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No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

nohello.net

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Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#21

Post by pas »

unfocussed_mike wrote: post #16

I know I am going to be downvoted so hard for this, but this is the most Hacker News thing ever. People have all sorts of different ways to converse; people have different models of politeness, people are shy, uncertain or awkward in all sorts of different ways. Some things just can't be blurted out. Some things need the scene setting. People are people. Not robots. Producing a website to demand that people address y…

> forwarding this to any internal mailing lists: don't.

why? it's a request. clear and simple. if someone doesn't want to care, not the end of the world.

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#22

Post by danaris »

clircle wrote: post #15

I can't understand why people are so passionate about whether one says hello or not in a chat. What kind of lives do you lead that drive you to make a website about such a niche annoyance?

The point isn't the "hello". It's the lack of anything else.

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#23

Post by unfocussed_mike »

efdee wrote: post #7

The real question is why Tim waits 4 minutes to reply to the "Hello!", but instantly replies to "Hello! ". What a selfrighteous jackass. Seriously though - as someone who's a 20-year resident in technical channels, who's had to deal with plenty of "Hello!"'s - this website comes off as incredibly condescending and very stereotypical for people working in an IT department.

> this website comes off as incredibly condescending and very stereotypical for people working in an IT department.

It really does.

I mean I get that people have different needs and work styles and I definitely find interruptions difficult at some points, but this might have swung the pendulum a wee bit too far -- precisely because other people have different needs and work styles.

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#24

Post by unfocussed_mike »

pas wrote: post #21
unfocussed_mike wrote: post #16

I know I am going to be downvoted so hard for this, but this is the most Hacker News thing ever. People have all sorts of different ways to converse; people have different models of politeness, people are shy, uncertain or awkward in all sorts of different ways. Some things just can't be blurted out. Some things need the scene setting. People are people. Not robots. Producing a website to demand that people address y…

> forwarding this to any internal mailing lists: don't. why? it's a request. clear and simple. if someone doesn't want to care, not the end of the world.

Forwarding that link to a mailing list will damage people's perceptions of you and ultimately kick-start a company-wide discussion on tone of communication that will ultimately result in someone writing a Damore Memo.

(I am only half-joking)

Accept that people are awkward, different and diverse and that we benefit from that too. And then don't forward it.

I once wrote an email to an internal email list about the lack of forks in the departmental kitchen and how I'd bought lots more and they'd all gone too.

I was polite, like this website, and frustrated, like the people who wrote this website. But the request made people who'd simply forgotten to return a fork, or who'd had a cake meeting that day, or whatever was genuinely more important than returning a fork, a little bit piqued. People told me to my face how my politeness came across to them. I should have just bought more forks.

Buy more forks.

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#25

Post by pas »

jmull wrote: post #9

If you're asking a quick, informational, easy thing, then "Hi! What is the test server name?" is good. But dropping something upfront that is ambiguous or requiring thought isn't great. If you drop a thorny problem on someone, you may kind of force a context change on them, causing them to drop their train of thought and focus on what you need instead. You can pre-compose your longer thought/question. Then paste it o…

it's on the other party to defend their attention/focus.

preemptively witholding information doesn't lead to a global optimum

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#26

Post by pas »

svet_0 wrote: post #13

I very much agree with nohello, but using it as your status message on slack/teams/etc. is taking it too far and doesn't make me want to talk to you unless I absolutely have to. Maybe it's just me though.

they are upfront about their preference, what's wrong with that?

why is this too far? :o

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#27

Post by pas »

unfocussed_mike wrote: post #18
svet_0 wrote: post #13

I very much agree with nohello, but using it as your status message on slack/teams/etc. is taking it too far and doesn't make me want to talk to you unless I absolutely have to. Maybe it's just me though.

People do that? What an appalling way to conduct work.

um, why? what's appalling about stating their preference?

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#28

Post by humansuit »

danaris wrote: post #20
humansuit wrote: post #19

[This comment was dumb, and I've opted to remove it.]

However fun and flavorful these may be, they don't actually solve the problem being articulated, which is sending a greeting with no substantive message attached.

Valid point. I'll remove it from the conversation.

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#29

Post by pas »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #12

I think there's a dichotomy of people here. I'm one of the ones that minds because it can disrupt my work. I realize that sometimes interruptions are necessary but I want it to be efficient. So get to the point already Then there are the people that don't mind the interruption and sense of suspense. A "hi" feels to me like someone has just come up and poked me, but is just staring at me waiting to respond. Over chat…

if someone really wants something they can call :)

disable desktop notifications and sounds and when you are finished with something switch to slack to see who wrote what

doesn't this work?

Re: No hello – please don't just say hello in chat

#30

Post by svet_0 »

pas wrote: post #26
svet_0 wrote: post #13

I very much agree with nohello, but using it as your status message on slack/teams/etc. is taking it too far and doesn't make me want to talk to you unless I absolutely have to. Maybe it's just me though.

they are upfront about their preference, what's wrong with that? why is this too far? :o

A bit passive aggressive and snobbish when collaboration is already difficult, even when co-workers are welcoming and engaging.
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