The Argument Against "You Should've Used Google"

[hat]

This is my argument against the "you should've just used google" phrase that members love to toss around back and forth to eachother. This is usually thrown around by people who know that a question being asked is generally common knowledge amongst the rest of us TPU'ers. Just imagine if every single one of us TPUers used google every single time we had a question, problem, etc. There would be virtually no activity on TPU (aside form GN, most likely)!

TPU is generally a place to ask questions and receive answers. So what if the question could have been solved with a quick googling from someone like a tech-knowledgeable person like you or me? The person asking the question obviously doesn't know the answer to the question or they wouldn't be asking it anyway. If we didn't ask questions, all we would have is a bunch of answers, and there's no activity between a bunch of answers; just like there's no activity between two recievers, you need a reciever and a transmitter, you need a question and an answer for activity. Without questions, TPU wouldn't exist.

What if they already tried googling something? A lot of times, googling leads to nothing, or it leads to a bunch of questions and no answers, or at least, wrong answers that don't solve the aforementioned question. Sometimes if you have a question you don't even know what you're supposed to look for! If you look in the Games section of this forum, you'll see something like "BF2142 video issues". This is a question I currently have, and here's what happens when I use google: BF2142 video issues. The first entry is my question, that doesn't help. The second and third entries are YouTube videos, none of which help. The fourth entry looks promising, but it's nothing like my problem. The fifth entry is about hacks, which doesn't help at all. The 6th entry is Tweakguides, that doesn't help either. The 7th entry is more BF2142 movies, that doesn't help. Obviously this doesn't help.

So please, next time you think about telling someone to just use google, remember this post.

 

[Gam'ster]

+1, hat makes sense and ive seen a few " You Should've Used Google ".

 

[WhiteLotus]

However, people are wanting others to learn for themselves and not just be told everything. It's the way you do it for yourself that makes you learn it and then in turn can contribute more to other people needs.

Just people telling others what do means no enterprise or thought goes into what you have to do. but when you use Google you can learn about it, and then adapt it.

eg

I want to get a new mouse
go to forum they all say get type A - i get A and i find it doesn't suit me - waste

I go to google, look around and hunt for the one that'll suit me better.


See my point?

 

[Wozzer]

Why'd you need to write this thread.......You shouldve used google?

Hee Hee

 

[silkstone]

I genrerally never post, "Why don't you use google!" What you have said is completely true. Users come here to join with the community and get help in a more personal manner, with the ability to follow up with more questions if they need to.

However, I don;t see any problem with (nicely) recommending that posters search google (or forum search), if the topic has come up over and over again (i.e. a common question) - They can find a lot more answers more quickly by doing this - But i try always to give some clues as to what they should be searching for.

I think the biggest problem is with people asking question that are answered in depth in the stickies, this is what people get peeved about.

 

[MRCL]

Yeh for simple questions, Google is your friend. BUT when it comes to relatively specific questions, Google is not really that helpful. I recently had (and still have) an issue with an error message on QuarkXpress. First I asked my father, who has experience with quark for decades and works with it on a daily basis. He had no clue. And so did google, it didn't help me a bit.

So I agree partly with hat, and partly with Lotus here.

 

[Gam'ster]

I do lotus but just saying " just google it " sort of defies the the point, if in that case you were to tell the guy " its better to learn for your self " which i agree is betterish. It would be more beneficial to help the user out and point him in the wright direction as " just googling " brings up a load of half-arsed tech sites and poorly written reviews which is no help at all to a user and thats why hes asking here in the first place .

 

[hat]

However, people are wanting others to learn for themselves and not just be told everything. It's the way you do it for yourself that makes you learn it and then in turn can contribute more to other people needs.

Just people telling others what do means no enterprise or thought goes into what you have to do. but when you use Google you can learn about it, and then adapt it.

eg

I want to get a new mouse
go to forum they all say get type A - i get A and i find it doesn't suit me - waste

I go to google, look around and hunt for the one that'll suit me better.


See my point?

I didn't use Google to learn about computers, I used TPU. When you use Google you'll most likely get reviews, and we all know how reviewers can become corrupted by greed. You might find info about the product by the company who made it which is never good. If you read the product overview on Newegg, they sugar-coat everything so much. If you look at the last 478 processor they have, a computer newbie, based on that writing, would think that the P4 3GHz is the best thing in the world! What you need is real people like you and I to tell you that the AMD AthlonXP 2.2GHz (3200+) would stomp all over that P4 like white on rice.

A lot of times I already know that Product A (let's say a 4GB set of memory or something) is pretty good memory based on Newegg reviews. Before I buy ANYTHING I always post it here for TPU review to get input. What if someone comes along and says no, get Product B (a better 4GB set of memory) for only $7 more, or no, get it from this place where it's $10 cheaper, etc etc.

