Try, as a one-time experience? Sure, but not as a lifetime habit or default approach.
Well, usually I know at least a little bit about someone when I am in a position to chat informally. I am excluding brief utilitarian exchanges with people like grocery store clerks or doctors' receptionists. I might know where they are from, or what they do for work, or perhaps some hobby they have. I know this from what others say about then, or in many professional settings, from formal introductions or even just their name tag which probably lists their company. Chatting briefly without revealing anything personal also gives them the chance to do the reverse: to ask me about something they have heard I do or know. I might start by asking how they got their information, but am usually happy to help someone out with details on something specific. As we discuss that, I might become aware of something I would like to learn from them as well. So, as @
Consilience said, it is fairly transactional, but usually gently so.