Is TPF 'the Internet'?

[The_Traveler]

Whenever I come across a query, generally from someone new and/or young, that asks for an easily found fact, I reply that they should do an Internet search.

Occasionally someone will respond that asking on TPF is the Internet.

Coming to TPF to ask a question, whose factual answer can easily be found in the manual or on static pages without involving the work of others, is like going to a reference library and expecting the librarian to answer every question.

Answering every question, without expecting the new person to do some work, is actually detrimental as it keeps them from actually developing the skills to proceed themselves on anything. It make make you feel strong and powerful to be the font from which all knowledge flows but we should be teaching people how to grow rather than hand-feeding them every morsel and keeping them infants.

 

[runnah]

Honestly I am perplexed. The time it takes to sign up for a forum and then post a question is enough time for the average person to do several google searches.

Not sure if stupid/lazy or something else.

 

[Overread]

We have sections on the site specifically made for people to make threads and ask questions in.

We even have those sections divided into rough skill levels and overall topic content as well as some brand sections

We see it as rude to then have members turning to those using those sections as they are intended to be used and stating that they should leave the forums.



Google often brings people here so telling people to go back to what they used to get here in the first place is pointless. Furthermore asking does not demand any reply from the community. Members are totally free to ignore any thread or question they do not wish to answer for whatever reason.
We do not force our members to reply.

If there are those within the community who want to reply that's fantastic and they can do so; if others do no wish to reply they are also free to do so - however we expect them to be mature and just not reply to the thread instead of posting their derision/insult/disgust/annoyance at the threads existence.


The site admin and moderators are not in any way shape or form looking to impose limits/restrictions/disciplinary action etc.. upon those who ask frequently asked questions.

 

[Overread]

Honestly I am perplexed. The time it takes to sign up for a forum and then post a question is enough time for the average person to do several google searches.

Not sure if stupid/lazy or something else.

People are social creatures, some people just like to talk to another person (either directly or remotely through the site). The whole point of forums is to allow this communication and we've set aside space on the site for it to take place within. For whatever reason they wish to ask a question they are allowed to do so.

 

[runnah]

Honestly I am perplexed. The time it takes to sign up for a forum and then post a question is enough time for the average person to do several google searches.

Not sure if stupid/lazy or something else.

People are social creatures, some people just like to talk to another person (either directly or remotely through the site). The whole point of forums is to allow this communication and we've set aside space on the site for it to take place within. For whatever reason they wish to ask a question they are allowed to do so.

Yes but when I want to look up a torque setting for an 04 subaru exhaust header, I google it and move on. I don't join some subaru forum and make a post.

Just odd behavior.

 

[480sparky]

Perhaps the newbie's logic goes like this:

Oh, I have a problem with my camera. Maybe I can get online to find the solution. (Google search). Oooh! A forum! With real, live people! I'll ask about my problem there.


Now, at this point, the process can take two different paths.

Option 1: The forum members welcome the newbie and answer the question. The newbie is excited about all his/her new friends, sticks around, learns more and becomes a valuable, contributing member.
Option 2: The newbie gets bashed for being lazy. Is told to RTFM or is provided with a link-fest to off-forum websites. Newbie gets disgusted and never returns.


I doubt anyone is born with a silver-plated commemorative Leica in their hand. We all had to learn from scratch. Where would WE be if others who possessed 'the knowledge' didn't care about sharing it?

Yeah, I know. I get's kinda aggravating to read "Is this a lens defect or is it flare?" or "What's the best ______?" every day. But it's part of the craft.

 

[lambertpix]

My typical response (contextualized, of course): Let me google that for you

 

[manicmike]

I agree that some questions are extremely annoying, but sometimes there isn't a good way to word a question in google to get the answer you're looking for.

 

[KmH]

Yes. TPF is "the Internet".

Few people know how to use an Internet search engine effectively. How to use an internet search engine - Bing
Once they use one, even just the first page of the millions of hits the search produces is more than a lot of people are prepared or willing to sift through.

It is way easier to post a question on a discussion forum, come back some time later, and sift through whatever response posts that have been made.

What many people miss is that by using the search engine, and sifting through a variety of the hits, the person will discover related information the person didn't know they would want to know.

 

[TheFantasticG]

What many people miss is that by using the search engine, and sifting through a variety of the hits, the person will discover related information the person didn't know they would want to know.

I thought that was also the point of homework... Like looking in a text book for a certain answer. It was what you picked up along the way to the answer that was just as important. Same concept I guess.

 

[amolitor]

I never have a problem with people asking questions that can be answered by an easy search, or by reading the manual.

Rather, to be precise, I hate it when they ask me specifically and want me specifically to do the work for them. In person, say. When it's just thrown out there in a forum I have the option of not answering unless I choose to, which changes everything.

Politely telling someone that it's almost certainly in the manual also doesn't bother me, and shouldn't bother anyone. Telling people to just google it, on the other hand, is just mean. Have you googled anything lately? It's not worthless, but in the last few years it's become quite close to worthless. Links to "sign up to read the probably incorrect answer" abound. Links to automatically generated click-bait sites that don't have an answer at all, just the question, abound. Links to forums where someone else has asked the question and gotten no answer are not uncommon. Links to actual answers are rare, and often a couple pages in. Without some reasonable skill in simply triaging the results page, google is almost completely hopeless, most of the time.

Particularly egregious is when some jack*** posts an lmgtfy link which said jackass clearly didn't bother to click, since it leads to nothing useful whatsoever.

Even stupid questions with easily found answers can produce interesting conversations.

And to answer the original question, sure, TPF is one of the many resources on the internet, and for answers to specific photographic questions, especially technical ones, it's really excellent. Much better than google.

 

[Overread]

Googling is a skill unto itself plus its hard to sort through the answers unless you already have half an idea of what they are in the first place because there are so many incorrect sites or dubious sites.

Heck for anything product related it can be hard to get the first few pages without links to retail sites just trying to sell you the item and repeating the same product description.

 

[robbins.photo]

We do not force our members to reply.

Well maybe you don't, but what about Mish? Lol

If there are those within the community who want to reply that's fantastic and they can do so; if others do no wish to reply they are also free to do so - however we expect them to be mature and just not reply to the thread instead of posting their derision/insult/disgust/annoyance at the threads existence.

For me I guess I generally read through the question first, a lot of times I've noticed that people seem to be asking because maybe the got conflicting information and are trying to sort out what the correct answer might be, either that or they got a very basic answer or an answer that wasn't clear to them and they are here trying to get a better explanation.

The site admin and moderators are not in any way shape or form looking to impose limits/restrictions/disciplinary action etc.. upon those who ask frequently asked questions.

Life pretty much has gone downhill since we stopped using the pillory - lol.

 

[pixmedic]

I don't know why people bother to respond to posts that they don't like.
it takes far more time and effort to post some passive aggressive snipe than it does to just ignore the thread and move on to something that actually interests you.
It amazes me that there are people that not only feel there are certain questions that should and should not be asked on an internet forum based on the level of difficulty in finding the answer using other online resources, but that they feel they have to be the ones to police TPF and make sure every offender knows it.

 

[Overread]

We do not force our members to reply.

Well maybe you don't, but what about Mish? Lol

Those members who signed up for "MEEP" (Mish Education Encouragement Program) were all informed of the requirements in the contact they signed. If you didn't read the small, upside down, backward and written in Egyptian Hieroglyphic print then that's your own fault.