Barry walked up the sidewalk towards Aaron’s house with tickets in hand. Today was going to be a fun men’s day out at the basketball game. Barry whistled a happy tune as he approached the door, but he was suddenly met with a quandary: how should he let Aaron know he has arrived?

Barry initially planned to text Aaron, but why use technology when he could simply knock? Just as he was sticking out his fist to knock, he spotted a doorbell. He prepared his index finger to push the button, but stopped short when he realized an open window. Perhaps he could simply peek in and make eye contact, or tap his finger on the glass? But… wait! These two are old friends; why not just walk right in? Barry became perplexed and took a step back to consider his options.

In order, these are the methods Barry should consider to alert Aaron of his arrival.

• If you see the person outside or make some other initial contact prior to arriving, you should forego any doorbell ringing or other way of alerting the individual, unless you wish to annoy them.
• If you hear the person’s voice coming from the backyard, it wouldn’t be inappropriate to poke your head over the fence and call their name. Since they’re outside, they might not hear a doorbell or knock anyway!
• If a note is on the door instructing you how to enter, heed that advice.
• If a doorbell is present, that is the obvious way to alert someone you’re at their front door. However, if you believe that there is the possibility of a sleeping baby inside, you should consider avoiding the harsh “ding” sound.
• Hi-tech homes often have surveillance cameras to alert of your presence. You may not need to do a thing!
• If no doorbell is present, knocking would be advised. Consider softly banging a closed fist nine times about 3/4 of the way up the door for best sound. Again, if you believe there is reason to avoid noise, knock softly or consider another route.
• If you wish to avoid bells dinging and knocking noises, you may consider peeking in a window, depending on how well you know the person. You also don’t want neighbors calling the cops believing you to be a robber.
• A text message or phone call could be appropriate. Consider saying “hey, I’m outside!”
• If you know the person well and are certain no alarms would sound, you could consider simply opening the door and announcing yourself.
• If you are in a real hurry and don’t want to get out of the car, you could just lay on your horn. Again, consider your surroundings.
• You could just stay in your car or stand at the doorstep completely unannounced if you know the individual is expecting you and will come outside on their own accord.
• You could try to alert the person of your arrival telekinetically.
• Consider something else entirely, like throwing a rock at the door or shooting off fireworks outside. Get creative!

In the end, Barry actually did none of the above and collapsed after seeing what he believed to be a ghost. A neighbor noticed him on the sidewalk and called an ambulance, and it was the ambulance siren that got Aaron to come outside. Barry regained consciousness after some light EMT treatment and the two attended the game as planned.

My Hot Take:
I actually tend to text the person that I’ve arrived, but if I go to the door, I’ll ring the bell if it’s not too late at night or early in the morning.

tl;dr
Ring the doorbell or knock to alert someone you’ve arrived at their home.

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