# Has a thread ever been moved TO GQ? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 8, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558 "2010-08-08T00:12:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/21 "2010-08-11T21:55:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > If providing answers isn’t “helpful” maybe you should just shut down General Questions. According to your “fucking” logic, they should just shut down GQ now and tell everybody to google their questions instead. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/22 "2010-08-12T02:12:33Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > According to your “fucking” logic, they should just shut down GQ now and tell everybody to google their questions instead. True - but only if my answer had been “just fucking google it”. But that’s not what my answer was. It was “here’s the answer, which includes a link to 310 google results. The majority of the front page of those results of which directly answer the OP’s question.” Note: that number is decreasing as a direct result of this thread - but the point stands. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/23 "2010-08-12T15:33:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You didn’t really “help” anybody. 1.) He answered the OP’s question as posted. 2.) He demonstrated to the OP how to find the answer to similar questions in the future. How is that not being helpful? For anyone who doesn’t want to click over to the LMGTFY thread, here’s a selection of relevant comments from staff and posters (including you, **Colibri** ): > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/2): > > I think LMGTFY is acceptable. Whenever I use it, I use it in jest. It also makes a point, that your answer could easily have been googled. It’s along the same lines as Google is your friend. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/3): > > Let’s put it this way. It’s not the sort of thing that would garner a official warning (unless someone started doing it persistently), [snip] A certain degree of snark is acceptable in GQ. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/15): > > If it only takes me a minute or two to Google something for another poster, I might put in the couple minutes to “clear the land” for “better” questions. If they have further questions or if their question is more complex than they let on, they can continue the thread asking more questions. If not, I’ve answered the question and that thread can fall off the face of the board. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/16): > > If it popped up in the Game Room, I’d OK it, barring extraneous snark. For instance, a single LMGTFY link in the post would go through but a “LMGTFY link, dumbass” wouldn’t. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/20): > > Personally, I think that the priorities are getting the answer for the OP, and educating the OP on how to get the answer (not necessarily in that order). LMGTFY does both. Yeah, it does it in a snarky way, but we’re all in the shadow of Cecil here, so I think a certain level of snark comes with the territory. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/21): > > So, I don’t think it’s necessarily snarky to tell people where to find an answer. Sometimes, I think it’s satisfactory to say, “You can look that up in any reasonable dictionary” thus telling people how to find an answer. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/24): > > I think a certain level of snark is acceptable _as long as the poster correctly answers the question_. > [@Is LMGTFY unacceptable snark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lmgtfy-unacceptable-snark/520509/26): > > I think it’s worth keeping in mind that our dear leader Cecil is a bit of a smartass, and that LMGTFY is pretty mild compared to some of his columns over the decades. As you can see, the consensus, _including from mods and administrators_, is that there’s no problem with isolated uses of LMGTFY as long as the search link is relevant and answers the question posed. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/24 "2010-08-12T20:16:27Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > 2.) He demonstrated to the OP how to find the answer to similar questions in the future. Without, alas, the scintillating conversation we get in threads like this. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/25 "2010-08-13T06:20:36Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > > [@bucketybuck](#): > > > > According to your “fucking” logic, they should just shut down GQ now and tell everybody to google their questions instead. > > True - but only if my answer had been “just fucking google it”. But that’s not what my answer was. It was “here’s the answer, which includes a link to 310 google results. The majority of the front page of those results of which directly answer the OP’s question.” Note: that number is decreasing as a direct result of this thread - but the point stands. The problem is that it’s not obvious to everyone that “moved to general questions” is a search phrase that will return the result. I’ve been here a long time but I never would have thought of that because I just don’t pay much attention to moderator notes and messages etc. unless they are directed at me. I didn’t realize until after I clicked your link that the mods type that in (of course once I saw it I remembered seeing it in the past, but it wasn’t something I would have remembered). You make the assumption that what you are aware of, everyone should be aware of, and so you delivered the answer in a manner that reflects your annoyance. But your assumption about all of us having the same information that you have is not accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/26 "2010-08-13T12:29:29Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > The problem is that it’s not obvious to everyone that “moved to general questions” is a search phrase that will return the result. I’ve been here a long time but I never would have thought of that because I just don’t pay much attention to moderator notes and messages etc. unless they are directed at me. I didn’t realize until after I clicked your link that the mods type that in (of course once I saw it I remembered seeing it in the past, but it wasn’t something I would have remembered). > > You make the assumption that what you are aware of, everyone should be aware of, and so you delivered the answer in a manner that reflects your annoyance. But your assumption about all of us having the same information that you have is not accurate. Incorrect - I made the opposite assumption. I knew that “moved to General Questions” \*\*wouldn’t \*\*be an obvious search term, because most people can’t google to save their lives. And here’s the important bit, so pay attention - _that’s why I provided the search terms_. I put it into a LMGTFY link not to convey annoyance at people not realizing what search term to use, but for not realizing to search in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/27 "2010-08-13T15:26:32Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Incorrect - I made the opposite assumption. I knew that “moved to General Questions” \*\*wouldn’t \*\*be an obvious search term, because most people can’t google to save their lives. And here’s the important bit, so pay attention - _that’s why I provided the search terms_. I put it into a LMGTFY link not to convey annoyance at people not realizing what search term to use, but for not realizing to search in the first place. But if you don’t know that there is a search term that will answer the question, then what should the person key in when they search? It’s only if you have an idea that a search term will answer the question that search makes sense, right? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558/28 "2010-08-13T15:46:38Z")
Fair enough. Though I don’t think I’m asking for the moon when I think people should at least attempt a google search. And using a phrase taken directly from the thread title wouldn’t be a terrible place to start. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-thread-ever-been-moved-to-gq/549558.md?page=1)