Forum advice vs Google advice????

I often see members supplying Google links on threads as an answer to specific questions….. BUT…. Is the information you get from those links as accurate as you would receive from the experience of our members….


Anything I see on Google is read with tongue in cheek….. I would rather opt for the first-hand advice given here on the forum….. and…. I think it is rude to even refer anyone to Google for the answer…..

No-one would start a thread on the forum if they were not interested in the opinions of our experienced members…. Would they?..... they will be aware of Google…. But would rather opt for first-hand information…. Else this forum would be redundant?...

 

I usually cross reference information,check different websites to see what everyone experience is with the recommended information.

 

agree with @DCWarHound take all info with a little pinch of salt - I tend to rely on the most consistant throughout all channels

 

i agree cheetah first hand is all ways better i will some times read stuff of google but if u get it from a person that has done it first hand and is local thats even better.

 

I agree with @Cheetah on this one, any one can use google. Personal experience is the prefered option for me.

 

I would take a forum member's advice first and foremost in most cases, but there are other times where google is very helpful, provided you know how to cross-reference and sift through all the information.

 

To be absolutely blunt and honest here, sometimes I feel that advice I receive on forums (including this one on occasion) are Google answers anyway. Many people online shamelessly pass on information as if it is their own, without reference to the original author. It's bad etiquette bad there's little you can really do to prevent it.

While I'm on the bad rant, there's a second time I only take forum advice as one of many opinions. I'm very much a 'by-the-textbook' kinda guy. Often enough people on forums will say "Yeah it might be wrong, but it works for me", or "I did this before, with no ill effect". This cannot be vouched for, confirmed or quantified, and very often sends out a bad message to inexperienced persons. Only if another member or members can counteract this do I feel safe with a forum in general, but IMO this doesn't happen enough.

Regards, the Devil's Advocate.

 

I think that every situation is unique and there are usually multiple solutions to any problem, you just have to find the one that works for you. I use google, books, members advice and then go to a specialist to see how they do it... Only then do I decide on the best course of action Unfortunately you can read as many things as you want and still have problems, often it just comes down to personal experience IMO.

 

There are really a lot of contradicting advice out there on the internet.
Most of the advice on TASA seems to come from google.:suspicious:

 

Fair enough @Reedfish. Hobbies such as fishkeeping do require some innovation and creativity from the hobbyists, and is what drives the whole lot of us forward. 'You won't know without trying' is all fine by me. However, when it comes down to putting a fish's life at risk, especially when the facts are known and there is no excuse for being adventurous (or reckless), is what really grates me.

As for books, I agree. Although I cannot do that so much anymore down here (moving a good, possibly near 50+kg of books and magazines down would be crazy). Great reference points, well-known authors, and the weight of the knowledge in your hands just feels right. Once downfall, though, is that books cannot evolve, while the internet can. I still use book published in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's (hand-me-downs), and the information is great, however, not current. A second check with a more modern publication or the internet, therefore, is always necessary.

 

Jay!!!.... I have to respond to this as it is...... and ... at the risk of repeating myself....(or being contradictory to the current day sciences of fishkeeping) Dr. Axelrod represents everything and totally everything that I know and what I practice in fishkeeping..... His publications and advice forms the foundation of my experience with some minor changes (through trial & error) to customize to my own circumstances.....

Things have changed over the years and just became more complicated ..... but the basics remain the same ..... I have kept and bred (approximately) 35 species successfully without ever testing my water chemical make-up or even pH....

I do things my way and... those who seek my advice is free to accept it... or reject it....(It is not from the net, but from own encounter)... I will continue to do what works for me.... even if it it is frowned upon by the "new era" aquarist.... and... when advice is offered.... I am as skeptical as the rest of you.... until tested and passed in my own set-up......