Don't Just Say Hello

Advocates against sending a bare "hello" in chat, arguing that short salutations without a question needlessly stall conversation because typing is slower than speaking. The example dialogue shows someone saying only "hi" and waiting minutes for the follow-up, when a direct question would have produced a faster reply. Common culprits listed include "Hello, are you around?", "You got a sec?", "ping" and similar starters that invite the recipient to wait for the actual request. Practical alternatives are given: lead with the question or request immediately (while still allowing for polite prefaces), with sample messages that combine brief warmth and clear asks so recipients can respond without delay.

The central recommendation is simple: ask the question first so communication works asynchronously - if the recipient is away they can still answer later, and responders don’t waste time waiting for clarification. The tone is playful but firm, noting that people who display the page’s URL as a status may ignore messages that only say "hello." Additional specifics: the content is half-serious, uses Office avatars for illustration, is open-source on GitHub, and is available in many languages.