17 March 2006
I spend a fair amount of my time at Semantic involved in what communication modellers call 'redundant communication'. That is to say communication that doesn't actually include any actual data. Here are some examples:Hello
Good morning
Thank-you
Although the technical term may be 'redundant' any sane person would recognise that these 'niceties' are critically important. Consider the difference redundant communication makes to a message:
Add these images images to our site now.
or.....
Hi there Nick,
Please add these images to our site now.
Thanks
Which do you prefer? Personally I dislike rudeness, and fight it with relentless cordiality. At Semantic we have come across those who are just naturally rude, those that use it as a tool to get their way, and those who are rude to people they think don't matter. For my money all of these approaches are short term at best, and flat WRONG most of the time.
Currently we are dealing with a person who seems to think that being rude to people who work for them is okay, but they are wrong. Politeness costs nothing, but rudeness can cost a great deal.
Posted by Nick Warren at 12:23 AM
