polls - it's good fodder for conversation over a cold brew!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Javern

I find them interesting. However i don't make personal decisions based on polls taken in here, for instance I'm not gonna model in Z just becuase it won out in a poll. Just like I don't vote for a person that is ahead in national voting polls.

I'd have to agree. I like voting in them and seeing the results, but don't take them too seriously. On any forum, workplace, volunteer organization (insert any scenario), you will always have the ones that are active, the inactive and the afraid to be active. Nothing in these polls will change my mind - it might make me raise an eyebrow now and then. Aw, what the heck, keep the polls - it's good fodder for conversation over a cold brew!

[Javern]

I find them interesting. However i don't make personal decisions based on polls taken in here, for instance I'm not gonna model in Z just becuase it won out in a poll. Just like I don't vote for a person that is ahead in national voting polls.

[Javern]

I find them interesting. However i don't make personal decisions based on polls taken in here, for instance I'm not gonna model in Z just becuase it won out in a poll. Just like I don't vote for a person that is ahead in national voting polls.

[Wdlgln005]

So vote early & often!
Let's keep this forum busy
Y'all come back now Y'hear!
Model Railroading is Fun!

[Wdlgln005]

So vote early & often!
Let's keep this forum busy
Y'all come back now Y'hear!
Model Railroading is Fun!

[CNJ831]

Most unfortunately, Bergie, Mike is absolutely correct on this particular matter and each of his listed points. I've been watching the various poll figures presented here of late and have to say that in almost every case the results are absolutely ludicrous. The best recent examples of this being that (absolutely no offense meant) Z scale, truly a niche scale, garners a major fraction of hobbyists, and that nearly half of all hobbyists are members of the NMRA, compared to an honest figure close to 7%-9%.

I have to agree with Mike that such figures can drastically mislead newcomers as to what goes on in our hobby and can not serve any useful purpose. Commentary on most any subject is often useful, productive and fun. Creating a misleading and totally unscientific poll regarding the same point, and its potential influence, is not.

CNJ831

[CNJ831]

Most unfortunately, Bergie, Mike is absolutely correct on this particular matter and each of his listed points. I've been watching the various poll figures presented here of late and have to say that in almost every case the results are absolutely ludicrous. The best recent examples of this being that (absolutely no offense meant) Z scale, truly a niche scale, garners a major fraction of hobbyists, and that nearly half of all hobbyists are members of the NMRA, compared to an honest figure close to 7%-9%.

I have to agree with Mike that such figures can drastically mislead newcomers as to what goes on in our hobby and can not serve any useful purpose. Commentary on most any subject is often useful, productive and fun. Creating a misleading and totally unscientific poll regarding the same point, and its potential influence, is not.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

well, then we should have a poll on whether or not we should have any more polls[:o)]

[Anonymous]

well, then we should have a poll on whether or not we should have any more polls[:o)]

[Anonymous]

Not to be more annoying than usual, but polls are usually intended to have some kind of statistical significance. Polls on this forum, [ or other MRR internet forums ], by nature, have no such characteristics.

Take the recent 'NMRA membership' poll, the 'club membership' poll, the 'what's the most popular scale' poll....none of them has the slightest resemblance to proven statistical participation. [xx(]

What they are is a chance for those in a niche part of the hobby to pretend they are a larger and more significant part of the hobby than is true, and to "preach to the converted".
( How many people who don't belong to the NMRA will join because someone in a forum poll says that they should ? )
( How many MRR club members will quit because someone in a forum poll says how bad clubs are ? )

Totally inaccurate statistics might not matter much to those who have been in the hobby for a while, but might be misleading to a beginner.[B)]

Why are online poll results always so grossly inaccurate ?
Because:
a] most hobby participants don't join online forums,
b] of those who do join, most do not post, they just read others' posts,
c] of those who do post, most post very infrequently,
d] of those who do post frequently, most have pretty strong opinions,
e] the strongest opinions invariably reflect a minority position...not just in our hobby, in all aspects of life.[:I]

So what you really get is not a "poll", but a polarized spleen-venting exercise amongst a highly opinionated tiny minority of special-interest hobbyists.[:o)]
regards
Mike
Opinionated Old Curmudgeon

[Anonymous]

Not to be more annoying than usual, but polls are usually intended to have some kind of statistical significance. Polls on this forum, [ or other MRR internet forums ], by nature, have no such characteristics.

Take the recent 'NMRA membership' poll, the 'club membership' poll, the 'what's the most popular scale' poll....none of them has the slightest resemblance to proven statistical participation. [xx(]

What they are is a chance for those in a niche part of the hobby to pretend they are a larger and more significant part of the hobby than is true, and to "preach to the converted".
( How many people who don't belong to the NMRA will join because someone in a forum poll says that they should ? )
( How many MRR club members will quit because someone in a forum poll says how bad clubs are ? )

Totally inaccurate statistics might not matter much to those who have been in the hobby for a while, but might be misleading to a beginner.[B)]

Why are online poll results always so grossly inaccurate ?
Because:
a] most hobby participants don't join online forums,
b] of those who do join, most do not post, they just read others' posts,
c] of those who do post, most post very infrequently,
d] of those who do post frequently, most have pretty strong opinions,
e] the strongest opinions invariably reflect a minority position...not just in our hobby, in all aspects of life.[:I]

So what you really get is not a "poll", but a polarized spleen-venting exercise amongst a highly opinionated tiny minority of special-interest hobbyists.[:o)]
regards
Mike
Opinionated Old Curmudgeon