I dont text and I have set up my phone to not receive them. When asked I say “I got a lot of Spam texts there for a while and had to disable texting on this phone, I think you understand.”
Texting is stupid anyway. Either call or send a email.
I dont text and I have set up my phone to not receive them. When asked I say “I got a lot of Spam texts there for a while and had to disable texting on this phone, I think you understand.”
Texting is stupid anyway. Either call or send a email.
You both come across as a bit antiquated. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sincerely, I don’t have a problem with your choices. But to imply that text messaging (if that’s more palatable than texting) is only an activity for children is not only wrong, it reinforces my opinion that your view of the world is antiquated.
Disagree. Text messaging and IM are not the same thing. Text messaging is, by design, asynchronous. Instant messaging is, by design and name, synchronous. Sure, you can bastardize either technology and treat it like the other, but the fact remains that text and IM both continue to exist because they have discrete purposes and functions.
This is just over the top. I’m not even sure if you’re being serious. Why would you use a computer or a telephone when you could just write a letter on parchment with your quill and inkwell, or ride to your neighbor’s house on your horse to speak with them in person?
I once tried “stop sending me this bullshit”, but it didn’t work.
Same in the U.K., it seems bizarre charging the recipient.
Yeah, especially since they can’t do anything about it. You can choose not to answer a call (although incoming calls are also free in Germany and pretty much anywhere else I’ve heard), but you can’t choose not to receive a text. Truly bizarre. You don’t get charged for receiving a letter, right? (Also, 0.20$ + 0.20$ is almost as much as a letter! :eek:)
Typewriter? What’s that?
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to just say you get charged for receiving texts so you’d prefer another method of communication.
The reason people text instead of calling is it’s not the same thing. For most people, receiving a text is much less of an inconvenience than getting a call. If you’re driving, talking with someone else, working or just not around your phone a text is not a disturbance and it can be read later. I only call if it’s something that requires a conversation or a quick answer. I also find it quite annoying when someone calls me when I can’t answer and forces me to call voice mail or call them back to find out what they wanted. Why can’t they just send me a text so I know whether I need to call them back or if I just need to buy milk on the way home? I see a phone call as “TALK TO ME NOW! TALK TO ME NOW!” and a text as “When you’ve got a moment…”.
I have to say that this makes sense. Since I don’t have that kind of life where there are things I need to know quickly when I can’t answer the phone, I don’t need texts, but I can certainly understand the thinking. That’s why I generally e-mail people when I just want to stay in touch instead of calling, since e-mail is not interrupting something. I do have to say, though, that I resent the term “antiquated” almost as much as someone earlier resented the term “children”. So I will stop shaking my cane at you kids today if you will stop calling me grandma.
It’s an ancient form of word processing. But that’s not important right now.
We don’t have a text plan and I have a very basic phone (no camera, no big screen, no keyboard) that makes texting a pain in the patoot. Fortunately, almost no one has the number, and when I’ve called the provider to complain about unsolicited texts from businesses to my phone, they’ve canceled the charges. My husband texts once in a very great while - usually to our daughter - and I don’t think we’ve crossed the $2 threshold yet. I don’t like it, but what ya gonna do?
I’m not a fan of texting - can you tell?
So in the US you pay extra to use your phone for text messages? Don’t tell me there is something we Aussies aren’t getting screwed with.
Every plan I have ever had includes SMS messages in the monthly spend. Some include hundreds of additional free ones on the same network. I used to pay $29 a month to cover two phones on different plans and never paid extra for calls or SMSs. My current plan would allow me about 2,750 messages a month (if I made no calls),
That was me on both counts. Do feel free to address me directly. Also, I’m not a kid. I’m closer to the finish line than the starting line, but I try to integrate new technology into my life rather than grouse about “the kids and their texting!” or similar.
I basically made the same argument as Bozuit, without the example story, and I made it first. Text messaging is useful as an asynchronous communication tool, much like email. Texting is mobile phone centric, while email is used across a variety of platforms.
The fact that you somehow came back to the discussion to deign that text messaging can “make sense” under certain circumstances that you can now deem more worthy than pre-pubescent antics really doesn’t impress me very much.
I had a cell phone with no texting enabled for years, until just about two years ago actually. I informed my friends and family of this, if they texted me I’d call them to say ‘please don’t!’ No big deal. FWIW I’m 27 so of course all of my friends (most within 5 years of my age) are huge texters… as am I, now.
That’s what I did. My husband and I don’t text, so we bought a plan that doesn’t include free texting. When someone sent us a text, we’d get charged a quarter or whatever. We explained to our family and friends that we got charged, and asked that they not text unless it was urgent. Everybody understood except the spammers, who were sending half a dozen texts a week, and his 75-year-old mother, who can’t keep her hands off the buttons to send “How are you?” texts, no matter how many times we have asked her to just call.
I asked Verizon if they could block texts from anyone not in our phone books, just to eliminate the spammers anyway, and they said no. So we went ahead and blocked anyway. Sorry, Mom.
There’s nothing wrong or impolite about just saying “I get charged for texts, please don’t text me unless it’s an emergency.” Hell, there’s nothing wrong or impolite about saying “I hate texting, please don’t text me.” It’s your phone, it exists for *your *convenience, not everyone else’s.
Personally, I’m the opposite. I hate talking on the phone unless it’s absolutely necessary, and I just won’t pick it up. My friends know this about me, and will send me a text that says “I need to actually talk to you, call me when you’re free.”
I’m deadly serious. I consider myself sort of a quasi Neo-Luddite. I like knowing about new technology, but I’m very picky about what I actually use.
I still don’t like the fact that answering machines exist. I hate talking to machines.
At various times, I’ve actually considered plans to make people demonstrate a legitimate need to own a cell phone (i.e., for work-related reasons, like I do) before allowing them to own one.
I think I would possibly be happier if most non-computer, non-medical technology was stuck in the 1970s. My car is a '95, and I’m not exactly thrilled by having one that new.
The “paying extra” thing is mostly for those of us who don’t have contracts.
If I’m sitting on a park bench, I probably don’t have access to a fax machine or a computer. What makes either of those modes of communication better than a text message, other than the fact that you personally seem to prefer them?
A fax? How quaint.
Carrier pigeon! If you’re sitting on a park bench, surely you have access to pigeons.
Please STFU.