[auctiontheory]

"Creepy"? How can it be "creepy" to make a business-related call to people whose names were publicized in a business context?

Creepy is showing up unannounced and unintroduced at the front door of an actor or actress you have a crush on. I understand that you may not like to be cold called, but it is not creepy - it's the way much of business is done.

[_delirium]

Maybe this varies by area, but professional etiquette everywhere I've been is that you ask before taking an online conversation to the phone. If you're having a forum or email discussion with someone, it's not typical practice to look up their phone number and call them up. For example, I think it would be at least somewhat weird to call someone who posted a StackOverflow question or response, rather than responding to them on SO.

[alttab]

Especially if you used WhoIs information to get their number.

[jakerocheleau]

> at least somewhat weird to call someone who posted a StackOverflow question or response

I think that's just straight-up weird

[auctiontheory]

I don't disagree with you about professional etiquette, but to the extent that this is a forum about entrepreneurship, surely we might permit, or even encourage, not to mention applaud, a slight nudging of the boundaries?

[trentmb]

Not in this respect, no.

[stevoski]

I could be easily pm'ed via the forum. That would be a professional way to call me.

I neglected to mention that the phone call came late in the evening, and on a weekend I think.

[notahacker]

It depends a lot on the nature of the call (especially as in this case the forum maybe provided an obvious alternative method of initiating contact - but even then calls can sometimes be more appropriate).

I think people can be forgiven for misjudging their cold-calling timing and technique in their mid-teens too.

And grabbing the numbers from WHOIS itself simply shows initiative