Text Test

Loki: We had a request to speak about texting etiquette...and because we are only here to please the audience, we shall talk about it. I do not use any type of "etiquette" while texting. I have predictive text on my phone so I do not even really use abbreviated words. Does anyone else think it is odd that the word for making words smaller is so large? Abbreviated..... Anyway, I get a little annoyed trying to read over abbreviated sentences. I am sure it takes me longer to decipher what is trying to be said than it would to just type the silly word out. I guess if you do not have predictive text than it is easier to shorten words...I don't know. I would like to say that every time I try to text the name "Megan," my phone predicts that I am trying to say "megabytes." Sometimes I just leave it even though it doesn't make sense and then try to let my mother figure out who I am talking about. I guess megabytes is more popular in the general population than in my vocabulary.

Stella: Well you know me. I text in complete sentences and use punctuation. I use predictive text too... Who doesn't? I like to see what other words predictive text comes up with. Like how it will come up with both "wood" and/or "zone." Or another example is "able," "cake," "bald," "calf," "bake," "bale," and "cale." What's texting etiquette? I don't know. I always feel like I have to be the last one to text back to finish up the convo. If I don't respond, I feel like I am ignoring whatever the person said last. But on the flip side, if you keep replying then sometimes they will just keep replying too and it will go on forever. Me & Betty Lou have a good system down. Our text convos remain open and overflow day by day. She's a lot busier than me so sometimes she's on a 24 hour turnaround time on responding, which is okay with me. It's not like I text her with life or death information. And eventually she'll get back to me... 20 text messages at a time.

Loki: I also have noticed that the younger generation never put down the phone. "The younger generation"...ha... what an old hag I am. Anyway, my brother in particular wakes up and the phone is immediately in his hand and he is texting away. I have no idea who he is texting all the time....and every time I ask, he acts like he never heard me. (I think he developed this trait from my father). I do not think he even knows how to have a conversation on the phone...because apparently, why do you need to speak to anyone when you can just text it? My sister-in-law was telling me that her nephew stayed the night with her and he needed to move the couch that he was sleeping on because he needed to plug his phone in while he slept. Ummm... why do you need to be by your phone while you sleep? She said he would wake up every time he got a text and would respond and go back to sleep. Ridiculous! I don't even want to get into the "sexting" that kids are doing nowdays. I don't think they realize what they are actually doing or how easy it is for someone to forward something you sent. Nothing is private...especially involving young boys.

Stella: Yes, we are old because we can remember a time BEFORE cell phones. Even when I was a senior in highschool, not everyone had one and hardly anyone text. This was in 2002 people! In our family, we all shared the phone. Fast forward 9 years and people annoy me with phones too! Especially when I worked in retail and people would check out and be on the phone the entire time. It is just rude. I make it a point to never be on the phone when checking out or when an actual person is present. I can't do it anyway because being on the phone is distracting enough. Or another example of rude phone behavior is when you are out to eat with a person and they are constantly checking their phone or texting someone back. That drives me crazy too. Sometimes I will make Bess put her phone away when we are in the car together. "I am a real, live person with feelings," I will say to make her feel bad for ignoring me and talking to someone else. The Man Child is notorious for having his phone in hand at every moment. I keep mine in my room mostly... Chunk it in the purse if I leave the house... and stick it under my pillow at night to use as my alarm. But what do I know? I am not popular. I'm not a big phone person anyway. My crummy little phone is 4 years old. It's a classic. An antique if you will. Haha. I can't believe you brought up "sexting." hahaha. I have no words of wisdom on that one. I doubt I am friends with anyone who would take raunchy photos of themselves. Wait. That's probably not true. Ewww.


Loki: I used to talk to Bess on the phone all the time while I was grocery shopping....and everytime she would tell me how she didn't understand how I could grocery shop and talk at the same time. Well, it isn't brain surgery and I had a list to follow. Sometimes she would have to listen to my chatter about which brand I should get but a lot of time she would come in handy to help me locate a certain item. I never know where any of the baking goods are or things like marshmellow creme. She would always make me hang up the phone while I checked out because you told her it was rude to talk on the phone while in front of others. . However, I did not want to conversate with the sales person and would rather continue with my all important conversation than put my phone down. I will hang up at the grocery store but if I was just running into the gas station or something I would not hang up. I use the past tense because I never can just run in the gas station...that would require getting Blue out of a car seat and that just seems too much of a hassle for an impromptu soda.  Now I never talk on the phone because A. my life is boring and I have nothing to talk about and B. I have a child to talk to now.

What other texting rules are out there we should follow?