And, there are things you can do to be better informed.
1-Minute (or Less) Summary
Here’s the truth, Google (and other search engines) are necessary tools for dealing with the vast quantities of data on the internet. Even so, there are better tools that you can and should use to learn about Oracle. What better and more accurate information? Try the Oracle’s dedicated search engines, like the Oracle Help Center.
The Whole Story
In 1492, while sailing aboard the Santa Andretti to Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln famously wrote,
“You cannot believe every quote you read on the Internet nor trust everything you Google.”
Abraham Lincoln, Personal Diary, September 32, 1492
Abraham Lincoln’s technical leadership aside, we face a common problem with modern search engines. It is not an easy problem to solve nor one that is likely to disappear anytime soon. It is also not just related to Oracle. Here is how this problem presents itself.
Oracle’s answer to my problem was not accurate.
Ida Bea User
I can’t find anything from Oracle on my problem.
Heeza Usah
Both of these common refrains are actually not Oracle’s problems nor uniquely limited to Oracle. The problem is with Google’s Search Engine, and even Google does not have an easy answer.
Google’s search results are algorithmically ranked based on a secret formula known only to Google, Colonel Sanders, Doctor Pepper, and his son, Sergeant Pepper, while being stored in the same vault as the Coke formula! So! We are talking very hush-hush kinda stuff. BUT! What does this mean for search results and my problems?
It means that Oracle, and every other company out there, can only do their best to influence Google’s search results, but they can’t guarantee them. AND! For really big company’s like Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, and Bob’s Genuine Southern Fried Chicken, this can be a problem, because lots of people are out their writing stuff that the Google algorithm may rank higher.
Here’s the thing. Just because Google ranks it higher, doesn’t mean that it is correct! I personally cringe when I read things on Oracle, or other tech that I know, that if the user does what is said to be done, the results can or will be catastrophic.
SO! What can you do? If you really only want to use Google, look for the search results that are on the Oracle.com domain. Or, my personal recommendation, go to the Oracle Help Center.
NOW! Lest you think otherwise! The Oracle Help Center does not have the answer to everything. It can’t. I mean who really understands why peanut butter goes so well with chocolate? Why you can’t wear white after Labor Day? Or why February only has 28 (or 29) days? AND! There is a real service done by the Oracle user community to provide answers, examples, walk-throughs, videos, and other resources that cover issues that Oracle simply cannot cover. So, don’t give up on Google or non-Oracle URLs. Just be careful!
