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by wnolens 1392 days ago
I don't like this. You're demanding a sync interaction from someone who is probably very busy.

If you have a question, just ask it. If you want to have a 5, 10, or 30 min, discussion, ask for that.

I'd prefer a long form question with all the communication from your side fully expressed, then I can ponder on it and multiplex it between my dozen other things.

1 comments

As someone who receives lots of questions as a core part of my job, often concurrently via multi async comms channels, my biggest challenge is controlling cognitive load so I can be efficient and effective. Having a spot of politeness in the interaction, as the parent suggests, helps me meter the flow of information in my direction. I much prefer it. Horses for courses I guess.
Reducing the information content of a message, effectively concealing the information that you already plan to send after “Hi”, isn’t being polite to people with this personality, it’s frustrating.
I guess you can feel less obligated if the question hasn't been fully asked yet.

Still.. the question is out there. At least when it's written out, you can know if it's a worthwhile question. Or ask some quick follow-ups that they hadn't thought to nail down first.