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Do you think there is a "Do a Search" mentality on this forum?
I don't think there is. I think most people (even the 'older' members) are more than happy to help and most of the time will even go out of their way to search for an appropriate thread if the discussion has been had before. I've done it myself. In fact, I can't think of a recent thread where the poster was told to do a search in the manner that such a mentality would imply. What do you think?
Silent - I think you'll find this has been covered before - do a search and I'm sure you'll find it :D
Just did a search on "do a search" and I got 34 pages. So it is a "Yes" for me. :D
OK my point is it is not easy to search for an answer when you get hundreds of threads. You just dont know where to start. :confused:
Now just a minute there. Have you removed the ones where people were talking about people having a "do a search" mentality? Have you removed the ones that are directing people to do a search on Google? Come on, Wongo, you're not being fair mate. :p
Actually, I did a search on the phrase "do a search" (include the quotes) and I only get 15 pages. The first one I looked at was a very helpful post from Cliff where he gave some info and said "Do a search on 'rust + removal + tools' & 'rust + prevention + tools' that should find the older posts.". I don't think that counts as a "Do a search" post because it was supplementing other information.
Just did a search on “rust + removal + tools' & 'rust + prevention + tool” and I got a thread from Cliff where he told people how to do a search. :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wongo
I just did a search for "searching for 'rust + removal + tools' & 'rust + prevention + tool' " and the computer caught on fire after finding the woodwork forums wormhole :D
I'm all for searching. it's poor manners to value your own time more than others :mad:
-Ryan
Well I believe we should all do a search before we go and ask a question. That is what I have been doing anyway.
However, I think we should be a bit more tolerant to those who ask a question. At the same time they should not get offended if they are told to do a search.
This is my point. I don't think there is much, if any, intolerance towards it. If someone asks a questions that has been answered before, I don't think they get their head bitten off - far from it. Most people go out of their way to help.Quote:
I think we should be a bit more tolerant to those who ask a question
To me also a new member it was well put in the thread that led to this one
"Times change and advice that may have been relevant 12 months ago may be contradicted today. Maybe there is a new whiz bang tool that does both jobs better. Or maybe the advice that was given previously was wrong. "
Definately do a search but also post the Question who knows .....
A reminder that there is a search feature available and FAQ will explain how to use this feature my help a new member get the best out of the forum, where as "Do A Search" advice may not.
Shorely the last thing this forum needs is an arguement that devides its users into the three groups of Pro, Against & Dont give a damm
Life's too short,
The trouble with life is there's no background music.
We are not debating whether or not it is valid to suggest someone do a search. The question is quite simply: "on the whole do you think that the posters here have what I have called a 'Do a search' mentality". This implies a rude, holier than thou attitude that says don't ask stupid questions that have been answered before. It implies that those of us who have been here for awhile look down their noses at the 'newbies' (I hate that term).
I say that this is not true, contrary to the 7 people who apparently believe it is. Frankly, I'm a bit astonished that anyone has voted yes.
I posted on the thread that caused you to do this poll but this thread is somewhat more relevant.
When someone asks a very specific question like what should I purchase first, a jointer or a thicknesser it is unreasonable to ask them to trawl through 1000 posts to MAYBE find one or two that may answer their question and those couple of posts may be years old.
All the information we seek on this forum could be acquired on Google but it means looking through thousands of listings. What we get when we post here is the chance to get an answer from a diverse group of very knowledgable, like minded people without the hassle of having to sift through a tonne of irrelevant information.
Do a search.
Do a search for someone.
Ask,
Answer.
All are human nature, to look, to ask, to help.
It is also human nature that people get grumpy occasionally.
If you come looking for help be prepared to get some bad with the good. If all you get is good advice and willing assistance then consider yourself lucky. These forums are not run by nuns and moderated by priests (well, maybe one..:)).
Final word: remember the advice on this (or any other) forum is only worth what you paid for it, to turn it into true value you need to identify how it can meet your need.
Quote" Silent---If someone asks a questions that has been answered before, I don't think they get their head bitten off "
There have definately been a number of instances by a number of regulars on the BB where it has been vgery close. I recall a couple of blatant ones...........
I would rather have a person give a short answer and refer to a post or tell the member that there is more on the topic by searching
After all if everybody just does a search and don't ask, the topic won't get discussed again and maybe relative new information will not be posted.
After all....is this a search board or a discussion board?
Yes, in the past there have been times where the do a search mentality surfaced strongly. Sometimes obviously by people suffering from verbal diarrhoea, who cannot contribute to the answer but needs to waffle...........so it seems anyway. :o
But no-one is holding a gun to your head saying you have to search. I don't recall anyone ever asking to close a thread because it has been answered before. Nothing is stopping every man and dog from answering your question anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by adrian
I personally have found the answer to many questions by doing a search. I have also been guilty of asking questions already done to death. Nobody jumped down my throat then either.
