Google basics.

Over the last few weeks/months I have noticed some stupid/uninformed replies or questions on various threads.

I know data is relatively expencive in SA but the fact that you are on the forum implies that you do have data. Firstly I'm not in IT so what I know is self tought.

If you open your web browser and it doesn't connect to Google directly just type in the word 'google' and enter. You will then have a list of search resolts. The first one should be for www.google.com Click on this and you should get a screen like the one in the first picture. Now you are halfway there. Just type in the word or phrase (it will even give you suggestions of what you might be looking for, picture 2) that you want to search for and press enter. A whole new world opens infront of you. There is even a nifty picture search option which works sometimes.

Now boys and girls the world is open infront of you. Go ahead try another search

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Please search things before you make a thread, a lot of info is on the net and with a little research you can easily answer your questions usually

 

Is this in reply to the thread i posted on the hydra? If so, im sorry. I did google quite a bit but couldnt find anything conclusive. Thats when i decoded to turn to the brainiacs here. I also read through all the hydra posts i found on here. All i could come up with was noplanaria which no one seems to stock except shrimpcity which is a bit far away for me at the moment. So still unanaswered.


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Not so much you. I think it's general observation, this happens on all 3 forums I'm part of so don't sweat it

 

Yes hendre. You can start by using Google for your spelling lol

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Whilst i understand what @Pierré Schoonraad is trying to say, @Hendre, your harshness is uncalled for and may hurt some people.

I know its frustrating sometimes when people ask such basic questions that you can see they have not taken two minutes of their time to at least read up on basic knowledge

Telling people to get all their answers from google is also tricky as we often tell people not to take google as gospel because there is so much controversial advice so...

I agree that when you plan on starting a hobby, you should purchase a good book... do some reading on the net etc...
Then once you have some idea of what its all about and what to do, you welcome to ask for clarification or opinions on the subject

@Ane, apologies if it upset you, i hope i have clarified what @Pierré Schoonraad meant

 

Lmao yes, not everyone uses it though. I try to keep my spelling mistakes corrected and sometimes you do fail so Google is usually a good place to check before posting something.

What @Hendre said - too many opened new threads on the same subject when Google can practically answer your questions. Thing is there is a search function on forums that one can use to search and see if the same problem has been solved.

My other peeve on here is that some people open so many new threads - specially if it's just for one tank, inquiring about different hardware. Please keep it to one thread - you can discuss this with everyone on the forums in one single thread, not multiple threads, it makes it very hard to keep up with the multiple threads. I walk away when I see those types.

Stupid example here: I have 2 tank threads on TASA, I keep them updated instead of opening new threads on them. If I have a questions that Google doesn't answer, then I post in that thread for the specific tank. Say for example - my 70cm tank thread, I always complain about the green sloop algae and everyone pitches in to help with suggestions. Only then later on we discover it's something else that is causing it. Then I just keep it up dated with new photos every week or every two weeks. If I want to know something about something specific, such as sponge filters, I'll search the forums first before posting the question into my tank thread, as not to create a clutter of threads relating to sponge filters.

@Ane: Don't beat yourself up over that one, that is a hard one to tackle. I've had planaria - information is difficult to find but if you google right, you'll find the information. My only issue is the medications that is needed to kill off planara, hydra and all sorts of nasties is not available here locally so sometimes you have to figure out what to do or the best thing is to go and talk to a vet about it - vets are trained to work with animal medicine so that's your best bet here.

 

^^

@MariaS I didn't mean to hurt anyone, I just find a lot of people come around asking a lot of what's commonly available. The internet can be varied which is why I look at many sources before coming to a conclusion. It's all part of research

 

@Ane no this is not aimed at you. Sorry if you feel that I did it wasn't my intention with this. It was more aimed at some of the other coments on the thread. Good luck with the hydra.

We recently had a thread about books vs internet regarding the knowledge you gain from the hobby. Everybody doesn't have the time to read through a comete book about certain aspects of aquarium life but.... by doing a simple search can give you at least one answer in a few seconds. Yes the internet can contradict itself but take that contradicting knowledge and then ask for help. Don't just ask a stupid random question. There is a lot of people here with years of combined knowledge in various fields. They might not all be willing to help you if you are not willing to do your part as well. Only this morning I learned that using google scholar is actually a way better search engen as it will guide you to the facts and less of the fiction.

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Oh and to add one thing, yes I can be very blunt when it comes to certain things.

I have to say that Hendre is correct in making that statement.

