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Why do people not research before replying?


Sakari

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After a recent topic ( and many older ones ) I often ask myself why people do not do a little bit of research on a topic before replying?

A lot of times, simple things can be found in a ten minute search..

Names do not exist.

Places do not exist.

Photo is from a known advertisement. ( Plumbing service, " sewer monster " )

I can say, most of the time, just a bit of research beyond " paranormal " on the internet alone will yield strong results and answers. ( phone calls help also, and emails )....

What makes people so positive about things, and so defensive, if they have not even spent a small amount of time to look for facts, or lies?..Then, the same people argue with someone who did do that, and posted the information? Without spending 5 minutes to verify the information given?

Also to note, if a 10 minute search does not give answers, emails and phone calls will....I understand not many are willing to go this far, not sure why on that either.

Anyway, hoping maybe some of the type of people I am talking about can answer this.

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that's ridiculous.

nothing more to be said :D

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Because this isn't a science project.

A lot of people are here to relax, browse the forums, connect with friends, comment on a few threads that take their interest or post something that they feel others would find interesting. Nobody should be expected to conduct an investigation or make phone calls to research a topic before being eligible to participate - that's ridiculous.

One can see from a first post if someone is just in a relaxed, chatting mood, or that they have been thinking about something a lot and then decided to start a new thread about it.

In the second case it often (no, not always) happens that despite someone saying a subject interests them a lot and even for years, they still show not even having tried a simple search, either on this site or on the internet in general.

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Recently someone started a thread in the "Alternative History" forum about a 11,000 years old temple.

I noticed she had made only 28 posts or something, and from that I assumed she may not have known how to use the search tool of UM, so all I wanted to do, as a start, was post a screenshot of search results, using "Göbekli" as keyword.

But while I was busy, someone else already tried to rub it in she should have done this and that first, lol.

Well, I understood his obvious irritation, but instead of adding to the bickering, I simply 'took over' and kept adding new info to the thread, info not posted on UM before.

Now I am not suggesting I am a saint, but most often I just reply with posting links to older threads about the same subject.

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Because this isn't a science project.

A lot of people are here to relax, browse the forums, connect with friends, comment on a few threads that take their interest or post something that they feel others would find interesting. Nobody should be expected to conduct an investigation or make phone calls to research a topic before being eligible to participate - that's ridiculous.

I understand the browse forums, connect with friends, and comment on threads...

I guess I should have been more clear....If I am going to post on a topic, and state things such as " the belemontive canyon is 23 miles long, and can easily support a spaghetti monster ", I think I should check on that before posting it.

I never said anyone needs to make a phone call or make a email, I am only saying a lot of these topics are people asking for help, or answers, and yes, this is a good place to get them.

I am not saying to be eligible to participate requires making a phone call, I am just curious why some people do not do a simple google search themselves. Because many times, the answer is right there.

I find it ridiculous to not investigate something if one has questions about it....Isn't that what this is all about?.....Investigating is part of the discussion, a lot of times the discussions from all sides are " investigating ", and helping each other to find answers.

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I do need to add :

When I first joined UM, I actually did learn a lot here....So, UM is also a tool to research things.

Also, it does give me something to do, as I do enjoy it.....So, maybe I should not b**** to much.

Edited by Sakari
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I agree with Saru, but I can also understand and partially agree with Sakari

I have seen discussion's that could be solved if either party would actually do some research on the subject in question, or one person on the discussion has done research but the other person has not and will not accept anything the other person is putting forward as evidence even though they have no idea as to whether it is true or not

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on the internet, as in life, if you are going to argue you best have your ducks in a row.

i think that's what sakari is referring to. there are many posters that merely barf out stuff without any basis for their claims or beliefs, and yet they will spam a thread with it.

when others in the discussion try to pin them down they often get defensive and go off on a tangent and then the thread is derailed.

i can think of one member lately who is such a post monger on certain threads i don't even bother to visit them anymore. he goes on and on how he is persecuted here yet continues to post unsubstantiated crap and will not give credible sources when asked. merely plays the victim card.

so yeah, do your research if you want to argue here. otherwise by all means, relax and enjoy the ride. no one said you have to do anything at all.

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Moving this to 'Philosophy and Psychology' as it isn't really anything to do with Cryptozoology

one person on the discussion has done research but the other person has not and will not accept anything the other person is putting forward as evidence even though they have no idea as to whether it is true or not

This tends to be more to do with someone being stubborn and unwilling to admit to being wrong than it is about doing research.

