"Use the Search Bar"
As I see it, this phrase is becoming a bit of a problem.
More and more lately I am seeing that it has become common practice to put: "Search Bar Approved," or "Yes, I used the search bar," or some other derivative, as a form of disclaimer. This is because if the thread creator does not have this kind of message in their post somewhere, The first few posts will inevitably say: "Use the Search Bar."
This, I believe, is an OK practice if it can be proven that there was a very similar, if not identical, thread made in the recent past (say, 3 or 4 months). This has happened to me, and I graciously accepted that I did not, in fact, do a thorough search. Unfortunately I have seen far too many people post "Use the Search Bar" simply because they think something similar has been done. Even worse is when the OP then proves that they did in fact use the search bar, and the accuser cannot prove the existence of a similar thread.
You may see that I have kept a civil tone throughout this post. This is because I do not wish to cause controversy; all I want is for people to get their facts straight. If you think the OP hasn't done a search, do one yourself, see if you can easily get a similar page to come up. If you can, link the OP to it, and advise them on how to do a more thorough search.
So please, please don't come down on authors so hard unless it is a very obvious repeat thread, not just because you have an inkling that it might just have been done before.
TL;DR version:
People overuse "Use the Search Bar," even without having their facts straight.
To add an element of discussion to this thread, I pose the question: Do you see Search Bar Nazi's as a nuisance? Do you think they're a good thing? Are you indifferent?
As I see it, this phrase is becoming a bit of a problem.
More and more lately I am seeing that it has become common practice to put: "Search Bar Approved," or "Yes, I used the search bar," or some other derivative, as a form of disclaimer. This is because if the thread creator does not have this kind of message in their post somewhere, The first few posts will inevitably say: "Use the Search Bar."
This, I believe, is an OK practice if it can be proven that there was a very similar, if not identical, thread made in the recent past (say, 3 or 4 months). This has happened to me, and I graciously accepted that I did not, in fact, do a thorough search. Unfortunately I have seen far too many people post "Use the Search Bar" simply because they think something similar has been done. Even worse is when the OP then proves that they did in fact use the search bar, and the accuser cannot prove the existence of a similar thread.
You may see that I have kept a civil tone throughout this post. This is because I do not wish to cause controversy; all I want is for people to get their facts straight. If you think the OP hasn't done a search, do one yourself, see if you can easily get a similar page to come up. If you can, link the OP to it, and advise them on how to do a more thorough search.
So please, please don't come down on authors so hard unless it is a very obvious repeat thread, not just because you have an inkling that it might just have been done before.
TL;DR version:
People overuse "Use the Search Bar," even without having their facts straight.
To add an element of discussion to this thread, I pose the question: Do you see Search Bar Nazi's as a nuisance? Do you think they're a good thing? Are you indifferent?
