# Do you have a professional "rule of thumb"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2002, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432 "2002-12-29T00:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/61 "2003-01-01T03:32:52Z")
Never give a verbal order that you would hesitate to put in writing. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/62 "2003-01-01T03:47:52Z")
Online Chat Typist (I type answers in real time for questions given in chats). 1. The more their publicist says they don’t want to talk about, the bitchier the celeb will be. The corollory to this is that publicists are evil creatures bent on making sure you get the least amount of information in the least amount of time. 2. Never tell them when you’ve been booted. Just stall for time till you get back into the chat room. (So, how’s the weather in Little Rabbit, Australia? :-)) 3. The best celebs to work with have been famous a long time. The converse is that those enjoying their current 15 min will be total jerks. 4. Never tell them how fast you can type. Just say it’s about half as fast as they talk. However fast they talk. If they think I can go word for word (usually I can) they will talk faster. 5. Make small talk between questions. Your guest is probably nervous, even if he or she has won a Grammy or an Academy Award or a Hugo. This is totally different from the publicity they normally do. 6. If you are totally, honestly a huge fan and in awe of the person, get someone else to type. You _will_ screw it up and you _will_ sound like an idiot if you don’t. Life’s most embarrassing moments happen this way. (Have done both. Ugh.) :-X 7. Rock bands are the best. Teen pop idols are THE worst. Grace ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/63 "2003-01-01T04:27:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Liquid Grace \* > **Online Chat Typist (I type answers in real time for questions given in chats).** [hijack] Wow - how do you get a job like that? 🙂 [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/64 "2003-01-01T04:48:04Z")
First, I was a volunteer chat host/message board mod, etc. For a LONG time. I gradually worked my way up the volunteer ranks until I was offered (um…not quite true, it was more like…say, you type really fast, would you…) the chance to type for a guest. And I did pretty well. So I did it volunteer for more than a year, plus my other stuff. Then it was a case of knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time, and then living through three rounds of layoffs in the dot com bust. 😉 Grace [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432.md?page=3)