"Just Google It" - BAD. "Search the forum Archive" - GOOD.

[deephouse]

From a webmaster's perspective, I'm going to tell you why this is the dumbest answer to any question when posted on forums.

1. In short, Google ranks websites based on their content. So, the more information a site has on a subject (and specific key words) the more relavant it will become on search results.
Small example, most people wont search "Sig Sauer P220". If they're looking for something specific, that search may carry out to 5 or 6 keywords: "Sig Sauer P220 slide locking up". So in a lot of cases, this longer string of key words ends up being the Subject/Topic of the post.

2. You (the one suggesting to Google) are inviting the user to bounce off the site. Meaning, you're literally sending them off the site for that moment in time. They may find the answer somewhere else and no longer wish to participate in your forum.

3. From a online community perspective, the whole point of a forum is to ask questions and learn. My suggestion for a more positive experience would be to instruct the person asking to "STFA - Search the forum archive". Take it a step further and suggest a few keywords to search for.

Or better yet, provide them with a link to a relavent topic. We all know you've been around longer, and may have insight to keywords they may not have thought to search. This is also good for Google because it sees those links.

4. This is my own opinion, but I think sometimes people get up on the wrong side of the bed or didn't eat breakfast that day - but sometimes people are just looking for a quick answer and it doesn't hurt to simply answer them (assuming it's a quick question). The answer could have been a 1-word answer and in the amount of time it took you to type "Google" you probably could have given them the answer they needed. Not every situation, but again - that's just my opinion.

5. Realistically - People don't spend all day in front of the website on the forum. Sometimes the topic has been talked about before but it was too far in the past and the post is buried somewhere deep in search results. It never hurts to bring up a subject a 2nd time and talk about it. See reason #1. Maybe the situation and variables have changed.

Just my thoughts on the infamous "Google It" response....

[Zartan]

Just Bing it

[ocabj]

Just Bing it

This isn't Hawaii Five-0.

[deephouse]

Just Bing it

LOL. or better yet: "Ask Jeeves"

[Spyder]

Oh come on. Altavista is king.

[Ralgha]

I have yet to find a forum with a search function that doesn't suck.

Best way to search a forum that I've found is to use Google and specify the site to search: "ar-15 bullet button site:calguns.net"

Works wonderfully.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus that ate your iPhone.

[Ninety]

I use "site:calguns.net mysearch" I haven't ever been successful using the search feature in the forum. I get many results none with what I'm looking for.

[NytWolf]

Seriously ...

I use Google to search a site. Granted, the search engines that some forums have aren't the greatest. It just so happens that Google allows you to search a site by typing in the url then the keywords.

For example:

www.calguns.net glocks reliability 1911"

[ke6guj]

From a webmaster's perspective, I'm going to tell you why this is the dumbest answer to any question when posted on forums.

but most of us aren't the webmaster of the forum we are hanging out at, so we have a different perspective.

2. You (the one suggesting to Google) are inviting the user to bounce off the site. Meaning, you're literally sending them off the site for that moment in time. They may find the answer somewhere else and no longer wish to participate in your forum.

I don't care if they go elsewhere to find the info. if they are too stupid to do a proper search before asking a repetitive question that can be found with a 5-second Google search, we are probably better off with them not here.

[Laythor]

I use "site:calguns.net mysearch" I haven't ever been successful using the search feature in the forum. I get many results none with what I'm looking for.

best answer.

let's see how easy that works:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site%3Acalguns.net+just+google+it

the google search algorithms are much more efficient then the built in search. by constraining the search to one site you remove the OP's concern of people looking at other sites. I suppose he's worried about the loss of ad revenue.

Providing a link to an asked question is a very good suggestion. I know a lot of people just roll their eyes when someone asks an obvious question. At least half of those questions can be answered with a link to the cal wiki, or a copy and paste of the relevant answer in the wiki.

Keeping that in mind, part of the "fun" of being on a message board is the well execute troll of an often asked question, so asking it to stop completely would be an effort in futility.

[opie4386]

that's how I found this place.

When I say I'm going to google something I look for

-forums with the most pertinent info. On said search topic.
-forums with the most in depht detail.

So practically I use google as a forum search tool. I stay away frome all the yahoo answers, junk topics, politicaly motivated answers etc.....

In doing so I found this place, the high road, .44mag.com etc.

[The Gleam]

Get thee to a nunnery, go: farewell.

[billofrights]

The problem with going to google is people don't even know what exactly to look for, hence the forum. When I first came to CG I had no clue about AR legality or flowcharts for feature bans and so forth. It's easier to ask seasoned users "hey, so if I want to I can buy a rifle like this?" than read through 50 pages of search results, every thread filled with jargon-heavy posts that you need to further search. "Wait, what's a BB now? Or an 80%?"

Be nice to the newbs that are here to learn. Many, like myself, were looking to find a community of helpful individuals to educate them on a new world they're just now stepping in to. Your friendly interaction can either make them a grateful member, or a member somewhere else where they're more welcoming.

[Zartan]

Oh come on. Altavista is king.

AHAHA! Good one

[deephouse]

@Ralgha - true, most do suck. But just gotta know what you're looking for. Advanced search works better in most cases.

@Nintey - true, forgot about that one.

@Ke6guj - true, most aren't webmasters. But then again, most (may) not be well seasoned firearm experts...hence the question being asked.

@Billofrights - and that's my point basically. Everybody starts somewhere.