Learn Your Textiquette…and Win a Brand New Samsung Propel!

February 13, 2009     Posted in Cool Stuff

samsung_propel_.jpgAre you planning on sending a romantic text or picture message this Valentine’s Day? According to a recent AT&T survey 36% of texters are. 40% of those people plan on sending 5 or more (hopefully they are sending to friends and don’t have 5 or more lovers). 48% of texters say getting a V-Day text is about the same as getting a V-Day card.


By CC Staff

Looks like Valentine’s Day in the 21st century looks a lot different than it used to. Whereas candy and cards used to be the only way to go, now we can email, IM, video chat, or text the people we love. But even with all those new avenues of communication, what you say and how you say it are still very important.

Since so many people will be sending texts this V-Day, you are going to need 2 things to get by:

1. An understanding of appropriate textiquette.

2. A phone that makes sending and receiving texts a whole lot easier.

Well, lookie here; we got em both for ya.

CollegeCandy teamed up with AT&T again to give one lucky reader a brand new Samsung Propel. This phone is pretty sweet, if we must say so ourselves. It is small and handy, but slides open to reveal a full keyboard! No more T-9 mishaps for you!

All you have to do is tell us your biggest texting do or don’t. Ever texted the wrong person? Ever sent a naughty picture that got around? Ever been asked on a date by the boy you love via text? Tell us everything. We’ll vote on them and announce the winner on Saturday, February 14th. Then you’ll have yourself a brand new cell to text all those important people in your life.

But, you must make sure to know what is OK and what is not OK to send. So, watch this little video courtesy of AT&T explaining the ins and outs of textiquette. Trust me; you can learn a lot!

33 Comments on "Learn Your Textiquette…and Win a Brand New Samsung Propel!"

  1. pamela says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20094:29 am 

    Texting Do: Always double-check the name of the recipient before you send your text. Sending a text message to the wrong person can lead to uncomfortable situations. My boyfriend of two years sent me a text messages saying, "Don't worry I'm gonna break up with her soon. Love you."

  2. anon says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20095:30 am 

    pamela's comment is fake…from fmylife.com

  3. olmeg says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20098:32 am 

    Texting do: Do make sure you check whose name you are sending it to and not just assume the first D in your phone is david and send a naked picture do your dad like i did…..nuff said

  4. Annie says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20098:38 am 

    Don't send dirty pics to boys…because somehow they always show their friends and it gets backto you!!

  5. hannah says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20098:43 am 

    I was waiting with my pregnant best friend at the hospital (for her earlier than planned) pregnancy. Unfortunately her husband did not know today would be THE day and he was in Santa Barbra for a business conference and it was going to take him another hour and a half to get to the hospital. I was texting him constant updates. He and his wife did not know the sex of their child yet so every few texts he'd ask if we knew yet. At the same time I was texting my friend Lizzy about the entire situation and random other things. At one point she started asking how she should take care of her neighboor's frog with extreme detail and out of slight frustration and anxiety I texted her back "Its a frog!" (meaning that its not that important, give the subject a rest). Unfortunately, that text went to the husband who, of course, had just texted me if it was a boy or a girl. Oops lol

  6. Amanda says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:14 am 

    DO make sure to check who you're sending the text to. DON'T send nude photos; once they're out there, they can never be taken back. If you DO send nudes, DO make sure to check who they're going to!

  7. Angelica says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:19 am 

    Texting Do: Be understanding, sometimes if you are texting too fast, the texts get messed up and it causes too many misunderstandings, especially between significant others. I can't even begin to tell you how many times my boyfriend and I get misunderstood when we text too fast for a long period of time. It causes fights if you aren't willing to be understanding with your significant other.

  8. gabzilla says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:21 am 

    DO pay attention to your T9!! I've sent the wrong word so many times to people, and they just get confused. Sometimes people would like to think they are a pro and never have to look and text, but i seriously urge you to pay attention. The wrong word screws up the entire context of the sentence and then you have to send an entire next text explaining "sorry i use T9, i meant…instead of …"

  9. Lisa says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:22 am 

    For long distance relationships, texting is a must. Like they said in the video, just knowing my boyfriend is thinking about me makes my day better.