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ah.. wise saru

What makes people so positive about things, and so defensive, if they have not even spent a small amount of time to look for facts, or lies?..Then, the same people argue with someone who did do that, and posted the information? Without spending 5 minutes to verify the information given?

new information often shatters previous information.

a person who still only has the seed of the thing, doesn't yet know what grows out of that seed.

at that point, the seed could contain anything [referencing: imagination, fantasy, creative potential] -- a wrapped gift, if you will.

this is all conjured from emotions, rather than any real logic.

when you come along, and tell them what's inside that seed .. you essentially destroy that emotional construct. somebody may have taken a lot of time investing in a nice cosy little santa belief system, you know what i mean?

the problem you're having is, you are telling children santa claus doesn't exist, but you yourself still can't explain how the gifts are left behind.

also,

Also to note, if a 10 minute search does not give answers, emails and phone calls will....I understand not many are willing to go this far, not sure why on that either.

..we're all looking for the same thing ..you want to know who or what this gift-bringer is.

i see your comments a fair bit, i think you're a sensible and intelligent person who is genuinely looking for these answers.

from my own research and experience, i'm thinking now of a passage i think Jung wrote, something about "the one who approaches the face of the waters to see his own reflection, this experience is sufficient enough to frighten off most people"

most people are being scared off after 10 minutes you say?

..and you've past that?

..imagine what's out there waiting to scare you off :whistle:

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Some people aren't into researching things. You can't expect everyone to be like you.

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heres one for thought, research is the reason i came to this site. i was told that most of the people here were intelligent and knowledgeable on the subjects i was interested in ( UFOs Ghosts and a couple other things) there was a wide range of subjects and that there were conversations instead of trolls screaming at each other and that perhaps i could listen to those conversations to find whatever it was that i was looking for.

nuff said

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You can't kick around ideas with an article or research paper. Sometimes it's just fun to think of possibilities and what if's and to simply let your imagination run wild. Who am I to want to spoil the fun?

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Because this isn't a science project.

A lot of people are here to relax, browse the forums, connect with friends, comment on a few threads that take their interest or post something that they feel others would find interesting. Nobody should be expected to conduct an investigation or make phone calls to research a topic before being eligible to participate - that's ridiculous.

Nothing wrong with all that, and these things should be encouraged, however if someone is going to post something as a fact the least they can do is be able to back it up with a little bit of research. That's just common courtesy as far as I'm concerned.

I don't think Sakari said anything about research being a requirement participating in a discussion.

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I think that SOMETIMES - and only sometimes we get those folks who post simply because they like the interaction, they like to know that they said a thing and maybe somebody agreed with them. We all seek affrimation in some way - some of us go out and find information, develop a belief or position from it and then publicly report about what we've found and I, at least, can admit to hoping someone will reply to it and want to either agree or disagree.

Other folks go on the forums and they want to tell about what they believe regarding bigfoot and see who believes along with them. Its a natural human instinct to try and find people who align with our own beliefs....its part of feeling like we belong somewhere.

I think for those people, it isn't about the actual content so much as the way it feels to connect with others and at the same time have your beliefs validated.

At the same time, it is irritating when people don't use the search function and just yak up whatever drivel they conjure up, even though its been discussed to DEATH 2 months ago. I try not to get irritated though because I'm pretty sure I did the exact same thing when I first started out here.

I'm reading back through this and wondering if I made a coherent point. Hope so! :tu:

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At the same time, it is irritating when people don't use the search function and just yak up whatever drivel they conjure up, even though its been discussed to DEATH 2 months ago.

Another way to view it is if the site only had like 3 new members a week, then this could be understandable, but since that is not the case, the turn over and cycles of topics is pretty high and fast. Remember not everyone is at least 2 months old in membership, and to them it is still exciting to discuss something with both other new members as well as established. Also maybe it has nothing to do with researching but just starting somewhere to begin engaging with the community. Whatever the reason is, who is anyone to judge or criticise that ? As for trolls who do this deliberately, well yes every community has that unfortunately, but they are usually sorely obvious and I think this site nails them down pretty efficiently being that religious, politics, and unexplained topics can be huge magnets and triggers for the very worst behaviour of humanity.

