Throughout history, methods of communication have been critical to survival. They have been key to military successes as well as its failures. In today’s society, businesses without the most advanced communication systems are doomed to failure as competitors with superior communications will tend to thrive. Communication has come a long way since its infancy. From simple language to the written word, from smoke signals to the telegraph, from telephone to radio and television; then came the computer age and e-mail. The advancement of telephone technology continued to progress and we went from cordless home telephones to the first bulky cell phones; and as cell phones got slimmer, more popular and affordable, we advanced to today’s cell phones and PDA’s that have hundreds of times more power than the first computers. Our civilian communication techniques have changed as well. We have gone from simply calling one another to today’s uber-popular text message. When I first noticed the younger generation texting away at a furious pace, I wondered why this method of communication was so popular. It takes much longer than simply speaking on the phone and the search-and-peck method of typing everything you want to communicate can be downright annoying. But for some reason, text messaging has become all the rage and I must admit that at 43 years of age, I have become hooked on this communication method as well.
Like my parents and their parents before, I am a bit apprehensive when it comes to new technology. It seems that as soon as I really get comfortable with high-tech gadgets they are no longer high-tech. But, since I have children in their late teens and early twenties that I enjoy keeping in close contact with, I have been thrust into the texting era head first and you know what . . . ? It’s pretty cool.
The really great thing about texting is that you can communicate silently with family and friends or many of both at the same time, no matter where you or they are. For instance, just this evening I telephoned my oldest son and got his voicemail.(Yeah I’m still a little old-school.) I left a message for him to call me and moments later I received a text from him saying that he was at a Red Sox game and would call me later. Obviously the atmosphere of a pro baseball game is not conducive to a quality telephone conversation. But via text message we had adequate communication in a place where he probably couldn’t hear the guy next to him.
Another great thing is that you can think before you speak. Unlike telephone conversations, you don’t have to answer a question the moment after it’s asked. You can answer a text whenever you’re ready to answer it. As a writer, this is fantastic because I personally write a heck of a lot better than I speak. Rarely do I put a foot in my mouth–or promise something I can’t deliver–when texting.
Another really great thing about texting is that if you are under 40 and you actually have a camera phone, you can easily send pictures, sound clips or short video clips in a text message. You simply write your text, click add picture, then it will say "open image" and you can insert an image of a picture you have already taken or you can choose "new image" and this will activate the camera. You will be able to take a picture or shoot a video and it will automatically be inserted into the text message. If I see a nasty storm cloud, an exceptionally interesting insect, or a beautiful sunset, I will share it with my friends and family. I even have this text I call "Life in the South" and I will accompany those words with a picture of something like people sunbathing in December or perhaps a picture of an old dilapidated tobacco barn, or a 300 year old live oak. I also use the phrase "This is what I C" and I will snap a picture of my dog doing something silly or whatever other interesting sight I might see and I can send it to up to ten people at a time. I work off ladders alot so I get some really nice birdseye photos.
Most cell phone plans offer unlimited texting for about $20 per month for the whole family, and less if it is for a single phone only. A text message will also keep you in touch with those family and friends whom you love very much but who can tend to be a bit longwinded on the telephone. Simply put, a text is a simple and inexpensive method of communication that shows you care and lets your family and friends know that you are thinking about them–and I suggest that everyone give it a try.
