Game resetting

Can we make threads about redundant threads?

How much is my pinball machine worth? (Go to Market Archive and do your own research)!

Guys I don’t know if anybody has ever asked this, but which pinball machines are overrated?

And at the same time this opens up the door to an interesting discussion: which pinball machines are underrated!!

TRON VE thread

If you're trying to make a useful thread you'll need links. The point of sending people here would be to help them and some variation of 'hey noob, that's been asked already' doesn't accomplish that.

Maybe we can include hyperlinks in your first post, and make it a sticky. Basically "New to pinball and pinball maintenance and have question" sticky thread? Having an index to some great threads could be helpful.

Can we just start and over/under on the total number of bubble threads that'll be created on Pinside for 2022.

24 seems about right. 2 per month.

I say OVER 24.

I do not like this idea, we seasoned pinheads keep trying to invent new ways to stop newbies getting involved
sure, threads like you describe can be annoying, but it is not that big a deal

they cannot use the "search " function, but they will read your list?

This sounds like a great idea on things like repairs. But, I worry about this idea on opinion issues. Part of the fun of being human is to be able to discuss topics that are important to people now. Just reading what other people said in the past is not the same as sharing our current thoughts, even if they are substantially similar to what was said in the past.
Carried to its extreme, this thanking could eliminate most all cable TV news programming since it was all said by an earlier guest.
No need to go on a hike that was already walked on by somebody else because they can tell us all about it?
Anyway, just my thoughts.

How is, 'This has been asked, look at the list here' more helpful than 'This has been asked, search for X'?

As long as new people are showing up to the hobby/pinside we’ll always have a stream of a redundant threads hopefully they can research first and find a destination like this first.

I'm not sure if this will work. Great in theory. But poor in practice. Most people don't use the search feature now, or know how to search. Look how many posts you see that start out I searched but couldn't find it.

May as well help them. Because that helps everybody.

LTG : )

Bingo. Many once great message boards have simply died by stifling people’s ability to start threads because something was once said in a thread before. Let people ask their questions and get a direct modern response from whoever wants to interact with them today rather than making people read possibly pages and pages of historical posts from possibly more than a decade ago from people who may not be here any longer and can’t interact with you.

The list idea is a good one. It would be great if it existed to pop up or be directed to when key words are typed as new member starts a new topic. Doesn’t mean they couldn’t still move forward and start one.

-Or - simply make a “Start here! new to owning or maintaining pinball machines?” A sticky front page topic with imbedded links.
Bring the best of common topics forward for newbs.

"this price is too good to believe, is this a legit distributor?"

"is this distributor any good?"

"why do we even need distributors?"

the smartest way to pull this off would be a forum software upgrade
when you try to start a new thread, the forum searches thread titles and puts up older threads with similar titles
the poster is then asked if they want to continue to post a new thread or contribute to an older one

I have seen it done,

That feature is in place.
pasted_image (resized).png

Unfortunately, most people are not very good at creating descriptive thread titles.

Would it be possible to make a section of key threads similar to the key post principle used within many of those threads? Group of the best threads for each of the above listed topics would be pretty great for new enthusiasts. Maybe sticky them at the top of each corresponding sub-forum? I’ve noticed one or two of those in the past.

C'mon, now, a nice big helping of AI, seasoned with a little blockchain, and Pinside will understand their intent. I read about it in a ... thread somewhere, I don't remember where exactly...

Already exists. Use the search function noob.

techfaqs (resized).png

Ah I never noticed that. I always click on the sub-forums that are more specific (one step down from the general topic) and had never noticed those topic stickies. Thank you!

Not a fan of the repeated, "I have 10k what should I buy?". Umm, I'm not you.