It seems today that everywhere you look people are text messaging. Perhaps you just bought as cellular telephone and all you intend to do is talk on it. You are minding your own business when across the screen of your phone is displayed what looks like some foreign language. You look at the screen and look again. Shaking your head, you dismiss the strange combination of letters and numbers as a malfunction with your phone. You put it back in your pocket, but not only does it beep but it also starts to vibrate in your pocket. This is an all to common scenario faced by many people when dealing with new technology and the application of new ways of interaction with something familiar. In this care the combination of telephone (primarily a communication tool used listen and talk) and text. Something you read and respond to by typing. These are two very different means of communicating and either is possible on the modern day cell phone and even, in many cases a landline.



First, a distinction must be made between the two types of converging technologies, that is the landline (common corded telephone or cordless phone with service most often provided by a local phone company) and a cellular telephone which uses radio waves from transmission towers and is more like a radio receiver than a conventional telephone. There are two main types of cellular signal in North America CDMA and GSM/TDMA. This main difference between the two is the way in which each handles the frequency bandwidth. However, a more thorough explanation of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) will be saved for another article.

Typically, however, people text with cell phones, and assuming you learn how and some of the short form abbreviations that people use when they are "texting", this can be a quick and efficient way to communicate a short, simple message to someone else. Texting is also often called SMS Messaging. SMS stands for Short Message Service. It is text transmitted digitally to other cellular phones. It is called "short" because you are usually limited to 160 characters per message. This has lead to a widespread use of short forms. These acronyms common in computer circles have gone mainstream thanks to the now common and frequent use of text messaging

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One the most basic of cellular phones, three letters of the 26 in the alphabet are associated with each key and depending upon the number of times a key is pressed, a different letter is displayed. However some more advanced cellular phones make use of a full sized QWERTY keyboard with one key for each letter of the alphabet as well as special letters and symbols.

Now that you have a basic background of text messaging and what it is, lets take a look at some common "initialisms" and define them. A further distinction must be made here between acronym and initialism. The difference between acronyms and shorthand is that with acronyms, you pronounce the letters as a new word. "). In, shorthand, pronunciations are like an initialism (a set of initials) in which you say the letters one-by-one. Below are twelve test message initialisms and their corresponding meanings:

^5 High Five CM Call me GGOH Got to get out of here

2U2 to you to CYT See you tomorrowHAGO Have a good one

A3 Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime DRIB Don't read if busyLOL Laugh out loud

BWL Bursting with laughter EG Evil grin TTYL Talk to you later

This short hand is not pronounced together but taken individually. Not only is it letters, but it can be a series of numbers too. Here are a couple of examples:

411 is information

404 means "I have not got a clue"

459 means "I love you"

Not surprisingly the younger generation are more accepting of these conventions, but with texting becoming more and more the norm, those who want to stay informed and want to keep up with the technological convergences between utility and unnecessary convenience make it a point to learn.

An important point must be made here about safety and texting. Because of the distractive nature of cell phones and texting, many states and provinces have made it illegal to talk and text while driving. Even "hands free" implementation of these technologies, although safer, still distract your attention from the road. This has lead to serious accidents and traffic hazards.

While this only covers the basics of text messaging, its beginnings and implications, please find at the end of this articles some clickable resource links where you can learn more and download a reference to common text message shorthand. It does not have to be a confusing garble of letters and numbers. Once learned, text messaging is a quick, efficient and usually unobtrusive way to communicate.

Having said all of the above, there is no substitute for face-to-face open communication with people. Go over to see someone in person and interact verbally and with expressions. It will make a difference in their day that you actually took the time to come over and visit. This will not only make the other person feel better, but you too.