Connect Blogs

Top 10 Lists of SMS Etiquette

January 25th, 2007 | Author: EllenReddick | Permalink

I am writing an etiquette blog for technology users and would like input regarding this entry. Quite a bit like do you agree, do you set etiquette standards for yourself etc. 

Top 10 List of SMS Etiquette 

Text messaging is one of the simplest and most useful means of mobile communication. No one can doubt the popularity of text messaging and short messaging service (SMS) in particular - more than 50 billion SMS messages were sent across the world’s GSM networks in the first quarter of 2005, a fivefold increase over the previous year - and there’s no slowdown in sight.  

  1. Common courtesy still rules. Contrary to popular belief, composing an SMS while you’re in a face-to-face conversation with someone is just about as rude as taking a voice call. 
      

  2. Remember that SMS is informal. SMS shouldn’t be used for formal invitations or to dump your girlfriend or boyfriend. The casualness of SMS diminishes the strength and meaning of the message. 
      

  3. Don’t get upset if you don’t get a reply. Before you text someone and get frustrated at the lack of a response, be sure that they’re familiar with how to use the service, and that their carrier will accept messages from yours. 
      

  4. Be aware of your tone. It is extremely difficult to discern tone in text messages, just as in e-mail. What seems to you to be a completely innocuous message may be grossly misinterpreted by the recipient, causing certain discomfort if not irreparable harm. 
      

  5. Don’t SMS while you’re driving. Talking on the phone is bad enough. You won’t know what hit you - or what you hit - if you are pounding out a message on your keyboard. 
      

  6. Leave the slang to the kids. Don’t expect your stodgy superiors at work to be hip to the lingo of the SMS streets. And don’t expect to win points with your kids by trying to be cool, either. 
      

  7. Remember that SMS can be traced. Anonymous messages - if you must send them -are still best sent from Web sites. 
      

  8. Be conscientious of others’ schedules. Don’t assume that because you are awake, working, not busy, or sober that the person you’re texting is as well. Many a pleasant slumber have been interrupted by recurring “beep-beep…beep-beeps” of messages. 
      

  9. If it’s immediate, make a voice call. If you can’t get through and your text message is ignored, there’s probably a good reason. There are still some times when people don’t even have a thumb free to respond. 
      

  10. Remember that your phone does have an off button. There are very, very few things in the world that absolutely cannot wait. 
      

 

 

 

Thanks

4 Comments

  1. I agree with all of these but number 2. We used to say the same thing about an email. “if it is a formal communication you should still type out an official memo”. The faster we give up on these old rules the better. Who made them up anyway some old librarian looking admin with trifocals?

    It may not be the classiest way to communicate but it is official. I personally don’t think the words lose any power just because they were sent from a phone instead of written in a card or sent through email. The courts recognize sms as legally binding formal communication and so should the rest of us.

    For example in Malaysia you can legally get divorced by texting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3100143.stm

    and there are many court cases that have used sms as evidence.
    http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/cat_sms_used_as_evidence_in_court.htm

    Josh Carr January 26th, 2007 at 3:12 pm

  2. Hi Josh,

    Good comments and thanks for your thoughts. I agree we must change with the times but we must also respect what works well
    and continue to use it to our advantage. If my competition uses SMS to communicate and I use the handwritten note, professional stationary and a well written letter, guess who makes the best impression on a 40 – 60 year old customer?

    That is the point of the proper use of tools for business professionals.

    In my personal life I use every device and feel comfortable as long as the person I am dealing with originates the dialog with the tool.

    In my professional life I am very careful to understand my customer base and what they use and how they use it. My company works very hard at projecting a very specific image/brand and I need to support that branding.

    EllenReddick January 30th, 2007 at 8:18 pm

  3. One thing that really surprises me about texting is how words are abreviated to the scale of illegibility. I could understand it saves time pressing “u” instread of “you”, but with T9, this really is a very small burden to bear.

    Furthermore, we run an SMS website, and I see that people still use SMS-lingo when they type on a full keyboard. This is beyond me.

    Dan

    FreebieSMS

    Dan June 27th, 2007 at 2:33 am

  4. […] Connect Magazine Presents ConnectBlogs » Blog Archive » Top 10 …Top 10 Lists of SMS Etiquette. January 25th, 2007 | Author: EllenReddick | … I am writing an etiquette blog for technology users and would like input … […]

    Paid To Blog » Blog Archive » Hot Air » Blog Archive » NYT: The jihadi’s guide to etiquette (Blogging) February 2nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm

Leave a Reply


Verification Image

Please type the letters you see in the picture.