Why couldn’t this call be an email? Why would you call, when you know that you are near indistinguishable from spam calls about Microsoft services and Nigerian princes?

5 points

Calling is faster

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12 points

Faster for the one who is calling, at the expense of the receiving person

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3 points

Idk, it’s usually faster for both, no?

You can just answer your friend and say hello. lol

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3 points

I have interpreted this post to mean a work-related call, since you wouldn’t mistake call from a friend for a spam call (it wouldn’t be an unknown number, for one). Otherwise, yes, it would be weird to replace calls from people that are close to you with emails.

Work calls, though, could be replaced with written communication in 80-90% of the cases, and it would also make it easier to follow-up and continue the discussion across multiple days, if needed

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0 points

Sure, just need to pull out my earbud if it wasn’t already in, push my welder out of the way, make my way out of the shop and into the yard where there isn’t constant grinder or saw noise, probably find a sheltered spot because it’s fuckin wimdy, and all before the call goes to voicemail because if I answer on my way towards the door I’ll get complaints about how it’s loud and they can’t hear me over the background noise.

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1 point

Ah yes, I want to listen to your “uuuhm” and “hold on, little Jon just shit himself”, incoherent, un-premeditated thoughts, with absolutely no proof of the contents of the conversation.

At the end of the phonecall, I’ll probably ask you to send me an email with a summary of what we talked about, because I can’t be bothered to keep all that mess you’ve just unloaded in my memory.

Unless you’re my dad or my mom, you’re sending me a message in a way it’s convenient to you.

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72 points
*

Phone calls also assume the person on the other end wants to be bothered. If you choose to not answer, you’re treated like the a-hole and are expected to explain why (“I’ve been trying to call you. Why haven’t you picked up?”)

To quote Stephen Fry:

“A telephone is a fantastically rude thing. I mean, it’s like going ‘speak to me now! Speak to me now! Speak to me now!’. If you went to someone’s office and banged on their desk and said, ‘I will make a noise until you speak to me’ it would be considered unbelievably rude.”

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20 points

I was trying to explain to an elderly friend that people don’t just phone other people now and certainly not at times they will be doing something.

She found it hard to accept that many people find it rude to be called unannounced.

As an example, at one time if someone was organising a social event (eg party) they would phone around to invite people.

But that’s incredibly rude you are imposing on someone and also asking them to decide or excuse themselves on the spot.

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12 points

I have a coworker that if you try to call her and she doesn’t want to talk she straight up changes her status to away or busy and then just ignores your call. She is an a-hole but not for this reason, lol.

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7 points

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14 points

I think context makes a difference on whether a call is welcome or not, appropriate or not.

If the email asks me to write out a bunch of info I know off the top of my head, just call me. Don’t make me write out something that I can just tell you much faster.

If you’re asking something that kicks off a conversation going back and forth like if you need help walking through something, sending emails back and forth is annoying and dumb. Knocking it out in one call is faster and easier than exchanging 15 emails.

On the other hand, if you don’t need an answer right away, if you need documents or images or if you need to communicate about something that requires a record of the communication, email is better.

I have been annoyed equally by getting calls and emails when people use them for things when they aren’t ideal.

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3 points

I can see both points. In my experience, people misuse calls more often, since a work-related call would often require a follow-up email anyway, but that’s more anecdotal evidence

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32 points

Shortly after getting a cell phone, I made a personal policy that most people don’t get a free pass to interrupt my life whenever they want (there are a handful of people on the short list, of course). I’ve had friends and family comment that I’m hard to contact by phone, and I’ve always pleasantly agreed (and explained politely if they seem interested). Even texts or other messages can wait until I’m at a good place to respond.

For me, having my phone on silent most of the time is a mental health thing. I know people that have their attention diverted every few minutes, and I have no idea how they survive.

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23 points

Try having a brain that is compelled to actively search for new distractions, and

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8 points

My wife has ADHD. I feel you, fam.

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14 points

Squirrel!!!

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6 points

When my dad wants to talk, he texts me something like “Hey Stephen, give me a call when you have a chance”, and then I oblige when I have a chance. Most of the time it probably could have been an entirely text exchange, but whatever.

When my mom wants to talk, she just calls out of the blue, I don’t answer, and usually we don’t end up talking.

…I forgot where exactly I was going with this, but something about lining the call up beforehand

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3 points

Yeah, at this point, it’s polite to arrange a call, especially if it’s probably more than a minute or two. And as you’ve noted, it’s also more successful than a cold call.

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-5 points

If I’m calling it’s an emergency or extremely time sensitive. Otherwise I text. I can understand when you don’t want app or even text notifications. But understand and accept the risk that comes with it.

What pisses me right the fuck off is when I call, then call again, then text, then text again, and you, “mr/mrs im so important I can’t be bothered by notifications” are somehow offended at me because you missed out on something because you didn’t bother properly configuring two calls in a row from a known contact through your deny-by-default filter.

Those people, family or not, can fuck right off.

I don’t like telemarketing or spam calls. But I also take responsibility and check if it’s actually important. It’s nbd to me to hang up on a spam call. And to be honest I have gotten a fair share of legitimate calls from numbers I don’t recognize.

TL;DL Answer ya damn phone, you damn well know tiktok and insta still gonna be there 5 seconds from now

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7 points

I can tell by this comment why people don’t answer when you call them.

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1 point

As I have stated I only call if it’s an emergency (I’m in an accident, im in danger, someone else is hurt) or it’s time sensitive (someone has face value Taylor Swift tickets at work, want me to get them for you?) I almost always text first, wait 5 min then try calling, I’m not a monster.

I find it pretty self important of people to cut off last resort real time communication with close friends and family because you think 2 minutes of your day is that much more important.

You can configure unknown numbers to go to voicemail. Heck you can make it so that only a certain subset of people ring.

Shame on you for blocking everyone instead of learning how to filter communication, and double shame on you if you get mad when you missed something that someone was trying every possible method to get a hold of you.

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4 points

as another commenter said, imagine if when you wanted to talk to someone you begin banging aggressively on their desk screaming “TALK TO ME TALK TO ME”. thats what letting calls control your attention does

so you can message first thanks :3

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-2 points

Dear Sir / Madame I am writing to inform you of a fire at 123 Carrington Road. Looking forward to meeting you. Yours Truly Morris Moss

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8 points

why are you contacting me instead of the fire department

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