Diving into a conversation can seem a daunting task. Usually it is. The person initiating the conversation, more often than not, has very specific goals that they want to achieve. Maybe that is already the first mistake. These goals could be selling some warez, finding a lover, or asking for a raise. Whatever the goal may be, to communicate these a conversation must be initiated. This is hard.

The options to start a conversation are practically infinite. From the simple yet mundane:
"Hey."
to the polarizing inquisitive:
"What's your stance on abortion?"
and anything in between. From pick-up lines to questions about the weather, or the powerful and simple:
"How are you?"
or the sometimes also polarizing:
"Where are you from?".
Some even start conversations with a simple nod. All the possible things to say or do racing through your head before you have even established whether you speak the same language. We got lost in the impossibly large decision tree of transmissions and responses that we forget one key goal any conversation starter also has in their mind. To extract information out of the conversation follower.

For any goal we may pursue in our conversation, information is useful if not essential. We want to know if the suitable mate with those gorgeous looks really is suitable with a personality to match. When asking for a raise we probably would like to know the budget for raises. Sometimes, our goal would be to get to know the person we are talking to. In general, this is an excellent goal to have. The vast array of experiences that people could have in this universe greatly outstrips the experience any single person will have. So we never know what is in store for us when the other person shares some of their knowledge and experiences. Much more interesting than how a conversation starts, is to see where it goes!

For the infinite ways to start a conversation there are infinite responses and these infinities multiply with every step in the conversation. Anything can be used to start a conversation. Just like any sentence can be used within the conversation as a "re-starter". The only thing to be weary of is to follow the same trodden paths in conversations again and again. This is a recipe for boredom:
"Where are you from?",
"Here.",
"How is the weather?",
"Good."
You have heard it before. If you keep your conversation starters diverse, the resulting conversations may also be diverse. That is where you truly strike gold in a conversation: when you learn something new.