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At first I answered using the LMGTFY link,personally I find it a bit of funny and perhaps it's not just me only since some people up-voted my answer due to that link,but as Moron pointed out it might seem rude to some people,I decided to replace the link to what it stands now.

But I am not sure about what is our policy for (let me Google that for you) links? Please post here,what is your opinion about it and whether you would like to see it in future answers of this site?

PS:My only intention behind this thread is to get the community feedback on this so that it might avoid future altercation probably for many others :)

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    $\begingroup$ That's odd--I thought LMGTFY links were already banned on SE sites (I mean I thought they were programmatically prevented). $\endgroup$
    – Isaac
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:21
  • $\begingroup$ FWIW, I was prompted to downvote only because at least one person upvoted because of that link (instead of the math content) @Isaac: I believe people just use tinyurl links... $\endgroup$
    – Aryabhata
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:30
  • $\begingroup$ @Moron:I am glad you down-voted,else I would probably never come to know about it :) $\endgroup$
    – Quixotic
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:52
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    $\begingroup$ I certainly wouldn't suggest using LMGTFY links in responses, but I don't think we need a policy against it. $\endgroup$
    – WWright
    Dec 26, 2010 at 23:28
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    $\begingroup$ What is funny to some people might be rude to others. But at the end it comes to the individual. I would personally find it funny if it was me who got the lmgtfy link in response. Maybe get a bit of Doh moment but will remember better next time to Google something before bothering others. $\endgroup$
    – jimjim
    Dec 27, 2010 at 21:19

2 Answers 2

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"Google it" type responses are, in my humble opinion, disrespectful.

  • It doesn't take the question seriously. Could you imagine saying "let me Google that for you" who asked you this question in real life?
  • It presupposes that the author hasn't Googled it already. Sometimes I forget to mention that I Googled it before asking.
  • It's important to be welcoming to beginners. My first question was not particularly brilliant.
  • It obstructs other answerers (maybe they are beginners to this forum and could use a more basic question to start with, or experts who might be able to give a better explanation than what's available already).
  • Perhaps, when someone in the future Googles "Is zero even or odd?" they find the math.SE page (which says to "Google it" in a circular fashion).
  • In this case there are plenty of hits. Should the OP also have read through every single page before posting? There is some limit to how much preparation should go into asking a question here, and different people will have different opinions about how much is required.

[On a related note, links to websites without some form of caption also frustrate me. How can we tell if it's spam or not without clicking on it first?]

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    $\begingroup$ I don't know about reading every single page, but the first result and/or the wikipedia page with obvious title... $\endgroup$
    – Mariano Suárez-Álvarez
    Dec 27, 2010 at 3:54
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    $\begingroup$ +1, even though (in reply to your first bullet point) "let me Google that for you" is pretty much my actual response to a large portion of the technology-related questions that my friends and family ask... $\endgroup$
    – Isaac
    Dec 27, 2010 at 6:09
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This is far too specific a behavior to bother having a policy for. Generally people should deal with the consequences of their own possibly rude behavior. Policies are for behaviors that interfere in some way with the function of the site.

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  • $\begingroup$ Umm Please tell me,what is your opinion about it and whether you would like to see it in future answers? :) $\endgroup$
    – Quixotic
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:01
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    $\begingroup$ I don't care. Like I said, people should deal with the consequences of their own possibly rude behavior. If you think the rhetorical value of a LMGFTY link outweighs its possible rudeness and you honestly can't come up with a more polite way to make your point, that's your decision to make. $\endgroup$
    – Qiaochu Yuan
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:03
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    $\begingroup$ I find I don't care. as rude, anyways,I probably understand what you meant. $\endgroup$
    – Quixotic
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:06
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    $\begingroup$ My apologies. I only meant that as a moderator this is a behavior that I don't feel the need to patrol. $\endgroup$
    – Qiaochu Yuan
    Dec 26, 2010 at 21:20

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