Asking for Help in Chat: No Hello, Don't Ask to Ask, and the XY Problem

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Most of the time I spend helping someone, or being helped, goes to the question rather than the answer. The answer is often a sentence. Getting to the point where that sentence can be written takes a greeting, a wait, a follow-up, a “what are you actually trying to do?”, and another wait. In chat, each of those round trips can cost minutes or hours, because the other person is not watching the window.

No Hello on Artur Rios Lab

Asking for Help in Chat: No Hello, Don't Ask to Ask, and the XY Problem