Hello, world!

I'm starting to settle down into the rhythm of the job, starting to get familiar with the town, starting to feel I don't need to introduce myself every time I make contact with somebody.

But one lingering question remains - what the heck do I say when I answer the phone?

At Chapters it was easy. "Good [morning/afternoon/evening], Chapters Kitchener, Ryan speaking, how can I help you?". Sometimes I'd leave off the first, third, or last parts because I felt it was too much to say at once. But it got the message across, and it worked, because most of the time, the caller was looking for help from whoever answered the phone. We were all interchangeable.

But now? If somebody calls me, it's because they're looking specifically for me. Or sometimes, the previous holder of my job. Or, on rare occasions, anybody at all (it doesn't help that the switchboard lists my title and extension *before* the news editor's).

So, if I give my name, it makes sense, because then people will know they dialed the right number. So I've used "Hello, Ryan speaking" and a simple "Ryan Flanagan" already.

A lot of people up here, even businesses, seem to just answer with a simple "Hello". So I've tried that.

Not really liking the habit of using my own name, I've also tried - keeping in mind that very rarely has a caller talked to somebody else and then been sent to me - "Thompson Citizen, Ryan speaking", and, for the ultimate in pretentiousness, "Thompson Citizen, news desk".

I still haven't found a greeting I'm comfortable with, though. Any suggestions?

--Ryan