There’s a few reasons that make this particular Q & A site really helpful. You can get an answer almost immediately, even if it’s not the exact answer you need, but it can be very helpful as a starting off point to do some searching on Google.
Some people simply can’t come up with the right words to type into the Google search box, that would point them in the right direction. Since Google is only a computer, it can’t figure out what people actually mean, but most of us real people here on Fluther can figure out what the OP is asking for, even if they don’t put it in the exact words. Also, we can ask the OP questions to help them clarify their own questions.
Also Google might give you a listing of a million answers and the best answer may not be one of the first answers on the list.
I’ve also found some of the info on Google to be a little too vague, or it just doesn’t give you enough information and it often leaves out some of the subtle nuances that can change the whole meaning of a situation. If the same question is posted on Fluther, you are likely to get most of the info you need and maybe a little bit more info that you hadn’t even considered, and then you can go back to Google and do a better search.
Because we are a collective, the different experiences of each one of us, make for a richer and more valuable discussion. There’s a lot of Wow moments on Fluther, when people find out about some interesting thing that they’ve never heard of before. Sometimes it can change the whole way in which an OP goes about his or her business. I don’t think that happens too often with Google.
Then there’s questions about which recipe is the best for my picnic. If you just Google “potato salad” you will get so many results that it might be difficult and time consuming to go through all of them. By asking a trusted Flutherite, you are likely to get a bunch of options that you can trust will be good. And you might also get an even better idea. Maybe one Fluther will suggest a cabbage slaw, instead of potato salad, that the OP hadn’t even considered. Google would have no idea that the OP might be open to different options.
Also, Fluther is a great place for virtual hand holding. Sometimes the question itself isn’t so important, as the fact that a collective of Flutherites is able and willing to give the OP moral support. That’s powerful stuff.
And last, but not least, when Fluthers give answers based on their own experiences, it’s way more powerful and helpful, than if you just tried to Google a subject such as “lonliness” or “battling shyness” or “is this behavior normal.” Google can’t hold your hand or give you suggestions on how things might turn out. Google gives cold hard facts, but often doesn’t give you enough information to help you calm yourself or gain confidence to try to deal with the problem. Fluthers do that all the time, every single day. Google is like reading the dictionary. Fluther is like reading a thousand different biographies.