yeshello

yes, hello.

saying hello is fine.

hello was never the problem. the annoying part is when someone says "hello" and then just hovers there like you are supposed to guess what comes next.

you can say hello and still say the thing.

Why keep the greeting?

because sometimes you need a greeting before saying something hard.

maybe the next sentence is awkward. maybe it is sad. maybe you are about to correct somebody, set a boundary, or ask for something uncomfortable. a little hello can make that feel less harsh.

not every conversation has to sound like a robot wrote it.

When just "hello" is fine

sometimes you are not ready to say the whole thing yet.

maybe you are checking if someone is there. maybe you are easing into a weird conversation. maybe you are about to say something heavy and need one second before you do it.

just saying "hello" is okay. it only gets annoying when it turns into a long pause for no reason and now the other person is just sitting there waiting.

How long is too long?

if you say hello first, do not leave it hanging forever.

under 3 minutes is probably best. 5 to 10 minutes is kind of the outer limit. after that it starts to feel weird unless there is an actual reason for the pause.

like if you say "hello" and then follow up a minute later, whatever, that is normal. if you say "hello" and come back 8 minutes later with "can you help me with this bug", that is still fine. if you disappear for 25 minutes and then finally ask the question, now you are doing the thing people hate.

same idea if the message is heavier. "hey" and then "can we talk for a sec" two minutes later feels human. "hey" and then nothing for half an hour just makes people nervous.