Do People Even Use Search On This Forum

chrisburke · May 14, 2008

every day I come here there seems to be all the same new topics. I can't tell you how many time's I've seen the title "beginner camera" "Nikon vs Canon" "teach me aperture and shutter speed" "whats a polarizer for".... to name a few... NEW USERS.... there is a search function in this forum and hundreds of people have asked these questions before... lets get something new on here....

Overread · May 14, 2008

meh its the same for every forum on the net - just something you have to deal with.
Also sometimes people understand something but are not confidant that they fully understand it, so they ask up (even if they have searched) and sometimes put their own lean on subject.
As for the camera debate - well like all large investments people make they want to make sure what they are going to choose is the best for them - even though the advice given is the smae each time they need to hear that before they belive it

Rachelsne · May 14, 2008

people just get so excited about what ever they are posting (me included that they dont always check...

Chris of Arabia · May 14, 2008

Perhaps not the case with the examples you cited, but some maybe lack the correct photographic vocabulary to do the right search - there's a great deal of terminology used around here that takes time to learn. For example, how do you search on 'differential focus' if you don't know what it's called?

CalissaLeigh · May 14, 2008

As a brand new member, having just found this place five minutes ago, I can say with honesty that yes, it is exciting and you're tempted to ask a lot of questions right up front.

Yes, as someone mentioned, in nearly every other forum I have been a member of, there are always the same questions repeatedly asked.

Some places have a "Newbie Guide" with frequently asked questions at the top, or they have a big post with all the frequenetly asked questions, but links to where to find the answers below. AbsoluteWrite.com's forum in the Freelance Writing section has a fantastic one.

Does it help? A little. Some people skip it and ask similar questions anyway, though it helps to just point to the sticky.

Also speaking as a new member, I'm sure I will have questions. I certainly hope, as I am sure other new people might feel, that nothing I ask is in any way annoying. It's true, I might not know the proper wording in order to find something. I might even ask what words to use so I can perform my own research.

On the flip side, there will always be that handful of people that forget how to use search, or how to Google something they don't know. It takes all sorts to make a community I guess. It happens everywhere.

kellylindseyphotography · May 14, 2008

Nope. People don't care. They will continue to ask the same questions. The nature of the beast in any forum.

Phranquey · May 14, 2008

meh its the same for every forum on the net - just something you have to deal with.

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

Airbrush forum:

Which airbrush, paint, compressor for the beginner?
Which brand airbrush is the best?
Which airbrush for finest detail?
Which airbrush......

R/C Helicopter forum:

Which heli, radio, fuel, blades, etc for beginner?
Which brand radio is best?
Which heli does so-and-so use for the best tricks?
Which heli.....

You get the idea....:lmao:

Gopherkid · May 14, 2008

Last time I did use the search function. I found a thread a year old on the topic I had a question about. So i posted my question. But instead of getting the answer I wanted, most of the ppl read the first 2-3 replies of the old thread and talked about that and my Q never got answered. Most Q's can be answered by the search function, but in a situation like that, a new thread is probably in need.

dslrchat · May 14, 2008

Yes it is the nature of the beast with all forums, not just photography.

Then again, with a forum like this, filled with so much info, if everyone did search before posting there wouldn't be much posting at all. (except for galleries/offtopic etc)

It would just a a huge FAQ site.

Jon0807 · May 14, 2008

kellylindseyphotography said:
Nope. People don't care. They will continue to ask the same questions. The nature of the beast in any forum.

I don't think it's that they don't care. I think it's mainly due to being impatient. With most searches you'll get tons of returns that have nothing to do with what you need. Not everyone wants to sort thru 1000's of posts to find what they need.

It does get irritating once in a while, especially when the exact same question is just a few topics below theirs. But I just tend to ignore them. Like others have said, it comes up on every forum I've ever been on.

mrodgers · May 14, 2008

Phranquey said:
Oh, I couldn't agree more.

R/C Helicopter forum:

Which heli, radio, fuel, blades, etc for beginner?
Which brand radio is best?
Which heli does so-and-so use for the best tricks?
Which heli.....

You get the idea....:lmao:

You already used my example :mrgreen:

Sim racing forum:

Can we mod the cars...
Can we add tracks....
I just thought of a fantastic suggestion..... proceeds to suggest the same suggestion that's been suggested hundreds of times over the past 5 years of the forum....

Flight sim forum:

How do I connect online?
A: There's a sticky on how to connect. Read it because there's also a password and we want you to read the sticky and find it rather than just telling you here.

Ok, I read the sticky and found the server, but it keeps asking for a password!
A: Read the sticky again, the password is in there.

Thanks, I got the password, now the server keeps kicking me off, why?
A: You have to open the ports on your router/firewall that are listed in the sticky. Did you read the sticky like we told you and follow what it says?

Overread · May 14, 2008

ahh stickies - made sticky so people will notice and read them -- then it never happens. They should try desticky threads (sending them all the way to the first days of posting - so they are right at the end of the list) they would get noticed there

Also one good thing about repeats is that often you get differnet people answering which means that you might get a different view on a subject, slightly differnet answers (say for something like photoshopping) and also a different wording of the same information (which can make it easier to understand for some)

someguy5 · May 14, 2008

My reason for creating an overused topic: vocabulary. When I first found this forum I didn't know what aperture, shutter speed, or focal length had to do with anything. Didn't know what "that thing where the person is in focus and the background is blurry" thing was called (or how to do it).

And I also usually look for those "READ THIS FIRST" stickies before posting on a forum, but didn't find one here.

Luckily this place is so friendly and I didn't get flamed! This forum also saved me from buying a camera from one of those scammers on ebay with the too good to be true prices and all the 'free' accessories.

Jon0807 · May 14, 2008

someguy5 said:
Luckily this place is so friendly and I didn't get flamed!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH*snort*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

lol j/k. This place is pretty friendly. Once in a while someone will bring something up that just fires people up but that's ok. I've seen forums that are down right cruel to people.

dEARlEADER · May 14, 2008

chrisburke said:
every day I come here there seems to be all the same new topics. I can't tell you how many time's I've seen the title "beginner camera" "Nikon vs Canon" "teach me aperture and shutter speed" "whats a polarizer for".... to name a few... NEW USERS.... there is a search function in this forum and hundreds of people have asked these questions before... lets get something new on here....

Dude.. this is the beginner forum... what is it that you expect beginners to talk about?? Most any photography questions can be answered by way of google.... people come here to talk.... there is a social aspect..

If your board with this forum move on to beyond the basics... or the pro forums......