From: Christopher Chaltain <cchaltain_at_austin.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:52:52 -0500

  On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:00:32 -0700
  Grant Hardy <granthardy_at_telus.net> wrote:
> You're of course not obligated to answer a
> question if you feel it's too obvious to deserve an answer, but if
> you're going to go to the trouble of producing a response,
> immaculately tailored to the strict netiquette of RB posting format
> guidelines, you may as well just answer the question instead of
> telling someone to check it in the manual. I get a good chuckle out
> of people who, for example, produce an indignant "just Google it!"
> response to someone, complete with an illustrative link that will take
> them to a Google search results page. The people in question always
> go on about how much trouble it is when people don't take the
> initiative and Google things for themselves...but then, why would they
> have gone to the trouble of producing a supposedly illustrative
> message complete with a Google search results link? Ironic...no?

Wow, and I thought I was being helpful when I would look up the answer
on Google or in the manual for someone who couldn't or wouldn't look it
up for themselves and then tell them the answer as well as where I found
it. I assumed this was actually illustrative instead of only supposedly
so. I guess your suggesting I just don't bother so people either don't
get their question answered or get it answered in a way where they won't
be able to answer the next question on their own.

Another reason I do this is because I may know the answer, but I want to
check my facts or the wording of my response. If I'm going to Google or
search the manual to double check things, I figure, why not include this
in my reply. Furthermore, I assume it lends credibility to my statement.
How many times have I seen someone post a seemingly authoritative
response to a question only to find out they were going by memory or
their own experience and ended up being wrong? This is why I'm always a
bit perplexed when people so quickly resort to a mailing list to get an
answer to a question instead of using Google or referring to the manual.
I've seen several instances lately where someone has purchased a
portable media player or a cell phone based on information they got off
of a mailing list only to find out the information they got was wrong or
misleading.

-- 
Christopher
cchaltain_at_austin.rr.com
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Received on 2009-06-21