What Would Clinton Say?

When is a text message to a friend more than just a text message? How far can you go before your words may be considered inappropriate or forward? Can you say, "bite me", telling them the idea they just presented stinks without them thinking something sexual? What would Bill Clinton say?

I only ask, because the natural thing for me is to say just about whatever comes to my mind. Which, I might say, has been somewhat "educated"/"infected" by reading a variety of blogs. One guy recently was kidding me about blowing him off for a lunch meeting in a text message and I said that I would never consider blowing him off but I might consider blowing him UP or simply blowing him. Which probably wasn't one of my finer comebacks, but he replied, "hee hee" and then we rescheduled.

Or, what if you act all professional and spell every word perfectly and use proper grammar in your text message? Will that appear stuffy or unfriendly? My kids tease me because I start most of my text messages with: "Good Morning, Laura". She thinks I write funny, whatever that means.

I do love the quickness and the ease text messaging is for communicating. But you really need to be careful when and wear you choose to do your text messaging. I have not mastered texting beneath a table while discussing some in-depth topic with the others at the table, something all three of my kids do effortlessly. I tried once and got busted, which is definitely taboo.

So, here are my rules: if the text is going to someone who pays me (Boss, client, etc), text messages should be short, to the point and never very clever or funny. To a colleague who's somewhere near my age, I try to just be myself, which is to say pretty much anything goes. Family gets cute text messages with pictures. My husband doesn't text too much yet, but maybe someday I will try text-sex with him. Perhaps I need to do more research on the topic. It seems there a wealth of knowledge in this area....maybe I could just copy someone else's fine texting abilities. Of course that's stupid, like when people read in magazines how to "talk dirty" over the telephone, but when they try out the words, it sounds so fake and corny!

And to the people who read my posts, I would text: "You make my day. Your comments fill me up like......(no, never mind!)......you could never imagine. I love you!"