Heaven forbid we should ever end up having a forum where people were afraid to post incase it had been asked before. This is my point, god damn it!! This forum just isn't like that and I'll come right out and say it: BJ Honeycut implied that it is and I'm not having a bar of it.
Why does it matter so much to you guys? Sheesh.... I'm getting tired and emotional now. It must be time to go outside and throw a stick for the dog...
Great one Silent....hope you enjoyed playing with the dog.
To put it bluntly I dislike it when peoples only reply is: DO A SEARCH....there have been a few in the past. The board whent through a couple of weeks of that a while back.
To save searching for a stick for the dog I usually keep one near the back doorQuote:
Originally Posted by silentC
However if I go to the park a tennis racket and tennis ball will give him a better run
I smile because I <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com[img] /><st1:PersonName style=[/img]don</st1:PersonName>'t know what the hell is going on.
No, I couldn't find the stick. The dog looked at me as if to say "well, search for it". I said "don't you start" and came back inside..... Is it beer o'clock yet?Quote:
hope you enjoyed playing with the dog
I've only been a member for a few weeks and so perhaphs my view was skewed by this. But as the Poll currently stands, I'm obviously not alone. That doesn't change the fact that I still think this is one of the most informative and helpful forums I have ever been a member of.Quote:
Originally Posted by gatiep
I'll have one of those beers too SilentC, it might shut me up;)
So what's rhe alternative?
The people that have been hanging around here for ages, know that the info is on the board. Perhaps they've even contributed to the topic in the past.
However, they might not feel like repeating themselves ad nauseum so they perhaps suggest that a search might turn up the information the person is after.
Now they know that if the profer that advice then they are going to get howled down. So what are they going to do? Not answer the post perhaps?
Then the next whinge will be "How come none of you people that have been around so long ever respond to newcomers posts?"
You can't win.
And I think that there have actually been very few occasions that anybody has ever been rudely told to "Do a Search"
I've just spent a couple of minutes over my afternoon cuppa looking at some of the threads turned up by a search on "do a search" (with the quotes). I picked a few at random and could not find a single one that I would consider to be dismissive in any way shape or form. In every case, it was along the lines of this one, which was typical:
Now can anyone see anything wrong with that?Quote:
I never got to use a lathe at High School, but my first turning was a mallet also.
I found a bit of laminated 4x4 pine near a house going up, and that mallet gets used for everything! It's probably the most used tool I own.
Do a search on here, as there are a few other discussions about mallet design, and a few other pics as well.
I turned a (large) mallet for my (large) Tongan brother-in-law a few weeks back, out of a chunk of Jarrah, as he's into doing "native carvings". I'd guess the handle is about the same diameter as the head of your mallet :-)
Look forward to seeing your 2nd, 3rd, and so on ... turnings.
I don't think telling someone to "do a search" is rude, it's just not very helpful.Quote:
Originally Posted by craigb
Quote:
Originally Posted by craigb
In the past I've been accused of being unhelpful by telling newbies to "Do a search" even pointing out that the FAQ shows how to do it. In those cases I thought I was being helpfull as even a rudimentary search would have found the answer immediately as I knew that it was answered less than 2 weeks previously.
Often we also see 2 or 3 threads running side by side on the same subject when a quick search would have avoided that.
So now I only answer new questions or the question indicates that a search was done and there are aspects that need clarification.
BTW Silent I agree with you.
Peter.
I was going to answer "Yes" to Darren's question when I read his first post on this thread. However, having now read through the rest of the posts, I've changed my mind.
With occasional exceptions, the majority of questions people ask on this BB are answered comprehensively and helpfully. Those rare posts that dismiss the question with a "Do a Search" response and no further help are most often outweighed by the helpful responses.
If I thought that this BB was populated by a bunch of elitists who turned their backs on people looking for advice, I wouldn't bother being a member. In fact, I'd probably summon up the Mother Farcquar to sort you all out - preparatory to picking up my jar of MFKL and going home!
Col
Quote:
Originally Posted by Driver
And for those who don't know what a jar of MFKL is, please do a search and all will be revealed. :D :D :D
Peter.
Me too. If the post starts with...'I did a search and ....." that's cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sturdee
This seems to polarise people enough to warant a line or two in the "BB Rules" - I think that novices just don't think to do a search, so maybe "Notice to newcomers - please do a search on the BB on a new subject before asking numbnuts obvious questions" would help. ?????
As to why people get upset either way, well search me.:D
I did a search and found that I've used the phrase 0.8% of the time, or around 1:100 posts. Do a search and you can work out your "Do A Search" rating. Draft rating scale as follows:
<1:100 = although you haven't use the term often - are you really offering all the help you could?
1:100 - 1:50 = quite good (up there with Eastie!)
1:50 - 1:10 = acceptable, but only if used in conjuction with other more helpful phrases in most of your "Do a Search" posts.
>1:10 = have you tested your blood sugar levels lately?
I don't think that it is unreasonable to ask/expect people to do a search when they have got a specific question about a specific problem. There is a wealth of info in the archives. However should they not be satisfied with the answers they find, then by all means ask the question. One also has to realise that what is said here in print may not exactly represent the query/answer that is desired. We are not all Professors of English 'as she is spoke'! :)
I can't believe I said that! :eek:
I voted 'No' as well! :(
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eastie
Eastie, my rating is <1:100 and I still got told of. :(
Peter.
Sometimes suggesting that people do a search is just as, if not more, helpful than answering the question. I do not however, agree with the 'grumpy' approach of telling a newbie to do a search and that's it. I give some a advice and also suggest a search. If you don't tell them to do a search, they will miss out on lots of other important information. IT ISN'T RUDE TO SUGGEST IT !!!!
This is exactly what Silent did in the thread which started this stuff again. He got stomped on for being helpful and that was VERY poor form.
Gotta agree with you there Gumby, it's all in the delivery. Rudeness would be to just say "do a search" and that's it, but wrapping some additional information around it and also pointing to the archives is, IMHO, good form.
Cheers,
Justin.
I'm sure I have a comeback....actually my comeback was covered in another post. Do a search for jointers, it's all in there.:pQuote:
Originally Posted by Gumby
If you do a search on pancakes you get 138 threads listed....Not bad for a WW forum:rolleyes: ...Is this helping Silent??
Personally I'm sick to death of people analysing this forum and the behaviour of members. Snide remarks about peoples contributions and behaviour without knowing the posters background or circumstance is plain self-centred and repugnant. The forum is what it is. If you did a search you'd realise this!. ;)
If you don't like the heat get out of the "kitchen". A search on kitchen will reveal 500 threads.....:D
See my signature for further information
Cheers
But there are only four instances of the word "repugnant" being used counting this one.Quote:
Originally Posted by vsquizz
P
:D
How do you know that??Quote:
Originally Posted by bitingmidge
How could you even ask such a question of the one who solved the laminated rolling pin design challenge. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by vsquizz
Do a ...(nah I can't say it. ;) )
So what, exactly is a "do a search" mentality? (asks Mick, succesfully combining the "search" thread with "pedantry" :p ). I'm presuming that the vast majority of us found this place by accident whilst searching for something else. I don't think that suggesting people do a search is being unhelpful, your're merely letting people know that, somewhere on this forum, hidden between the posts on pancakes and foil beanies there are posts discussing whatever it is that's being asked.
Sometimes I feel disinclined to answer a question, sometimes because I've answered one just like it not long before and other times because it's a renovation question and I don't feel like talking about work. Rather than ignoring the question I will suggest a search, adding that it's been covered previously. I would think that a "search" reponse would be friendlier than totally ignoring the person.
In a real life, face to face type situation I know I'd be pretty offended if I asked someone a question and they totally ignored me. If they waved me over in a general direction and told me to search there I may not be overjoyed, but having been brought up with a healthy dose of work I know that little in life comes easy and I'm not conditioned to expect an easy instant solution or resolution to anything. So I'm all set to be pleasnatly suprised rather than dissapointed.
Mick
I wouldn't and dont care if Im told to do a search. I usually do one anyway and when Im not satisfied I post. Someone not happy, just press the back button on your browser and you've only lost a few seconds of your valuable time on the net.
Tell me Im dredging up an old thread. So what? Most people give you a link anyway and the thread dies a quick death. If it doesn't then people want to discuss it and thats what its all about my friends.
Routers, Tablesaws, and sharpening have been around for a lot longer than this forum and at some point almost every question (woodwork related) has probably been addressed at some point.
As Mick said I only found this thread when doing some research. And as Mick said, sometimes I dont want to answer, especially reno/building questions and I dont have to, but invariably someone will because they want to.
The forums fine by me. Just like real life, a variety of people and opinions....oops this is real isnt it?
I feel it is all in the way the person is told to do a search. I distinctly remember one such post being deleted.....otherwise it has vanished into thin air. Using capitals or bold type when telling someone to search is not on in my book. No matter what a posters background is, common decency and good manners should prevail. This topic reminds me a bit about all the hannah hannah about the spelling nazis.
Anyway, I'm out of this topic.
Have fun, it's bed time for children and geriatrics, good nite all.
( Theres no snoring smiley ! :( )
OK, well to the 15 who voted 'Yes', I really don't know what to say. Maybe I mumbled too much when describing the subject, I don't know. Maybe it comes down to perceptions of the 'tone of voice' people are using. This is always a problem online.
All I can say is that I really don't think that on the whole this 'Do a search' thing is a problem on this forum. I object to being told it is and that I'm part of the problem. I'm not in an ivory tower and I don't think any of the others here more deserving of such a residence are in one either.
There will always be rude people in forums, just like there are in real life. Generally they will be dealt with one way or another. I think they are by far and away the exception to the rule here.
You're right Squizzy, enough of this introspective bullshot, the weekend is coming and I've got a shed full of tools and wood and the whole thing to myself :D
I've got a question about ---Dust Control!