Advice on contacting me
Communication is hard. People have different expectations on how others should communicate, and these different expectations cause misunderstandings and occasionally ruin relationships.
Yesterday, a friend got mad at me because he thought we made a plan and I canceled it, while I thought we only agreed that we’d hang out but didn’t make any plans. Often, people mistake my delay in response for rudeness or my lack of texting enthusiasm for a lack of interest. Occasionally, I fail to respond to people because they try to reach me through a channel that I don’t use.
To avoid further unnecessary headaches, I try to make clear how I communicate.
General preferences
- I’m blunt and prefer straightforward communication.
- I dislike channels that don’t let you turn off read receipts.
- I hate small talks.
If we’ve never met before, the best way to reach me is via email (see footnote). I check my inbox frequently and try to respond to every email.
If I don’t respond to your email, it might be because of the following reasons:
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You want something beyond my power. I can’t give you advice tailored to your personal life if I don’t know you. Please befriend me first.
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Your email is long. Please keep your first email to under 1 minute read. I find 1-200 words to be the ideal length.
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You ask me something that can be easily found online. I used to respond to those emails with lmgtfy.com but friends have told me that it’s rude.
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I have no idea who I’m talking to. If you aren’t easily googleable, please include a one-sentence introduction.
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I forget. I procrastinate responding to non-urgent emails, and sometimes forget to respond altogether. If I haven’t responded after a week, feel free to follow up.
Social media
I use social media, but don’t spend a lot of time on it. The services I use include:
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Discord. I’m the most active on (MLOps Discord). I find it a low-pressure environment to learn and share my work in progress. If you’re on Discord, say hi!
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Twitter. I’m active on Twitter (@chipro). My DMs are open, but I have about 100 unread DMs right now and Twitter doesn’t let you search/archive messages so please don’t use Twitter to reach me.
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Facebook: I check Facebook 2-3 times a week, mostly for event invitations. I publish my Vietnamese writing on my public page. I post random life updates on my personal account. Keep in mind that if we aren’t friends on FB, your message will go to Other folder and I don’t check that folder.
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Instagram: If I don’t follow you on Instagram (@huyenchip19), your message goes to a separate folder that I don’t check.
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LinkedIn: I read LinkedIn messages but I prefer emails.
tl;dr: follow me on social media but reach me via email.
Texting and calling
I use texting for transmitting information and bonding with people already close to me. If we aren’t close yet, expect minimal texting from me. I don’t appreciate “Hey”, “What’s up”, “What music do you listen to” kind of texts. I enjoy memes, so do send me your best memes.
My response time is generally between 1 second and 3 days. My slow response does not indicate a lack of interest.
My phone is always on silent so I will certainly miss unscheduled calls. If you need to tell me something that is hard to explain via texts, you can either: 1/ send me a voice message. 2/ schedule a time to call me. 3/ schedule a time to talk in person.
Scheduling
I have a full-time job and when not working, I do side projects (see my books, open-source projects, blog). I have little free time.
If we aren’t close yet, you should make plans with me early, preferably at least two weeks in advance. A plan consists of an agreed upon time and location. “Let’s hang out this Saturday” is an idea, not a plan. “Coffee at 3pm this Saturday at XYZ cafe” is a plan.
I have a short term memory so I might forget things that aren’t on my calendar. Please send me a calendar invite if I haven’t sent you one already.
Conclusion
When it comes to communication, I’m systematic but not inflexible. This post is a reference to avoid misunderstandings, not a rule that you can’t break. Some of the best memories I’ve had are from spontaneous decisions. I’d love to have more free spirits and rulebreakers in my life.