Communication issues



  •  Every day I think I've run out of things to post something happens and here I end up again writting yet another post.

     I was recently assigned a task where I have to move a site from one virtual host of our production server to another. This involves copying the webpages, moving MySQL's database files (for organizational reasons if nothing else) and finally putting a redirect mechanism at the login page of the original site so the client will start using the new URL. At this point I make the mistake of sending an email to my boss asking how he wants the redirect. I could set it up to automatically redirect them or put in a page with a link to the new location and a message telling them to update their bookmarks.  Then I put this aside as we have other projects running.

    A couple of days later an email comes from my boss...

    Boss: have you moved the site yet?

    I forward my intial email with the unanswered question.

    Boss: What?

    I copy-paste the initial question to a new email and send it.

    Boss: Ok, did you move it? 

    I fire of yet another email: I've got a script ready to make the transition (it needs to happen at night when they're not using it). All I'm asking is if you have a preference on how we should redirect them.

    Boss: <goes on tangent about whether we need to actually move the database or not>

    I finally sent him an email telling him I'll let him know when it's ready. I also made a mental note to avoid asking questions unless I really have to. 

     



  •  I hate it when people don't bother to understand what you are saying/writing.  Yesterday I was talking to a coworker and he mentioned that a library I wrote wasn't working correctly for racist devices.  Here is kind of how it went:

    Him:  I'm not getting racist devices.
    Me: What kind of devices?
    Him:  Racist devices.
    Me:  I'm sorry, I don't understand the word.  What kind of devices?
    Him: Racist devices.
    Me: Can you write that word down, I still don't get it.
    Him: Yeah sure, I can't get any racist devices.
    Me: Can you write word before devices down?
    Him: Yeah, you know, racist devices.


    Finally I figured out that he wanted RAID-6 devices.



  • Wow, we finally meet the guy that inspired Dilbert :D



  • @tster said:

    Finally I figured out that he wanted RAID-6 devices.
     

    Are you sure? This could be a bigger problem than we already know!



  • @DOA said:

    Boss: have you moved the site yet?

    I forward my intial email with the unanswered question.

    Boss: What?

    I copy-paste the initial question to a new email and send it.

     

     

    Just a pet-peeve of mine, but if he either ignored or didn't understand it the first time, I'm guessing seeing a copy-and-paste will not help him understand better.

    Kinda like talking to someone who doesn't understand your native tongue so you slow down and speak louder.

    /I don't care how slow and loud you make your Spanish, if you aren't reading the Taco Bell menu, chances are I won't have a clue what you're saying.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @tster said:

    Finally I figured out that he wanted RAID-6 devices.
     

    Are you sure? This could be a bigger problem than we already know!

     

     Sounds like a Kurt Vonnegut novel to me.  Devices become aware and don't like the Betas or something :D

     



  • @taylonr said:

    @DOA said:

    Boss: have you moved the site yet?

    I forward my intial email with the unanswered question.

    Boss: What?

    I copy-paste the initial question to a new email and send it.

    Just a pet-peeve of mine, but if he either ignored or didn't understand it the first time, I'm guessing seeing a copy-and-paste will not help him understand better.
     

    Actually I assumed he missed the forwarded message entirely. Our company email signatures are a bit on the large side and take up a large part of the screen when viewing messages in Outlook (probably a WTF in itself). I guess he missed the Fw: in the title too.



  • @tster said:

    ...
    Me: Can you write that word down, I still don't get it.
    ...

     

    The whole "asking someone to write down a word that I can't understand" technique was not something I was aware of back in college.  I was interning over the summer and was told by a non-native English speaker to gather information from other people in the company about, what i thought he said, "management boarding."  I asked him to repeat what he said probably 6 or 7 times.  I finally gave up, not wanting to offend him (obviously should have asked him to write it down or send me an email about it).  It was only 3 hours later when I kept talking to people who had no idea what I was asking them about that it dawned on me that I should have been asking about "management reporting."  Silly interns.



  • @tster said:

     I hate it when people don't bother to understand what you are saying/writing.  Yesterday I was talking to a coworker and he mentioned that a library I wrote wasn't working correctly for racist devices.  Here is kind of how it went:

    Him:  I'm not getting racist devices.
    Me: What kind of devices?
    Him:  Racist devices.
    Me:  I'm sorry, I don't understand the word.  What kind of devices?
    Him: Racist devices.
    Me: Can you write that word down, I still don't get it.
    Him: Yeah sure, I can't get any racist devices.
    Me: Can you write word before devices down?
    Him: Yeah, you know, racist devices.


    Finally I figured out that he wanted RAID-6 devices.

     

     Funny, but too bad you got the idea from the article on the main page...



  • Wouldn't it just have been simpler to pick up the phone and call your boss?

    Or use correct wording when emailing your boss?

    Something along the lines of:

     Me: Boss, I'm almost ready to move the new site. But I need your input on how you want the redirect to work.

     Note that I haven't said anything about moving the database. I am assuming that some time ago it was decided to move the DB and the boss has slept since then. If you haven't already talked about moving the DB, then shame on you for waiting till you're ready to deploy to tell him.

     



  • @tster said:

    Finally I figured out that he wanted RAID-6 devices.
     

    Are you sure he didn't mean the i.Beat blaxx? 



  • @Dude said:

    @tster said:

     I hate it when people don't bother to understand what you are saying/writing.  Yesterday I was talking to a coworker and he mentioned that a library I wrote wasn't working correctly for racist devices.  Here is kind of how it went:

    Him:  I'm not getting racist devices.
    Me: What kind of devices?
    Him:  Racist devices.
    Me:  I'm sorry, I don't understand the word.  What kind of devices?
    Him: Racist devices.
    Me: Can you write that word down, I still don't get it.
    Him: Yeah sure, I can't get any racist devices.
    Me: Can you write word before devices down?
    Him: Yeah, you know, racist devices.


    Finally I figured out that he wanted RAID-6 devices.

     

     Funny, but too bad you got the idea from the article on the main page...

     

    It is kind of a coincidence that the front page article has a similar theme.  But considering that I have yet to invent a time machine, I would have had a hard time getting the idea from the article posted at 10:00AM and then writing my own story and posting it at 8:00AM the same day. 



  • @tster said:

    But ... I ... invent a time machine, ... getting the idea from the article posted at 10:00AM and then writing my own story and posting it at 8:00AM the same day.

    Did you hear that?  He has a Time Machine!  He's a witch!!  BURN HIM!  BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!!



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    Did you hear that?  He has a Time Machine!  He's a witch!!  BURN HIM!  BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!!
     

    I tried with all the flames I had. He appears to be flameproof.


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