Ive seen an increase of people dismissing other peoples questions and refering them to www.google.com.

Now I have issue with this for two reasons:

1) Goggle does not pull up all the content of the org. It pulls up only about 10% of the content.

2) Its rude. This is a community to share information. If you dont want to pontificate on the subject, fine...but someone else might.


What are your thoughts on this issue?





izalwayspellinggooglewrongedit...
[Edited 4/19/05 10:11am]

i created this thread to go along with dansa's awesome attempt at updating the Prince.org FAQ section of the site.....

and i know our current site search function isnt working....but i just dont see google as a viable alternative.

it isn't. i've tried using it many times with many different combinations of words to try and pull the thead i was looking for and all i got was the same ol thang each time.

sosgemini said:

If people just used google (to search the NG's and other sites than just Prince.org) the boards wouldn't be cluttered with useless questions that are posed every 3 weeks...

Neversin.

Neversin said:

but whats the purpose of this website? to entertain existing prince fans? dont we want to expand the current fanbase?

i dont have a problem with people recommending other sites or where to search..but i do have a problem with threads being locked up just because theres google. expecially when google doesnt always work....

and besides, why should we recommend people going to other websites? shouldnt this be the premier source for prince info?

sosgemini said:

New information, time-killing...


Not of my concern... I'm not an entertainer nor a "Prince-fan scout"...


Google may not always work, but it's better than a site that has a search function that never works...
There's more old info on Prince to find through Google than through this site, so Google is just the better alternative for n00bs who want answers to constantly repeated n00b questions...


Because they want info on stuff that can't be found here (search is down remember?)


Also not of my concern, should it?
Well, tell Ben to implement a search function on this site and then maybe it can become a source of Prince info, but now it's just a message board with up to date info and constantly repeated questions that obviously clog this site and even annoy some of you mods...

Neversin.

gotta remember as well that most sites with message boards have search functions on 'em so the very thought of answering repeated questions gets nullified. when the search function here worked, it worked rather well.

as of now, a nod towards google and my memory of what's been posted on the forums in the past helps in steering folks towards an answer in the question department...but i honestly cannot keep doin it. gets rather annoying hearing "where can i get a tracked copy of lovesexy?" or "does prince have children?" being asked oodles and millions of times.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

so, you honestly feel that sending people to other prince sites is a justified responce? i know that ben needs to fix the search function but i dont think its right for us mods to be referring people to other prince sites..i just dont. ben has put a lot of money and effort into this site and i just dont see how we could do that.....

i can see other orgers..but not the mods...

sosgemini said:

and why not? it's been done since the dawn of prince fansite-dom and civilization in general--if you cannot find one thing at one place, steer towards another direction to find it. it don't mean that we'll lose folks here on the org (and if we did, hell, we got PLENTY of people to spare plus newbies arrivin fresh daily). each and every one of us fans, no matter which site we frequent most, we're all in a community, not a self-serving thing.

mods are orgers too, y'know. both you and i were orgers before we got our mod statuses. still are.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

where can i get a tracked copy of lovesexy? seriously!

i'm all for sending folks for google to find info on prince that's been talked to death, or that can be researched more in depth on other sites. all for it. ESPECIALLY since we don't have a search function for this site that works properly, and also because, just in general, a lot of people could find a lot more information they're looking for if they did a quick google search first before asking other folks on an online forum to do the research for them.

NOW. let me explore that last sentence with you all a little, because it sounds a little bitchy, and i really would rather it didn't...but i don't know how else to phrase it. it's an easy habit on bulletin board sites like this to pose a question about info that we wanna get, and hope that some expert on the topic will spring forth with a mountain of information.

and really, truly, from my heart - i don't think there's anything wrong with asking folks for information. honest!

HOWEVER.

in my experience, once i started making a habit out of doing a google search on topics i wanted more information about, i started getting the answers that i was going to expect other folks to answer for me...and instead of getting those answers in the form of a hastily worded post (though we do have some folks who are quite eloquent, don't get me wrong), i got answers in the form of essays and magazine articles and published text. i got some really good, solid answers to my questions. AND:

if i still had questions on the topic after researching it on google, i could THEN come on here and ask those questions from a more informed place, thereby getting more specific and useful answers from the folks in the know.

i'm not saying that people who ask others for information on here are lazy or are doing anything wrong. don't misunderstand me. but people who don't make a habit of doing a quick google search on things they're curious about are, in MY opinion, doing themselves a bit of a disservice. i'm all about using resources and being as self-sufficient as possible, and when i have questions for people, being able to ask those questions from a place of some kind of knowledge on the subject. not everyone's like that. it's all good. i guess.

and as for the thing about google only representing 10% of what's on the org or what's on the internet in general - well....it's 10% more than you're gonna find doing a search on the org. if folks know of stronger search engines, maybe they could share.

