Quoted from pinballaddicted:Not as many as everybody thinks. I think 10 - 20% would be close. Most of my friends highly recommend that I do not go on any forums. Too many people from all different races, countries, financial status, genuine and non genuine all mixed in one place is a recipe for disaster.
I cannot hear any complaining when I can give them info to fix their pinny straight from Pinside!
The alternative is to become an isolated, hierarchical based, insular dump like AA where those who fall outside of the designated purple circle are treated with suspicion, hostility and berated to contribute financially to the site creating a perpetual barrier to entry and participation.
In my dealings in the pinball world I can't think of any normal person who isn't inherently servile who would willingly want to participate in a system structured like that.
Pinside isn't perfect (what system is?) but it is as close as you will practically get to an egalitarian based forum and the participation numbers versus our local alternative speak for themselves. That is, hundreds of actual individual forum participants instead of one dozen at most.
Little wonder then there are so many current AA members from the plebeian ranks who quietly look to pinside for not only information but outside perspective of what is actually happening in the hobby.
