February 16, 2004
@ 07:17 AM
Comments [12]
The Popularity of SMS Messages Befuddles Me

I just saw an entry in Ted Leung's blog about SMS messages where he wrote

[via Trevor's ETech notes]

become rude to make a phone call without first checking via sms. [this is becoming more and more the case in europe also]

I would love it if this became the etiquette here in the US as well. For all telephone calls, not just cell calls. People seem to believe that they have the right to call you simply because you have a telephone.

The so-called SMS craze that has hit Europe and Asia seems totally absurd to me. I can understand teenagers and college students using SMS as a more sophisticated way of passing notes to each other in class but can't see any other reason why if I have a device I could use to talk to someone I'd instead send them a hastily written and poorly spelled text message instead. Well maybe if text messages were free and voice calls were fairly expensive but since that isn't the case in the US I guess that's why I don't get it.


 

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Monday, 16 February 2004 09:24:49 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
As one of those wacky Europeans, I have to say that SMS is great. It's frequently less intrusive than a full-on phone call, and handy for passing on fire-and-forget messages (particularly when organising to meet up with someone, or if you want to see if someone is busy or not).

SMS is also becoming a popular way to do televoting for reality shows and the like, and other "online" services, like getting football (read, soccer) results and similar.

I also use it to contact a friend in Australia, because SMS at that point is probably cheaper than phoning, and I don't have to worry about waking them up!

So SMS isn't absurd - making a phone call when a text message woiuld be more suitable is absurd :-)
Ian Darling
Monday, 16 February 2004 11:47:14 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
It's simple I'm afraid. there are people, many people, who fu**ing hate telephones. We hate telephones because voice comms take so much longer to deal with than text based ones.

If someone desperately wants to get in touch with me, especially for a "quick question", I'd rather they texted me as it lets me decide whether or not to respond.

As for voicemail. Gah. Burn it, destroy it. Text me dammit..

More seriously, it's worth bearing in mind that certainly in the UK, it's simple to access mail-sms gateways which makes whipping up a mail to my phone nice 'n' easy.
Matt Povey
Monday, 16 February 2004 13:36:08 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
It also depends what business you're in.

SMS in many is the equivalent of a pager. For one-way communications this can be powerful.

A few examples from 5+ years ago that are business related:

* Stock quotes, news
* Investment bankers: triggers set into trading systems to get notify them regardless of where they might be during the trading day.
* System admin alerts: multi-mode (SMS, pager, email). If it's your job to respond as quickly as possible -- the fact that it's delivered 3 or more different ways is irrelevent.
* Logistics: pickup/dropoff for firms that couldn't use comparatively expensive UPS/FedEx like tablets.

----

Then, of course, there's the downside. Spam. Once you know somebody's phone # and network provider, you can spam them. Been a problem in EU for quite sometime. The current generation of the spamming is a localized -- taking over unsecured phones via bluetooth.
phil
Monday, 16 February 2004 14:26:35 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
SMS is great. I guess you have to use it for a while to understand it, but it's an excellent intermediate communication platform between e-mail and a regular telephone call. Not as fast and responsive as a phone call (if you get an answer right away), and more instantly accessible than e-mail.

It's also a lot easier than e-mail. You don't need to set up anything, it just works (if your mobile operator supports the service (which most do, in Europe anyway)).

I think it's crazy how you Americans walk around fiddling with your AOL-wannabe-cellphone-with-SMS-support-thingies. I think they are used to send e-mails, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it's obvious that what users of these toys really want, is cellular phones with SMS support.

I've never understood the pager-fetishm of Americans either (I've "always" had a cellphone with a huge "unanswered calls" list). But that's another discussion. :-)
Asbjørn Ulsberg
Monday, 16 February 2004 15:17:44 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Well, as another European, SMS is just more convenient and discreet. It's much less intrusive for you and those around you than carrying on a conversation on your mobile.

Then again, my parents forced me to get a mobile phone. I hate phones, oh I hate them. I like SMS. If I was able to get rid of the phone part of my mobile and still leave the texting components, I'd be happy.

Also, why would you use instant messaging rather or IRC chat rather than phoning somebody? Much the same reasoning applys.
Keith Gaughan
Monday, 16 February 2004 15:34:04 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Dude cmon, There is a big difference between yacking away on a phone and silently typing in a SMS message. Are you saying you want all of those people on the train talking about stupid things out loud as opposed to the sound of little keys being presses?

Seems like better manners to me. I wish more people in the US used SMS.
TJ
Monday, 16 February 2004 15:35:22 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
The important thing to remember about SMS is that they don't replace conversations - you're not meant to use them like AIM. They're really great for getting small amounts of information to other people (when/where to meet, current location, results/verdicts etc), which would otherwise require a very short and slightly awkward call. Also in the UK you can send an SMS to anyone with a mobile phone, there's no need to set it up or worry what network they're on.
Graham Parks
Monday, 16 February 2004 17:58:09 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
I think Ted has gotten a little nutty here. Yes, if you give me your phone number of publish it, I can call you! And if I do and its not a good time for you, you can choose not to answer or let me know that you're busy and will call me another time. What's so hard about that?
Randy H.
Monday, 16 February 2004 20:59:45 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
SMS is also great for parents of young children who have to relay information quickly and quietly while the little ones are napping or trying to nap.
Scott Mace
Tuesday, 17 February 2004 10:15:36 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
a> SMS is discreet. You don't have to have the handset up to your face or put in your earpiece.
b> SMS is asynchronous. While you can argue that your voicemailbox also servers that purpose, it is clear that this is just a fallback function.
c> SMS is compact. Not many people can be clear and concise in a voice message. Even those that could often need to decorate just to avoid being possibly misconceived as rude.

But most of all: In a world where human social skills are in rapid decline, people feel uncomfortable, stressed and even threathened when they have to speak to one another. An asynchronous text based medium puts a comfortable distance between the parties involved.
Peter
Tuesday, 17 February 2004 10:16:29 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
a> SMS is discreet. You don't have to have the handset up to your face or put in your earpiece.
b> SMS is asynchronous. While you can argue that your voicemailbox also servers that purpose, it is clear that this is just a fallback function.
c> SMS is compact. Not many people can be clear and concise in a voice message. Even those that could often need to decorate just to avoid being possibly misconceived as rude.

But most of all: In a world where human social skills are in rapid decline, people feel uncomfortable, stressed and even threathened when they have to speak to one another. An asynchronous text based medium puts a comfortable distance between the parties involved.
Peter
Wednesday, 18 February 2004 13:51:20 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Dare:

It's only as puzzling as people sending emails when they have a phone on their desk.

Graham.
Graham Parker
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