Anxiety said:

maybe thats the issue....i just dont like newbies coming along and asking a question and getting a bitchy responce back..expecially from us mods.....


maybe you guys are right, referring people to google is an option....but i think it our responsibility as moderators to error on the side of the newbie (who has yet to get a grasp of the culture of this site) then it is to take the moment as a chance to get pissy with people who dont know better....


example: that sheila e waiting on prince thread...

sosgemini said:

yeah, but consider the forum in which you're suggesting bitchiness be curtailed. i mean, you know..."hi. welcome to the internet. want a kick in the ass with those sour grapes?" not that anyone on this site or any other site - user or moderator or sitemaster or whomever - should make a point of being bitchy, but it's a common kind of behavior that either ya get used to or you cancel your DSL. there are sites FAR meaner than this one...not that we shouldn't aim for being user-friendly (and that includes the users)...but i think in terms of how we interact with others, we have to police ourSELVES and serve as an example for others, rather than suggesting too many norms by which we expect everyone to conduct themselves. ya know? (lessee, where do they do that kind of thing? )
[Edited 4/19/05 11:51am]

Anxiety said:

so then we should be okay with the bitchy attitude? well then maybe that needs to be a FAQ statement then: Moderators being bitchy and crappy towards you should not reflect on the attitude of this site?

sosgemini said:

i'm not saying we should be 'okay' with it. i'm saying we're some grown-ass people and we should be, to some extent, able to moderate our OWN behavior. similarly, people who visit this site and get a little nip of the bitchy should have a thick enough skin to understand that a site and the people who use the site are two different things. i mean, if i hated a job because of one or two co-workers with bad attitude, i'd have been unemployable years ago.

Anxiety said:

hey, i agree...but when it comes to newbies shouldnt we error on their behalf being that they are newbies and all? at least give them the chance to get their toes wet a lil? or no? (and you know im asking you this cause i respect your views enough to help me gage how i should conduct my own moderation activity).

sosgemini said:

i think it's your call, pure and simple, if you want to take a different approach with the newbies than you do with other users. i don't think it's right or wrong, but i don't think it's something that needs to be a policy on this site. if it's a little something extra that you want to add as a moderator, i think that's a nice initiative. i do think people need to learn how to become accustomed to using a new site, however. read the FAQs. figure out how the site functions. gauge the atmosphere and see if it's the kinda place you want to get involved with. that kinda stuff. i think it's a good initiative to play welcome wagon with new folks, but i think there is a level of personal accountability and resourcefulness that should also be encouraged.

Anxiety said:

so then conversely its okay for other mods to be an arse? okay...i will stop getting frustrated when i see it then...thanks!!

sosgemini said:

you know, our orgnote function ain't broke.

Anxiety said:

no, i think this was something that others benefited from seeing in public....cause i know others felt just as frusterated as i..but, i now have a better understanding of what others expectations are and i wont get as annoyed..and hopefully others wont either..

cha know?

sosgemini said:

seems to me this all boils down to you being frustrated with a certain moderator and not a better way to search for information. It's really not cool for you to air out your dirty laundry in front of folks. If you wanna help moderate the Prince: Music and More forum then do so. But this whole thread stinks of an underhanded tactic to call somebody out.

psykosoul said:

no..not at all...i tried to get a better understanding....and i have one...the issue is *me* and my reaction and not other mods....

psykosoul said:

interesting response.

I was reading through this and was actually impressed that the mods were doing this in public. IMO, they have been respectfully debating on this thread even though the clearly have different opinions. If nothing else, it's a good example for the masses of how respectful debate about touchy subjects CAN occur on this site.

th' fuck's this on now?

If a newbie asks a question - I am more than happy to answer or refer them.

Anxiety said:

exactamundo. f'rinstance, folks may think i'm brash in my style, but hey, that's how i am in real life. in your eyes i might seem as mean-spirited or talkin shit outta spite, but in actuality it's all outta love. i'll be more than happy to help folks out but if something ain't right in my eyes? prepare to feel m'wrath. i don't tiptoe or beat around the bush for no-damn-body.

that's me. deal.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but in some cases they may simply be referring to the google trick to search Prince.org. Incuding the phrase "site:prince.org" in your google search tells Google to only display results it has from within Prince.org.

Tom said:

actually in the links to the google search that have been given, that trick's within the link so it'll automatically pop up with that in there.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

exactly..and you tell me this all the time in threads...maybe thats why people think this is a sensative subject cause they think we havent discussed this before.....

but like i said, now that i fully understand the other view im not gonna sweat it like i used to..

thanks all..

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

: