Do you use a GPS for places you already know, or do you just drive there? So why do people Google?

[dontwalkhand]

I don't know about this, but this has become a pet peeve of mine, especially with Windows users who do this, and then click the very top link which is a paid ad and it ended up being a scam, and installed malicious software on their computer!

So I never understood this mentality, rather than saying to a website's URL which is inherently obvious such as say a bank (Wells Fargo being wellsfargo.com, Chase being chase.com, Amazon being amazon.com) etc they would literally waste their time going to Google, searching for this and clicking the top link! This is equivalent to me as someone using a GPS to drive to the Walgreens down the road from their house, despite passing it every day, knowing where it is. In some cases it would also mean that the GPS would be directing them to a billboard or something totally unrelated instead because the Google link is totally wrong!

I understand for some people it is a skill thing, but some people are IT people still doing this. Google isn't the internet, Google isn't your web browser (not talking about Chrome )

/rant from someone who has to fix Windows computers for people all day and every day.

 

[Mousse]

They skip the step where they google Google, then click on the Google link?

It's the same reason we have elaborate rituals, for show. The Rite of AshkEnte: the ritual to summon Death requires eight powerful wizards and oodles of magical paraphernalia. Unnecessarily showy. Carrot found an easier way to talk with Death.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Do you use a GPS for places you already know, or do you just drive there?

I currently live in Las Vegas so I do use Google Maps to navigate around the traffic. If it showed the speed limit I would use it 100% of the time I am driving.

 

[ActionableMango]

I don't know about this, but this has become a pet peeve of mine, especially with Windows users who do this, and then click the very top link which is a paid ad and it ended up being a scam, and installed malicious software on their computer!

So I never understood this mentality, rather than saying to a website's URL which is inherently obvious such as say a bank (Wells Fargo being wellsfargo.com, Chase being chase.com, Amazon being amazon.com) etc they would literally waste their time going to Google, searching for this and clicking the top link! This is equivalent to me as someone using a GPS to drive to the Walgreens down the road from their house, despite passing it every day, knowing where it is. In some cases it would also mean that the GPS would be directing them to a billboard or something totally unrelated instead because the Google link is totally wrong!

I understand for some people it is a skill thing, but some people are IT people still doing this. Google isn't the internet, Google isn't your web browser (not talking about Chrome )

/rant from someone who has to fix Windows computers for people all day and every day.

These are two completely different things. I use GPS for routes I know by heart, because it takes into account traffic, accidents, and whatnot. It also gives me an ETA which enables me to know if I have time to make a stop on the way (early), or (late) let people know I won't be on time. Just last week it routed me around a highway closure that I wouldn't have known about until I reached the closure.

GPS navigation isn't just for finding a destination you've never been to before. It's about being an informed driver.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

These are two completely different things. I use GPS for routes I know by heart, because it takes into account traffic, accidents, and whatnot. It also gives me an ETA which enables me to know if I have time to make a stop on the way (early), or (late) let people know I won't be on time. Just last week it routed me around a highway closure that I wouldn't have known about until I reached the closure.

GPS navigation isn't just for finding a destination you've never been to before. It's about being an informed driver.

That's why I use GPS as well on routes I am familiar with since I want to avoid traffic.

 

[eyoungren]

I don't know about this, but this has become a pet peeve of mine, especially with Windows users who do this, and then click the very top link which is a paid ad and it ended up being a scam, and installed malicious software on their computer!

So I never understood this mentality, rather than saying to a website's URL which is inherently obvious such as say a bank (Wells Fargo being wellsfargo.com, Chase being chase.com, Amazon being amazon.com) etc they would literally waste their time going to Google, searching for this and clicking the top link! This is equivalent to me as someone using a GPS to drive to the Walgreens down the road from their house, despite passing it every day, knowing where it is. In some cases it would also mean that the GPS would be directing them to a billboard or something totally unrelated instead because the Google link is totally wrong!

I understand for some people it is a skill thing, but some people are IT people still doing this. Google isn't the internet, Google isn't your web browser (not talking about Chrome )

/rant from someone who has to fix Windows computers for people all day and every day.

In my personal experience, the people that do this tend to be older people. It doesn't matter what search engine it is either.

I believe it comes from a misunderstanding of how to use the address bar, lack of comprehension concerning URLs, repeating a bad habit and the ubiquity of search engines. For many people Google is a homepage (or AOL/Yahoo/MSN/etc). Most people are using the internet because they want to search for something. The search engine makes that easy and they just click on the first result.

So, naturally that behavior is replicated when it comes to entering an URL. Rather than looking up a little further into the address bar people type the URL into the search bar (if they know it) or the search box. Then they click…again.

Some of them are confused about URLs, don't want to remember long addresses, don't have time to understand and use bookmarks (or don't want to) or just make it up as they go along because asking might be embarrassing.

