michael adams wrote:
"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...

This, to me, is an unfortunate thing to do. Google, and
others, are a massive and useful resource.


Only for those who are in search of arcane information that's
not readily available from any other source. Books or the
internet. I personally find the archive invaluable for tips
and workarounds on obsolete hardware and software, for
instance.

However IME, on most topics around 75% of the replies to any question
posted on Usenet will either be totally irellevant, wrong headed,
or deliberately misleading in any case.

While at a guess around 80% of the information posted on gardening
Newsgroups could probably be found elsewhere. In books or on the
net. And of the information posted, around 50% is largely a matter
of opinion based solely on subjective experience in any case.
This doesn't necessarily make it any the less valid, but its
hardly the most authoratitive source of information on
most topics, for a start.

I do agree with this, in the main. I use Google but rarely use
newsgroup archives for all the reasons you've cited. One has only to
look at the trolls we've had and still have in here and the seriously
dodgy 'information' some people have handed out, to realise how
potentially damaging archive use could be.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon