Be Polite when Texting
Have you ever noticed while texting your friends that some things come across as sounding mean or nasty, even if they're really not? It's important to maintain proper "text-iquette" so that the ones you are texting don't misconstrue what you say and become angry with you. Read on!
Steps
- Use "haha's" generously. When texting, the other person cannot see or hear your reaction, so things that sound nice when you say them may not read that way. Answering a casual, light-hearted question with "Yes, haha" or "Yeah" rather than just "Yes" will show your text-ee that you are in a good mood. The same goes for smilies. But don't go overboard; one smiley per text is plenty.
- Make an effort to continue the conversation. If a friend texts you something amusing, don't just respond with "lol." This leaves your friend with nothing to build the conversation on. Instead, try to follow up the "lol" with a question or an observation to keep the conversation flowing.
- If the conversation isn't flowing, let it die. In the event of a "text trap," which is where someone keeps texting you and won't stop, do not try to get out of it simply by saying "haha," "lol," or "yeah." The person may either not get the hint and continue texting you, or they may feel that you are a rude texter and not wish to associate with you. The best thing to do is to simply stop responding. They will understand. This also works when a friend says something you appreciate, but have no response for. Just let the conversation go.
Tips
- Avoid using "lol" more than once in the same text. Chat-speak is fine, but too much is usually frowned upon. "Haha's" are more easily accepted forms of "laugh-filler."
- Here's a good rhyme to remember: T9 is your friend, but proofread before you send.
- If a conversation is running really long, just call the person instead of texting. It is more convenient.
- Don't excessively use punctuation or faces. People can find it annoying. Two or three is okay though. Example: "hiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So...................what do you wanna do today??????????!!!!!!!"
- Texting is meant to be quick, convenient, and easy. If texting is more of a hassle for you than enjoyable, it's best not to bother with it at all.
- Don't constantly send chain messages, or send generic mass-texts to all your friends at once, as this may cause them to lose respect for you or think you're annoying.
- Make sure your texts are legible! For example: "don't wRiTe LiKe ThIs!!!1111"
Warnings
- If you don't have a cell phone plan with unlimited texting, be careful not to go over your texting limit or the bill may become very expensive.
Things You'll Need
- A cell phone with texting
- Friends
