Seems that many Americans are still becoming aware that they can sent sms/text messages to people via their mobile phones. I do find it strangely amusing that this is something we in Australia have been doing for many many years (my current plan gives me 100 free text messages a month and I’ll double that most likely) and those in the US are only just figuring it out…
I even did a text/sms message service a few years ago…
Enough commenting on those wacky Americans, Simply Youth Ministry are now promoting a pay-per-use text service saying “email is for old people.” Of course, in Australia we probably don’t have the numbers for such a program, but I know that way back when there were many services like this, and some isp’s were allowing you to email out text messages at one point of time or other. The end result was that most of my friends who tried them out ended up reverting to the old group text message from their mobile phone rather than use another service. I know many young people and youth workers who are faster on the mobile phone than on the keyboard, and, since using the computer to type was really only used in order to make it easier to send text messages people just used one’s mobile phone.
And Tim’s just put out a list of services that will bulk-text people from computer (as apart from texting bulk texts from one’s mobile phone) by using email / group lists / net interface. He’s used a few of them in his ministry and has a few suggestions. (before using them in Australia I suggest that you check out the terms and conditions, our pricing plans are fairly different to those in the US and may not translate easily…).
Of course, nowdays I don’t receive many text messages, people use facebook/twitter/myspace to tell people things, and we can all access them on the phone, so texting seems to have become less and less used. Having just said that I may post a warning to those who are just figuring out the texting thing in the US…
Be very aware that on events, programs, camps you’ll start getting text messages 2 minutes before it starts with the words “nt coming tdy, still luv u tho, njoy” becasue this kind of thing happens lots when people text, and there’s no uncomfortable conversation that goes with it either, no chance that you’ll convince them to change their mind over sms…
Another warning, they text you, you text back, they text you, you text back… do that for 10 times and you’re up for a bit of money, you may as well have just called.
And one more… if you get in the habit of texting back imediately they’ll always expect that from you and think you’re too busy for them or that you hate them if, some time down the line you decide to wait an hour or a day before responding they may get rather upset…
Dude I’ve been thinking about the bitterness I’m hearing from your ant-text/anti-american/anti-pop-postmodern culture.
I have been thinking that Jesus got passionate. And he loved passionately. Now not that change doesn’t require are to be passionate. But how hard is it to want to see the change in the reality if we don’t want to see it.
I saw this sign That said
create
Why don’t we wonder @ the changes that could happen? I want to feel the world see our love. The Jesus that is inside you and me. So see the world not as it’s going, but see the world as Jesus see it and that means “all that it can and will be”
hey hey al,
i dont think you’re reading it right if you’re reading “anti” as apart from questioning the culture that’s around us. One of my questions is how has Australian Youth Ministry and Mission been shaped by the US versions of Youth Ministry and Mission, especially when our experience, culture, people, media, faith, language and world view is so radically different to that in the US (and anywhere else).
this particular post on texting is not an anti- as much as it is me making note that many in the US are only (just) catching up on the sms/texting stuff, and as such find themselves where we were a number of years back where our companies tried doing online services like those in the states.
if Aussies tried using the US texting services they MUST look at how texts are charged, do the receivers get charged for the texts as well? If it’s server is based in the US then the answer will most likely be yes, as that is the case when I text someone from overseas.
if those in the US embrace texting (and im someone who texts over phoning a lot of the time) then they need to be aware that people are still very immediate with their texting, and if you text back straight away people will get used to it, and consider non-replies as ignoring your texts (something I still have to deal with even now). They will also have to be aware that there are a number of other issues with texting as I’ve put up before.
I do think that texting is useful, but it can be costly, and it can be time consuming, and it can have other cultural effects (especially when dealing with generations who are always looking for a better option as they will receive a text message on the night of an event saying “can’t come, sorry”)
Kenda Creasy Dean (Princeton Theological Seminary) came to Australia about 4 years ago and spoke on Mobile Theology (something I’ve written about a number of times) and even then the US mobile usage was nowhere near as “creative” as here in Au.
the post above is primarily reflecting on how our sms useage has changed and how some providers in the US are offering ways to utilise this “texting” phenomena.
please don’t read bitterness as much as you read hope or lessons learned.
case in point: i had a young adult and her boyfriend coming to blackstump, they didn’t even call me to tell me they weren’t coming anymore, instead would have texted me the day-of the event had I not phoned them the week before and found out that they were no longer coming. many people will text simply because it does not mean confrontation, why phone and be uncomfortable when I can text and not have any feedback or uncomfortableness?