Preliminary Findings on Slot Availability Rumor
A colleague reported that a slot had opened. The report was passed along. The slot had not opened. The report continued circulating.
Terms and Conditions Governing Slot Availability Rumor Effective Upon First Forwarding
Section 1: Scope
These terms govern the creation, propagation, and reception of information indicating that a slot, appointment, booking, or position may have become available or may become available at some future time.
By receiving this information, you agree to all applicable conditions.
Section 2: The Observation
A person in a group learned that a slot had opened. The slot was described as available. The person told another person. That person told three more. The original slot had not opened.
The original slot was never in question, because no one had checked.
Section 3: Propagation Conditions
Information about a slot travels faster than the slot and in more directions than the slot and with higher confidence than the slot. This is a property of the information, not of the slot.
The rumor acquires specificity during transmission. By the fourth recipient, a general sense that slots sometimes open has become a report that a specific slot opened on a specific date and requires action by end of day.
Section 4: Structural Contradiction
The parties who most need the slot have the least access to verify whether it exists. Verification requires institutional access. Institutional access requires an account. The account requires approval. Approval takes three to five business days.
The slot closes before the account is approved.
Section 5: The Governing Rule
The rumor of availability exists independently of whether availability exists. A person acting on correct information and a person acting on incorrect information produce identical behavior until the moment one of them gets the slot and the other does not.
This moment arrives after the effort has been made.
Section 6: Absurd Enforcement
Some organizations have implemented rumor tracking systems. These systems require users to log the source of slot availability information before acting on it. The log is reviewed quarterly. The review produces a report. The report is distributed to the people who created the rumors, who do not change their behavior because they were not aware they were creating rumors.
Section 7: Consequence
The effort of pursuing an unavailable slot is not refundable. It is also not distinguishable in advance from the effort of pursuing an available slot. They feel the same.
Participants are advised to manage expectations accordingly.
Section 8: Limitation
These terms do not apply in cases where the slot is actually available. In those cases, other terms apply. Those terms have not been finalized.