Honestly I don't like using Google. I look at it like a shot in the dark. Maybe I'll hit what I want to hit, maybe I won't. However when I come to TPU the room is illuminated and I can easily see what I'm looking for. Google is clouded by crap.

 

[silkstone]

I genrerally never post, "Why don't you use google!" What you have said is completely true. Users come here to join with the community and get help in a more personal manner, with the ability to follow up with more questions if they need to.

However, I don;t see any problem with (nicely) recommending that posters search google (or forum search), if the topic has come up over and over again (i.e. a common question) - They can find a lot more answers more quickly by doing this - But i try always to give some clues as to what they should be searching for.

I think the biggest problem is with people asking question that are answered in depth in the stickies, this is what people get peeved about.

 

[mrw1986]

I only ask a question if I can't find an answer on google, which is VERY rare. I'm know as the "Google God" at work because I know how to manipulate google so well to find what I'm looking for. Google is a great tool for anyone who knows how to use it.

 

[silkstone]

I didn't use Google to learn about computers, I used TPU. When you use Google you'll most likely get reviews, and we all know how reviewers can become corrupted by greed. You might find info about the product by the company who made it which is never good. If you read the product overview on Newegg, they sugar-coat everything so much. If you look at the last 478 processor they have, a computer newbie, based on that writing, would think that the P4 3GHz is the best thing in the world! What you need is real people like you and I to tell you that the AMD AthlonXP 2.2GHz (3200+) would stomp all over that P4 like white on rice.

A lot of times I already know that Product A (let's say a 4GB set of memory or something) is pretty good memory based on Newegg reviews. Before I buy ANYTHING I always post it here for TPU review to get input. What if someone comes along and says no, get Product B (a better 4GB set of memory) for only $7 more, or no, get it from this place where it's $10 cheaper, etc etc.

Honestly I don't like using Google. I look at it like a shot in the dark. Maybe I'll hit what I want to hit, maybe I won't. However when I come to TPU the room is illuminated and I can easily see what I'm looking for. Google is clouded by crap.

How did you find TPU?






sorry just trying to be a little ironic - Google is great, you just have to know how to use it

I use it to search for multiple reviews and from that base of reviews i try and sift out the crap and get the general feeling towards a certain product. Yea, it takes more effort but in general there is a helluva lot more info on google than on TPU. Although the advicegiven on TPU is, in general, spot on. so you could, in turn, say i'm just wasting my time

With some of the more unusual problems i can usually find an answer on google.

Well that's my 2pence - and no you can't get a refund.

 

[BrooksyX]

Very good point hat. I like your logic.

 

[r9]

I was thinking about that just today. From litle different point of view. I was wondering how would be interpreted by members for example my asking about nibitor and on google are available tutorials.
For me I always check google first and if the answers I find don`t satisfy me I write on TPU.
But definitely there is no point for some one to post "google first" it is just plain dumb and waste of every one time.

 

[mrw1986]

The problem is that the majority of people don't know how to properly search for something. Sometimes google is just "plug & play" but you usually need to know how to manipulate it.

 

[hat]

How did you find TPU?






sorry just trying to be a little ironic - Google is great, you just have to know how to use it

I use it to search for multiple reviews and from that base of reviews i try and sift out the crap and get the general feeling towards a certain product. Yea, it takes more effort but in general there is a helluva lot more info on google than on TPU. Although the advicegiven on TPU is, in general, spot on. so you could, in turn, say i'm just wasting my time

With some of the more unusual problems i can usually find an answer on google.

Well that's my 2pence - and no you can't get a refund.

Yes, I found TPU through Google. I was googling about how to unlock pipelines on a FX5200 or some such nonsense. But now I am an active member of TPU, and I see how good TPU generally is, and I have learned much from TPU. I couldn't even put a computer togeather before I joined TPU, and since I've built/rebuilt/overclocked/whatever many computers.

Basically I am saying that TPU is a FAR greater source that Google, and if someone comes to TPU with a question, now matter how dumb/obvious it may be to us, we should answer it instead of e-kicking them in the ass with a steel-toe Google boot.

 

[r9]

However, people are wanting others to learn for themselves and not just be told everything. It's the way you do it for yourself that makes you learn it and then in turn can contribute more to other people needs.

Just people telling others what do means no enterprise or thought goes into what you have to do. but when you use Google you can learn about it, and then adapt it.

eg

I want to get a new mouse
go to forum they all say get type A - i get A and i find it doesn't suit me - waste

I go to google, look around and hunt for the one that'll suit me better.


See my point?

Yes but the person had started the thread, so it is not sharing you opinion. Theirs opinion matters to him.

