I don't know about you, but I don't answer unknown I get national numbers, because every of the many I have, it has been some kind of sales person selling something that is 95% sure to be a scam. I answer the local ones, because even though it is a seller 70% of the time, there is a much higher chance it is relevant and, they are not aggressive in their pitch - If I say I am not interested, there is no complaint.
Phone calls aren't very common these days to the point that younger people have panic attacks if the phone rings. But, I also get not wanting to answer, because these days, the only time some people call is when they want something, and that has been amplified since working from home culture became ubiquitous around the world. People only set up meetings when there is work to discuss, and this has flowed into personal relationships also. A lot of the interactions, are transactional. Personal communication has become
However, this is about communication on Hive, as I have noticed an increase of behaviour that I choose to ignore, and I think it might be worth mentioning, because I know many others are in the same position I am. And that is, random people contacting on Discord, asking for favours of some kind. Again, I get it. People want stuff and there is no harm in asking, but just like the random calls from sales people, if it is unsolicited (not asked for), the chances for ignoring it are high.
The approach is wrong.
If I haven't talked to you on-chain, why would I start doing you "Hive favours" on Discord? It doesn't really matter what the topic is, but "cold calling" is not going to get the desired response, because I don't know who you are. And because this is crypto, if I haven't interacted with you on-chain, I don't trust you. If I don't recognise the contact name, I don't even open the message request, I just ignore it. That might sound harsh, but on Discord, I only chat with friends, and sometimes in some servers I am associated with. I don't spend my time talking with strangers. However, if someone has taken the time to interact with me on Hive with more than just asking for whatever they want, then I am very likely to have a chat with them.
I consider Hive work, but it is not my job. Discord is not Teams or Slack that I have to check so I get paid a salary each month, it is a communication tool to stay in contact with friends and up to date with projects. Do you see the difference? Dropping a random DM from a random person, is like door-knocking on the weekend, or calling to sell something in the evening. Sure, the message has a chance of reaching me, but it isn't going to prime me to be receptive to it. And, since just like on the phone there is the option to "reject", I usually will.
I used to work with sales people and help them find ways to better engage prospects. And while some would try calling at times that they knew the person wasn't busy working, often, that was the time they were busy living. It isn't a good first impression to call wanting something from someone, by interrupting their dinner, or while they play with their children.
Luckily though, we have Hive, and at least if trying to reach me, there is pretty much always a recent article that can serve as a meeting place. In fact, that is what I want on my articles. I would love it if people had proper discussions on Hive, rather than pushing it out to Discord. Sure, maybe not everything needs to be put on the chain, but dive in, get to know people, and because it is public, others can join in too. And, if you are looking for support of some kind, that means you are visible to others, are more likely to build trust and, develop the relationships where when you contact in Discord, it isn't a cold call, it is already warm.
And normally when people contact, while most of the time it is asking for votes on something, often the ask isn't necessarily easy or just takes a moment, it can be quite involved. So, what are the chances of it happening if that is the first time we have spoken?
To me, all this seems like common sense and just everyday courtesy. Yet, it seems that either through inexperience, cultural difference, rushing, or just plain not caring about others - a reminder is needed.
Do you answer random calls?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
