It absolutely makes my blood boil when you try to have what should be a short text message conversation with somebody that takes over an hour just to send a response to a question , etc. If you are busy then say so and I'll understand . But when you just don't answer at all and an hour later say " OK " , and you are already in the middle of the conversation ..

Seems to me like there are two schools of thought with text messages:

A) Text messages are like passing a note to someone in class. The person gets it right away, and should respond immediately, barring something more important intervening.

B) Text messages are like leaving a post-it note on the fridge. The person gets it when they get it, and responds when they can.

People who subscribe to A and are always on their phones tend to get frustrated with people who subscribe to B and aren't constantly checking their phones and jumping to respond to every new message right away.

I'm in-between
If I'm busy, I'll look at the message when it pops up & determine then if I need to respond now, or if it can wait.

But, I don't get a lot of texts

Group texts - which someone includes you into the group, maybe for a good reason like a family dinner, then it turns into a text fest of messages between the participants, like the Reply to All on an email....

If they are all iPhone users you can drop out, but there's invariably the one Android hold out in the list, and that one phone negates the ability to get out of the message loop, friggin androiders!

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Seems to me like there are two schools of thought with text messages:

A) Text messages are like passing a note to someone in class. The person gets it right away, and should respond immediately, barring something more important intervening.

B) Text messages are like leaving a post-it note on the fridge. The person gets it when they get it, and responds when they can.

People who subscribe to A and are always on their phones tend to get frustrated with people who subscribe to B and aren't constantly checking their phones and jumping to respond to every new message right away.

Then there is C. People who are already in a conversation and take over an hour to respond to the previous message . Like I said , if you're busy just say so , but don't string people along .

For me text messages are for quick back and forth - no more than one or two responses.

Want to get lunch?

Sure

Bob's Burgers at noon?

Good. See you there.


If it goes beyond that, make a phone call - It will be quicker.

My daughter in law posted a very expensive item for sale on Facebook Marketplace . I have somebody interested but they need a picture of the nameplate . All I need is one photo and I can get it to him . I'm over 5 hours into this process and she even told me that she was in her studio which is about 30-40 ft away from where the item is sitting . SHE is the one that listed it for sale and I'm trying to help her but she is making it so difficult . At this point , I give up . They say no good deed goes unpunished .

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
For me text messages are for quick back and forth - no more than one or two responses.

I'm in this camp. Short and sweet. My sister likes to have long conversations over text messages. I usually stop responding after the third text. If you want to talk, call me.

I usually respond fairly quick…. But sometimes I leave my phone laying on my desk and go off doing something else and don’t get back to it for an hour or two… and other times I read a text, get distracted, then respond days later because I forgot about the text and it wasn’t really that important

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
It absolutely makes my blood boil when you try to have what should be a short text message conversation with somebody that takes over an hour just to send a response to a question , etc. If you are busy then say so and I'll understand . But when you just don't answer at all and an hour later say " OK " , and you are already in the middle of the conversation ..

I'm of the logic that if something is that important call me. If not you're level of urgency may not match mine. And I won't really care that that is the case either.

Don't like my messaging style, don't fucking message me.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Group texts - which someone includes you into the group, maybe for a good reason like a family dinner, then it turns into a text fest of messages between the participants, like the Reply to All on an email....

I once threw a D pic into a group chat SOBs at A-school kept starting...they never included me again

Agreed - call me if urgent or you expect immediate reply in middle of night. However for work I have phone with me pretty much 24/7 so folks are accustomed to replies in under 30 minutes at most, and family knows better than to text me at some random time when I might be asleep.

Wife, OTOH, her friends and family know it could be hours or days before she sees a text or voicemail. If they need her, they text me.

I had a good reason why I prefer not to call my DIL . Text is the preferred way in this situation .Yesterday I told her where to find the info I need and she ( eventually ] replied that she would go check . That was late afternoon . No communication since . I'm done .

Text is REALLY useful for me; I'm hearing impaired, so phone calls are not a good option.

Text for shorter stuff or things that need a back-and-forth dialog, email for longer messages.

I have all notifications from texts turned off for a reason. I refuse to justify to anyone why I didn’t respond to a text. I have a job and a life. Also because certain people will send a group text even though I’ve told them to leave me out of them. Anyone who does gets blocked for a while because it’s the only way to not be part of the group.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Group texts - which someone includes you into the group, maybe for a good reason like a family dinner, then it turns into a text fest of messages between the participants, like the Reply to All on an email....

I once threw a D pic into a group chat SOBs at A-school kept starting...they never included me again

That is one solution to being drug into the never-ending group text.

Another texting bitch for me....

Got a buddy who will have a long conversation, but send the text after EVERY. FU**ING. SENTENCE. So it EXPLODES my fu**ing phone and I here a text chime for 10 straight fu**ing minutes!!!

Can ANYONE be that FU**ING STUPID?!?!?!? Type a sentence, press enter. Type another sentence, press enter. Rinse and fu**ing repeat until your text is complete. THEN send the text! That's how I send my long texts to him and you would think he woulda gotten the hint. Nope! He's a fu**ing MORON!!

I finally got his ass to install the Signal app and that has saved our friendship, as I don't have a notification alert set up for that app.

I treat texts like post-it sticky notes on a fridge or desk; if I see it, great, if I don't, oh well. I am one of the few that is not glued to a goddamn cellphone, I do not have a smart phone anymore, and I leave my dumb-phone on the kitchen bar/counter most of the time. I have a rather boring, low sound audio prompt for notifying me of a text. I never check texts while driving around or doing errands, shooting at the range, etc. At times, I do not have a phone with me when I leave the house, and it is not a big deal at all. Because a lot of people panic, go into meltdown mode if they forget their phone at home.

My wife, son, and certain family and friends know that if they need to get a hold of me quick, they call, that I will answer quick. I mean, isn't that what a cell phone is for?

My one sister is notorious for sending out novels as texts. Here's hint; if your message requires me to scroll through 6 inches of text...send a damn email!

She also is constantly starting new group text threads, it drives us all crazy. Just use the existing one!

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
My one sister is notorious for sending out novels as texts. Here's hint; if your message requires me to scroll through 6 inches of text...send a damn email!

She also is constantly starting new group text threads, it drives us all crazy. Just use the existing one!

My sister is notorious for laying her phone down and leaving the room . Sometimes for hours . More than once she sent me a text asking me if I could come over and look at her mower or something like that . When I reply back asking her what time , what are the symptoms , so I'll know what to bring with me etc, , she's walked away from her phone and I can't follow up .