How long long a lull do you have to have in chat for it to be acceptable to

[Alyssa]

leave without saying goodbye? Haha that was a really long question, but I didn't know how else to word it.

So say you're talking to a good friend on MSN and the conversation dies. Twenty minutes...thirty minutes pass and no one says everything. For all you know, they've decided your conversation is over and closed the chat window on their end. It is reasonable to leave without saying goodbye?

I know half an hour seems like a lot, but keep in mind, conversations move slower on MSN than in real life.

On the other hand, I've had conversations spring back to life after an hour, after I was sure the other person had long forgotten about the chat. So, how long do you think is reasonable? Do you think it's better to say bye no matter what, and risk looking like you're saying it out of the middle of nowhere, or is it better to go quietly offline, and risk appearing rude?

Just wanted to get people's opinions

 

[deanyourfriendinky]

When you intend to leave a conversation, you simply inform the other person.

In instances where you are conversing through an instant messaging text medium, it is polite to excuse oneself with such phrases as:

[1] I'll talk to you later.
[2] I'm going to go. Bye-bye.
[3] We'll hollah
[4] TTFN
[5] I have to tend to something. Toodles.

These are just five of the myriad friendly ways to end a conversation. There is no time constraint. When you must leave a conversation, just express the need and move on to your next task.

In a related side-note, you are not obligated to reply to every instant message instantly. If you are occupied with some other endeavor you should have your instant messaging or chat software set to show that you are busy. If you want to be extravagantly polite, you can simply reply: "I'm a little busy, I'll message you later.

Any considerate person will understand your previous commitment to some other endeavor. Folks who react as though your previous activities are a personal affront to their dignity may need further consoling -- and you have two good choices for dealing with that: [1] console them or [2] reevaluate their position in your hierarchy of social interactions.

Leaving a conversation without informing the other person is simply impolite, and it paints a lovely picture of the person who does such things.

Informing a person that you are leaving a conversation lets the other person know that the reason you're not responding to further instant messaging isn't because you aren't interested in him or her, it's because you're otherwise occupied.