Thursday, July 28, 2011

Do you want anything ?

This is a post about texting, which is crazy to think did NOT exist maybe as recently as a decade ago.  It is one of MANY things that my kids have never been in a world without (but that list is a blog for another time).

I think I "interact" more with my wife (during the work day at any rate) now that we text each other regularly, as opposed to when we were first married and I maybe only called her once during the day on my break.  Now we have discussions periodically through the day.  If she is making plans for the evening I can send her a reply (in between my meetings, etc.) and it doesn't need to be a full, formal conversation.

There are disadvantages.  Texting, like any written communication, does not convey tone, humor, sarcasm, etc. very well.
A simple question can be misread as a glaring inquiry.  Consider "Where are you?"  It could be intended to just ensure I know where I'm headed when I leave work.  But it also could be intended to convey frustration because the receiver isn't where you thought they should be.
A simple "update" can seem like a cancellation of plans.  Consider "Going to play basketball."  Nothing too grammatically incorrect about that sort of text, but it eliminates the chance for the receiver to suggest an alternative.

This Blog Post title is a text that Karen and I send each other so often I wish there was a prefill option on our phones.  It would save me typing the 21 characters multiple times a day.  When I'm on my way home I'll check to see if Karen needs me to stop and pick something up.  When she is coming back from a Board Meeting or some other event, she will text and ask me the same thing.
Probably 75% of the time we just reply with a "No thanks" text, but it is kinda nice to be able to say "Yes.  McDonald's would be great!" or something comparable.

Thanks Pretty Lady for both getting me things on your way back home and also for letting me pick stuff up for you when I'm already out.  :)

...

1 comment:

  1. It is scary to realize that texting has only been around for a decade or so! Loved the cute/funny cartoon!

    ReplyDelete