Yup. That's the response, I usually get. This is where I would normally lay out the gist of my problem, e.g. "If you aren't too busy, I need help with zipping

Yup. That's the response, I usually get. This is where I would normally lay out the gist of my problem, e.g. "If you aren't too busy, I need help with zipping files on the client side, is there a JS library (or anything) that will allow me to do that? I need it by <insert urgency of request here>" I make two implicit assumptions here: One, (and this is highly subjective but it seems to apply to my personal network) if you are very busy/'in the zone', you won't respond to my first ping. If you do respond to my first ping, you might not yet be 'in the zone' and I'm not (yet) wasting valuable productivity time. Furthermore, I immediately lay out the gist of the conversation but there is no obligation on you to answer. Win-win, even if I say so myself? Of course, although this holds true about me and my personal network, it may not apply anywhere else. :)