Do People Even Use Search On This Forum

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....

 

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

 

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?

 

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.

 

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

 

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:

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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?