I just got back from Asheville, North Carolina the other day, and saw and spoke to several pipe smokers there and along the way. I also see pipes all of the time here in Alabama, on the road and finishing their pipes in parking lots before going into stores (or while waiting on wives to shop). Maybe I am just more observant or maybe there are still plenty of pipe smokers out in "the wild" here in my area of the world. It has just never occurred to me that there were "less" pipe smokers today than when I was a kid. The only place I ever hear that there are less pipe smokers is here on this forum. The Briary talks like business keeps getting better and better, better than even before they were located in the mall in 1972.
The one thing I do notice is that the pipe smokers I do meet in "the wild" don't give a crap about belonging to a forum, and they usually smoke their OTC, and seem to care less about trying new blends from online, or at least that is the impression that i get when talking to them. I have never just run into a forum member, online tobacco buyer, or someone who even knows there is a forum out there without first planning a meeting with a forum member.
As to whether it is better for new pipe smokers today...
Well, there is good and bad. Pipe smoking is not nearly as complicated as we all make it out to be. I had it down for a few years before ever even knowing there was a forum online. Filling a pipe, lighting it, cleaning it... I have noticed that there are three types of people in the world with every hobby. The first just figures things out, thinking that someone was first to do something, therefore it can't be hard. Maybe they ask someone a question every now and then to get the gist of something, but then for the most part, they just do it, whatever it is. I coach debate, and the intricacies of research, creating a framework, and delivering their ideas in verbal communication just comes easy to some people. I run into mountain bikers who just figured out how to bunny hop roots, hop a curb, or land a jump. I meet guys who didn't need any formal training to be able to make things that they sell at craft and art shows. I have met several people who just figured out how to juggle on their own.
Then there are those that have to have instructions on every little thing they do. Whether it is a lack of confidence, wanting confirmation, only learn from visual or written instructions, or just have no idea.
Then there are those who go through life never trying something new... for whatever reason even if they want to.
Some aspects of how to smoke a pipe, I just picked up from watching pipe smokers as a kid. Codger scoop, light it, and let it smolder. At first it burns your tongue, but a smart person will figure out how to make it pleasurable, unless they are the type to just give up easily. Too hard, won't try.
The best part of today is that we are all not limited to merely what tobaccos we can find at a pipe shop or convenience store. Even a place like the Briary doesn't carry nearly the selections we can find online. Is this good or bad? Well, without the internet stores, I would probably just be smoking with less selections, but I would be smoking my pipe.
Needing help with getting started is not a weakness. It just means that someone is the type than needs help. There is no proof that just figuring it out on your own makes you enjoy it any more than someone who has questions. And, it is better than the third of people who want to do it, but just never start because they are clueless. However, in the old days a person who needs instruction would just ask another smoker. They would actually go out and find one, and not just set on their couch wringing their hands saying they've never seen a pipe smoker in real life. But really, a person who has never seen a pipe smoker in life would probably have no inclination to smoke a pipe anyways.
we also have members on here that will see one person dissent in a thread and get all pissed off because in their mind they equate one person's comment to "everyone". Without naming names, we have a few people that are members that will demand that their post be taken down if one person doesn't agree or kiss their ass. Take the engineering thread for example, a couple of people start posting that they don't believe that pipemaking is engineering, and then we get the old codger that says "all of you think you know better than the pipemakers." It's kind of funny how some people will turn one or two posts into "everyone" or even "a bunch." Just like when we get three people who get moldy tins turned into "all" tin were moldy in the eyes of forum members. It's just a phenomena of forums. Exaggerated results. Just like there are people living right here in my area of the world that think they are the only pipesmokers in their area. They drive to work with blinders on, and sit on their couch when they get home. I bet you I could find at least five pipe smokers at Six Flags right on any given day. I would just light up my pipe in the smoking area and start talking to people. If I don't actually run into someone who has a pipe on them, I will get a hand full of people who will tell me about their husband, father, or uncle who smokes a pipe. And, how many men are out there in the world that come home from work and only smoke their pipe while watching the news every day? These guys don't use forums.
Forum members are only a small percentage of a small percentage, a fraction of a fraction of people who smoke pipes. We are only a piece of a slice of cheese that was sliced off of an even larger chunk. We do not even represent pipesmokers as a whole, and we look very different in the way we enjoy our pipes than the majority of pipe smokers in the world. Most of the world smokes aromatics in drug store Grabows, at least the majority of men that I meet that smoke do, almost all.
Most men only smoke one blend all the time. Most only spend maybe $30 on a pipe. Most never had someone tell them how to pack it or light it. We are the few and far between. And, the statistics from the vendors back this up, as well as the statistics of how many smokers we have in the world, compared to forum results.
So, I don't think we have it any better or worse today. We are just a small percentage that enjoy the camaraderie of pipe smoking and taking the hobby to the next level. And, asking us a question about something that is minor or seems to be common sense is not a bad thing, as it builds camaraderie. How many people do we really help with novice level questions? We get maybe a handful a week? Maybe more on a good week? Look at that in comparison to the thousands across the planet that pick up a pipe for the first time every day or week.
As much as I enjoy this site, I think that some of us place too much emphasis on it, like one bad comment will kill the entire hobby. But, all in all, it all goes back to that phenomena I was talking about.