Hi all,

Having just answered two questions with simple Google searches in around 30 seconds each (thats being generous given the searches actually only took the time it takes to enter two or three words in the Google search box and click 'Search'), I thought I'd write a brief guide to getting the most out of Google... then I Googled for tutorials about Google and found this site (amongst many others, including Google itself).

The Google Guide

If you're looking for information, please can I ask you to Google for it first. I can honestly say that I've answered more than a few questions which could have been answered by the question poser themselves IF they'd spent some time Googling.

I know that the whole point of a community site is to be able to get help from the community, but on the flip side, it can be very frustrating for members when they spend their time answering questions which could have been answered easily with a bit of Googling.

Please read The Google Guide and learn how to get the best out of Google. Practice building search strings to learn how to filter out the fluff. In the process you may well come across other nuggets of information or websites that you may find useful in the future.

And if you're sat there thinking to yourself "I don't have the time to do that, I'm too busy working on my project", why should other people spend their time helping you, when they could be working on their projects? What makes you so special that you don't have to go and find your own answers?