To Google or Not to Google??


catchlights

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Staff member
Sep 27, 2004
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Punggol, Singapore
www.foto-u.com
I guess some of you guys know what this thread for...... :bsmilie: :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

anyway, just share with you guys I really like Google very much, and hope Google will love me very much too (put my site at the top of the search) hehe.

I Google anything I want to know, from looking for phone number of Canadian Piazza, to find out 1 mile is how many meters, even looking for Chinese to English Dictionary, can't remember how many things I Google in a day.

Just let everybody know that whenever I search for some information I need, I need go to a new forum, or group, I always look for FAQ or sticky threads, usually it has all the information I need, and I also do a lot search in their forum or groups, becos I know it is very annoying when seeing someone asking a question has be answered countless times. It is wasting everybody time even nobody is answering it, and yes, it is also wasting the bandwidth and resource as well.

Nevertheless, what kind of answers you'll get, it depends how the question being asked. Ask in a nice way, you will get polite replies. Ask without much thinking, you may get very blunt answers.

So please, let us everyone in this forum make this place a better for everybody. :)
 

Somehow, stickies need to be made more obvious. I always notice that I miss the sticky threads on most forums, because even though they stick to the top of each section, they just don't catch my eye somehow.

Or maybe, have a custom page in Newbies Corner like the one on the B&S section, which reminds users to use the forum search function, or Google, before they ask a question. They should only post a question if it has not been answered. Something like that.
 

I hate Google for being so damn accurate everytime. Kinda scares me that I have to depend on a single service. :bsmilie:

Personally, I try to follow the guidelines set on this page: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

It's a page aimed at tech support, but the section on "Before You Ask" I believe can be applied universally.

Before asking a technical question by e-mail, or in a newsgroup, or on a website chat board, do the following:

1.Try to find an answer by searching the archives of the forum you plan to post to.

2.Try to find an answer by searching the Web.

3.Try to find an answer by reading the manual.

4.Try to find an answer by reading a FAQ.

5.Try to find an answer by inspection or experimentation.

6.Try to find an answer by asking a skilled friend.

When you ask your question, display the fact that you have done these things first; this will help establish that you're not being a lazy sponge and wasting people's time. Better yet, display what you have learned from doing these things. We like answering questions for people who have demonstrated they can learn from the answers.

Use tactics like doing a Google search on the text of whatever error message you get (searching Google groups as well as Web pages). This might well take you straight to fix documentation or a mailing list thread answering your question. Even if it doesn't, saying "I googled on the following phrase but didn't get anything that looked promising" is a good thing to do in e-mail or news postings requesting help, if only because it records what searches won't help. It will also help to direct other people with similar problems to your thread by linking the search terms to what will hopefully be your problem and resolution thread.

Take your time. Do not expect to be able to solve a complicated problem with a few seconds of Googling. Read and understand the FAQs, sit back, relax and give the problem some thought before approaching experts. Trust us, they will be able to tell from your questions how much reading and thinking you did, and will be more willing to help if you come prepared. Don't instantly fire your whole arsenal of questions just because your first search turned up no answers (or too many).

Prepare your question. Think it through. Hasty-sounding questions get hasty answers, or none at all. The more you do to demonstrate that having put thought and effort into solving your problem before seeking help, the more likely you are to actually get help.

Never assume you are entitled to an answer. You are not; you aren't, after all, paying for the service. You will earn an answer, if you earn it, by asking a substantial, interesting, and thought-provoking question - one that implicitly contributes to the experience of the community rather than merely passively demanding knowledge from others.

On the other hand, making it clear that you are able and willing to help in the process of developing the solution is a very good start. "Would someone provide a pointer?", "What is my example missing?", and "What site should I have checked?" are more likely to get answered than "Please post the exact procedure I should use." because you're making it clear that you're truly willing to complete the process if someone can just point you in the right direction.

Because of this, I still haven't posted a question in the forums (which is bad for my post count :bsmilie:) coz all my noob questions are usually answered already by FAQs or through my own experiences.

