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A similar guideline has been around on IRC networks for as long as I can remember. Many channels include it in their 'topic' or have a bot that reminds users:

Don't ask to ask, just ask.

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The first startup I worked at used IRC - well before slack etc. I hadn’t touched it since I was a teenager and think I managed to violate just about every internal channel guideline. Took me a minute to understand what “echan” meant.

For the rest of us, what does “echan” mean? Searching online for “irc echan” wasn’t much good.

edit: some wider-range searching suggests it might be Spanish for “kicked”.

"Echan" = "empty channel" - IRC slang for joining a channel, seeing no recent activity, and immediately leaving.

It's considered bad etiquette because IRC channels are often quiet but still active - you're supposed to stick around and just ask your question directly rather than bailing when you don't see instant chatter.

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