I Heart Text

I'm an avid texter - I love it. As a single Mum, novelist and journalist I have to admit (rather embarrassingly really), that to keep up with friends by text during busy times, is really a life line. Helps me remember that social life I used to have!

But there's a guy that I got together with a couple of years ago and it all began by text. His texts were lovely. Warm, funny and honest. And I really fell for him. We started dating and after a few months, one thing led to another and he moved in with me and my 2 boys - and everything was great. For a while. As I really got to know him his verbal communication skills left a whole lot to be desired. He was temperamental, aggressive and severely lacking in the ability to talk to me about the huge cracks that were forming in our relationship.

We had a horrendous break up - it really pushed me to the limit and I was devastated, but he revealed himself to be a cheat and an almost compulsive liar. But now, 3 years later, we have maintained a good friendship and he continues to text me. And once again - the texts are warm and loving and (read all above!!!), but when I talk to him on the phone it reminds me how easy it is to fall in love with someone based on their texted words - and how different the real person can be.

I think that when we read texts, we tend to read them in our own voice - we place relevance where we would have put it, which can be extremely misleading. Every time he texts me now I make sure to read his words in HIS voice.

And you know what?

They don't upset me half as much any more!

xx

http://sophie-stayingsingle.blogspot.com

"The downside of using Reader is that I miss out on all the comments because Blogher doesn't have a comments feed. I do hope in the upcoming new version of Blogher there is going to be a comments feed... there IS going to be one, right?? ;-)"

Yup, big request from members, so big requirement for the redesign.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer and Worker Bees
elisa@blogher.org/elisa@workerbees.biz

hehe - for some reason that strikes me as funny.

It be like, you're dancing in the club and you get a text - Back off, ho, he's mine! LOL

Liz Rizzo ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/liz-rizzo )

I blog at Everyday Goddess ( http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/ ) and On The Lot ( http://community.thelot.com/blogs/lizriz ).

> hope on a fabulous round-the-world vacation?

I wish I could say that's the reason! :-)

For what it's worth, I've actually been keeping up with the Blogher posts the last few months using Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader/ ) instead of visiting the Blogher site because I find I like the Reader layout much better - and it's easier to read too. Anybody else?

The downside of using Reader is that I miss out on all the comments because Blogher doesn't have a comments feed. I do hope in the upcoming new version of Blogher there is going to be a comments feed... there IS going to be one, right?? ;-)

Thank Elisa,

-Bob
bobafifi.com ( http://www.bobafifi.com )

usedviolins.com ( http://www.usedviolins.com )

fluteplayer.net ( http://www.fluteplayer.net )

p.s. I'm enjoying the latest podcasts! :-)

Hey Bob and anyone else,

Here's a site that will speed up your txting experience. No need to use abbrevs or short hand. And of course practice, practice, practice adds speed just as on a qwerty layout.

Contributing Editor, Blogging and Social Media ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/blogging-social-media )
Feed your mobile jones ( http://www.mobilejones.com )

They're a great way to brighten my day (it probably helps that the texts I get are positive ones...I guess I might not feel so positively about them otherwise). :)

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me ( http://www.zandria.us )
BlogHer blog: Life - Singles ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/zandria )

For the reasons you listed. They're fun and it's a nice little thing to get during a boring day. But sometimes I want to have an actual conversation and I'm not typing out on the world's smallest keys a freaking novel. And if there's one thing that annoys me more than most anything, it is people who refuse to answer the phone but then listen to a voice message and then send a text back. I mean really, wtf is up with that?

Heather B.
Personal Blog: No Pasa Nada ( http://heatherbarmore.blogspot.com )
BlogHer CE: Business, Career & Personal Finance ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/business-career-perso... )

I definitely don't have that super fast, mega abbreviated texting going on. I'm typing it in at my own pace!

I do love predictive text, though. :)

Liz Rizzo ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/liz-rizzo )

I blog at Everyday Goddess ( http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/ ) and On The Lot ( http://community.thelot.com/blogs/lizriz ).

I was wondering where you've been...hope on a fabulous round-the-world vacation?

:)

I only ever text because Lisa texts. I don't mind reading email and text on my little screen, but I am NOT dextrous with the typing...I find it agonizingly slow and make so many mistakes.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer and Worker Bees
elisa@blogher.org/elisa@workerbees.biz

One of my contacts prefers to text message me than use the phone. She's got an entire vocabulary of truncated/abbreviated words that she uses and from the speed of her replies, seems to be very fast at composing her messages using the tiny phone typepad - I don't know how she does it - takes me an eternity.

Thanks Liz,

-Bob
bobafifi.com ( http://www.bobafifi.com )

usedviolins.com ( http://www.usedviolins.com )

fluteplayer.net ( http://www.fluteplayer.net )