Once upon a time, when a man wanted to ask out a woman, he would call her on the telephone and ask.
Now, his proposal comes in the form of a “What r u up 2 2nite?” Indeed, the most ungentlemanly modes of communication – text messaging – has become a central part of modern courtship. Texting is no woman’s preferred mode of communication; however, we will indulge you provided certain rules are followed.
Spell like a man: Most mobile devices use predictive text these days, leaving no excuse for bad grammar or syntax. We don’t like made up words either, so please refrain from describing our date as “Superfuntimes!”
Minimize acronyms. 4RL!: The only thing less sexy than including an LOL (or worse, LMFAO) in a text is actually saying it out loud. A simple Ha will suffice.
Mind your manners: Just because a text is easily ignored doesn’t mean you should disregard the general rules of propriety. Avoid sending late-night texts, especially obvious booty calls – unless you already have an arrangement.
Use words, not pictures: Never punctuate a text message with emoticons. We know how to read words, which should indicate whether you’re happy, sad or winky. And if you’re really worried, just pick up the phone.
Image courtesy of John M. Jarvis on Flickr.
I agree with you on everything, but… it is my experience that when texting or emailing in one’s second language (or third in my case for English) is that my cultural background may affect the meaning/tone of what I am trying to express. Emoticons are a simple way to make sure I am not misunderstood. Happy or sad tend to be fairly straightforward… Winky can have a LOT of nuances.