Please don't say just hello in chat (2013) • Hacker News Board

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#11

Post by StavrosK » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

ColinWright wrote: post #3

As with so much ... it depends. Sometimes when I'm working I need to chat open so I can get urgent requests and feedback. In that case it's really, really annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question. It's a form of nerd-sniping[0], showing no consideration for my work mode. Better to pop in something like this: > I have a question, should take you X (second…

I, too, am puzzled by your downvotes.

> In that case it's really, really annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question

Why? Can't you just reply whenever you can?

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#12

Post by corty » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

ColinWright wrote: post #3

As with so much ... it depends. Sometimes when I'm working I need to chat open so I can get urgent requests and feedback. In that case it's really, really annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question. It's a form of nerd-sniping[0], showing no consideration for my work mode. Better to pop in something like this: > I have a question, should take you X (second…

Asking if I have time for something unimportant is as inconsiderate as just saying 'hi' imho. I will still have to remember to call them back (so their problem is now a task more for me to remember) and I'll still have to consider if it isn't important after all to ping them immediately. Because maybe last time they pulled the same stunt with a major problem and I initially got chewed up for doing minor stuff instead of asking about theirs...

So imho: either state the problem in a concise way and state your priority evaluation. I may adjust that evaluation based on my interpretation. Or just don't bother me with it because it isn't important.

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#13

Post by planb » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:39 PM UTC

alpaca128 wrote: post #2

Also, please send messages once you're done thinking and writing. When someone is so inconsiderate and just does a real-time braindump in the messenger, hitting return every half sentence, I'll mute them.

I can live with that in chat. It's not an email and I can switch the window and later read it all at once. But please please don't send me voice messages like this!

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#14

Post by deeblering4 » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:39 PM UTC

DangitBobby wrote: post #7

alpaca128 wrote: post #2

Also, please send messages once you're done thinking and writing. When someone is so inconsiderate and just does a real-time braindump in the messenger, hitting return every half sentence, I'll mute them.

Why does this bother you?

Possibly because it triggers numerous notifications for a request or question thats not complete yet.

That can be quite distracting, especially if the conversation isn’t urgent.

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#15

Post by andersco » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:40 PM UTC

My strategy is to just wait a bit and not respond immediately, to see if they get the message that their initial greeting was useless, and then post what they actually have to say.

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#16

Post by westmeal » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:41 PM UTC

Hello

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#17

Post by bsmithers » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:43 PM UTC

ColinWright wrote: post #3

As with so much ... it depends. Sometimes when I'm working I need to chat open so I can get urgent requests and feedback. In that case it's really, really annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question. It's a form of nerd-sniping[0], showing no consideration for my work mode. Better to pop in something like this: > I have a question, should take you X (second…

I think it's on you - as the receiver of a message - to appropriately deal with your messaging app of choice such that it doesn't interupt your flow. Otherwise, you are placing an impossible burden on the sender of the message to some how telepathically know if it's a good time. IMHO, your preferred workflow makes it seem that your time is more valuable than the other person's as you're now asking them to hang around waiting until they can actually ask their question.

The asynchronous nature of messaging is important to preserve.

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#18

Post by OskarS » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:44 PM UTC

I generally don't like the "steve is typing" notifications that all modern communication apps ahve (it's the weirdest feeling is seeing one of those and then see it disappear without the person sending a message), but for THIS PARTICULAR PURPOSE they work really well. If someone says "hi!" as their first message, you can see that they're typing their follow-up you can just wait for them to finish. Yes, it would be better if they just came out and said what they needed to say, but the typing notification does remove some of the awkwardness.

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#19

Post by corty » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:45 PM UTC

DangitBobby wrote: post #7

alpaca128 wrote: post #2

Also, please send messages once you're done thinking and writing. When someone is so inconsiderate and just does a real-time braindump in the messenger, hitting return every half sentence, I'll mute them.

Why does this bother you?

because every time someone hits return, the messenger goes bling. Then I'll read what was sent because I was interrupted anyways. Then I'll discover it was incomplete and I can't make sense of it. I'll go back to productive work until the next snippet of this flow of consciousness madness interrupts me. Then I'll read that message, plus the preceding ones for context. Now you interrupted me multiple times, forcing me to read partial stuff over and over again, just to have to wait for your next snippet for it all to maybe make sense.

People messaging like the above cause me to mute them and just look at their messages once in a blue moon.

Re: Please don't say just hello in chat (2013)

#20

Post by ColinWright » Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 3:47 PM UTC

StavrosK wrote: post #11

ColinWright wrote: post #3

As with so much ... it depends. Sometimes when I'm working I need to chat open so I can get urgent requests and feedback. In that case it's really, really annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question. It's a form of nerd-sniping[0], showing no consideration for my work mode. Better to pop in something like this: > I have a question, should take you X (second…

I, too, am puzzled by your downvotes. > In that case it's really, really annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question Why? Can't you just reply whenever you can?

> I, too, am puzzled by your downvotes.

OK, so it's not just me, but I can see that others continue to hold contrary opinions. Which, as I say, is fine, I just wish they'd express them (as some have - thank you) and not just downvote without feedback.

>> ... annoying for someone to pop something completely different into my feed and just baldly ask the question

> Why? Can't you just reply whenever you can?

No, because of the nerd-sniping problem. If it's an interesting question that requires thought, I'll inevitably start thinking about it now, even if only in background, resulting in context-switching, and my productivity goes way down.

I'm guessing that many in the HN community quite simply work differently from how I work. I'm learning something already from the responses, and I'm getting the sense of a real disconnect between us (me and them, not me and you).