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

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

#291

Post by ehutch79 »

jasode wrote: post #33

>People who do this are generally trying to be polite by not jumping right into the request, like one would in person or on the phone - and that's great! Different people have different reasons but I notice that many people that do a naked "hi" / "hey" are trying to see if the receiver is present for an immediate reply. In other words, the sender deliberately wants a synchronous instead of asynchronous convo. They do…

What you say seems to make sense. but the reality tends to be more:

10:15: Them: Hello 10:!5: Me: Hey! What's up. 10:34: Them: Can I ask you a question 10:34: Me: Sure, what's up? 12:15: Them: I'm having a problem with [insert software] 12:15: Me: What's the problem? 12:45: Them: It's not working. ..... 5 hours later... 18:41: Them: Do you think it's because i didn't fill out this field marked required?

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

#293

Post by oauea »

eganist wrote: post #284
oauea wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you didn't, then I'll be forced to assume it's not important. At least you clearly didn't care enough to put in a tiny amount of effort.

> If you didn't, then I'll be forced to assume it's not important. At least you clearly didn't care enough to put in a tiny amount of effort. That's your prerogative, but it also exposes you to corporate risk if it in fact was a sensitive matter with urgency and it's deemed that the necessary communication attempts were made. Deciding right off the top that communication isn't urgent takes precedent. If it's the firs…

> it also exposes you to corporate risk if it in fact was a sensitive matter with urgency and it's deemed that the necessary communication attempts were made

You're joking, right? I'll print your chat history of a single "hi" and that'll be all the evidence I need to clear my name. That print-out is going on my wall afterwards. You're funny.

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

#295

Post by codeulike »

ballenf wrote: post #92
codeulike wrote: post #85

I dont agree with this. Its good to be polite. Also if you throw your question into the chat without first verifying that they are seeing it and responding then you can end up asking the question, then they dont see it, then it hangs around for ages, then they see it hours later when it might not be relevant anymore and it causes confusion. Saying hello is fine, and polite, our social instincts are pretty good genera…

Ask the question and then follow up with a nvm if they take longer to answer than is useful. You can do it politely and explain you got the answer or whatever.

True

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

#296

Post by codeulike »

vultour wrote: post #273
codeulike wrote: post #85

I dont agree with this. Its good to be polite. Also if you throw your question into the chat without first verifying that they are seeing it and responding then you can end up asking the question, then they dont see it, then it hangs around for ages, then they see it hours later when it might not be relevant anymore and it causes confusion. Saying hello is fine, and polite, our social instincts are pretty good genera…

You really need to stop doing this, it’s only making people hate you.

Stop doing what?

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

#297

Post by eganist »

oauea wrote: post #293
eganist wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you didn't, then I'll be forced to assume it's not important. At least you clearly didn't care enough to put in a tiny amount of effort. That's your prerogative, but it also exposes you to corporate risk if it in fact was a sensitive matter with urgency and it's deemed that the necessary communication attempts were made. Deciding right off the top that communication isn't urgent takes precedent. If it's the firs…

> it also exposes you to corporate risk if it in fact was a sensitive matter with urgency and it's deemed that the necessary communication attempts were made You're joking, right? I'll print your chat history of a single "hi" and that'll be all the evidence I need to clear my name. That print-out is going on my wall afterwards. You're funny.

> You're joking, right? I'll print your chat history of a single "hi" and that'll be all the evidence I need to clear my name. That print-out is going on my wall afterwards. You're funny.

Counterpoint:

> Director, HR. First interaction with this user.

> 2:30: "Hey, this is a matter with urgency. Got a second?"

> missed call at 2:33pm

> 2:45: "Hey, I've reached out to your manager Taylor J. to resolve the matter."

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

#298

Post by Arainach »

eganist wrote: post #287
Arainach wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even in that case, "Are you around for a call?" gets the point across far better than "Hey, are you there?" Most people don't need to deal with ephemeral requirements. I've been in software for over a decade at a variety of businesses, and without fail the only times someone's been worried about talking over discoverable mediums they've been considering something that's anticompetitive or potentially illegal. The vas…

> Even in that case, "Are you around for a call?" gets the point across far better than "Hey, are you there?" Can I ask the difference between these two in practical terms? Edit: > the only times someone's been worried about talking over discoverable mediums they've been considering something that's anticompetitive or potentially illegal. Interesting. In my case, it's without fail been circumstances where message con…

"Are you around for a call" tells me that you have something to discuss that you think shouldn't be discussed over IM. In practice, it means something deeply confidential (usually related to HR or legal).

"Are you there" means you're an intern or, worse, a full timer who hasn't figured out how to properly communicate yet who has some random question for me that you probably think is urgent but probably isn't.

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

#299

Post by kirstenbirgit »

jcelerier wrote: post #292

am I the only one to think that in the > Keith hi > Tim ...? interaction, the issue is Tim not answering by "hi, what's up" ? I find that utterly rude

One could also argue that it's utterly rude and disrespectful to the other persons' time to just type "hi".

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

#300

Post by eganist »

Arainach wrote: post #298
eganist wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even in that case, "Are you around for a call?" gets the point across far better than "Hey, are you there?" Can I ask the difference between these two in practical terms? Edit: > the only times someone's been worried about talking over discoverable mediums they've been considering something that's anticompetitive or potentially illegal. Interesting. In my case, it's without fail been circumstances where message con…

"Are you around for a call" tells me that you have something to discuss that you think shouldn't be discussed over IM. In practice, it means something deeply confidential (usually related to HR or legal). "Are you there" means you're an intern or, worse, a full timer who hasn't figured out how to properly communicate yet who has some random question for me that you probably think is urgent but probably isn't.

The former I agree with. The latter I've always interpreted to mean the former.

I guess this is where our experiences diverge. I've never encountered what you described with the latter; it's always been someone who followed up with a call.

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