Home > Communication Protocols
Summary
This page is a documentation of my preferred contact methods, as well as a compilation of protocols for various communication media. I hope to document what works and what doesn't work, in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the ways communication is evolving.
Publicly documenting the communication protocols will hopefully allow errors to be found and improvements to be made quicker. Feel free to leave a comment on this page.
Direct Methods
This is a list of direct communication methods in order of preference.
Twitter @'s or DMs
- http://twitter.com/aaronpk
- I will read all @ replies and DMs
- Contacting me via Twitter allows both of us to use our preferred medium for the communication. For example,
- You may be Twittering from your iPhone/Blackberry/Laptop
- I can receive the message at my work computer and respond on a full-size keyboard
- If I am on the road, I can respond from my phone
- Neither of us need to know how the other is actually receiving the message. Contrast this with text messaging or phone calls, both of which require a phone device to be used
Text Messages
- 765-314-1599
- Since I began using Google Voice, it has freed me from the limitation of requiring the use of my phone to reply to texts. If you send me a text, I can reply from my web browser. It is silly to have to use a tiny keyboard to reply when I have a full-size keyboard in front of me.
Instant Messaging and IRC
- On aim: aaronparecki, Google Chat: aaron@parecki.com
- On IRC: aaronpk@irc.freenode.net, aaronpk@irc.oftc.net
IM is great for synchronous conversations while not demanding complete attention from either party. If I am at my computer, I will most likely respond quickly. The nature of an IM conversation compared to a phone conversation means that I am more likely to respond since I will be able to continue whatever task I was doing when interrupted by the IM.
Email
Phone
- 765-314-1599
- Please don't call me unless it is extremely urgent. Examples:
- Something is on fire.
- If you are absolutely unable to contact me via other means and you need a response from me right now, call me.
- Realtime communication is required
- In some cases, a single back-and-forth text exchange is not sufficient
- If the conversation will require several quick back-and-forths, then a phone call may be quicker. I hope I can trust your judgment
- If I don't answer your call, it may be because:
- I am in a loud environment and I will not be able to hear you nor you me. Instead, text me.
- The call will be an intrusion into whatever I am doing realtime, i.e. I am concentrating on a project. In this case answering the phone will cause me to lose focus, and you will get a less-than-optimal response from me since my mind will have been deeply involved in something else a mere 3 seconds ago.
Voicemail
- There is almost never a reason to leave a voicemail. Instead, send a text or instant message.
- If you leave me a voicemail, I will probably not listen to it. If you call my Google number, it will at least be transcribed and send it to me in an sms. However, the transcription usually only conveys 70% of the message content accurately. If I determine, after skimming the transcription, that the message is very important I will go back and listen to the audio.
- Absolutely avoid leaving voicemails consisting only of "can you please give me a call back". This is a waste time for both of us. If you really need to get me on the phone, send me a text saying "call me back" instead.
Indirect Methods
There are also several indirect methods to contact me.
Commenting
I will read comments left on
I will probably ignore comments left on
Etiquette
Photo Sharing
- DO
- Post flattering photos of people. Everybody likes to see good photos of themselves
- Send takedown notices if someone posts a photo of you that you don't want online
- Promptly respect takedown notices from people
- DON'T
- Post unflattering photos
- Post photos that may compromise someone's expectation of privacy. Note, this may be quite different depending on the person
Instant Messaging and IRC
- Don't ask to ask, just ask. Too often I will receive a message like "are you there?" or "can I ask you a question?" Please ask your question in the opening message, and if I can respond I will.
- Note: This may not be the best solution. For example, if I have something to ask someone that would be easily answered over IM, I want to get a hold of them that way. However if they are not available via IM, I would want to email it to them instead. In this case, an "are you there?" message may be appropriate since if the answer is "no," I would send an email instead.
- Your message may have ended up on my work computer and I'm at home and I won't see it until the next day. Instead, contact me via Twitter or SMS, since those messages are persistent across multiple devices and locations.
Others' Communication Protocols
Comments
This page is inspired by Tantek's Communication Protocols
Work In Progress
This page is a work in progress. It is most likely incomplete, and exists so that I can fill in details as examples are found or experienced. In the mean time it may be useful to someone, which is the reason it is made publicly available.
