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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
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