Poll: Am I the only one sick of being told ot "Google it." when asking about ANYTHING?

[Tom_green_day]

If it's something complicated then I think it's fine for them to want you to find out yourself, but if it's something basic and/or a computer is not readily accessible, it's a dick move.
'Hey buddy, how do I get to this restaurant?'
'Google it'

 

[ClockworkPenguin]

Sometimes it's easier to have an actual human help you.

See, what I can't stand is when you explain a difficult concept using scientific facts, then someone challenges you to back it up because they possess a moral code that runs afoul of replicable findings. Totally impossible to do.

That way I know what information they're getting instead of them doing something stupid like googling "MK Ultra" and getting sucked into conspiracy theory land whereas I could've just linked them to a wikipedia page and noted "yeah, its not real".

Hah! Funny you say that because I had to Google MK Ultra about a year ago. Once I read about it, I couldn't believe I'd never heard the term before considering my interest in conspiracy theories. I knew about CIA mind control, but never knew that the theory had a name.

So... you link to the findings. You've clearly already done the research, it's inefficient to demand that that labour be duplicated. It's far easier to post a few links to information that you already know how to find than it is for them to find it.

And I was thinking more of cases where, rather than taking care to explain the evidence behind something in plain English, they merely state it without evidence and get pissy if you don't immediately accept it.

As always in a question about interpersonal interactions, the question of whether a behavior is rude depends largely on the context.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

So... you link to the findings. You've clearly already done the research, it's inefficient to demand that that labour be duplicated. It's far easier to post a few links to information that you already know how to find than it is for them to find it.

In regard to the situation I described in my last post, it might have taken 20+ links to find it all. Everything that I wrote was off the top of my head because I volunteer for an organization that works exclusively in that field. Most of what you can find online is convoluted, piecemeal, and/or anecdotal. I just tried to put it in one post, explained in layman's terms (as in, not describing the implications of abnormalities in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalus).

 

[DoPo]

Also, meatspace? What are you, HK-47's prototype?

Seriously, you've never heard of the term? I'd say "google it" but here are some links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_life
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meatspace
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/meatspace
http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/M/meatspace.html

It predates HK-47 and comes from hacker and (fictional) cyberpunk slang.

Anyway - I'd echo what others have said - questions that are faster to answer by googling them, you should probably google. Yes, it's a valid reply. As proof I have what I wrote up there. Very simple question, with actually very basic information I even assumed was more or less common knowledge at this point. At any rate - answerable in under 10 seconds. There is a wealth of information on the Net, and if you are currently actively using said Net, then NOT making use of it (or even making the attempt) is somewhat insulting, as well.

 

[dyre]

As someone who usually preemptively Googles things, I've rarely been told to "Google it." But yeah, it would be pretty dickish for someone already engaged in a conversation with you to tell you to Google something that he could just as easily answer, unless it was something complicated and would take too long to explain ("so, what happened in season 3 of Game of Thrones?").

See, what I can't stand is when you explain a difficult concept using scientific facts, then someone challenges you to back it up because they possess a moral code that runs afoul of replicable findings. Totally impossible to do.

Seems like the reasonable response would be to immediately disengage from that argument, and dismiss your ignorant peasant of an opponent as unworthy of your time! Surely whatever utility you gain from convincing/defeating that opponent is not worth the effort invested

Can't (be bothered to) win 'em all! Unless you're some kind of secular missionary, lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_life

Wow, wikipedia really does have a page on everything...

 

[madwarper]

It depends... But, of you were going for a joke answer in you poll, I would have gone with "Google it"
If the question asked is objective, rather than subjective, then one should google their question.

I remember there being a thread back at Christmas time, where someone was asking when 'naughty' got its sexual meaning. To which, there's little of a response more than saying to google the etymology of the word, because the sexual definition predates the tame disobedient definition by over a century. And, I found that out by spending 30 seconds on google, even with google correcting my incorrect spelling of etymology.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

See, what I can't stand is when you explain a difficult concept using scientific facts, then someone challenges you to back it up because they possess a moral code that runs afoul of replicable findings. Totally impossible to do.

Seems like the reasonable response would be to immediately disengage from that argument, and dismiss your ignorant peasant of an opponent as unworthy of your time! Surely whatever utility you gain from convincing/defeating that opponent is not worth the effort invested

Oh, you bet I did. I didn't answer that post and have no intention of doing so. You're right - it was a losing argument. That's exactly what I thought at the time.

 

[anthony87]

Depends on where it's said.

