# How Great Analytics Ideas Emerge By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-02-17 Exponential Backoff is a policy used in computer network communication when no response happens after sending a message. The first time you send a message, you may resend it almost immediately if you do not receive a response. If this continues, the Exponential Backoff policy will have you double the wait time before you send another message. For example, if the second message is sent two seconds after the first message, the third message is sent after four seconds of waiting, and the fourth message is sent after eight seconds. The purpose of this approach is to not overwhelm the receiver once they "come back online." If everyone kept sending endless messages after only waiting one second, the incoming message queue would build up faster than they could respond once they start returning messages. It's a simple policy focused on ensuring efficient network communications but also has elements of relationship management. If you text someone and they do not reply immediately, you might send them a message to confirm that they got your message in a few hours. If they don't reply, you may send a message a few days later. If they continue to not reply, you may send a message a month later. Eventually, you stop trying. If you don't follow this pattern and send endless messages to them, they'll likely block you and classify you as a stalker. Communication and network connections (e.g. relationships) have universal behaviors. Most people pick up on these rules and system dynamics from learned experiences that eventually become mindless and automatic responses. However, understanding these behaviors and principles at an algorithmic level transforms intuitively locked-away knowledge into something operationally tangible with just a little creativity. For example, do you get annoyed by endless emails trying to sell you the same thing? Most likely your sentiment towards that company will degrade over time. But, what if that company instituted Exponential Backoff instead? Not only will they save money by sending you fewer emails, but maybe you won't learn how to ignore their email sent every day at 8:03 am. In today's marketing world, attention is everything, and the game is over once someone learns to ignore you. Many great ideas in analytics take our lived experiences, transform them into algorithmic understandings, and add a dash of creativity. Paying attention to the mundane is often the key to unlocking something interesting and essential. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Thinking]] [[Science]] [[Information]] [[Communication]] [[Progress]]