In today’s society our communication patterns have been completely redefined. Calling, and especially texting have all sorts of unspoken rules about what is the right thing to do, and even though there are many things that bother us, some things just need to be accepted for what they are and not be taken so personally.
Don’t panic if you didn’t get a reply right away
If you texted someone and they haven’t responded to you immediately, even if you are dying to hear from them, do not keep texting them until they respond. They are most likely just busy, and will get back to you when they have a chance. Or maybe they aren’t even busy, but they are just not in the mood to text. And that’s totally fine! If you text them over and over, you will only push them away from wanting to respond, ever. Just chill.
Respond, always
Just like no one likes not getting a response, you should always be that person that does in fact respond. And try to do it within a timely way. Unless the person is really bothering you or is stalking you, try not to make anyone feel as though you don’t like them or don’t want to talk to them. Especially if you have seen their messages and they have read receipts on. No worse feeling than seeing two blue checks with no response for hours. If you really don’t have the time to properly respond, take a second to say something like ‘sorry I’m so busy, get back to you as soon as I have a chance!’
Think about your friend’s schedule
Most people know not to text someone in the middle of the night. Unless it’s your best friend or boyfriend/girlfriend and you have something super urgent, however, they probably still won’t really appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night. But other than the obvious off-limits hours, consider the other person schedule, for example, if they are at work. That will probably explain why they are not responding, and they also won’t really appreciate having a million messages to respond to after. There is a time and place for everything!
No need for a novel
There is no need to text anyone a novel. And no one really wants to read a novel over text message. If it takes you over thirty seconds to type out, you’re probably better off making it a phone call. You will simply overwhelm your friend and be less likely to get the response you’d like. If it’s really urgent, tell them to please call you as soon as they can!
Don’t respond to a text with a call
If you received a text, it probably means that the person would prefer to text than talk on the phone. Perhaps they are more introverted, or busy, or just relaxing and want some quiet time. Whatever you do, do not respond to their text with a phone call. If you really think you need to call them, then take a second to ask them first if its ok to call them.
Check your autocorrect, twice
You should probably double-check what your autocorrect had in mind for you. Unless of course, something hilarious came out!
Triple check who you’re sending the message to
Sometimes we are rushing to send a message so much that we could end up losing our job! So you’ll want to triple check who you’re sending your message to instead of writing ‘hey sexy’ to your boss. Or even worse, sending a screenshot to the person whose conversation you screen shotted! Oops!
Give what you get
If someone does, in fact, write you a novel, don’t answer with a one-word answer. It’s not a good feeling at all to see that someone does not care, even if you do not really care. Try to give a proportional response.
Avoid sarcasm, for the most part
Unless you have a really close relationship with the person you’re texting and they understand your humor, sarcasm is generally best to be avoided through texting. It’s really hard to read a person’s tone and it could lead to unnecessary fights or hurt feelings. Emojis, however often help make the intended message more clear.
Do not have a text conversation you wouldn’t have in real life
This unspoken communication rule goes for so many situations. A text is especially not suitable for a breakup or to let someone know about a serious incident. Even on a smaller scale, you shouldn’t get into a serious conversation with someone you aren’t super close to. No one wants to hear your life story over text.
TYPING IN CAPS IS LIKE SCREAMING
It’s known that if you text in capital letter it seems as though you’re screaming at the person receiving the message. If you are actually that angry, that you should probably have this talk in another way, like in person or on the phone.