I work with a person who does all her Youtube searches from the search engine. Rather than putting in the URL directly and going to YT and then searching, she just types in her search terms.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Some of them are confused about URLs, don't want to remember long addresses, don't have time to understand and use bookmarks (or don't want to) or just make it up as they go along because asking might be embarrassing.

That makes sense.

I work with a person who does all her Youtube searches from the search engine. Rather than putting in the URL directly and going to YT and then searching, she just types in her search terms.

If her search engine is Google isn't she eliminating one step in the process therefor making the process shorter? I have never done this but I could see where it would keep me from going to YouTube and searching for a video.

 

[eyoungren]

That makes sense.

If her search engine is Google isn't she eliminating one step in the process therefor making the process shorter? I have never done this but I could see where it would keep me from going to YouTube and searching for a video.

Her home page used to be MSN, until something she did changed it. I changed it to Google. But her searches were from MSN.

Technically, yes that does eliminate a step but the problem is the content she was searching for. She's our editor so she was finding nothing but out of date city meetings through the search engine - or bad links.

The city we cover has a YT channel where they post all their council meetings. Doing a search AT Youtube will lead you directly to their channel as well as present good links for the more current video postings.

 

[NoBoMac]

So I never understood this mentality, rather than saying to a website's URL which is inherently obvious such as say a bank (Wells Fargo being wellsfargo.com, Chase being chase.com, Amazon being amazon.com) etc they would literally waste their time going to Google.

Well, not all websites have an obvious URL.

For example, "The Wall Street Journal" website is not "wallstreetjournal.com", it's "wsj.com".

Mom got some adware installed on her computer the other day. Friend sent a link to a deal for a company whose name is "Missouri Star Quilt Company". "missouristarquiltco.com" takes you to a site with a scam Adobe Flash installer. Real URL does not have the "star" in it.

Businesses that have same/similar names, but different cities/states. Eg. "Acme Cleaners" might be "acmecleanersnyc.com", "acmecleanerschicago.com", "ksacmecleaners.com".

Now, would agree with the point of why don't people save URLs to bookmarks for sites they use often.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Her home page used to be MSN, until something she did changed it. I changed it to Google. But her searches were from MSN.

Technically, yes that does eliminate a step but the problem is the content she was searching for. She's our editor so she was finding nothing but out of date city meetings through the search engine - or bad links.

The city we cover has a YT channel where they post all their council meetings. Doing a search AT Youtube will lead you directly to their channel as well as present good links for the more current video postings.

That explains why it was a bad idea, thanks for the explanation.

 

[curmudgeonette]

So I never understood this mentality, rather than saying to a website's URL which is inherently obvious such as say a bank (Wells Fargo being wellsfargo.com, Chase being chase.com, Amazon being amazon.com) etc they would literally waste their time going to Google, searching for this and clicking the top link!

Some years back, a neighbor installed some sort of tool bar or browser extension which hijacked the address bar. If you didn't type in the exact correct full URL, it would instead send you to some sort of scam site. His solution was to use Google to get to even very obvious web sites. I have not managed to break him of this habit! He no longer trusts the address bar.

 

[Huntn]

Thread Revival
Answer: I do because I live in a large metropolis, and when traffic gets screwed up, I want my unit giving me live traffic reports. We were driving to downtown Houston once and my GPS unit directed me to exit the highway early, and as I was exiting, I observed a sea of red lights in the distance as the traffic was coming to a stand still ahead on the highway.

 

[Tech198]

I don't know about this, but this has become a pet peeve of mine, especially with Windows users who do this, and then click the very top link which is a paid ad and it ended up being a scam, and installed malicious software on their computer!

So I never understood this mentality, rather than saying to a website's URL which is inherently obvious such as say a bank (Wells Fargo being wellsfargo.com, Chase being chase.com, Amazon being amazon.com) etc they would literally waste their time going to Google, searching for this and clicking the top link! This is equivalent to me as someone using a GPS to drive to the Walgreens down the road from their house, despite passing it every day, knowing where it is. In some cases it would also mean that the GPS would be directing them to a billboard or something totally unrelated instead because the Google link is totally wrong!

I understand for some people it is a skill thing, but some people are IT people still doing this. Google isn't the internet, Google isn't your web browser (not talking about Chrome )

/rant from someone who has to fix Windows computers for people all day and every day.

Google isn't, but it as first mapping that came about... and probably more better as its had a longer history than Apple has. But since Maps is on iOS by default, perhaps will get more to switch, then downloading something they don't need to.

I still use GPS, even if i know the place, but if i'm not familiar with "how to get there", aka. back streets to avoid traffic, etc.. it still passes my tests..

 

[A.Goldberg]

I suppose in the olden days, back when web browsers had separate URL and Search fields, if you just typed in "chase" to the URL field it would automatically throw in not only the http:// but also the .com. Basically it would assume whatever word you put in was a .com.

