Texting Etiquette

will u b my friend? i plan 2

talk thru text only. sry. i dont

hav nuff time 2 call. i tell jokes

w/ j/k after them 2 show im

kiddin. i say wuz up but wont

talk if i pass u. sry. i dont hav

nuff time.

Just as we have rules surrounding the dinner table it was not long before the informal texting world met its formal side pal in etiquette. Although texting makes communicating much more efficient and convenient, be watchful that not all your communicating is through texts. I personally have found that some people prefer texting over phone calls and the opposite. We live in a world of preference.

There is still however for most people a proper way to text especially in the business world and in our own lives.

THERES A TIME AND A PLACE:

Consider where you are when you are texting. Driving while texting is usually not a good thing for your own sake and for who ever is trying to read your garbled up texts jfuhskjfosjif!

I've done this while at dinner, but texting while you are currently talking with someone face to face can be rude . You want to wait to text when you have some time to pass, or if it would be rude to call because your in a library or someplace quiet. So that means to those of you who still have the touch tone button volume up to turn it down. No one wants to hear you pressing buttons doo dooo doo doo do doo thats the whole point of a text; silence. Also you may already know this one, but turning your cell phones off or on vibrate is a must in a theater plus even though it may be off people will still get frustrated if they keep seeing your blue screen light up every 10 minutes.

NO SARCASM:

Tone is a very difficult thing to convey through email or text. So sarcasm, humor, or emotional texts should be avoided at all costs. It is alright to use a few text slangs here and there, but let your 13 year old siblings handle the serious de coding. This may sound silly to some of you, but if you are texting for business you will actually want to use full punctuation. This shows that you care and have the time other wise it just seems like u either cant spell n r just 2 lazy. WHEN YOU TYPE IN ALL CAPS you are basically just yelling via text. This is pretty much the easiest "tone" if any to convey.

FWD: FWD : FWD: FWD: FWD: FWD

Don't send it to the next 10 people! The things that probably annoy me the most are those forward texts. You know the ones that tell you how the man of your dreams will show up if you only send this text to everyone you know in the next 10 minutes or your going to live a lonely pathetic, life that is if you give a dam. Well I don't and nether does anybody else these texts are just annoying.

MAKE IT SHORT

Basically if it takes you more than a minute to write out a text than you might as well call them and tell them. Texting is meant for short forms of communication. Unless you are in a situation where you absolutly can not call it is rude to give someone a term paper to read. Also try to leave texting to the lighter topics. If there is a serious or formal matters like a break up, apology, condolences, initial contact or an issue that needs sorting it is always best to do it in person. Im going to throw this in there, also try not to text when your phone is about to dye unless you are telling the person who you are texting that it is, other wise you will probably leave them hanging and they will assume you are mad and avoiding them.

KEEP IT CASUAL

Keep in mind text is a casual form of communicating and should by all means be treated like one. So in most cases texting should probably remain between friends and family on a personal level. Never text your boss or professors unless you have been given permission prior.

So those are some simple rules in texting etiquette: There's a time and a place for everything except sarcasm and forwarding so keep it simple and casual; your texting will be prim and proper in no time!