Vegfest - The Party

Not exactly. Having to phone up saying "be round in a minute" is a right
PITA. Not only does it more effort and cost more than a text but it
turns into a full blown conversation about Christ knows what crap that
we could be talking about when we go out.

 

If I phone someone merely for the purpose of imparting a short message
(e.g. "Pub at 9?"), and he's not able to answer, I have to leave a
message, which I pay for (or rather, my company does), and he has to
pay to pick up the message, which he pays for (or rather, [his|her]
company does.

If I send [him|her] a text containing the same information, I pay for it
to be sent, he gets it delivered for free.

 

Firstly, this is fine in theory, except that many text messages turn
into full-blown conversations, which take more time and effort and
possibly cost more than one short call. Also, it's incredibly
anti-social: the way that many (otherwise perfectly polite) people
think it acceptable to interrupt a RL conversation every ten seconds
to receive and then reply to a text message conversation.

Secondly - all this "(s)he" and "his|her" shite; I think you've been
in a PC workplace too long.

 

She has to pay to pick up messages? How quaint.

 

It's up to you to decide whether a call or a text would be more
appropriate. If I *know* that the person at the other end isn't
available, but want to inform them of something as soon as they are,
then sending a text is definitely the most appropriate action.

That's just because they're ignorant, and would probably do the same if
they received a phone call. (One thing that really winds me up is people
who answer their phone in the middle of meetings - haven't they learnt
to turn their phone off, or just bounce the call?)

Yeah, that was fucking bizzare, wasn't it? Don't know what came over me.
It won't happen again.

 

You do on some packages. It might be covered "free minutes", but if
you've used all of them, or it's outside of the time when they're
applicable, you'd have to pay.

 

That's true, but many people are still getting this wrong. And it's
not co-incidence that the service providers have always encouraged
people to text, is it: ten texts each way, and 10p each is two quid in
revenue. The same amount of information being exchanged in a call
would be about ten pence.

That's true, and I do send texts for that reason: when I'm picking
someone up from the airport, for example, and I know they'll turn
their phone on when they land.

That really fucking winds me up, too.

No, if you enjoy it, mate, you do it. Don't let any **** tell you
otherwise.

 

It may not be shorter in characters, but I just sent you one with
fewer pixels.

 

Don't blame me for that.

Not only that, but texts are sent using spare network capacity, *and*
they're not guaranteed delivery.

Good example. I often send texts to SO, because she can't exactly answer
her phone in the middle of giving a maths lesson, but I know she'll
check her phone as she leaves work.

Enjoy it? ****, no! It's bloody awful. I really don't know how it
happened - must have had a dodgy pint, or something.

 

Anya does that. I took the measure of changing her contract from
under her to one that supplies 250 free messages a month and
immediately cut her bill by about 30 quid.

They're usual with me. I normally got to the pub with a mate on
Monday night. The first message is simply a time and the reply will
be a "k".

 

Identifying myself would have increased the message length, thus
defeating the object.

 

Yeah.