Our family has been dealing with some difficult medical issues. For privacy reasons I can’t go into the details, suffice to say that someone close to us has had to deal with a life-changing medical event.

The situation has affected several of us as we try and support them as they deal with both the medical and long term emotional issues created by the event. It’s at moments like this that we are so grateful to live in the UK, on the whole, the National Health Service (NHS) means we get some of the best medical care in the world, but we don’t have to worry about the cost.

However, while our family member was waiting to meet with the medical professionals, a relatively short two weeks to get some answers, they spent a lot of time on the internet trying to get answers. I can only describe these two weeks as hell for them, and for those of us watching this play out, equally distressing. You see, rather than bring them peace, the answers found in forums, did the opposite. Some of these places were big forums, with long established reputations, sponsored by some of the biggest brands on the planet. However, the advice was often contradictory, simplistic, or plain wrong. The advice was often offered with the best of intentions, but in reality if you go into a forum or on social media to get a question answered, the amount of opinions is almost equal to those having one. In large forums this can run into tens, hundreds, or even thousands of opinions. It doesn’t help settle us, on the contrary, it often brings us even more confusion. Even worse, often when opinions kick in, you’ll find people talking in exceptions, not the rule.

When it comes to medical issues, then the stakes are high, but even for matters such as audio and sound, is it really the best place to start? Does it bring us the answer we need, confuse us or confirm our bias?

Should You Use A Bass Trap?

It’s a reasonable question to ask, so here’s the answer to the question – should you use a bass trap – forum or social media style;

• Yes

• No

• Possibly

• Only use one if it has 45 degree angles

• Never use one if it has 45 degree angles

• Use one that’s made from solid oak, but only oak that comes from the USA.

• Solid oak is a stupid idea, especially American Oak.

• I had a bass trap and it burst into flames, AVOID!

Of course all these answers are made up, but it’s written to highlight the mind bending problem of asking ‘hive minds’ (an expression I loathe and anyone who uses it should get in the sea) to give you an answer to a solution. It sounds like a dream, a community coming up with an answer, it rarely happens.

We have a joke in our house, whenever we are thinking of booking a hotel or restaurant my wife will often take a look at Trip Advisor. We then laugh and say, find the one where the waiter slapped his wife. What we mean by this is you can find a review on Trip Advisor with five thousand 5 star reviews, then one person gives it a bad review. At this point, some people will pass, based on one person out of thousands who claimed something like “the waiter slapped my wife!”

Aggregation is OK, but not if it’s an aggregration of bad advice and opinions.

Can The Specialist Please Stand Up

Ever been on a plane during a medical emergency? What’s the first question that’s often asked? Is there a doctor on board? It’s the right question to ask, at a moment like this it’s essential to find someone who is highly trained and able to quickly diagnose the problem and suggest a course of action. What’s even more interesting in this situation, although the captain of the plane is in charge, they will take their lead from the advice given by the medical professional.

Imagine at this point if the question was asked, is there a doctor on board and these answers came back.

• “I’m not a doctor but I watched every season of ER.”

• “I’m not, but my neighbour had a similar event and this is what it was.”

• “I’m not, but I have internet and can Google the answer.”

• “They don’t need a doctor, it looks like indigestion.”

Again, all made up answers, but this is exactly what we often allow to happen in the court of public opinion, when we are trying to solve a problem.

The Stakes Can Be High

Depending on the question, the stakes can be low or high. What if you need to make some decisions on a pair of £10,000 studio monitors, or a new mixing desk, or signing the lease on a new studio?

It’s too easy to write off the specialists in stores, acoustics companies, or lawyers. I’ve really seen questions about client legal issues being debated in a Facebook group. Often the answers start with the line; “I’m not a lawyer but…” At this point I’m reading and thinking STOP TALKING NOW, YOU ARE NOT A LAWYER.

Can specialists make mistakes? Of course, they are not infallible. However, given the study it takes to grasp even a single subject in any meaningful way, for example room design, they are less likely to be wrong than the person who’s done a cursory Google search or spent half a day in a forum.

I was watching the latest season of the Netflix show The Crown this weekend. In one scene, the Queen is talking to her husband Prince Philip about tracing familial lines with DNA. The show at this point is set in the early days of DNA. The Queen tells him that they use a certain type of DNA, to which he replies, “you mean Mitochondrial DNA.” She replies, “how do you know that?” He smiles and says, “I read!”

Specialists read, not one article, but many books, white papers and peer led research. The study takes years to achieve any reasonable qualification. To compare this level of study and experience to a few minutes on a search engine or forum is foolishness, it’s worlds apart. We still need these people.

Where Are The Specialists?

Here’s the heartbreaking thing about this situation, the specialists are more accesible than ever. THIS is where hive minds and forums can help. In this situation, rather than wade in with some half-assed reply based on limited knowledge (remember, we don’t know what we don’t know), instead help the person with the question to find a specialist.

The internet is a powerful tool, not to a place to dispense with specialists, but to help our communities find experienced and knowledgeable people working in acoustics, studio design, recording or the multitude of other things we need answers for.

Of course, there’s also an almost limitless supply of training materials from well respected organisations. I can’t think of a subject I can’t find good training resources for.

The fact is, there are plenty of specialists out there, however often the overwhelming noise is drowning out their voices.

There’s an old expression that says, “If you think a professional is expensive, then wait until you’ve tried an amateur.” There’s a lot of truth in that. There’s not a single part of my business that I trust to an amateur. I have an accountant to advise me on banking, tax and other financial issues and a lawyer to help me with contracts and other legal needs. That, and many other things, are too important to trust to anyone but a professional.

In Closing

Forums and Facebook groups are enormously helpful, I’m not suggesting they don’t have a place in helping us with the challenges of running our recording businesses, I’ve benefitted greatly from them over the years.

However, it’s a mistake to think that the advice given is either equal or a replacement for seeking the advice or services of a professional.