  10. gabzilla says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:25 am 

    furthermore,

    DO NOT send important prolific messages via text. the first "i love you" is absolutely unacceptable via text. apologizing for seriously screwing your friend over is better in person too. texting can be very impersonal and somethings need to be done face to face or atleast over the phone.

    however, DO NOT underestimate the power of your written words :)

  11. Audrey says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:35 am 

    I agree- definitly CHECK WHO YOU"RE SENDING THE MESSAGE TO.

    Last year I recieved a drama-filled text from my cousin. I thought it was so insanely ridiculous that I forwarded it on to my mom so we could laugh about it later. Of course, I also included a message at the begining of the forward that said something like, "Apparently when u drop out of school to marry a drunk loser u have lots of free time".

    Catty sounding I know, but I really was just joking around. Unfortunately I failed to notice that I had pushed "reply to sender" rather than send the text to my mom. Opps.

    Needless to say, the drama that followed made the original text drama look like nothing. And the next family function was a blast. :) So, be careful w/ those cells. Sober texting can be just as dangerous as drunk texting when combined with a massive amount of stupidity!

  12. Emily says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20099:37 am 

    I find that texting is making me impersonal, lazy, and socially weird. My general rule has become:

    WHEN IN DOUBT, DON'T TEXT

    That goes for the risque pics, dumb spam when you're bored ("meEEeeEeow, yoU'rE a PuUuuuRfect fRiEnd"), accusatory messages to your soon-to-be-ex, and texting about someone when they're in the same room (always obvious and rude!)

    DON'T text me about the BIGGER things in life:

    -Holidays (I won't be hurt if I don't receive your mass "Merry Christmas BFF!" text but a call or email is always appreciated)

    -Birthdays

    -Breaking up

    -Announcing major life changes like pregnancy (honestly got one from a best friend last week that read, "hey whuts up, i'm prego")

    -Breaking bad news (Last month I found out a friend committed suicide through a text message)

    -Asking for a first date (if it's through text I will automatically say no)

    DO TEXT about one or two LITTLE things:

    -getting an address

    -making lunch plans

    -thanking the cute neighbor boys for shoveling my driveway

    -asking a friend to hand a tampon under the second stall

    -Just a "hey I hope you're day is going great" (like in the video) is always nice

    Yeah we all have class and jobs throughout the day that make texting convenient; but if solving one issue is taking more time than it takes to go through a car wash, I say make a phone call out of it later!

    I work in radio so I guess I'm a little obsessed with the sound of the human voice :-)

  13. Emmie says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200910:15 am 

    Texting Don’t: Don’t send dirty texts, even to somebody you trust. My boyfriend always asked for dirty texts (I’m a virgin, so he needed some sort of action, he claimed) and now that we’re broken up, he’s threatening to forward them to my parents, friends, and this one guy he was always jealous of. And it’s not blackmail, since he’s not asking for anything, so I can’t even threaten him with legal action. Dirty texting may seem harmless, but unless you’re willing to send those same texts to everyone in the recipient’s address book, don’t do it.

  14. Jen says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200910:48 am 

    DON’T Send obvious dirty texts. There is something to be said about subtlety. For instance my roommate sent her boyfriend “I want you to finger me” come on now people let’s be a little creative not crude. Instead say something light and airy that he’ll understand, for instance “I’m thinking of you and last night”

  15. Mary says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200910:56 am 

    DO make sure to check the order of your contacts in your phone when you switch them onto another phone-it turns out some symbols and punctuations affect how things are listed in various phones. When you get in the habit of texting some people you don't really pay attentions to the names cuz you know exactly where the are in your address book. I found this out when I sent a rather provocative text-and picture-with my new phone a while back to what I had assumed was my boyfriend. But unfortunately my brother received it instead and wouldn't let me live it down for months. Whoopsy.

  16. Dana says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200911:39 am 

    DON’T send texts you wouldn’t want your mom to read. Texts do not self-destruct. Secrets should be spoken, not written.

