Cold messages to people in my field, do they work? after 16 years as an IT help-desk technician

A friend suggested informational chats and I do not know how to ask. This is my first time dealing with any of this. Some people reply with short answers. How do you phrase the request?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.