I believe that one shouldn’t call if texting will do. Calling can be an interruption and some of us are not good on phone. With texting, there is no faffing around – it is an adequate and to-the-point form of communication. However, texting comes with its own set of challenges. Here are some texting etiquette pointers:
If you're texting a close pal, some swear-y short forms like these may be OK, but definitely avoid using them with your grandma. She will want to know what that stands for and then she will not be happy.
If you're an older person or someone who isn't familiar with internet short forms or slang, maybe get familiar. It just makes things easier not having to refer to the Urban Dictionary every few minutes.
Emoticons are a little bit last decade, truth be told. They also make a person seem inarticulate and as though one has nothing to say. So use them sparingly. When you do use emoticons, be sure you know what each one means
If someone has asked a time-sensitive question, asked for information or asked a direct question that they clearly need an answer to, be prompt in replying. If you don’t have a proper reply, indicate that you either don’t know or will give a proper reply at some point in the future. This is only polite. Besides they can see you're posting some silly joke on Facebook or quarrelling with someone on Twitter.
If someone texted a heartfelt message, asked for some details or spoke about their feelings, maybe don’t reply with ‘K’. Some consider it a hanging offence.
Yes, all caps texting is considered yelling in internet parlance. It sounds too enthu, or too angry or just too much. Unless you want to sound like a geriatric grandpa newly enamoured of the internet, don’t use the caps lock.
Do the other person the courtesy of actually reading what they have said before responding. If there is a question, reply. If there is an opinion expressed either agree or disagree or merely acknowledge it, if you’d rather not join issue. Don’t presume, read – including the date.
Reading between the lines is a subtle art – develop it. It is a good idea to read not just the words but their import. If you seem to be the only one in the conversation or the person is dropping hints about needing to be somewhere, do ‘listen’.
Don’t be ambiguous, be clear about what you mean to do. Don’t leave your message open to interpretation --- unless you really mean to do that to leave yourself some wiggle room/deniability.
Autocorrect is responsible for incomprehension, misunderstandings maybe a few fights. So checking your text before sending it off is a good idea. Yes, there is the delete-sent-message option, but there is also the preview-in-notifications option. So do keep basic texting etiquette in mind – makes life a little simpler.
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