Quote:
Originally Posted by EP3
I posted on another car forum website, after searching for a bit for my answer. I could not find my answer so I asked a question by starting a new tread. I recieved some good help and also recieved the "It is amazing what you can find when you search" after this person's post. I mean my question was so specific that no search function would ever find it. You would have to know the exact said title or key word or have started the tread. I mean wtf  is the chip on these peoples shoulders. WAS THIS NOT THE REASON FOR A FORUM????? To give and recieve. Yes repeat titles can be annoying but why not just link or skip the tread. Yeah if you start a thread What can I do to save gas? Then yeah I might say "there are some post about this" and ask them in a PM if they need help with search feature I would be willing to help them. AHHHHH! crazy, rude, people. |
In its many variations, the rhetorical "
What's the point of a forum if you can't ask questions?" is a common retort when folks are told to search. While at the most basic level, it's a valid point, it's also true that it's almost always uttered by someone who hasn't bothered to do any searches or even look down the page at similar discussions that are already going on.
In your case, you'd obviously done some searches (good for you), but folks often don't tell anyone that, and if so, they don't specify what they searched on (I mean specific words, including the way they spelled it). Those are essential elements that are often left out of the post.
I have no qualms in admitting I'm one of those folks who tell folks to search. The main reason I do so is that I'm irked by someone who expects (nay, demands) that others put out effort for them before they've done so on their own behalf. If someone has put out an honest effort to educate themselves on the situation, I never come back with a "Search for it..." type of answer. The folks who don't bother/care to search are often the same folks who don't bother/care to even do any rudimentary investigation of the vehicle before they run to the computer to make the post -- you'd be amazed at the number of people who ask something like "Why doesn't my headlight work?" before they've even checked the bulb or the fuses.
In response to the hubbub and complaints/demands/entreaties for a FAQ that always occurred when this subject came up, I wrote this FAQ in response:
Searching The Site: How, Why, and Excuses. Yes, that's a BMW E28 5-Series board, but the principles apply to all boards.