No ?
please don't send a lonely "hi" and wait
Imagine someone taps you on the shoulder, says "hi", and then just… stands there staring at you in silence... 🤦♀️
❌ Don't do this
T.J Miller thought he was being polite: say hi first, then ask. But that lonely "hi" forces the other person to stop what they're doing and wait for the actual question that never comes.
Most people who do this don't mean to waste anyone's time. It's a reflex: "I should greet them before asking something."
But in text conversations, "hi" with no follow-up creates dead air. It adds unnecessary waiting, context switching, and sometimes even anxiety about what's coming next.
The same goes for:
- hello
- hey, you there?
- hi, got a minute?
- can I ask you something?
- hey! *then nothing for 10 minutes*
Say hi and ask your question in the same message!
✅ Instead, try this
Including your question upfront takes zero extra effort, but it lets the other person answer immediately, even if they see it hours later.
Instead of just "hi", try:
- Hey! Can you check the deploy logs from this morning?
- Hi, quick one — do you have the API docs link?
- Hello! Is the design review still happening at 3?
- Hey, I need access to the staging DB, can you help?
Greet and ask in one shot. It's still friendly, and it's async-friendly too. The other person can respond on their own time with all the context they need.
When done right, everyone saves time. 🎉