If someone wants your attention, have them call you.
I'm just the opposite. I hate voice calls. Texting gets my attention a lo quicker.
She's turned out with a pretty healthy use of social networks, but she's addicted to group chats and texting and will drop everything for them.
If someone wants your attention, have them call you.
I'm just the opposite. I hate voice calls. Texting gets my attention quicker.
To each his own... Some people I know enjoy spending time typing paragraphs of text nonsense that I ignore as it could have been articulated verbally in less time and got my limited attention span better.
I hate voice calls for a variety of reasons, and like text for a variety of reasons.
Voice calls:
Cause me anxiety
Require immediate shifting to call
May be something I'm unprepared for
May come with a video component that I'm unprepared for Have a greater chance that I mis-state something
Text:
Is what I grew up with
Allows for time shifting
Can be edited to make it better
Gives me time to think through the topic
Lowers the chance that I'm mis-stating something
Mind you, you don't get verbal tone with text, and lots of people read extra tone into text when it isn't there. So I know it's not all positive.
You must be younger than me. :) I didn't grow up with text, and I didn't get my own cell phone until I was 21.. But since then, I've always found texting to be very convenient.
ICQ had a feature where you could fill out a little profile for yoruself and have it find you a random chat partner online - It was a bit like having pen pals. I talked to a lot of people that way, and I miss that sometimes. I wonder if people would still do that if that feature existed these days.. And I feel like as I've gotten older, it seems more rare for people to do that - Maybe for people in my age group. Maybe younger
people would be more apt to hang out and chat with people like that. It was definitely a thing I did a lot in my teens and early 20s.
Text:
Is what I grew up with
You must be younger than me. :) I didn't grow up with text, and I
didn't get my own cell phone until I was 21.. But since then, I've
always found texting to be very convenient.
You must be younger than me. :) I didn't grow up with text, and I didn't
get my own cell phone until I was 21.. But since then, I've always found
texting to be very convenient.
Eh, maybe a bit, but I meant "text", not "texting". Since most of my communication is through Teams/Signal/WhatsApp/Discord, and there's invariably a desktop app, I wind up using a keyboard much of the time anyway.
Since I grew up with BBSs, I spent _way_ more time typing and reading things than I did having a non-digital phone call.
Nightfox wrote to Adept <=-
I know what you mean; these days, I feel like voice calls can be
something I'm unprepared for too and might not be in a great place to
take a call - but I grew up before it was common to have cell phones,
so I was used to occasional phone calls. I don't get many phone calls though (at least, not many from family & friends - I do sometimes get calls from job recruiters & such, as well as spam calls).
Nightfox wrote to Adept <=-
ICQ had a feature where you could fill out a little profile for
yoruself and have it find you a random chat partner online - It was a
bit like having pen pals. I talked to a lot of people that way, and I
miss that sometimes. I wonder if people would still do that if that feature existed these days..
As much as I prefer phone calls for being able to quickly resolve issues, the intrusion factor bothers me more now; in a support role calls tend to be trying to jump the line, so to speak. It's important to set expectations and not drop everything for them.
1. "hello" chat messages. They'll wait for you to respond then treat it like a synchronous comms method. Instead, include your request or pertinent information in the intro and I'll have the information needed to prioritize this. The only benefit of chat over a phone call is the asynchronousness of it.
4. Talking over people in meetings is getting bad. I sometimes feel like I'm viewed as being quiet in meetings. I'm introverted, but sometimes I'm waiting to get a word in edgewise? Stop for comments.
6. My personal pet peeve - set an outgoing voicemail message. Especially when hiring, I hate it when I call the number on a resume and get a generic message. I have anxiety that I misdialed and the person won't get the message.
ICQ had a feature where you could fill out a little profile for yoruself
and have it find you a random chat partner online - It was a bit like
having pen pals. I talked to a lot of people that way, and I miss that
sometimes. I wonder if people would still do that if that feature existed
these days..
ChatRoulette took it to a different level, if memory serves, it was totally random.
Voice calls:
Cause me anxiety
Voice calls:
Cause me anxiety
I'm afraid you lost me at voice calls causing anxiety...
1. "hello" chat messages. They'll wait for you to respond then treat it like a synchronous comms method. Instead, include your request or pertinent information in the intro and I'll have the information needed
1. "hello" chat messages. They'll wait for you to respond then treat like a synchronous comms method. Instead, include your request or pertinent information in the intro and I'll have the information need
Mind you, you don't get verbal tone with text, and lots of people read extra tone into text when it isn't there. So I know it's not all positive.
ChatRoulette took it to a different level, if memory serves, it was
totally random.
1. "hello" chat messages. They'll wait for you to respond then treat it like a synchronous comms method.
I'm afraid you lost me at voice calls causing anxiety...
I hear that some people even enjoy them.
