Re: VOTE: Your primary method of diplomacy

From: David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>

Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 00:00:00 +0000

D. Hall-Harris <bakor@u.washington.edu> writes:
> I have noticed that even if main contact is going to be by email, it's
> still advisable to get at least one phone contact with potential allies.
> It gives you another set of cues to get a read on their trustworthyness.
> Invariably, my all email contacts are the ones that don't pan out. Has
> anyone else noticed this?

I do believe that's it's probably easier to evaluate the trustworthiness
of people if you talk to them on the phone.  That's for a whole variety
of reasons, like the fact that it's harder to be evasive when you have
to answer on the spot and don't have time to make stuff up.  Also most
people probably feel more of a person-to-person connection on the phone
than with email, and just have a harder time lying.

But I generally don't play games where a central part of the game is
diplomatic wheedling to form alliances and convince people to take your
side rather than the other.  And when I do, I still just take my lumps
and use email, because I don't like the phone for so many other reasons.
I try to pick games where everyone will be using email precisely so that
everyone else tends to be communicating the same way.

David desJardins

References

VOTE: Your primary method of diplomacy
htp@dove.net.au (Henry Penninkilampi)
Sun, 21 Feb 1999 00:00:00 +0000
Re: VOTE: Your primary method of diplomacy
"D. Hall-Harris" <bakor@u.washington.edu>
Wed, 24 Feb 1999 00:00:00 +0000