4 ms·

Then include that in your initial message. Awful: "Hey" Bad: "Hey, are you around?" Tolerable: "I have a question about foo" Good: "How does foo audit log r

Then include that in your initial message. Awful: "Hey" Bad: "Hey, are you around?" Tolerable: "I have a question about foo" Good: "How does foo audit log requests?" Great: "How does foo audit log requests? If you don't know offhand, no problem - I'll keep looking at baz"

lisper 6y ago
The problem with your "great" formulation is that my interlocutor does know, and I know she knows (because she wrote the code). What I don't know is whether she is in a position to give me an answer right now, which is what I need for it to do me any good. So I usually open with "Ping..." which everyone I deal with knows means, "Are you in the mood to be bothered with a quick question that needs an immediate answer?" And I only do this with people I know prefer chat over email all else being equal because they will initiate chats with me. Otherwise I go straight to email.
- Arainach 6y ago
  Then just say "never mind, figured it out" when it's no longer relevant.
  - lisper 6y ago
    There is another consideration: composing an inquiry designed for asynchronous comms requires a lot more effort than synchronous. If I know the exchange is going to be synchronous I can be a lot more sloppy in my formulation because I know I'll be there to clarify ambiguities, provide missing info, etc. in real time. If it's going to be asynchronous I have to put a lot more effort into making sure that the inquiry is self-contained, unambiguous, etc.
    - Arainach 6y ago
      This is disrespectful of the time of the person you're talking to. Taking the time to write a good question is important. This is true in synchronous and asynchronous conversation. A class of problem as big as the "No Hello" problem is asking questions that are way too specific, like "How do I get a list of which windows are on which desktops" when the actual question is "How should I move a window to another desktop" and the person asking the question is too deep into what they assume is the right path. The person answering your question is doing you a favor; please be respectful of them.
      - djur 6y ago
        I would not say that most questions I answer at work are "favors". Answering questions is one of my job duties.

lisper 6y ago

The problem with your "great" formulation is that my interlocutor does know, and I know she knows (because she wrote the code). What I don't know is whether she is in a position to give me an answer right now, which is what I need for it to do me any good. So I usually open with "Ping..." which everyone I deal with knows means, "Are you in the mood to be bothered with a quick question that needs an immediate answer?" And I only do this with people I know prefer chat over email all else being equal because they will initiate chats with me. Otherwise I go straight to email.

Arainach 6y ago
Then just say "never mind, figured it out" when it's no longer relevant.
- lisper 6y ago
  There is another consideration: composing an inquiry designed for asynchronous comms requires a lot more effort than synchronous. If I know the exchange is going to be synchronous I can be a lot more sloppy in my formulation because I know I'll be there to clarify ambiguities, provide missing info, etc. in real time. If it's going to be asynchronous I have to put a lot more effort into making sure that the inquiry is self-contained, unambiguous, etc.
  - Arainach 6y ago
    This is disrespectful of the time of the person you're talking to. Taking the time to write a good question is important. This is true in synchronous and asynchronous conversation. A class of problem as big as the "No Hello" problem is asking questions that are way too specific, like "How do I get a list of which windows are on which desktops" when the actual question is "How should I move a window to another desktop" and the person asking the question is too deep into what they assume is the right path. The person answering your question is doing you a favor; please be respectful of them.
    - djur 6y ago
      I would not say that most questions I answer at work are "favors". Answering questions is one of my job duties.