Phone and Text Etiquette - Your Opinion?

[Lyte]

What an excellent topic! It wasn't so long ago that the only way we could communicate with one another was phone, letter or face to face. Maybe it's cuz I'm a Gemini or just plain chatty... but I do miss those days! Communication has become so ... impersonal... and complicated!

Originally Posted by Medusa

How do you feel about people face-timing you without warning or appointment? Does it depend on who's doing it?

Never done it... sounds rude... wouldn't like it at all. Sounds like someone just walking through your front door and being caught in your PJs! lol Only exception might be for the girlfriend.

Originally Posted by Medusa

How do you feel when people call or text you during work or school hours?

Feel free... I don't have to answer. Now, if you give me grief about it ... and I've previously explained that I can't take a call/text while at work... that would become a problem.

I've many times had a friend call for the sole purpose of leaving me a message. <-- that's cool! Curious thing re: leaving messages... I've a few "younger" friends who say they do not like leavings messages. They say they don't know what to say ... it makes them feel weird. lol <-- I find that to be weird but then again I grew up with everyone having a home phone and a recorder. Oy... I'm getting old!

Originally Posted by Medusa

Do you enjoy having long conversations by text? Why or why not?

If by "long conversation" you mean the topic of the conversation is deep... meaningful... emotional... thoughtful... etc... then absolutely not. I won't do it and my friends know I won't do it. More than a few times I've said "That's a topic for a phone chat."

I don't do it one... because it's friggin' tedious! iol If I'm trying to explain something of a more complex nature then I've got to text 300 words that might 20 spoken words. Ugh!! And two... I want to be understood and I want to understand what's being said. Between 80% - 90% of understanding/communication (depending on which studies you read) is obtained visually, the rest comes from tone and the words we choose. Through text we're trying to understand/communicate in the worst possible way. <-- which is why emoticons are so popular.

Originally Posted by Medusa

How do you feel about someone calling you over and over within a short period if you don't answer?

Unless it's something urgent... it's not cool. People need to be given the opportunity/space to respond when they are ready to do so.

Originally Posted by Medusa

How about if the person calls you every day even though you aren't answering?

If someone calls me several days in a row and I'm not responding ... it's going to be one of the following: I'm ignoring them ... not something I'd do but I guess it's an option! lol Or, I'm not able to pick up when they call working ... sleeping... whatever. Or I've been hit by a beer truck ... in which case, keep calling!! If the reason is the first or second... we'd have to have a talk <-- isn't that sort of ironic! lol

Originally Posted by Medusa

How do you feel if someone calls or texts you while you are on vacation or at an important event?

Depends on the person and the reason. I have a rule that I will not call or text someone who's on vacation. If they want to interact with me then they'll have to initiate and I will happily respond. I'm very aware of not disturbing someone's "down time." I would want the same courtesy and would let them know if I'm going to be out of reach. If they call/text when I'm not wanting calls or texts then it's up to me to decide to respond or ignore.

Originally Posted by Medusa

How early or late do you think is appropriate to call or text someone?

This is an interesting question because when I lived in CA it was fine to call someone up to about 10pm. When I moved to TX my friends told me almost as soon as I arrived not to call anyone after 8pm! As for what's appropriate... appropriate is whatever is communicated. I don't mind text up to 10pm and now I've grown accustomed to no phone calls after 8pm.

Originally Posted by Medusa

How do you feel about group texting?

Only cool when someone's trying to plan a group function or needs to communicate something that would be tedious to communicate one at a time... such as a birth, death or wedding. Random stuff... what you had for lunch??? No thanks!

Originally Posted by Medusa

Again, please tell me all about your views on phone etiquette! I'd love to hear from you folks!

Ultimately... how we like to communicate needs to be communicated! It's every person's responsibility to let others know their boundaries and to then hold others accountable (if only by hitting IGNORE) should those boundaries be crossed. I do believe there are general DOs/DONTs but the reality is that with all the different ways in which we can reach one anther ... there are no hard and fast rules anymore.