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SMS etiquette

Suresh Chaudhary

In this modern era, who has not got a cell phone? You can notice everyone - from children, middle aged to old ones - playing with the keypad of a cell phone in every corner It is very helpful for keeping in touch with others, both for essential and fun purposes. Besides, it really does play a big role in the 'cool' factor and as a means of entertainment. I would like here to briefly dwell on the most basic rules of cellular communication that can serve as a useful guide.

While SMSing, you must not forget common courtesy. For example, if you are holding a conversation with a friend and she suddenly begins to type and SMS in the middle of your sentence, you will feel insulted. This is just the rudest thing that your friend can do. What's more, if you are SMSing someone in the midst of serious conversation with someone else, you may end up sending wrong message (both literally and metaphorically) to the person at the other end. Don't you think it's embarrassing?

Besides this, you must recall that while the tone of SMS is informal and casual, it can easily veer to being rude simply because the other person can't see your face or hear your voice. So, even when you are typing something in a completely harmless manner you may end up infuriating the person at the other end. So the bottom line is: Watch what you type.

If you have an urgent matter with anybody, just one call is far better than sending too many SMS. It is very common that sometimes SMS goes to the wrong person by mistake instead of the person you intended to send it to, which obviously dims the positive aspects of your personality. Thus, before you send, you must look at the contact address carefully.

Another no-no is to use SMS for serious things, like, say breaking with friends or demise of relatives or breaking of relationship. It's not only cruel and cold but it will put you in the “dog house” all with pressing a single button. If you really want to tell them, call them, send them email or see them in person.

If you are a fan of SMSing you sometimes cannot properly express your feeling. For instance a message that reads u r my swet hrt simply doesn't have the same depth as real words would have.

Moreover, when you were in the Cinema hall, have you ever been unable to concentrate because the persons next to you haven't silenced their perpetually ringing cell phones? If the answer is 'yes' and if you have been infuriated at this, learn a lesson and silence your cell phone or put it on vibrator mode before you enter a class, a library, a movie hall or any public places.

And last but not least, let's make the habit of using cell phones for only important tasks rather than for fun.