Search Google

What is the general opinion on people that reply to questions saying "Search Google"?

There have been a number of posts saying pretty much that and nothing else to "help" someone out. Usually it would be said to people that have just signed up to the website. The thing that bothers me the most about it is the majority of the time people will have searched google and thanks to the good ranking Ozzu has on Google would have found the site through there hence their reason for asking.

I dont know if this is possibly because some people just want to leave a reply so they can (woo hoo!) boost their post count! or if they want to look really intellectual and say something that might make them look a little bit more superior or whatever.

I find that it just bugs the crap outta me when you see someone visit the site and go through the time of signing up and asking a question they probably wanted replied almost instantly to finally get a reply saying "Search Google".

I agree with that statement. It bugs me as well. Sometimes searching google takes a bit more effort. Some people simply don't know how to effectively use google to find their answers.

I have helped people who state in their post that they already searched google, yet I found the answer using google.

I am all about banning the use of "Search Google" as a reply to a problem.

This always makes me laugh..

"How do I........"

"Google it"

"I did, Thats how i found this forum"

A lot of the time people don't realise that answers only get on google because someone somewhere has answered a question they have been asked.

If the answer is that simple surely it wouldn't take to long to just give the answer and leave it at that.

I don't like when people tell others to google it, It's just a half arsed attempt at internet elitism and it dosn't help anyone.

Google's allready a verb, maybe one day it will be a curse word.

"aw google it, I'm going to the beach."

The phrase "Google it" annoys me too.
So does links to Google searches in most cases.
I do like seeing search terms being suggested that might not have crossed the searchers mind before though, that can not only give an idea of other terms to find somthing by, it can also get a searcher to put "2" & "3" together so they think to search for "5".

Just because you don't know the answer, doesn't mean you don't know somthing that could help find it.

The two biggest issues I have where i end up replying 'google it' are :

1. the poster didn't even try to look in the manual

2. they didn't try google.

I am learning to add the search terms to my replies of 'google it' to try to aid the people who can't find stuff, but it irks me when no attempts are made at all. I will also from time to time include the first page of links from google (copied).

My other beef, since there seems to be some venting here is the question: 'would this work?'

As a developer by trade, I can't figure out why people don't simply try it and find out. Then ask a question based on some actual attempts. You learn by failing not by not trying at all.

anyway, thats my 2cents

Most of the time I never say Google it. I usaly go google it and learn what the person is asking, Its made me a much stronger program and now I dont have to because I already know it from past searches.

The time I do say google it or use php.net is when someone is asking for a definition. Such as

Yes, but correct me if i am wrong but i am pretty sure people search google and come across a post on Ozzu. They will have likely seen this post and thought they had a similar problem that needed resolved and then posted it in whichever forum expecting help.

I just find it a bit annoying when people say Search Google when quite often they will have searched google. Its kinda like saying "thank you for visiting Ozzu, however we do not appreciate new comers...move along".

Im fine with slackers. If they dont want to try anything and just ask people for help then Ill help them. But they wont get far in the real world if they dont try and start doing things themselves. Here is something sort of on topic





In the last part of my post I talk about how most people will only help you with what you present them. So if someone presents to me an idea how to do something I might edit the idea to see if it would be better. Later that person asks how to do it. I wont give that person code, I just give them an idea on how to code it. If that person goes out and trys to code the project them selves and comes back with some code I will help them make the code work or give them something that might make it better.

I believe that people feel better then they do something on there own and it works. So if they code the project and just ask for some helper tips they will feel better about themselve than if I gave them the code and they just had to hit Ctrl+c and Ctrl+p.

SpooF, that might perhaps be the best post I've ever seen you make at OZZU, and that's not a slam, that's a definite kudos. I completely agree with that one.

yes, i agree with SpooF too .... but sometimes it gets annyoing.
just arrived to this thread because i had the same problem ... an user asking for a tutorial on how to implement a a scroll bar using actionscript.
and the final phrase from his/her post was:

so ... how can you actually say that you spent a whole week working on that problem, when the 4th link displayed in google after searching actionscript horizontal scrollbar tutorial is exactly what he wanted: a tutorial on how to build a scroll bar.
jeeezz .... i gave him the answer too, but i really felt like telling him to stop being such a lazy ass because he wont get too far with that.

Very true, although you could just give them what they want and then they will think "ooo, this persons smart i might come back here again for advice". Afterall, it dosn't take a great deal of time to search Google to find something so if this person dosn't want to look for it and you are willing to you might as well get the praise for it.

It also gives people a better opinion of Ozzu when they first arrive rather than someone basically telling them to go find somewhere else.