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Electronic chat is really not the same as face-to-face communication. Neither are video calls.

by layer8 11mo ago

sodapopcan 11mo ago
For me, electronic chat is better most of the time.
- layer8 11mo ago
  Everyone is different. I vastly prefer email over chat, but also wouldn't want to live without the occasional face-to-face.
  - sodapopcan 11mo ago
    "Everyone is different" is my point. Face to face once in a while is nice, though I don't care so much about having it very often with my colleagues in a professional setting.
  - theshrike79 11mo ago
    The difference between email and chat is 100% psychological. It's just text over a transport method. Some people consider email something you MUST answer ASAP, others can have 9000 unanswered emails without an issue. They'll get around to it. And with chat, some think it's real-time and expect an answer in seconds, others will check $chat_app a few times a day like email and reply. I personally prefer chat, because you can use it asynchronously, BUT you can escalate to near real-time if everyone is present at the same time. You can have an actual "conversation" via chat - you can't do that with email.
AlotOfReading 11mo ago
Of course it's not the same, that's the point. I personally prefer the async, chat based mediums I've used since I was a child. Some of my coworkers have disabilities that make conversational typing difficult and prefer video calls as a result. Consider the effort to accommodate those preferences though. Accommodating a video call preference is easy. Same for chat. Accommodating a preference for face-to-face requires spending an hour (2x average US commute) traveling to meet you. That's quite a significant ask of the other person.
devmor 11mo ago
Yes, it’s not the same at all. In electronic chat I can ask someone to explain their question and wait for it in writing. In person, I often have to listen to them stumble over the concept because they didn’t think about what they wanted to ask before asking it. In a video call I can clearly see the other person’s screen and zoom in on what I’m trying to look at. In person I have to lean over their desk and squint at the right angle.

Electronic chat is really not the same as face-to-face communication. Neither are video calls.

by layer8 11mo ago

Electronic chat is really not the same as face-to-face communication. Neither are video calls.

sodapopcan 11mo ago

For me, electronic chat is better most of the time.

layer8 11mo ago
Everyone is different. I vastly prefer email over chat, but also wouldn't want to live without the occasional face-to-face.
- sodapopcan 11mo ago
  "Everyone is different" is my point. Face to face once in a while is nice, though I don't care so much about having it very often with my colleagues in a professional setting.
- theshrike79 11mo ago
  The difference between email and chat is 100% psychological. It's just text over a transport method. Some people consider email something you MUST answer ASAP, others can have 9000 unanswered emails without an issue. They'll get around to it. And with chat, some think it's real-time and expect an answer in seconds, others will check $chat_app a few times a day like email and reply. I personally prefer chat, because you can use it asynchronously, BUT you can escalate to near real-time if everyone is present at the same time. You can have an actual "conversation" via chat - you can't do that with email.

AlotOfReading 11mo ago

Of course it's not the same, that's the point. I personally prefer the async, chat based mediums I've used since I was a child. Some of my coworkers have disabilities that make conversational typing difficult and prefer video calls as a result. Consider the effort to accommodate those preferences though. Accommodating a video call preference is easy. Same for chat. Accommodating a preference for face-to-face requires spending an hour (2x average US commute) traveling to meet you. That's quite a significant ask of the other person.

devmor 11mo ago

Yes, it’s not the same at all. In electronic chat I can ask someone to explain their question and wait for it in writing. In person, I often have to listen to them stumble over the concept because they didn’t think about what they wanted to ask before asking it. In a video call I can clearly see the other person’s screen and zoom in on what I’m trying to look at. In person I have to lean over their desk and squint at the right angle.