Is TPF 'the Internet'?

[pixmedic]

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.

if they cant be bothered to use google translate to understand the contract they are signing....ive got no sympathy for them at all.

 

[limr]

I can understand the frustration of seeing questions that could easily be answered with a few minutes on Google. I remember one thread in which a person asked a question, I googled it and provided the information AND the links, and then the OP kept asking variations of the same thing, clearly showing that he hadn't even looked at the links at all. That's when I lost patience and resorted to the "Google it yourself, I'm done" response.

It's something I see in real life all the time as well, and perhaps that's why it's so frustrating to see it happening in other places. Can't people do anything for themselves anymore? My students will ask me all semester long things like, "What is the email address for the class?" or "When is X assignment due?" I give them all this information at the start of the semester, and they can access it online on our distance learning shell whenever they want. They even have the app on their precious phones and they can check the information there, too. And they still ask me because it's easier. My answer is always, 'Check your syllabus/schedule."

It's exhausting. It happens at my other job on campus, too. People are constantly asking me how to find something that has had the same location for the past 5 years, and if they spend 30 seconds looking at the labels on the file folders in the drawer, they would have found it themselves.

Can't anyone do anything for themselves anymore? I can't really avoid this in real life, so here on TPF, I just roll my eyes and move on. Just ain't my fight.

 

[pixmedic]

I can understand the frustration of seeing questions that could easily be answered with a few minutes on Google. I remember one thread in which a person asked a question, I googled it and provided the information AND the links, and then the OP kept asking variations of the same thing, clearly showing that he hadn't even looked at the links at all. That's when I lost patience and resorted to the "Google it yourself, I'm done" response.

It's something I see in real life all the time as well, and perhaps that's why it's so frustrating to see it happening in other places. Can't people do anything for themselves anymore? My students will ask me all semester long things like, "What is the email address for the class?" or "When is X assignment due?" I give them all this information at the start of the semester, and they can access it online on our distance learning shell whenever they want. They even have the app on their precious phones and they can check the information there, too. And they still ask me because it's easier. My answer is always, 'Check your syllabus/schedule."

It's exhausting. It happens at my other job on campus, too. People are constantly asking me how to find something that has had the same location for the past 5 years, and if they spend 30 seconds looking at the labels on the file folders in the drawer, they would have found it themselves.

Can't anyone do anything for themselves anymore? I can't really avoid this in real life, so here on TPF, I just roll my eyes and move on. Just ain't my fight.

this totally reminds me...
i need to get off the computer.
i have a camera to box up and get shipped out.
dont want it to be late.

 

[Overread]

I can understand the frustration of seeing questions that could easily be answered with a few minutes on Google. I remember one thread in which a person asked a question, I googled it and provided the information AND the links, and then the OP kept asking variations of the same thing, clearly showing that he hadn't even looked at the links at all. That's when I lost patience and resorted to the "Google it yourself, I'm done" response.

Eh with those people I tend to just end up not talking to them and move on to those who do respond.
Also sometimes I find that its not so much that they've not looked but that the wording has left them still confused; sometimes things have to be re-worded for a person to understand (esp on an international forum where English might not be every ones first language and even when it is can vary drastically in how they've learned it and how they make use of it).

I also think its important to retain a positive outlook and to say to ones self "ok this person isn't responding well; I'll move on and leave them be". No need to snipe or jib or "go google it"; just leave them be and focus on those who are more worthy of the time to focus upon them.


It's when people start getting hostile or passive aggressive against individuals or against whole segments of the user base that things become a problem. That's what we (as mods) want to avoid.

 

[TheFantasticG]

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.

Boredom. That drives a lot of my posting every other three weeks. Thankfully I will posting a lot less the next three weeks as I will be free again to indulge in my various hobbies and wife (although I got the text "I feel like death" so I got a sick woman I have to go take care of.... "In sickness and health" is what I agreed to.)

 

[limr]

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.

That's a different story. I have no problem with that and will try to help if I can. Sometimes a person can even have an idea of what the answer is but would like to hear from real people who may have had experience with the problem and can help them sort out the possible approaches. The problem is that it's often difficult to know if that's the case or not because not everyone will put effort into making that clear in their question.

