Is it sort of lame for someone to answer a question here with a link to an answer?

It was asked a couple of years ago. I couldn’t resist.

I think if you want to give an answer and then add a link it is okay. Just to add a link as @seazen just did is kind of wimpy. :-)

At least I wrote something – muah.

@chyna right, links are good of course as long as you get people talking a little too. Seeing a link right off the bat is like getting a voice bot when all you want is to speak with a human.

@woodcutter Agreed, like @seazen came off as, a voice bot.

oops I should have tried more searches. I did try though.

Yeah. I’m Data.

I see what you mean if all there is is

link

Because that’s what you meant, right? And that annoys me too.

But I’ve gotta say I didn’t think @seazen‘s response was wimpy… I’d use a word more like clever?
It’s not lazy if they put thought behind the link… they hadda open up another browser and search around for the information for whoever they’re trying to help, they still took some of their own time to lead someone to a possible answer

@DancingMind Thanks.

@DancingMind I suppose it seems very sterile to have Just the facts right off the bat. Because anybody, even me who isn’t that great with a computer can use a search engine to find pretty much anything on almost the first try, although I still will appreciate them to take the time to do it first. Maybe it’s because I was born in the early ‘60’s when hard work was really hard work. Nowadays I suppose being on a computer all day qualifies for that. Not that I’m knocking that kind of work. I guess the point is to get a little local color in the mix to make things more interesting.

@seazen Data? I thought you wuz Picard.

@woodcutter
Yeah, I see what you mean… I just think it depends on what the link is actually of. Just like all typed-out responses aren’t great, all “just links” aren’t bad? Not that I want to see a page full of links as responses…
@seazen yup!

I think when the first hit on a question is see link. If it was a few answers down it seems better for some reason.

There are a fair number of question that have just been asked so many times. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me and I answer them but there was a period when people were asking a lot of questions about “hypnagogic hallucinations” for some reason, it seemed like 2 or 3 a week, and for those I just linked to the questions that had already been asked, answered and discussed in some depth. I mean, really, how much is there for people on a site like fluther to say about hypnagogic hallucinations? I just felt like anything that anyone here had to say on the subject had already said.

@seazen Good one!

And I don’t think you’re a wimp, just lazy :-)

I think it depends on the question. Some questions are actually looking for straight forward information, best answered by a link (I’ve asked a few that I can think of). In those cases I think it’s totally fine. Ditto linking to duplicate questions that contain the answers in more complete form. Any kind of ‘discussion’ type question seems to call for more than just a link, though.

I’m with @augustlan on this one – if there’s an objective, verifiable answer, then just providing the link is completely justified and helpful. I try to keep passive-aggressive tendencies in check, but I think it’s also a good, subtle nod to the asker to use the site in a more productive fashion rather than just as a google alternative. (I think it’s good for that too – which is why I like the link option as opposed to the “just google it” answer, which is, in fact, the “lame” way to answer a question in my book. ;-)).

I do it for questions that can easily be Googled for an answer.

Why is the sky blue?

Here you go

@woodcutter I like what you’ve had to say. I won’t answer certain questions if I feel the asker didn’t do even cursory research first. It’s almost insulting to me to be asked to answer questions which clearly have little to no thought and research put behind them.

If you ask a question and someone posts just a link (a bad answer), it’s probably because you asked a bad question. The quality of answers you receive is based on the quality of the question you ask. Providing a link is basically “you should have googled it and come back with a more precise, directed, and relevant question.”

Yes this is very lame. The only exception is if the question is technical or the person asking the question is looking for a direct answer rather than a discussion. There were a few technical questions I’ve asked where I appreciated the links given to me.

I’d say it’s both efficient and smart.