no
hello.
Don't just send "hi" in chat.
Just ask your question right away.
Imagine calling someone, saying hello!... and then putting them on hold.
Kees could've gotten his answer minutes earlier, and Tim wouldn't have had to wait 4 minutes without knowing why.
Why do people do this?
They're trying to be polite — just like you would in real life. But chat works differently. Typing is slower than talking. So you're making the other person wait while you're still figuring out how to phrase your question.
These are the worst offenders:
Just ask the question! 😤
Same conversation — but 5× faster. And if Tim had been away for a bit, he still could've answered the question when he came back.
But can I still be polite?
Yeah, of course! It's totally fine to add some politeness before your question. The point is just to include the question right away too.
You can also do it like this:
Asynchronous communication
If you ask your question immediately, the other person can answer it even if you're away for a bit. A standalone "hi" just leaves a question mark behind.
This is meant half-jokingly — don't be mad at the person who sent you this link. 👀
Based on the amazing nohello.net.