  17. Sisa says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200911:31 am 

    Do: be sure to check the name of who you are texting: Once I wrote a text saying the worst girls studied at some other college rival to ours since my boyfriend cheated on me with one girl from there,I ended sending it lo a list of friends which included the best friend of the girl I wrote about!!

    Don't: Text while driving. I was in an accident were a guy hit my car while he was trying to get out of his parking because he was texting, I was waiting for a class in my car so it was a very unpleasant thing, he then ran away so he didn't pay for anything to this day my car is unfix because i can't fix it.

  18. Lindsey says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200911:37 am 

    Well, my number one text DONT is:

    DO NOT snoop through your boyfriend's/best friend's text messages. If you're insecure or uncomfortable and you think you can find the answer in their inbox/outbox… I think the real problem may lie a little deeper than his cell phone. Plus it causes mistrust and jealousy.

    text DO: Use your t9 as a spell checker when you're actually writing out words.

    Text do: after a few cocktails have your phone in T9 and press a bunch of buttons and then have a friend who's equally as tipsy try to sound it out. Sounds lame sober, but it gets really funny.

  19. Lauren says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20091:57 pm 

    From my years of texting and extreme embarrassments I have had thanks to texting I have complied a list of dos and don’ts. :)

    1. My biggest text DO would be to have your Inbox set onto auto discard this way after your mailbox gets full it will automatically start deleting things. So you will not have messages piling up that could inevitably get you into trouble.

    *A major text DON’T for me would be don’t text secrets or something you would like to remain private because it can sometimes it into the wrong hands. For example, your friend looking through your phone and “pics” and accidentally stumble on messages of you and another acquaintance talking shit about her.It leaves you feelings shameful, embarrassed and sad.

    HELPFUL HINT TO KEEP YOUR TEXT SECRETS PRIVATE-

    big text message do that I think girls practice is to have code words for certain people or things so if a outsider happens to get a hold of your phone they will not know what you are talking about.

    *My final DON’T would be NEVER I repeat NEVER send naked or comprising photos or yourself via text. I did this once before with my boyfriend who I was in a long distance relationship with at the time. His roommate later ended up discovering the pics, now I think of it every time I see him. People carry their phones with them everywhere which heightens the chance that more people can view the pictures. Also, pics you send via text can surface on the internet. People never like to think of this either but if you and you significant other end on bad terms they could use those sexy photos you sent of yourself as blackmail or revenge.

    ***The best way to protect yourself from potential embarrassment would be to CHECK who you send messages to before you send them and before you send that message THINK–would it embarrass you if your mom or any other family member saw this message? If the answer is yes then maybe you should reconsider sending that message.

    Happy Valentine’s Day!

  20. bianca says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20092:46 pm 

    My biggest texting don’t is a cliche, but it actually happened to me: the TEXT MESSAGE BREAK UP. This is absolutely not ok unless it is the ONLY possible form of communication for an extended period of time…which I can’t really see being a likely situation.

    Don’t do it–it sucks.

  21. Laur says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20093:01 pm 

    Don’t text while your significant other is working. Especially pointless texts. It will irritate them while they’re working.

    Don’t resend chain texts. They are the most annoying texts you can get.

    Do check the name your sending it to. & Be wary of hitting reply in your inbox, make sure you replied to the right one.

  22. e says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20093:01 pm 

    When you’re furiously distraught that the army is going to take your fiance away for 8 months instead of 2, DON’T send your fiance AND your mother a text that says “I am going to kill everyone in the army.” Your government is watching that shit.

    True story.

  23. e says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20093:03 pm 

    Oh, and DO NOT keep your professors’ personal cell phone numbers in your phone if you are prone to drunk-texting, as I am. It is truly catastrophic.

  24. brooklynbabe347 says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20093:13 pm 

    DON'T avoid using capitalization when texting because "i helped my uncle jack off a horse" reads so much more differently than "I helped my Uncle Jack off a horse."