OK... *goes back to spamming the random thread*
 

Google is my best friend! (ignoring the fact I have no friends irl) :bsmilie:

<strike>In b4 angry wasps. </strike>

:bsmilie:
 

Somehow, stickies need to be made more obvious. I always notice that I miss the sticky threads on most forums, because even though they stick to the top of each section, they just don't catch my eye somehow.

Or maybe, have a custom page in Newbies Corner like the one on the B&S section, which reminds users to use the forum search function, or Google, before they ask a question. They should only post a question if it has not been answered. Something like that.

You can put all the stickies in the world, and make them font size 200, there will still be the same group of people la.
 

I find it amusing when I google for reviews/articles to get a 2nd/3rd opinion and google reverts me back to this site. :bsmilie:
 

One helpful skill combined with google is know what you want and how to write it properly (or improperly for some case eg: "len").
Know the proper model name. Know the proper brand name.
If you type wrongly you will get wrong search result. D60 and 60D will get you different brand.

Know alternative terms. For example, when you are referring to Instruction Manual, you know the thick book (almost) nobody read. You will get plenty of wrong result when you are searching for "xyz camera manual" if xyz is a DSLR because the word "Manual" is normally associated with "Manual Mode" and "Manual Focus". Try "User Guide" and that may give you a better result.

Also if you are looking for a particular file type let google know. So electronic documentation are normally in PDF. add this in your google search:
Code:
filetype:pdf
Do not include that with double-quotes.

And if you are only looking within clubsnap, add this to your goole search
Code:
site:clubsnap.com
Do not include that with double-quotes.

If you are hunting for a particular person in clubsnap, as part of your search add
Code:
"posted by <username>"
ADD THE QUOTES!
Replace <username> with actual username like catchlight if you are looking for his posts then for this example add
Code:
"posted by catchlight"

And finally, if the thread is gone - at the bottom right of each search result there is "Cached". It may not have the images though, but at least it has the text.

Good luck!
 

Last edited:
Dont search this until a few days. Give google spyder some time la to crawl to this page, then you can search for example:

Code:
"To Google or Not to Google" "posted by catchlight" site:clubsnap.com

:bsmilie:
 

One helpful skill combined with google is know what you want and how to write it properly (or improperly for some case eg: "len").
Know the proper model name. Know the proper brand name.
If you type wrongly you will get wrong search result. D60 and 60D will get you different brand.

Know alternative terms. For example, when you are referring to Instruction Manual, you know the thick book (almost) nobody read. You will get plenty of wrong result when you are searching for "xyz camera manual" if xyz is a DSLR because the word "Manual" is normally associated with "Manual Mode" and "Manual Focus". Try "User Guide" and that may give you a better result.

Also if you are looking for a particular file type let google know. So electronic documentation are normally in PDF. add this in your google search:
Code:
filetype:pdf
Do not include that with double-quotes.

And if you are only looking within clubsnap, add this to your goole search
Code:
site:clubsnap.com
Do not include that with double-quotes.

If you are hunting for a particular person in clubsnap, as part of your search add
Code:
"posted by <username>"
ADD THE QUOTES!
Replace <username> with actual username like catchlight if you are looking for his posts then for this example add
Code:
"posted by catchlight"

And finally, if the thread is gone - at the bottom right of each search result there is "Cached". It may not have the images though, but at least it has the text.

Good luck!

thanks tat was very useful

any other tips in googling more accurately ?
 

One night when I was lonely I googled "I need someone to talk to".

After 10 minutes there was a knock on my door.

A gorgeous girl in black evening dress was standing outside.

She told me google sent her to talk to me. :bsmilie:

:bsmilie:
 

Sion said:
One night when I was lonely I googled "I need someone to talk to".

After 10 minutes there was a knock on my door.

A gorgeous girl in black evening dress was standing outside.

She told me google sent her to talk to me. :bsmilie:

:bsmilie:

Did you check your credit card bill after that? :bsmilie: