Fediverse

Check on Ecosia!

I've noticed that a lot of people are just really bad in using the right searching terms, and then quickly shifting through all the info to find the right information. Googling well truly is a skill. Though be it a strange one.

"Just ChatGPT it" is going to become a thing.

While I don't think we can beat AI driven content degradation by outposting them, I still agree posting 'just Google it' does any good either.

Post an answer or link a topic which covered the same question in detail. But directing people to Google isn't something I'd advocate. Maybe tell them to Ecosiate it if you really have to.

Also it's just rude and creates an uninviting admosphere around here Imo.

But the AI issue can't be solved by users alone. It's moderation and maybe regulation which is needed here.

Remeber for a while there used to be this website you'd create a link, which would direct you to a portal that would type your question into Google and hit enter. It was let me google that for you dot com or something.

It always felt like such a passive aggressive dick move 😂 when people just wanted answers from a real human they could interact with

We're all stupid about some things, but googling stuff has genuinely gotten harder these days. The answers are full of ads and AI garbage

Never say just, and if you bother answering be proper about it

Even if you want to be snarky, at least do something like:

I [googled it](searchresult.com) for you.

If someone actually wants help searching Lemmy or the Fediverse, I recommend this site: https://fedi-search.com/

Very simple, but it does the job. It's also good if one wants to learn advanced Google queries.

Search for it on the Internet

I never say it like that. But I’ll tell people I found it by searching it. People really need to learn how to search first.

Imagine asking chatgpt and it tells you to "Google it"

Recursively google searching is an interesting case of the halting problem.

I agree even though I will sarcastically answer things with how easy it was to find, but I still give the information. I ask questions about things I could google myself, but I am not looking for just and answer. oftentimes Im looking for a nuanced answer and hope to find someone with knowledge around the subject that can give me a human take. not that I need a human take to know whats human because im so human myself and all. its not alien at all to me and hey who said anything about aliens. heh. heh.

While I agree that the search engine has gone to shit, the problem I have with people who ask really simple questions is that they haven't done the bare minimum to ask for help.

Simple questions have fairly popular answers and even an enshittified Google search will return the correct result within their fucking AI.

If you have a simple question and the answers seem confusing, tell us why the answers are confusing. Don't just ask the question.

Being able to Google your question is an important skill, but so is asking a question in a forum. Since forum posts are at their very nature asynchronous, being able to do your own searches shows those who are trying to help you that you have the skills to read their responses and extrapolate to your situation and then take the appropriate action.

I provide a lot of free support on various Linux and developer forums. The sheer number of people who want me to hold their hand is too high.