  25. Rachel A- MO State says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 20098:02 pm 

    DO use words to their full length, except for the absolutely standard abbreviations such as lol, ok, and the like. Otherwise your friends will make fun of you, even if their vocabularies are inferior to your own, and you will look like a lazy ass.

    DO NOT text your mom and dad anything very important. They have a hard time figuring out why the phone is vibrating when no one is calling, and the buttons are very small. My mom loves to send me very strange texts that make no sense.

    DO NOT (drunkenly or sober) declare ANYTHING to anyone via text. In fact, if you wouldn't say it in person, don't text it. This includes telling your super-hot prof how much you looooove it when he strokes bones in your advanced paleontology courses. …Not that I would know how this feels, or anything. Also, do not ask your ex-boyfriend if he misses you; he will say no, and have proof that you are not the tough bitch who forgot about him the minute his feet hit the pavement.

    DO NOT keep incriminating things on your phone. This may be a problem when you inevitably lose it, leave it at home, or let your very sweet little baby-sitting charge answer the big-girl phone. Your parents will see, whoever finds it will see, and you will get fired.

    DO send snarky texts to your bff during boring lectures. But only if the tables at which you sit have those nifty dropped leaves that cover you down to your knees.

  26. Kayla says:
    Wed, 11th Feb 20097:43 am 

    My number one rule is: If you have a full qwerty, DON'T abbreviate every other word! You don't have to double/triple click buttons to get the right letter so there's no need to shorten the time it takes to write the text. Also, people like to be able to read your text without deciphering what every other word should be.

    DO send your friends random texts during the day about funny/random events in your day…if it made you laugh, share it! They'll appreciate the random laugh too!

  27. Aliza says:
    Wed, 11th Feb 20092:59 pm 

    Do: Take advantage of a net-working site. I use Twitter (www.twitter.com). You can update from your computer but the real magic of it is upadting on-the-go via text message.

    My friend's updates are texted to my phone so I stay connected to my friend's throughout the day. It takes texting to a whole new level of awesomeness.

    It's been espically nice recently. A friend of mine just lost her husband in Iraq. She uses Twitter, so whenever I see a message that looks like she's feeling blue I can instantly check in with her.

    Don't: Use texting as a crutch to avoid phone calls and face-to-face visits. Texting is great on the go and for all the little stuff but it's important to remember to stay connected on a more personal level also.

  28. Samantha says:
    Thu, 12th Feb 20095:04 pm 

    Texting Do: Pay attention to who you are sending a text to.

    Texting Don't: Do not try to send a text question to ChaCha that says "Why is Julia cheating on her husband?" if you are not paying attention. This results in sending said text TO Julia. Who happens to be your boss.

  29. Ana says:
    Fri, 13th Feb 20093:46 am 

    Do not: drunk mass text every guy you have ever dated that you miss them, want to hang out again, and appreciate them… misspelling every other word.

  30. Laura says:
    Fri, 13th Feb 20097:25 am 

    Don't ask someone out on a date through a text. Especially if you just met the person and you haven't even had a conversation over the phone yet. A little text flirting is ok, but you should definitely make the effort of a phone call for a date!

  31. maddie says:
    Fri, 13th Feb 20097:43 am 

    DO: send short little texts to your friends at other schools or your significant other to let them know you're thinking of them or tell them good luck :)

    DON'T: attempt to organize a get-together with more than one person via text. it is so much faster to just pick up the phone and have a 2-minute conversation than send 30 texts trying to make sure everyone is getting picked up, knows the time, etc.

  32. Kaileigh says:
    Fri, 13th Feb 20093:30 pm 

    Do: Double, no triple, check who the recipient of your text will be.

    Don’t: Announce really important things over text. Take for example, my little gem from earlier that went something like this: “Hey got my period so Im def not preggarz, thank god! But i have killer cramps, god is punishing me for havin a hot fuck buddy! At least Im not pregnant tho!”

    Yeah accidently sent that one to mom, still no reply…

  33. Grace says:
    Sat, 14th Feb 20091:59 pm 

    This one's for valentines day.

    DONT text "I Love You" to him/her for the first time.

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