1. "hello" chat messages. They'll wait for you to respond then treat like a synchronous comms
Ugh, people at work do this sometimes! Often times I just won't even respond until they then type what
it is they want to talk about or what they want from me. And almost every time they won't!
I used to ignore them until they asked a question or told me what they wanted. It didn't work out and they would end up coming to my desk and bothering me in person. So I just answer the hello messages now.
Anyone else currently trying to reduce their screen use?
I spend a lot of time working on front of computers but I have never suffered of an excess of phone time. The main reason is that I hate modern phones with such a passion you would think I consider them anti-horses.
I have made the same observations as you. It's dystopic, especially
seeing couples and especially with kids, like 5 people glued to their phones, not saying a word during dinner. What happened? Years ago I
stopped bringing my phone to the table. At least that.
So I have two teenage kids, and they can complain all they like (they dont so much anymore), but the phone is for my benefit not theirs. Because of busy extra curricular activites, I have two low cost phone services, that they take with them to so I know where they are, and they can call home if they need to.
I'm just the opposite. I hate voice calls. Texting gets my attention a lot quicker.
My mother gave me a phone "for her benefit" back in the day and it didn't work because I rarely carried it on me. In fact the presure I got for carrying it was absurd, but for me it felt like useless tech. I didn't have enough pockets back then (and I still don't) so if I had to chose whether to pick the phone or a folding blade, I would probably pick the folding blade.
pick the folding blade.
As a kid, what did you need a folding blade for?
And most of the time, any pants, shorts, etc. I wore usually had at least a couple of pockets in front. Normally I wouldn't be carrying so much that I wouldn't have had room for a phone. Cell phones weren't really a thing when I was a kid though - at least, not small or affordable. Most adults at that time didn't even have a cell phone.
As a kid, what did you need a folding blade for?
If you are working in some place where horses and rope coexist, you carry a blade, because it is guaranteed at some point somebody will manage to get a horse entangled with the rope (and chances are you are the moron who manages it).
But really... My role wasn't of that much importance. The only thing
that I "directed" was to the CEO to please don't spill wine on your laptop; these gadgets cost us money... And to please not text me while drunk, I will not respond to BS, infact I had shut off ALL text/email notifications on my cell.
Oof. I have a hard time imagining a "good" situation where a higher up is drunk texting/e-mailing/calling me about work-related things, presumably during non-standard hours.
Considering I drive from my home (which is out of town) to attend the orgies, I feel like this guy is robbing me of my time.
Most people are like that whether they want to admit it or not.
text only when my message does not require immediate action - and, very often, it gets ignored.
Atreyu wrote to Adept <=-
I would be constantly CC'd on absolute nonsense... Or people would
write me novels when one-sentence replies would've been better, or
writing paragraphs to say absolutely nothing... that still happens to
me in Fidonet sometimes.
Tiny wrote to Knight Shadow <=-
I used to ignore them until they asked a question or told me what they wanted. It didn't work out and they would end up coming to my desk and bothering me in person.
So I just answer the hello messages now. "Hey!
Nice to hear from you! how can I help?" Also when I message someone first it's always "Hi, {question}" so they answer right away. My
emails are also right to the point without any niceness or nonsense.
..."If anybody sets fire to this city, it's going to be _ME_."
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(21:1/700)
Arelor wrote to Mortar M. <=-
Texting is cheap. When somebody sends you a text he is likely not
putting much effort on it. I am not in a hurry to check texts.
Making a phone call costs money and requires a little bit of a bigger social investment, therefore if I get a call I am likely to pay
attention to it because it has a high chance of being important.
also has a chance of being a South American trying to sell insurance to you but since I put the call down instantaneously the moment I realize
it is telemarketing I have not been taking a lot of those as of late.
Most people are like that whether they want to admit it or not. I typically text only when my message does not require immediate action - and, very often, it gets ignored. I am talking messages for things that require action in 48 hours and you still have to phone in later because the message got ignored.
--
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Retroswim wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
I view instant messaging platforms like Teams as synchronous comms methods. If I wanted to leave a question or thought for answering at
your leisure, I'd send an email.
Adept wrote to Atreyu <=-
Oof. I have a hard time imagining a "good" situation where a higher up
is drunk texting/e-mailing/calling me about work-related things, presumably during non-standard hours.
Arelor wrote to deon <=-
My mother gave me a phone "for her benefit" back in the day and it
didn't work because I rarely carried it on me. In fact the presure I
got for carrying it was absurd, but for me it felt like useless tech. I didn't have enough pockets back then (and I still don't) so if I had to chose whether to pick the phone or a folding blade, I would probably
pick the folding blade.
Quoting Poindexter Fortran to Tiny <=-
notes on my monitor that said "Call Me ASAP". I joked that in a world
of varied means of communication, I needed to put a web cam up facing
my monitor...
I'm going to have to send a followup to her email summarizing our
conversation. Annoying.