Now that search and URL are one field in most (all?) browsers, it defaults to the search.

That's my guess...

 

[dontwalkhand]

Thread Revival
Answer: I do because I live in a large metropolis, and when traffic gets screwed up, I want my unit giving me live traffic reports. We were driving to downtown Houston once and my GPS unit directed me to exit the highway early, and as I was exiting, I observed a sea of red lights in the distance as the traffic was coming to a stand still ahead on the highway.

OK, Ok, GPS is a valid point, but Google still isn't

 

[jtara]

Yes, the correct URLs are often NOT obvious. Sometimes the "obvious" one is something else entirely.

That, and the demise of bookmarks. I think the browsers have de-emphasized bookmarks, and the public now largely does not use them. Plus, most of the browsers now "auto bookmark" in the form of "frequent sites".

Man, I use to bookmark religiously. I had a multi-tier index of everything from shopping sites to technical documentation.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Like others, I’ll use it for traffic even when I know where I’m going.

 

[Huntn]

OK, Ok, GPS is a valid point, but Google still isn't

I was addressing GPS. As far as Google, it’s a good search engine, but so is Yahoo.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I use GPS (Apple Maps) because where I live it is not uncommon for there to be traffic and require different routes to take in order to get where I need to go on time. So I fire up apple car play and tell my phone (via my car) that I need to go to college, or work, and see if it wants me to take a different route just in case there is an accident or road closure. If I don’t, I risk missing class or work. I like to have it up for accident reports and traffic slowdown notices. (I used to use Waze, but now I’m not using Google).

As someone who has worked most of his life in the IT field (I’m a programmer now but a lot of my side work has been IT) - it astounds me to see people using search engines to go to sites they already know, and yes, they often accidentally click on the advertisement (AD) links - even I have a hard time telling which ones are ads and which are the real links, but I rarely search for sites I already know.

I used to spend every weekend at my parent’s house removing windows viruses from family members who did this until, (back in the day), I got them Chromebooks - that all went away. Now most of my family uses iPads and iPhones to do what they need to do.

But yes, as someone who has spent 7 years on IT support for my company, especially in the older crowd, they never typed in the address right, which resulted in it going to google.
[doublepost=1548524734][/doublepost]

I was addressing GPS. As far as Google, it’s a good search engine, but so is Yahoo.

DuckDuckGo!!! I used Bing for most of 2018 in my bid to go “Google Free” - now I’m on DDG. Yeah, it’s a change, but it’s nice knowing I’m not selling my soul to th... ok ok I’ll stop.

 

[Matz]

DuckDuckGo!!! I used Bing for most of 2018 in my bid to go “Google Free” - now I’m on DDG. Yeah, it’s a change, but it’s nice knowing I’m not selling my soul to th... ok ok I’ll stop.

Once I switched to DDG, I never looked back.
Besides, DuckDuckGo sounds cooler than Google. IMHO.

 

[Gutwrench]

I don’t use it to commute, but I use it for most trips even those I don’t need directions.

This is because I’m a...a...let’s just say an assertive driver. (Thank California for that.) And sometimes in the midst of intense freeway competition I need reminded that my exit is coming.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I don’t use it to commute, but I use it for most trips even those I don’t need directions.

This is because I’m a...a...let’s just say an assertive driver. (Thank California for that.) And sometimes in the midst of intense freeway competition I need reminded that my exit is coming.

That was you that cut me off this morning on the 10!?

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I take pride in my navigation skills; I prefer not to use GPS unless I'm looking for the computer to factor in traffic levels and tell me the quickest route. After I determine the route, I'll drive it on my own without a computerized voice leading me into a ravine. In fact, when I'm the passenger and my friends are driving, they sometimes rely on me for directions instead of Google

I also use Waze for traffic; I find it a bit more helpful than Google most of the time, especially when it comes to roads that are unexpectedly closed.

 

[jtara]

This is because I’m a...a...let’s just say an assertive driver. (Thank California for that.)

LOL, California drivers are pretty tame.

Try driving in Miami - or anywhere in South America!

Every Yellow Cab in N.Y. bears testimony to the "assertive" driving there!

In Brazil, they put the pedestrian crossings far from the corners, like 1/3 of the block. There is a reason! The drivers do NOT look as they zip around the corners! I dunno if this is a common pattern for crosswalks elsewhere, but it really makes a lot of sense.

 

[Mefisto]

This is actually something I've been thinking about recently. It turns out that because I use Apple Maps to drive everywhere while working, even though I've lived in this city for close to fifteen years I still sometimes struggle to remember how to drive to places I've been hundreds of times before if not using navigation. Now, I don't own a car, and the only driving I do is for work, so that may contribute to it. Obviously I always get where I'm going even without Apple Maps, but there can be some rather interesting detours involved.

All of this just occured to me while driving to the warehouse one night and my phone had a dead battery.