Tag: Internet searches

After thinking about it I think the frustration comes from not understanding the thought process…

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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I think the thing that frustrates me the most about people refusing to perform simple internet searches and asking others to do it is the not really understanding the psyche behind people asking other people to search the web for them.

It seems like the simplest and most direct route for someone to find answers.  For example:  If someone couldn’t find a post that had been written on GMG yesterday, last week or last year they could go two routes, right?

Route 1  They either search on the GMG Search box or if they didn’t know it even existed they could point their internet browser to Google, type in the search term and get the answer within 30 seconds.

Route 2: They write an email to me, wait til I actually have time to read it, perform the internet search for them, copy the results, email them back.  Could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple days before I get through the emails that come in.

Now knowing how much quicker it would be to just perform the search themselves I just have to ask myself why?  Why in the world does someone refuse to perform the search themselves?

Now we all know those people who pride themselves on “Not being a computer person”. Not the feeble minded ones, but the genuinely smart people in every day lives that are really really smart and successful but they wear the “I don’t have a smartphone” badge like it’s something to be proud of.  These are the type of people who would bite their nose off to spite their own face.  If you have a smartphone (and it’s not about money because you can get free smartphones with any carrier) you know the power you have in your hand.  You know that knowledge is power and the information at your fingertips with a smartphone is nearly limitless.

So to trot out the “I’m not a computer person” line in the year 2014 makes you look stupid.  I don’t mean this to offend anyone.  I’m just telling you that saying this line out loud to anyone is basically telling people that you’re an idiot.  Computers are so dumbed down today, that if you can spell, then you can use an internet browser.  A two minute YouTube instructional video can explain how to perform a Google search.

Here’s a great internet tutorial for beginners.  You may ask how I found it.  By golly I actually found it using a search on Google!  Crazy right? I knooooow!!!  So Crazy!

So then after the “I’m not a smartphone person” or “I’m not a computer person” people, could it be laziness?  Do the people that write in these requests for information posted on the web just not want to perform the task of typing in the query?

Again I’m not meaning to offend with these questions, I’m trying to figure out for my own sanity the thought process (or lack thereof) in asking someone else through email to find something online for them when the act of writing out that email request took more time and energy than simply performing the internet search themselves.  It actually takes less time and keystrokes for the person asking the question.

So I guess that kinda answers my question there.  It can’t be that they’re lazy because it actually requires more work for them to type out the email than perform the search.  So strike lazy.

I genuinely believe the disconnect is a simple 2-5 minute lesson on how to point their browser in the direction of a search engine.  Could it be that simple you think?  Do you think that people are so afraid of technology that they intentionally refuse to learn how to find a search box?  That two minute lesson would open up worlds of information and empower them so much but they still won’t take that leap.  Being able to search for flights, bus schedules, sports scores, local events, international events, knitting patterns, free music, writing, art, ect, ect, ect, ect, ect, ect, ect, ect……

What percentage of the people who refuse to perform internet searches do you think is due to “

Laziness

Stupidity

Fear of Internet

Please help me understand.  Please.  I beg of you.  If you are one of these people could you write in (and you can make it anonymous) to help me understand why you wouldn’t perform an internet search.  Maybe if we hear from a few of these folks we can find ways to help them understand how easy it is.

How much could I charge for a seminar to teach people how to look for things on the internet using a search engine?

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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You may think I’m kidding but I’m dead serious.

Or maybe the President of the United States could pay me to do a national public service announcement campaign explaining how to do it. 

What would I need like a 30 second spot on all the major networks on how to point your computer to Google and type the words of the subject that you are looking for and then hit the enter button.

Is that even 30 seconds?  Maybe I could speed talk my way through it in 15 seconds and we could buy double the air space.

 

This is but one question of about the 20 emails I get a day asking me to find things that had been on the blog a previous day or last week-

Recently you posted sista felicias recipe for haddock chowder.  I failed to keep it.  Can you please send it to me?

Thanks

My response-

Good Morning 🙂

Try this

go to this site-

https://goodmorninggloucester.com/

then go to the top right corner where the search box is.

once you locate the search box type in “Haddock Chowder”

I bet you find the recipe.

Alternatively you could go to www.google.com

Once there you could find the search box and type in goodmorninggloucester haddock chowder

I bet that would do the trick as well.

have an awesome day

Now if I took my time to respond this calmly to every person that asks me on a daily basis to find something that had been on the blog before I’d never have time to actually produce any content.

What I wanted to do was tear what little bit of hair that I have left out of my scalp and scream because I just can’t understand how hard it is to perform an internet search or what the disconnect is that people are unwilling to perform one.  Is it possible in this day and age when Google is one of the largest companies in the world and part of the Fortune 500 that people don’t know it exists or what it is for?  It is clearly obvious that that disconnect exists for a huge number of the population.  Otherwise I wouldn’t get 20-30 emails a day asking me to find previous posts for people.

This is why the Government giving me a ginormous grant to do a PSA on how to perform internet searches would be probably the best money they ever spent.  Think about the productivity gains you would get from educating what my conservative estimate is 20% of the population who do not know how to search the internet for what they are interested in.

Please for the love of god, help spread the word of this thing called Google– so that all of mankind will benefit and middle aged balding bloggers will be less inclined to tear what little hair they have left on their head out.

Please and Thank You.

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