Whether your friends always complain about your inability to communicate or its gotten to a point that you have more than 400 unread messages, it's time to face the fact that you are not the world's greatest texter. Here are some signs that you may be the contact at the bottom of your friend's messenger list.
1. You Don't Respond.
The number one texting faux pas: not responding. People today like their answers fast, and if you do not respond within the two hour grace period after the message was sent, then trust me, the sender is not going to be to happy. The next text you receive, avoid the anger, and do not take five years to respond.
2. You're Always Laughing.
Ending every sentence with “lol," “haha", or “lmao", does not always mean that you are keeping the conversation light-hearted. Sometimes a conversation can even be serious, and by always “laughing", it is frustrating to someone who is just trying to have a little heart to heart. So keep those “lols" for times you actually do laugh out loud.
3. Novel or Text?: Your Response Edition.
If your text is long enough that your thumbs start hurting by the end, you may want to consider trimming it down. Texting was made to make talking easy, and sending long messages are just as painful to read as they are to type. Remember that calling does exist, and it can help keep your messages a little shorter.
4. Thinking it's “K" to Send “K."
It's 2015, so this one may be a bit repetitive, but just in case you've been behind on the correct texting etiquette it really isn't okay to say “K". It may seem crazy, but just sending “K" comes with some attitude. In the texting world, it just seems a little nicer to agree with the person you're speaking with, in a way that is more than just one letter.
5. You're Hitting Double Digits.
Unlock your phone and look at the messages app -- if have more than 20 notifications, please do us all the favor and take a look at some of your unreads.
6. One Word and One Word Only.
There is a time for one word responses. You may not know the difference and that's okay, but when someone is trying to have a conversation with you, they will not be a fan of your inability to hold up your end of the deal. Responding with more than one word is a sign that you are truly interested in keeping up a conversation. The person just wants to have a little chat, so give them more than just the first word that pops into your head.
So to all my bad texters out there, just because your texting skills may not be up to par with those around you doesn't mean that you aren't a great person to talk to. Take advice from the good texters of the world and try your best to brush up on your skills. Who knows, you may just get lucky and texting could just so happen to go out of style!