And there is also the added thing that just because you personally have been exposed to a topic to death, doesn't mean you have to read it or respond to it anymore. I have been here for 6 years and my contributions as a member have adapted over that time to zoning in on the topics and contexts that continuously interest me and never get old for me. Changing your filters to looking for what interests you rather than focusing on what is being beaten to death can greatly enhance your quality of time here. Not just talking to you personally even though i quoted you, it's just another way to consider things, that's all i mean :tu:

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Another way to view it is if the site only had like 3 new members a week, then this could be understandable, but since that is not the case, the turn over and cycles of topics is pretty high and fast. Remember not everyone is at least 2 months old in membership, and to them it is still exciting to discuss something with both other new members as well as established. Also maybe it has nothing to do with researching but just starting somewhere to begin engaging with the community. Whatever the reason is, who is anyone to judge or criticise that ? As for trolls who do this deliberately, well yes every community has that unfortunately, but they are usually sorely obvious and I think this site nails them down pretty efficiently being that religious, politics, and unexplained topics can be huge magnets and triggers for the very worst behaviour of humanity.

And there is also the added thing that just because you personally have been exposed to a topic to death, doesn't mean you have to read it or respond to it anymore. I have been here for 6 years and my contributions as a member have adapted over that time to zoning in on the topics and contexts that continuously interest me and never get old for me. Changing your filters to looking for what interests you rather than focusing on what is being beaten to death can greatly enhance your quality of time here. Not just talking to you personally even though i quoted you, it's just another way to consider things, that's all i mean :tu:

Good points. I just want to clarify that I don't find my UM experience as a whole to be irritating for these reasons, its just something that pops up now and then, and that I typically just deal with internally. I don't recall ever having called someone out for not using the search function. We are all at different stages of learning about the site, and even now I still discover things I didn't know on a nearly daily basis.

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Does anybody recall the stigma of necroing old threads? If somebody has a question on a old thread and bump it up on other forums they will get dragged down and flamed off the boards. You search you read you want to ask a question post it then get bounced for necroing a thread. It doesn't look to be a rule here(There is one that's close but not the same) but it is common on the internet.

Interaction with people is also a lot more fun then reading a thread that may have members who are no longer present to defend or expand their own views.

Heck researching some of the these thread topics bring up interesting results even on this site you try to look something up and you will get slammed with opposing information all the time with wild inaccuracies. Not so much on the ancient history stuff but like the paranormal/Dreams/Religion stuff. After a little bit of time here and talking with people when I do searches now it is much more concentrated to find what I am looking for.

A lot of other good reason have been listed as well. Remember folks we are social animals :)

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I understand the browse forums, connect with friends, and comment on threads...

I guess I should have been more clear....If I am going to post on a topic, and state things such as " the belemontive canyon is 23 miles long, and can easily support a spaghetti monster ", I think I should check on that before posting it.

I never said anyone needs to make a phone call or make a email, I am only saying a lot of these topics are people asking for help, or answers, and yes, this is a good place to get them.

I am not saying to be eligible to participate requires making a phone call, I am just curious why some people do not do a simple google search themselves. Because many times, the answer is right there.

I find it ridiculous to not investigate something if one has questions about it....Isn't that what this is all about?.....Investigating is part of the discussion, a lot of times the discussions from all sides are " investigating ", and helping each other to find answers.

You mean people who talk about a topic in such a matter of fact tone that they would have you believe theyre experts on the subjects, yet really know nothing about it?

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You mean people who talk about a topic in such a matter of fact tone that they would have you believe theyre experts on the subjects, yet really know nothing about it?

Tone?....Not sure I can hear a tone on here.

If you give me a example of a topic, I can give you a answer.....I mean someone posting things like " chimpanzees tree knock, so why not a bigfoot "....Things like that. ( primates do not tree knock )......

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Fact is, if everyone thoroughly researched everything before posting...they wouldn't be here!

This is called a discussion forum.

I thrashed hell out of Google, emails, phone calls, letters, interviews, FOI requests, libraries, bookstores and still came here for discussion.

If someone posts something that seems uninformed or unresearched...don't flame them, encourage them and point them in the right direction....they may come back to you later with something you didn't know, or do as many do, use it as an excuse to mount the podium and demonstate the exuberance of their verbosity on the topic.

Of course, if they are plain stupid, ignorant or rude...reach for the flamethrower! :gun:

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