I see it come up a lot with questions like "What's the best class/spec/build?" in MMO's. Frankly I'm always surprised to see people say "Google it" rather than just telling the person what a stupid question that is.

 

[Grimh]

It's not like googling takes any effort, you don't even have to type anything anymore just highlight "Googolplex", right-click and click "Search on Google..." and you're set.

However as with most things it does depend on the circumstances obviously.

 

[Trillovinum]

Without a doubt the answer is buttered toast. There can be no other kind of toast, at least not for breakfast! Then again, that depends on how you define 'toast'... you see a friend of mine who's Danish claims that for her 'toast' implies a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, a dish I truly love but would never describe as toast.
Another friend of mine who is Dutch on the other hand, claims that toast can also be bread that has been toasted a long while ago to be simply crispy. This can then be eaten with surimi salad or anything else really to make a sort of apetiser. To me, this is not toast but rather an 'hors d'oeuvre' indeed to me there is only one kind of toast. Freshly toasted, warm bread smeared with butter or in some rare cases with chocolate.

So there you have it. BUTTERED TOAST.

On the subject of google though, the only times it annoys me if when my google search led me to some asshat telling me to google it.

 

[Atomic Spy Crab]

I think it's rude because usually there is a reason we ask this person and not google it.

 

[lacktheknack]

<link=http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Am+I+ever+the+only+one%3F>Let me Google that for you.

Anyways, as long as people ask me what word definitions are, I'm going to keep telling them to Google it.

 

[norashepard]

If the question is relevant then yes answer it, but if it's irrelevant or "common knowledge" then yeah google it. It can be especially annoying when talking about certain things, like race or gender politics. My rule is thus: if the question can be answered by searching it on the internet within four pages of results, it's a dumb question.

Yes, perhaps the asker really doesn't know, but if that's the case, why am I talking to them about said topic? If they're so interested, it's their responsibility to learn and not mine to teach. Unless they're paying me, but that never happens. It's just annoying because instead of doing their own research, they waste MY time to explain something so trivial.

 

[Jamieson 90]

Instead of go google it try Atari Breakout in google images.

Enjoy people.

 

[otakon17]

Depends on where it's said.

I see it come up a lot with questions like "What's the best class/spec/build?" in MMO's. Frankly I'm always surprised to see people say "Google it" rather than just telling the person what a stupid question that is.

>someone uses a term you've never heard of, mentions something you've never heard of
>you ask them what it is
>they tell you to "Google it"

Now, in situations like this in a forum, it IS indeed faster to "Google it' than wait for a response but when chatting real time, is it really so hard to give a brief description? If you were doing it in real life talking to someone, whether face to face or on the phone and told them something similar, it would be downright rude.

 

[MisterGobbles]

It very much depends. If someone asks for clarification about something you're already talking about, you should just go ahead and explain it and not be an ass. But if they're making you go out of your way to fetch them information they could easily get faster by just Googling (especially if it's something they know for sure you wouldn't know off the top of your head and you yourself would have to Google) I don't think it's unreasonable to remind them that Google is a thing at all.

 

[Odbarc]

It's not really that people are telling you to google something INSTEAD of telling you. It's that they don't generally know things because of google and their own dependance on the thing.
People can google something and remember it for the shortest time necessary to use the information, then they immediately forget it because they can just google it again.

It's just something I'd come to expect from the next generation of people who grew up with google and the internet their whole lives.
I'm sure they'll be quite competent in finding information for you. But I doubt they'll be able to retain the information if you asked them about it later when google isn't available to them.

 

[SerithVC]

i generally just tell people to google it when they are using their computer and asking me find something for them. if they ask me what i'm refering to i try to explain it to them and then if they still aren't getting it i tell them to google it.

 

[Scars Unseen]

"Google it" is usually the best response for most situations where the phrase is used. Most questions you could ask have already been asked, often on the very forum you're asking it on. Why should anyone take the time out of their day to answer a question you already have the tools you need to answer it yourself? You say it's rude, but isn't demanding that someone else do your leg work for you even more so?

Now sometimes it isn't an appropriate answer, such as when asking for advice on something specific and complicated, such as coding, or something subjective, such as philosophy or personal situations. But even then, you should do the courtesy of searching the forum(especially if it's a forum specializing in the subject you're asking about) to see if there is an existing topic that either answers your question or is related and still active. Otherwise you might get a "RTFF" instead.

Basically, as the person imposing on others, the burden of courtesy is on you. Some questions just have to be asked, but you shouldn't expect people to indulge you when you inquire into the whereabouts of the chair sitting next to you.

 

[cypher-raige]

A lot of pointless threads could be avoided if they just used Google.