10:34 pm, 29 Jan 07
stop right there
People at Google are generally quite civil and helpful. I don't have much other experience to contrast it with but I'm never reticent or scared to post on mailing lists asking for help. With that disclaimer in place, here's one of my favorite work-mailing-list stories.
There was a complicated internal service (details intentionally vague here) that people often had problems with. Someone began a thread like this: "I don't know much about [broad category of this problem], but I think we could use [new technology Y] to solve it. For example, it would [x y z] and I could [example scenario] and [etc] ..."
This prompted the response:
The response often passes through my mind when I read people trying to talk about technology, as exemplified by these cringe-worthy digg comments on mogilefs. And we all thought slashdot was bad!
There was a complicated internal service (details intentionally vague here) that people often had problems with. Someone began a thread like this: "I don't know much about [broad category of this problem], but I think we could use [new technology Y] to solve it. For example, it would [x y z] and I could [example scenario] and [etc] ..."
This prompted the response:
> I don't know much about [broad category of this problem], but
wait wait wait; stop right there.
The response often passes through my mind when I read people trying to talk about technology, as exemplified by these cringe-worthy digg comments on mogilefs. And we all thought slashdot was bad!
I can remember the one time I did this when I was new to programming and a question arose that I didn't know enough about to answer, so I tried to use something from my limited knowledge that was a terrible answer in retrospect. I was told it was a terrible problem by one of the people in the discussion in a quite mean-hearted way and I learned to never give an opinion on something technical without knowing enough to give a reasonable answer.
Also, comments on websites like digg, slashdot, youtube, [insert big named website here] are almost always atrocious. It seems like they come out of the woodwork for these types of websites and since there's either little or no moderation, they tend to drive the people who actually know what they're talking about away.
Although they have something in common with computer nerds; typically they want to seem intelligent in all circumstances. Perhaps that's why they reach a bit further for answers when someone else might say "I dunno".
I mean, lots of disciplines tend towards that, but economists are the worst of the bunch, IMO.
digg > myspace > (WoW) barrens chat > youtube
It's better to admit lack of knowledge
I have to admit, though, that I'd prefer someone come right out and admit they don't know what they're talking about then pretend they do. I hate it when someone actually either really believes they know shit or don't and make it up, even when evidence to the contrary shows itself, they try to bluff themselves out of their situation without ever admitting that maybe they don't know jack shit.That said, I'm one of the know-nothings, and I admit it, so perhaps I'm self-selecting?
Re: It's better to admit lack of knowledge
Yes. Saying "I don't know" when you really don't know is an important social habit! It's just basic budgeting of social capital: intoning on every topic is like crying wolf. People will start to ignore everything you say, after a while.