General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Then again... people can actually know about an issue simply because they have an interest in a certain subject or are actually employed in a certain field, and when they show that knowledge on the internet they can also be accused of 'googling' to look clever, usually by people who feel threated by clever people, or by someone who knows more about a subject than they do... it is a double edged sword.

An example... On a History Forum I once read a thread extolling the victory at Rorkes Drift, I however being a lover of history know that this victory was overhyped to cover up what had happened the day before at the Battle of Isandlhwana, where the British army and its allies suffered what is still the biggest defeat in British Military history due to inept leadership on the field. I knew that because I had read a few books, REAL books on the subject, books that covered it from different viewpoints. I did post a link to a Wiki article on the subject simply because it was the easiest source. I posted as such, only to be asked by those who thought I was being too much of a smart arse...

"Been Googling have we?"

... but the thing is.. I KNEW there was something to Google! I did not just accept the OPs original post as the final word. In this case Wiki was right, because it followed what I knew was the recognised fact.

I have no doubt that googling is abused, or as Britboy says... to try to save a bit of money by questioning experts.

Thing is.... Google is not the problem, Google is simply a search engine, all it does is give a list of links to other sites... the content of which can be totally wrong. Wiki is a site where other people submit articles... and if one subscriber has an axe to grind he will give his slanted view, someone with opposing views will give their take on the subject.

The only way to stop it is to police it, to have a overseeing body that checks the content of internet content... but that can also lead to abuse and back-door censorship. At the moment it is up to the user to sort the wheat from the chaff, not an easy job. I have fallen in to the trap a few times.