Why I don't start conversations

Due to the nature of the internet and the currently affordable technology, interacting with people over the net is almost strictly a written messege job. Listening or viewing a person over the net is a slow blocky affair, releaved only slightly if both people have a broadband or faster connection. So if you are talking to someone, you're doing it blind and deaf.

This is okay for transfering infomation. But human beings are not computers. Emotions, facial and aural signs are important in human communication. For example, if you are having a conversation with someone and they tell a lie, you might be able to notice this, either not speaking eye to eye or a change in voice etc. But if you were to read the same set of words in an IM conversation, you might not be able to pick it up because you haven't received the clues from body language. Obviously this applies to more subtle lies, not for instance "I am a goat".

Now, say I started a IM conversation with somebody. Assuming that the person doesn't just tell me to go away or has blocked me, without certain clues from body language I don't know whether that person wants to talk to me or not. They may not have to time to talk to me, or I have ticked them off but not enough for them to block me.

It's much easier to assume that if somebody wants to talk to me, they will start a conversation. And if they don't want to talk to me, they won't start a conversation. Everybody is happy.

That is why I don't start conversations (on the internet).

(Except if there is infomation I need to know. After I've gotten what I need, it's their choice if they want to keep talking.)