Figuring things out on your own
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:28 am
There's yet (again) a thread in the Colorado forum asking which is what, where it is, and how can I do it. It's starting to sound like a broken record - same question, same question, same question.
No research, no intelligent queries, just a general laissez-faire and please tell me what I want to know because I'm too FRIKKIN' lazy to figure it out on my own.
What has happened to us? Have we stopped reading? Do folks no longer take pride in learning on their own? It's not as if the information isn't available - anything anyone needs to know about Colorado peaks is pretty much here in SP. So why bother to file trip reports and post valuable information if it's not going to be accessed? What in the heck is Google about? Is it so tough to punch a few keywords into the search box?
I wrote an online column for a couple of years about ski resorts, first in CA, then when I moved to CO about the resorts here. I covered a lot of material, but it was well-organized, brief, and easy to figure out.
My email address was part of the information and I'd get myriad correspondences asking questions. The most asked question? "Where can I get cheap lift tickets to Vail?"
It was pretty clear that all my research and information was a waste of time. It was clear no one read the posts and, out of sheer laziness, wanted a quick answer without doing their own research. So I quit the newsletter out of frustration.
In my mind if people are too lazy or stupid to research and come up with their own conclusions then I sure as HELL don't want to be out and about with them. If they can't figure things out online, what can I expect from them out in the field?
Research FIRST, then ask INTELLIGENT questions.
Off my soapbox now.
No research, no intelligent queries, just a general laissez-faire and please tell me what I want to know because I'm too FRIKKIN' lazy to figure it out on my own.
What has happened to us? Have we stopped reading? Do folks no longer take pride in learning on their own? It's not as if the information isn't available - anything anyone needs to know about Colorado peaks is pretty much here in SP. So why bother to file trip reports and post valuable information if it's not going to be accessed? What in the heck is Google about? Is it so tough to punch a few keywords into the search box?
I wrote an online column for a couple of years about ski resorts, first in CA, then when I moved to CO about the resorts here. I covered a lot of material, but it was well-organized, brief, and easy to figure out.
My email address was part of the information and I'd get myriad correspondences asking questions. The most asked question? "Where can I get cheap lift tickets to Vail?"
It was pretty clear that all my research and information was a waste of time. It was clear no one read the posts and, out of sheer laziness, wanted a quick answer without doing their own research. So I quit the newsletter out of frustration.
In my mind if people are too lazy or stupid to research and come up with their own conclusions then I sure as HELL don't want to be out and about with them. If they can't figure things out online, what can I expect from them out in the field?
Research FIRST, then ask INTELLIGENT questions.
Off my soapbox now.