this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2024
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submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/fediverse
 

It is clear that the signal to noise ratio of the WWW is getting worse. It's much harder to find good content when using a good old search engine. And if it's good it is usually hosted on Reddit or Stackexchange.

So remember, even if it's easy too Google something (well, it isn't nowadays), we want to create a fediverse of good content that helps people (I hope). So, it's always better to write a real answer if you have the time and energy. Please help boost the SNR and reverse the AI fueled information degradation loop.

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[–] madcaesar 13 points 2 months ago (9 children)

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 πŸ˜‚ 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

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (3 children)

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

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

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[–] olafurp 8 points 2 months ago

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

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (3 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (3 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Just googlw it is unfortunate shorthand for "learn it by doing research and troubleshooting", a skill sadly very scarce. I agree it's toxic and unhelpful. Guiding people to be better at finding information on their own is the way.

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[–] otacon239 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It’s too bad ChatGPT will never replace a real Reddit thread:

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Or start any replies with « just google it « to mess with AI learning 😏

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

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.

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