Mallignamius

I've had it said to me, and I see it said to another. "Google it."

Of course, I've Googled my topic for research. Among other resources. Can't speak for others. But really, I'd like to know why when people ask questions here, in RESEARCH, we get a "Google it." Is this subforum not a place to ask questions any less than Google is a place to look for answers? Why even have this subforum, then?

Many times I see questions here and there that Google can help with. Many times, that turns out to not be so right after all. I don't usually go out of my way to Google it for anyone else. They're big boys and girls. They can do it themselves. And they don't need me to tell them that. But if it's a question I happen to know the answer to, I'll speak right up.

It's obvious that if no one can or will answer a question, then the poster will go elsewhere. It's just not necessary, nor polite, to tell them to "Google it." This forum is just as valid a place as any other on the Internet to ask questions. How would a person, face to face, respond to being told to "Google it" if asked some obscure question. When I ask someone directly, I usually get the answer I'm looking for or, "I don't know." When I ask in the middle of a crowd, I usually get the answer I'm looking for or, "..."

What's worse is the occasional innuendo. No one has any place even suggesting that x member is too lazy to use Google unless maybe they know that person. I've had that accusation myself, and it was unfounded.

It's up to you how to respond, if at all. I suggest that if you don't have an answer then to not respond at all. Telling someone to "Google it" is patronizing, and thus any bickering that follows would be on your head.

So from now on, if anyone ever answers a question I pose with a "Google it," they can expect a prompt "Shove it" from me.

If you don't have an answer, then just leave it alone.

mammamaia

i beg to differ... sometimes it is necessary, as not everyone in the world is as google-aware as you are, y'know... and i'll often see a response to such a post that is thanking the poster for the googling advice...

i might agree that to just say 'google it' with no other advice or suggestions as to what to google for, could be seen as a hair or two less than polite, but it's certainly not on as low a level as your 'shove it' will be!...

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Mallignamius

Then let me reiterate. As I had done before, especially after noting that I did a Google, telling me to Google (again?) will earn a "Shove it."

Mallignamius

LOL:

"Google?"

"Google it."

wmd

I responded to a post similar to this one before, not my exact words but here is what I noted...

This forum is for specific questions that someone would only know from experience or something similar... not for general questions.

A good question to ask here is something like "Does anyone know if a glock 9mm jams in extremely cold weather?"

A bad question to ask here is something like "What color is an elephant?"

Now obviously the second question is a little extreme, but we have had similar questions like in this forum where it is actually faster and more efficient to google it than to ask it here.

I actually remember someone asking ""Is there a such thing as a multi region dvd player?"... now that is a question that should have been googled before asking it here.

I see you just joined this month... stick around and before you know it you will be wondering why they didnt just google it.

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lin

It wouldn't be polite to tel them not to, I would say. This is a board for writers in English and there is already too much activity trying to get words outlawed.

Unlike French, Spanish, etc. English has no academy. It's usage is determined democratically and linquistic demogogues can rant about unsplit infinitives and "lite" all they want, but its an amoeba language that mutates and thank God for it.

Think a second...does it bother you for people to say "I'll phone you"? Or "I'll fax it"? Or "I went windsurfing" or "I got downsized when my job offshored"?

Same deal...nouns become verbs. Even Buckminster Fuller became one. Or so he claimed.

lin

Oops. That has nothing to do with what you're talking about does it?
Never mind. (Unlike some, I don't delete posts just to keep from looking stupid)

I agree completely. People who just want to have a response when they don't know do this stuff. Bitchslap them all, say I.


(That icon has zip to do with my post, I just think it's cool. Whatever happened to Angela Davis, anyway?)

lin

I tried to follow your advice, but couldn't locate Shove.com

Mallignamius

Actually, I had been a lurker for much longer. But what I wanted to emphasize was that just ignoring a cookie dough question is politer than some responses I see.

Otherwise, point noted.

Mallignamius

Yeah, I got lost really fast with that post, I thought my brain just rotted. So I appreciate that.

Shawn

Sometimes, people just need to Google harder.

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wmd

I totally agree with you on this point, and it can apply to EVERY post in this forum...

When I first announced an open call for submissions for my journal I got mostly all negative responses.. a lot of which trashed the idea of a journal focusing on Christian thinking...

It just goes with the territory sometimes.

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Kyrie

The problem is that some people ask questions too generic to even bother. "What year did X person die?" "How do bees make their wax?" "What color is an elephant?" (like wmd just said).

All those questions can be answered with "research", and a good place to start would be, of course, Google.

If the question were something more specific, maybe we could help with something more than just "Google it". And if you already did Google, just put up a little note that says "I already tried Google but I can't find the answer."

Or better yet. Make it up. (Just kidding)

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Selorian

No, any bickering would fall on the person choosing to do it. This is a public forum where unwanted responses are obviously going to happen It's up to each individual to decide how to respond. If you don't like the replies you get, then just ignore them or refrain from posting until you can.

If a person asks for help and I go to Google, type in their question, and the first page of results is exactly what they were searching for, then yes, I'm going to say "google it". That shows me they just wanted someone else to do the work for them.

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archer88iv

[Tongue Firmly In Cheek]

For future reference, WMD, any firearm will tend to have difficulty feeding in cold weather if it is not properly maintained for that environment.

While living down around Austin, Texas a few years ago, I tended to use a fairly heavy lubricant on my pistol and it worked quite well. Upon moving back north, I found that the change in climate necessitated a change in lubricant. The lighter oil would have been too runny in the south--and would have had to be reapplied far more often--but was perfect on colder days around Amarillo.

For the purposes of fiction: if you need a weapon to jam, invent a reason. Make its user unfamiliar, or make it poorly maintained. Alternatively, just claim they were using the wrong ammunition. Squib rounds (the sort that don't fire right and fail to cycle the action to load another round) are fairly uncommon (on the order of winning $100 or more in the lottery) and should not be used too freely.

...but I have no damn idea what color an elephant is supposed to be.

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