A webtoon in one long scroll

No Hello

In chat, don’t send a “hello” and wait for a reply. Say hello and ask your question in the same message.

Pavel and Fern, a whole day apartPavel waves from a sunny morning on the left. On the right, under the moon, Fern looks worried. A long dotted line of hours stretches between them.

House rule: in this comic, scrolling is time. Mind the gaps.

Episode 1 The lonely “hi”

  1. 9:14 AM · Pavel’s desk

    Pavel · 9:14 AM hi

    Pavel’s desk, 9:14 AMPavel, a no-nonsense sysadmin with a light-brown crew cut going grey at the temples and a navy zip fleece, taps Enter with a flourish. His whole message is “hi”.tap!

  2. 11 seconds later

    9:14 AM · Fern’s desk

    Fern · 9:14 AM hi! what’s up?

    Fern’s desk, 9:14 AMFern, a steady firmware engineer with a honey-blonde crown braid and a shearling-collared denim jacket, replies right away with a big smile. Her coffee is steaming and the morning sun is in the window.

Fern waits for the actual question. Keep scrolling: here, scrolling is waiting.
Skip ahead 10 hours, 33 minutes

  1. 9:15 AM Pavel is typing 9:16 AM Pavel stopped typing.
  2. 10:15 AM …still nothing.
  3. 11:02 AM

    Fern thinks: Is he okay? Is it bad news? Is it about my code?

    Fern, worried
  4. 12:30 PM Lunch, eaten at the desk. Just in case. 🥪
  5. 2:15 PM

    Fern thinks: Wait. Did I break production?

    Fern, alarmed
  6. 3:40 PM Pavel is typing 3:41 PM Pavel stopped typing. Again.
  7. 5:30 PM Everyone else heads home. 👋
  8. 6:52 PM Sunset. The coffee has grown a skin.
  9. 7:30 PM The moon clocks in for its shift. 🌙

  1. 7:48 PM · One foot out the door

    Pavel · 7:48 PM hey, which room is the 10am design review in?

    Fern’s desk, 7:48 PMNight. Fern is about to head home when her laptop goes DING. One eye twitches. Her coffee went cold hours ago. DING!

  2. 1 minute later

    7:49 PM

    Fern · 7:49 PM Room 4. It was at 10. This morning.

    Fern, close upA close-up of Fern, lit by her laptop screen. Her expression is completely flat.

  3. Meanwhile

    7:49 PM · Pavel’s couch

    Pavel · 7:49 PM oh.

    Pavel’s couch, 7:49 PMAt home on his couch, Pavel stares at his phone with wide eyes and a bead of sweat. He has just learned he missed the meeting he was asking about.

End of Episode 1

  • Time to an answer: 10 h 35 min
  • The 10 AM meeting: missed
  • Coffee: stone cold

Episode 2 Take two: one message

⏪ Rewind to 9:14 AM. Same Pavel, same question.

  1. 9:14 AM · Pavel’s desk

    Pavel · 9:14 AM Hi Fern! Which room is the 10am design review in? It’s not on the invite.

    Pavel’s desk, 9:14 AM, take twoSame morning, same Pavel. This time he types his greeting and his whole question before pressing Enter.tap tap tap

  2. 1 minute later

    9:15 AM · Fern’s desk

    Fern · 9:15 AM Morning! Room 4, the one with the wobbly chair. See you there!

    Fern’s desk, 9:15 AMFern reads the whole question, answers it in one go and beams. Her coffee is still steaming.

  3. 45 minutes later

    10:00 AM · Room 4

    Pavel: Made it! And yes, the chair wobbles.

    Fern: Told you. Coffee’s still hot, too.

    Room 4, 10:00 AMPavel and Fern sit side by side at the meeting table, both grinning. Pavel’s chair wobbles. Fern raises her still-steaming coffee. Everyone is on time. 4 wobble

End of Episode 2

  • Time to an answer: 1 minute
  • The 10 AM meeting: made it
  • Coffee: still hot

The plain version

Chat is built for replying whenever there’s a free moment. But a message that only says “hi” can’t be answered yet. The other person says hi back, then waits for the real message, often wondering if something is wrong. Sometimes the question shows up a minute later. Sometimes it shows up after the meeting it was about.

So greet and ask in the same message. It’s just as warm, and they can reply the moment they see it, even if you’ve wandered off to lunch.

Don’t leave a cliffhanger

  1. Pavel · 9:14 AM hi
  2. Fern · 9:14 AM hi! what’s up?
  3. 10 hours, 34 minutes of suspense
  4. Pavel · 7:48 PM hey, which room is the 10am design review in?
  5. Fern · 7:49 PM Room 4. It was at 10.

Answered after 10 hours, 35 minutes, one meeting too late.

Do send it all at once

  1. Pavel · 9:14 AM Hi Fern! Which room is the 10am design review in? It’s not on the invite.
  2. Fern · 9:15 AM Morning! Room 4, the one with the wobbly chair. See you there!

Answered after 1 minute.

Small habits that help

  1. Greet and ask together. “Hi! Quick one: where do expense reports go?” is friendly and answerable.
  2. Bring the context. What you need, what you’ve tried, and any link or error text.
  3. Say when you need it. “No rush” or “before 3 PM, please” helps people plan their day.
  4. “Got a minute?” is a “hi” in disguise. Same cliffhanger, new outfit. Just ask.