 

[hat]

Everyone's opinion matters to me. When I wrote this I knew someone was going to argue against me, but I also expected people to agree with me. Nobody can get everybody to agree, not even God.

 

[silkstone]

Yes, I found TPU through Google. I was googling about how to unlock pipelines on a FX5200 or some such nonsense. But now I am an active member of TPU, and I see how good TPU generally is, and I have learned much from TPU. I couldn't even put a computer togeather before I joined TPU, and since I've built/rebuilt/overclocked/whatever many computers.

Basically I am saying that TPU is a FAR greater source that Google, and if someone comes to TPU with a question, now matter how dumb/obvious it may be to us, we should answer it instead of e-kicking them in the ass with a steel-toe Google boot.

I agree with you. You should never just say -Try google! The whole point of TPU is to gather the combined knowledge in 1 place. But there are still some uses for google. For example 1 of the main ways to compare different products is by searching for reviews on google as most people here won't have the $$$ to actually benchmark a gtx260 vs. Radeon 4870 (apart from FITS maybe) and will be relying on different reviews from different sites to form their opinion (not counting the fanboys).

I generally use google for the more obscure, random, but possibly well know errors, especially when i've been give an error code. I would also generally search google before buying something new, then asking any follow-up questions or further advice here.

Actually the posters here seem to be a lot more cordial than the ones on a lot of other forums. God knows i have asked a lot of dumb questions and not gotten an e-kicking. Thx guys

[Edit] You were the OP - Sorry

 

[mlee49]

I agree somewhat Hat, I think that a beginner should spend some time researching before just "getting" help. Researching helps find resources other than relying on TPU members to educate them.

Granted TPU members are a collective wealth of knowledge and thus the whole point of a forum is to communicate with others, we cannot forgo the individual's responsibility to due diligence to put in their own effort.

I also think that using the Search Thread tool is not a reasonable option. Every time I've tried searching for thread I can't find them, I resort to Google just to find those threads I should have found by using the in forum search.

 

[Tatty_Two]

Well we are all different TBH, some (like me) never ask a question unless I have exhausted all avenue's first, i wherever possible prefer to solve my own problems because that way, I tend to learn more in the process and get far more satisfaction from doing so, others would prefer to take the easier route and just ask, there is no right way or wrong way, hopefully if they ask we can give them knowledgable answers, I just feel that "knowledgable" comes to some degree from doing the research yourself in the first place, so i agree with hat, we are here to help irrespective on how simple we perceive the answer....although personally, I do admire a degree of "self help" where possible.

 

[hat]

IMO, when I see someone say "just use google", it registers in my mind as arrogance, short for saying "this is so far below me I would be wasting my time answering it, so go use google kk thx by newb"

 

[mlee49]

IMO, when I see someone say "just use google", it registers in my mind as arrogance, short for saying "this is so far below me I would be wasting my time answering it, so go use google kk thx by newb"

Must be twice as bad if a mod thanks some one for saying "Just Google it"

 

[hat]

Yeap. Everyone knows how that certian mod's personality is, but that's why we poke fun at him for holding sheep captive in his basement

 

[W1zzard]

I only ask a question if I can't find an answer on google, which is VERY rare. I'm know as the "Google God" at work because I know how to manipulate google so well to find what I'm looking for. Google is a great tool for anyone who knows how to use it.

exactly. people need to learn to use google. there is no "i couldnt find the answer on google" - you just failed at using the proper search terms. feel free to construct examples to prove me wrong

 

[Kursah]

Fair enough Hat, I toss out recommended google and using a nice feature on the forums that is similar too...the SEARCH feature. Both are very handy, hell both will even point to the same threads from time to time, many google searches I do usually point to at least one TPU thread. It's all in how you search, if you're having video issues in BF2142, be a little more clear with it, are you getting blank screens in BF2142? Are you getting distortions? Driver VPU resets? Are you sure it's the game and not the card? I mean really...there are too many ways that very general example you have shown could go...to me it's a very bad example of how to search for help. But that could also be why many can't find the help they need, maybe we should have a help thread on how to search and how to use search effectively...it's really rare I can't find an issue or problem, and verify a solution by searching either on the forums or on Google, sometimes I will still ask a question, asking doesn't hurt, but when it's been asked over a dozen times that same day or over a hundred times that same week, there was no searching, it is lazieness...

All it takes is a little common sense, try some different words, proper terms are key, learning how to properly describe your situiation is absolutely the best thing you can do when searching for help via google or forum searches.

Not saying questions are always a bad thing, but 1000's of the same exact question because people don't want to find the answer themselves is a bad thing imo, it adds more weight to the forum than it needs when the answer was there before the OP even started the thread, many threads can be stopped if search was used, many threads would be found easier through the forum search if fewer threads were made on the same issues, etc...