An Introduction to Text Messaging

Why Text?

Text messaging is a quick way to stay in touch with people for personal or business purposes. With text messaging, you can chat with a partner by typing on the keyboard and reading what they write to you on the screen. Many text messaging products can work with cell phone text messaging (aka SMS or Short Messaging Service) so you can chat with people who aren't in front of their computer. So, why not just pick up the phone and talk?

It's faster than e-mail and phone calls. And you don't have to pay anything to text. If you need to chat with someone briefly or ask a quick question, it's much less intrusive than calling someone. As with most developing technologies, several types of text messaging are available and each one is incompatible with the others. But don't let that keep you from trying it out. The main text messaging products are ICQ (www.icq.com), MSN Messenger (www.msn.com), AIM (www.aim.com), and Yahoo Messenger (www.yahoo.com).

btw (By the Way...)

Each one is free and simple to download, install, and sign up. You can locate your "buddies" by searching in an online directory by their screen name, e-mail address, name, or telephone number. Once you get the hang of it, text messaging can be extremely addictive. As you continue to use text messaging, you will find yourself learning to abbreviate words and sentences. When you leave an online chat, you might say BRB (Be Right Back), I'm afk (away from the keyboard), or TTYL (Talk to You Later). See glossary below.

Some text messaging products are beginning to offer voice and video chat. The future of digital communication is an integrated product, since voice, video, interactive text messaging, and e-mail are all effective means of communication. In the future, you will be able to switch between text, voice, and video with ease. Until then, we will continue to use different methods for different communication needs :-(

Glossary

:-) Smiley face. Means that someone is happy

;-) Smiley face with wink.

:-( If someone sends you this in an e-mail, they're probably not having a good day

BTW - By the Way

FYI - For Your Information

FWIW - For What It's Worth

IMHO - In My Humble Opinion (or IMO) TIA - Thanks in Advance

WRT - With Respect To

LOL - Laughing Out Loud

ROTFL - Rolling on the Floor Laughing

AFK - Away From Keyboard

TTYL - Talk To You Later

CYA - See You Later

About The Author

Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of Desktronix. With an extensive educational background in computer information systems, Deryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for Desktronix. He also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000. His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small Business. For more information on Desktronix, visit www.desktronix.com.

AT&T Prepared for Hurricane Ike in Florida
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
Program your emergency contact numbers and e-mail addresses into your mobile phone. Numbers should include the police department, fire station and hospital, ...
AT&T Ready for Tropical Storm Hanna in Virginia RedOrbit
all 44 news articles

Verizon offers free phone calls, phone charging and more at mobile ...
Daily Comet, LA - 7 hours ago
Services, including the phone calls and cell phone charging, are available to anyone, no matter which cell-phone service they use, said Joe Bush, ...

BBC News
Cell Phone Makers Fall On Nokia Q3 Warning
AHN - 22 hours ago
The cell phone maker said it is losing marker share because they did not aggressively cut phone prices with their competitors, opting to focus on sustained ...
Nokia warns 3Q market share will fall; shares dive The Associated Press
Nokia: Q3 2008 market share may drop IntoMobile
Nokia Warns It Will Lose Market Share InformationWeek
Reuters - The Associated Pressall 343 news articles

Cnet Asia
Miyowa's InTouch5: Cell phone contact evolved
Cnet Asia, CA - 11 hours ago
I remember my first cell phone being the Ericsson KF788. It had a three-line resolution on a black and white screen and an address book that had enough ...

Scientific American
Easy Cell: Mobile Phones for the Hearing Impaired
Scientific American - Sep 4, 2008
But will US cell phone companies sign on? By Larry Greenemeier MOBILE ASL: University of Washington researchers have developed software that can be ...

Mushahid asks CEC to ban cell phone during polling
The News International, Pakistan - 19 hours ago
"The loyalties of the parliamentarians are being purchased as they have been asked to take mobile phone with them and take snap of the occasion when they ...

Cell phones welcome in some classrooms
MSNBC - Sep 5, 2008
Davidson represents one of the largest makers of mobile-phone equipment, so his bias is obvious. But his view is shared in academic circles. ...
iPhone Demand Getting More Mainstream? TMCnet
all 3 news articles

Times Online
New Web Browser Hints At Google's Mobile Ambitions
CNNMoney.com - Sep 2, 2008
Google has targeted the mobile Internet as a growth area and has aggressively invested in hopes that more cell-phone users will surf the Web from their ...
Video: Tech Test: Google Chrome Lacks Polish AssociatedPress
Google's Android Will Have Chrome InformationWeek
Google's Offensive Strategy Forbes
Motley Fool - ElectricNews.netall 3,448 news articles

Exchange Mobile announces product line
MarketWatch - 20 hours ago
Total GSM (Cell Phone) subscribers to date: 3.14 Billion users About Exchange Mobile Technologies Corp. ---------------------------------------- Exchange ...

Spore Mobile for iPhone Spawns Monday
PC Magazine - Sep 5, 2008
Available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, this isn't the full version of the game (I can't imagine that loading Spore in its entirety on your phone would ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Choosing a Voice Mail System