I'm not saying people are stupid but they can be damn lazy and just ask, ask, ask. Do a little bit of effort for yourself and believe me, you'll feel better about it afterwards, armed to the teeth with some new knowledge. Heck I even learn something new everyday.

 

We always learn in this hobby

 

I understand.. its fine..its sometimes the way we say things
@Rainstorm, as i explained, i understand what you saying however there are thousands of members on forum and sometimes people take blunt statements to heart.
All i am saying is explain what you mean in a nice way, with examples as you have done, so everyone understands what frustrates people

 

@MariaS yes that is why I try not to comment on certain threads because I know what I am capable of and sometimes it's usually not kind.|

I mean how many people can google or search but don't. Most young people are very fortunate to have digital technology at their hands - I was 17 when I first used an internet search engine - but you tell me how many of them actually do use Google for information? How many people bother to search the forums for something that MIGHT answer their questions before opening a new thread?

I hammer Google almost everyday for answers - granted there are some dodgy solutions on the web but with some common sense, you can actually weed out the bad info from the good info.

Oh and how many people read the rules of the forums? My first cue to joining a new forum is to read the rules first, and the other necessary threads such as introduce yourself, etc.... I don't care if the profile isn't updated with a location, as long as the rules are followed and that you don't have to moderate so much clutter all over the place. I once had to ask one of the mods because I wasn't sure where to post a certain topic and we discussed that in PM so that we can make sure I was posting it in the right place. How many people do that nowadays?

So now let me ask you - what has happened to common sense?

 

As I have said.. i agree with what you saying.. i spend so much time researching that my son asked me the other day if my TV still works...

Again.. all i meant is... its not what you saying or meant.. its how you say it.
That's what my Dad always told us
Maybe i am too old school... i still believe in saying things diplomatically.. sorry..

 

I'm one of the people who use google and rarely post a question on the forum.

Posting on the forum and creating threads atleast keep it active, so I am on here but rarely post and thus I'm not really contributing

In SA we don't always have the same resources etc. Like others in other countries so creating a thread give you information to things others with access to the same resources as you use.

Just my 2c


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But at least when doing a search and getting contradicting information ask the questions then and you can be pointed in the right direction.

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This is the best way I think. Best to have a basic understanding of what you are looking at and going from there

 

Yeah me too. The problem is not the lack of contribution that we are talking about - it's excessive thread-opening on certain topics such as someone new to planted tanks or needing a guide on how to start with the most basics - one after another, filter thread, air pump thread, so on... You get what I mean. There is a thread on that - some people just don't bother looking for it or even doing a search.

Silly example here: I posted a thread on sponge filters as I wanted to know how effective they are in a large tank with certain fish. Ended up with me deciding to go the HMF route instead of using a Boyu sponge filter (BTW this thread isn't on TASA) - freshwater neon gobies need high flow so every fish has different requirements. Also in certain threads, some people ask what is that instead of doing a simple google search. Come on, seriously? It takes a quick google search to find out what it is. Someone typed in some word and I had no idea of what it was until I googled it. I don't ask unless Google doesn't provide the answers that is needed or that the answer is dodgy. I did a lot of searching on Google for the sponge filters before opening a new thread on it and asking people for their personal opinion / experience.

That is usually an issue - that's why I do not shop on eBay or Amazon, too many fake reviews and no proper evidence that it is good. I believe that there is a sponser list on TASA - people can refer to that for aquarium hardware. I don't know if there are links for an aquarium water volume calculator and fertiliser calculator. Then there's the AquaTools link which has been proved useful for a lot of things - just only one teeny problem with it is that Firefox doesn't support it (bec it disables the Flash plugin) and only works on Chrome as far as I have tested (@MariaS can testify to that). Also I find that people create "lists" and sticky them for a reason - aquarium soil, aquarium fertiliser, the works and so on... In that thread, you can add an online shop or a physical shop with some good reviews - say aquarium hardware, great selection of fish, and so on...

Just my 2c worth.

 

@Rainstorm.. this is an open Forum and like I have seen in lots of other forums... certain things will never change

A bit of patience goes a long way into keeping everyone happy

Remember that the 'ignorant' new member of today with a bit of patience and guidance can actually grow into a very valuable member in the future
That's why teachers have to have so much patience...
If people have a problem.. just ignore the thread.

The only way we could achieve what you want is to stop people from starting threads unless we moderate them first.... anyone want to volunteer for the job?
Or say.. you can only start a thread if you posting a new tank....

This subject can be argued until eternity.....