Texting

Texting.. what a curse..

Since August 7th I have been sucked into the modern lifestyle of texting.  A way of communicating with others at ease, anytime anywhere.  Having been a texter for only a few months, I am still learning a LOT.

I feel the need to write about texting, and the do's and don'ts.. And I am sure I'll come up with more as I have experienced more texting scenarios..

DO:

• Text someone if you need to relay some small, useful bit of information

• Text someone if the conversation is too short to have over the phone

• Text someone if you need to know a small, useless bit of information that you do not need the answer to immediately.  Similar to checking emails, you don't really know when they will respond. 
• Text someone if you don't want to bother them by calling
• Text someone if you want to bother them (by sending them once again pointless, unneccessary messages)
• If you want to get to know them (and they do too!!) That means, the conversation goes both ways

For example:
"Hey"
"What are you up to?"
"How's life?"
"Hi there!"

• Text someone if you are a friend enough to hangout with them in person
• Text someone if you actually have common interests 
• Text someone if you want to keep in touch with a person you can't physically see on a regular basis (Your uncle that lives in Colorado, best friend that doesn't have Facebook who moved off to college)
• Text your friend if you are crying. Don't call them when you are crying, they won't be able to hear you!! 

DO NOT

• Text someone the same thing twice.  They obviously got it the first time and did not respond.  And, if they use the excuse that they didn't get it, they were lying.. (unless they have a really ghetto phone/service provider)
• Ask someone if they are asleep 
• Text someone at 2 A.M on a weekday. Have some respect (and get some sleep).
• Try to find some source of common interest and make a full blown conversation out of it
• Overdo the texting language, people don't get it sometimes. 
• Text with upper and lower case letters. (Don't text like as if an epileptic ferret attacked your keyboard)

For example:
Cntt w8 till1 Wednesdayy hellahh xcitedd xD

• Text "lol" back. (unless you are trying deliberately to kill the conversation)
• Same goes for ":)" 
• Text someone if you are bored,  saying how much you "miss" them. 
• Sign your texts (unless you want to be obnoxious.  The person should already know who is texting, and seeing the same signature pop up in the middle of a 3 page text is quite confusing AND annoying.. )

• Text someone if you are trying desperately to get them to leave you alone
• Text while hanging out with friends in person
• Text while having a conversation (listening) to someone else.. It's rude. It says "This conversation is not as important as the one I am having on my phone.."
• Drive and text.  Literally, what conversation is worth dying for? And if you ARE writing a 3 page meaningful text while driving, you have issues. And, on the other hand, a "lol" or three word text is really meaningless.  Focus on the road, not building the relationship with who ever you are texting. If they are a friend they can be patient enough to wait 5, 10 minutes or even 4 hours (if you are driving to S.F or something..) 
• Text back immediately (unless it is an emergency, or unless you are whipped).  Texting back immediately means one of 3 things. 1) you have NO life 2) you REALLY like that person and would put down whatever you are doing and text back and 3) you have a really nice phone that you love spending every moment texting.. 
• Send insulting texts and assume they will understand the humor. They won't, and will likely not text back. (Way to ruin that friendship!)
• Send heart felt token gestures (I love you)
• Break up through a text message
• Ask anyone out through a text message.  (Any relationship stuff should NOT be dealt with through texting. Grow some balls and meet them in person)
• If you have one of those multitasking phones, don't ignore the rest of the world just because you have that ability.  You do have friends to keep in touch with, they would appreciate hearing back from you in a timely manner.
• Lead the person on as if you want to date (when you are taken or do not have any intentions of furthering your relationship with them)
• Sext.  Don't do it.. period.

Anything I left off, feel free to mention below