[12:25:18] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> The true problem is that chat seems real time, but for always on chats, like these and irc etc, it is actually asynchronous and delayed by nature. By asking if you can ask, you are asking multiple people to commit time to waiting, to find out if or if not, they can help you.
[12:25:19] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> 
[12:25:21] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> This wastes minutes of everyone’s time. For the casual visitor that might not be much, but for the ever-present that adds up to days of their lives.
[12:25:22] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> 
[12:25:24] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> You wouldn’t send a letter to your local government “hi can i ask a question” and then wait to get a letter back in response before asking the actual question either. Neither would you walk into a bar and ask the barman if you can ask a question, wait for yes, then ask “can i order a beer”. Time is too valuable for such exchanges.
[12:25:25] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> 
[12:25:27] <wm-bb>	 <djhartman> By simply asking the actual question, everyone can immediately determine if they are or are not a qualified party in a discussion and decide to invest OR move on. (re @amire80: I like the general idea of "don't ask to ask", but I don't like this particular description of it. It's quite close to reality, ...)
[14:06:26] <wm-bb>	 <jeremy_b> T362379
[14:06:27] <wm-bb>	 <jeremy_b> anything else I should do to make sure this is on people's radar?