Let me google that for you
Lori Graf was all out of breath Thursday when I made my nightly run to the Janesville Police Department. She’d been on the phone all night, she said, telling people where to park during a snow emergency.
At the time, the city wasn’t even under a snow emergency. But people were calling left and right asking where they should park when they got to work this morning.
The information is available in about 12 million places, but some people apparently prefer to call and ask a human to read it to them. We see it here all the time, and it cracks me up. Our sports reporters regularly get calls from people wanting to know what channel the game is on and when it starts. More than once, I’ve googled something for a reader who called to ask me directions to somewhere or another.
I've often thought it would be a revenue source for the newspaper industry. People could call and pay to have me read my story to them over the phone.
Most of us in this newsroom remember fondly the person who called to ask a former news clerk where to find the tunnel that runs from the Gazette to GM. That was in 2007 when then-candidate Obama stopped at the plant during his campaign.
No, we don’t have a tunnel. Seriously.
Anyway, the nice ladies at the PD are going to be busy tonight handling calls about fender benders and such. How about you save or print this lovely news brief about the city’s emergency parking rules and save it for next time?
Jan 23, 2012 at 11:51 a.m.
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Defiantly can't come on www.gazettextra.com for the answers, they enjoy posting fake snow emergencies. Do they research before you post fake news.
Jan 22, 2012 at 10:40 a.m.
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Or how about this spin on the subject? All of these people who called the JPD to ask about the snow emergency parking rules may have been tying up the phones preventing those who needed those lines for "official police business" to do their jobs. I agree with Ann Marie -- the information is readily available in places that don't require police assistance to find.
Jan 22, 2012 at 8:27 a.m.
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I don't see "attitude" here at all. I do see a bit of light-hearted sarcasm. Moreover, the point is dead-on. Many of us tend to forget that we have a wealth of information available to us free for the asking via the internet. For example, I often see exchanges like this on Facebook.
Tim: Wow I tried spelunking today for the first time, it was awesome!
Carol: What exactly is "spelunking"?
Diane: What exactly is "Google"?
Many times I am sitting with my significant other. We are both on the internet on separate laptops. She will ask me a question, and I'll teasingly say "Well, I don't know....but I have the entire internet right here in front of me...would you like me to look it up for you?????". LOL!
Re: poor and/or ignorant people. Seriously? They have cars and telephones right? Otherwise how and why would they be calling?
Jan 21, 2012 at 9:41 p.m.
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Oh, and to help you out here, go back and read the article again...s l o w l y. If the part about "12 million places" was what Lori said, it would be in quotes in the article, which it is not.
Get it yet? Probably not.
Jan 21, 2012 at 9:36 p.m.
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You just don't get it do you?
It's ANNA MARIE AMES with the attitude, NOT Lori Graf.
ANNA MARIE AMES is reporting what Lori Graf was doing. That's all.
Sheesh, wake up.
Jan 21, 2012 at 9:04 p.m.
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@theone: My reading skills are just fine. It's pretty clear what went on here & if I worked for JPD I would use caution & not get chummy with the media. The information is available in "12 million places" - seems rather snotty to me. Last I checked the police were suppose to protect & SERVE. Not everyone has a computer. Some people just want to make sure they don't get hit w/a ticket & would rather cya by calling the police to verify. Geesh we should all be so fortunate to have a job answering such simple questions on the phone & I'm guessing she not only gets a salary but health benefits & a pension to boot. Cry me a river.
Jan 21, 2012 at 7:09 p.m.
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You are pretty condescending there nicksmom...you claim to be an attorney, but yet, your reading skills are clearly lacking.
Where in this article does it say that Lori Graf doesn't like her job? Or is complaining about taking those calls?
Apparently your comprehension skills are also inferior...it's the author of the article that has the attitude you wrongly attribute to Lori Graf.
Jan 21, 2012 at 7:07 p.m.
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I don't think there was snottiness implied here - more like a rebuke for people being lazy.
I might understand calling the police to check the snow emergency law, but that really should be something you figure out before you choose to live somewhere w/o off-street parking.
Why would you call the paper to ask what channel the big game is on? I didn't realize the Gazette was running a free personal concierge service. Buy the damn paper if you need that info and can't use the website.
Jan 21, 2012 at 7:05 p.m.
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but these same "impoverished" people are walking around with iphones, smoking cigarettes and buying lottery tickets hoping to "hit it big." They can use their phones to google it as well. If 411 can charge a fee to look up a number why not the gazette or any organization for that matter.
Jan 21, 2012 at 1:52 p.m.
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I agree with you, Nicksmom. This is a very snotty and ignorant post. Apparently some people are not as smart as this author CLEARLY is. (sarcasm) Heaven forbid that someone might ask a human for an answer rather than a computer.
Jan 21, 2012 at 10:40 a.m.
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I find this offensive & snotty. I deal with a lot of people that live in poverty who do not have internet access & who also have lower intelligence & need more hand holding than the average person. I know officers at JPD & I know for a fact that they deal with this same population every day. If Lori Graf doesn't like her job I'm sure someone else would be more than happy to take these calls.
Jan 20, 2012 at 8:40 p.m.
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The specific city web pate link for snow emergencies:
http://www.ci.janesville.wi.us/index.asp...
Jan 20, 2012 at 6:12 p.m.
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Not intended for the news blog?
Jan 20, 2012 at 6:10 p.m.
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Google it?? I mean are you kidding me?!?!?!? I came on this one website www.gazettextra.com and they told me there is a snow emergency!! I went on www.nbc15.com and they told me there is a snow emergency!!
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUH
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