In fact, that's pretty much what brought me to TPF in the first place. I found a thread that was related to my question and read it, decided I wanted more information, and registered so I could look for more threads and maybe ask a question if I didn't find what I needed.

Little did I know, however, I had actually just entered the Hotel California I came for the information but stay for the snark.

 

[limr]

this totally reminds me...
i need to get off the computer.
i have a camera to box up and get shipped out.
dont want it to be late.

:mrgreen:

 

[limr]

I can understand the frustration of seeing questions that could easily be answered with a few minutes on Google. I remember one thread in which a person asked a question, I googled it and provided the information AND the links, and then the OP kept asking variations of the same thing, clearly showing that he hadn't even looked at the links at all. That's when I lost patience and resorted to the "Google it yourself, I'm done" response.

Eh with those people I tend to just end up not talking to them and move on to those who do respond.
Also sometimes I find that its not so much that they've not looked but that the wording has left them still confused; sometimes things have to be re-worded for a person to understand (esp on an international forum where English might not be every ones first language and even when it is can vary drastically in how they've learned it and how they make use of it).

I also think its important to retain a positive outlook and to say to ones self "ok this person isn't responding well; I'll move on and leave them be". No need to snipe or jib or "go google it"; just leave them be and focus on those who are more worthy of the time to focus upon them.


It's when people start getting hostile or passive aggressive against individuals or against whole segments of the user base that things become a problem. That's what we (as mods) want to avoid.

In my defense, I believe it's the only time I ever did that, but only because the OP was being quite petulant that I only linked to sites and didn't type out the information for him so he didn't have to do the arduous job of clicking a link and *gasp* reading. Most of the time, as I said, I don't respond.

 

[hamlet]

You can come to me with all your questions regarding photography and i will help you to the best of my abilities. I am here to help whomever asks for it.

 

[Designer]

You can come to me with all your questions regarding photography and i will help you to the best of my abilities. I am here to help whomever asks for it.

!

 

[Designer]

Yes, we are, for better or worse, "the internet". I don't mind reading the ill-considered questions, and I do answer them sometimes if it is something that I know, but the one type of "asker" that I cannot abide is the one who refuses to even read the responses offered. It is as if the person has signed up merely to annoy others.

 

[robbins.photo]

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.

AHA! So that's what that bird standing on it's head deal was all about. I thought it was just some weird emoticon. Dang. Ok, you got me there.. rotfl.

 

[hamlet]

Yes, we are, for better or worse, "the internet". I don't mind reading the ill-considered questions, and I do answer them sometimes if it is something that I know, but the one type of "asker" that I cannot abide is the one who refuses to even read the responses offered. It is as if the person has signed up merely to annoy others.

The asker is far more annoyed because people assume too many or too little things.

 

[Derrel]

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.

I'm sorry Lew, but I must say that for me, it's hard to believe you can be so advanced in years on this planet and still have such a dismissive, curmudgeonly attitude toward people who are learning. Have you EVER thought, for a second, just for a split-econd, that newbies, "do not know what it is that they do not know?" Have you ***ever** paused to think about that? It seems not. Your attitude toward hoarding knowledge disgusts me. I find your judgemental attitude simply appalling.

TPF is "on the Internet's world wide web". The Internet is a big,big place. It has the web, as well as Usenet (once great,once thriving,now left for dead). Yes, there are static pages with information. Pages absolutely loaded with information--of varying degrees of accuracy. Internet search engines spew results that might, or might not, be accurate. Evaluating the veracity of internet-based answers is a tricky business. MANY times, folk "wisdom" is disguised as fact. Newbies who know a little bit about a subject often do blog posts, or YouTube videos, and cheerful spew utter nonsense, happy in their willingness to share newbie-knowledge as if they were master photographers.

Just yesterday, I read a post that said a full frame d-slr camera gives "more depth of field than an APS-C camera". The poster then went into a few words about bokeh. OMG, trainwreck information.

 

[RichieT]

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.

Most of the auto forums I belong to will tell you that your question has been answered several times on the forum and do some research. If you still can't find an answer, then ask. If a google search directs you to this forum, half the work is already done for you. I find by researching on whatever forum I'm on I pick up a lot more usable information than if someone just answers a question.