I know other people who call to respond to emails, primarily so there's
no paper trail to their commitments.
Tiny wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-
It was a joke that would have been helpful. LOL My Weekend is Friday
and Saturday, so of course every Friday and Saturday I'm emailed constantly. I won't install outhouse on my personal phone, so they stay unread until Sunday when I weed through about 85-90 email's all with deadlines of the previous day. I enjoy deleting those unread, the auto responce told them who they should have contacted.
Adept wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
(Incidentally, this reminds me how I changed message retention in
Outlook at some point, because there'd be the occasional times when I needed to find an old e-mail, but I couldn't search for it, because
local retention is such that old messages disappear from the local computer, and thus from search.)
I'm wondering if these people also misuse genAI.
"Misuse" because there's a wild difference from using it and then fact-checking all the output, and using it like a kid cheating on their high-school homework.
...people would write me novels when one-sentence replies would've been better, or writing paragraphs to say absolutely nothing... that still happens to me in Fidonet sometimes.
...went back to my place and were asleep when my phone rang. She was half-asleep and answered it.
Most people are like that whether they want to admit it or not. I
typically text only when my message does not require immediate action - and, very often, it gets ignored. I am talking messages for things that require action in 48 hours and you still have to phone in later because
the message got ignored.
text only when my message does not require immediate action - and, very
often, it gets ignored.
Maybe because you're the "grumpy weird guy"? :)
Mortar M. wrote to Atreyu <=-
So yeah, mega-lengh posts are definitely a problem, as well as keeping them relevant to the topic at hand...Like I did here.
Mortar M. wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Don't you hate it when people bring their work home with them? ;)
Mortar M. wrote to Atreyu <=-
So yeah, mega-lengh posts are definitely a problem, as well as keeping them relevant to the topic at hand...Like I did here.
You should see some of the lunatics on Linkedin. I'm amazed seeing
people writing multi-screen self-congratulatory missives when they
leave a company. How emotional it was starting out, how supportive the
company was in allowing them to succeed in all efforts, an exhaustive
list of the people that supported and mentored them along the way, the
detailed description of personal and professional growth they've seen,
and the new challenges they face as an innovation accelerator in their
next tech gig.
One of them wrote in excruciating detail about going back to the
company after less than a year when they realized that there was more
to do and that their mission to strive wasn't done there. It made me
wonder if they weren't positioned for Utmost Success in the new
company.
You should see some of the lunatics on Linkedin. I'm amazed seeing
people writing multi-screen self-congratulatory missives when they
leave a company.
Dumas Walker wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
All I can figure is that there must be some recruiters out there who
are somehow unexplainably impressed by such missives. I guess many of them do show a talent for creative writing but, beyond that, I am not
sure what they prove.
Dumas Walker wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
All I can figure is that there must be some recruiters out there who are somehow unexplainably impressed by such missives. I guess many of them do show a talent for creative writing but, beyond that, I am not sure what they prove.
I think they're just very full of themselves, and Linkedin gives them a
perceived audience.
I have a sore spot for people who use chat and phone calls as their primary means of comms. I sent an email with a list of questions to a manager in my company. I sent an email wanting a paper trail. 5 days later, while I'm dealing with an issue that was ultimately their responsibility, decides she wants a quick call. I explained my
priorities and the urgency, and she continued to answer each point with
a vague answer over the phone instead of responding to email.
Re: Re: Quitting the smartphone
By: Arelor to Mortar M. on Tue Aug 25 2026 11:35:31
Most people are like that whether they want to admit it or not.
Really? From what body of evidence supports your claim?
text only when my message does not require immediate action - and, very often, it gets ignored.
Maybe because you're the "grumpy weird guy"? :)
Hi Arelor!
Jesus Christ, sounds horrible :D. Why not suggest a retrogaming session without smartphones in the room, wouldn't that increase the retro feeling anyways?
I suspect that from a social point of view I am only valuable to the group because I provide all of the infrastructure free of cost...
To paraphrase Obi-wan, it sounds like these aren't the friends you're looking for. If they won't respect the house rules, then they don't respect you.
I was expecting an answer just like that but my experience is friends don't exist. There are people with shared goals and that is it. Anything else is a bit of a romantic notion bound to be disproven time and time again.
Damn straight. I thought about going there, but thought it might've been too dark.
I am the "People sucks and deserves to die" guy.
Re: Quitting the smartphone
By: Arelor to Mortar M. on Sat Sep 19 2026 17:38:49
I am the "People sucks and deserves to die" guy.
Yet, here you are, among us sucky people. While I wouldn't go that far, my faith/trust in people is greatly measured.
Re: Quitting the smartphone
By: Arelor to Mortar M. on Sat Sep 19 2026 17:38:49
I am the "People sucks and deserves to die" guy.
Yet, here you are, among us sucky people. While I wouldn't go that far, my faith/trust in people is greatly measured.
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