The 18 Unwritten Rules of Texting You Should Know - BY SAMMY NICKALLS text a person at 4 in the morning And nobody wants that! Texting is practically the most unless it’s your BFF, and even then, common form of communication your BFF may want to kill you. How- 7. Double-check your autocorrect. nowadays. It also can be the best ever, also keep in mind the schedule Unless the correction is particularly tool to use if you’d like to really, of the specific person you’re texting. hilarious, of course. Read inside really annoy people. Odds are, you Is your friend at work? Then don’t don’t. So know how to text right text him or her a million times in a 8. Double–no, triple–check who High ranking with these tips! row in the middle of the shift. Does you’re sending it to. officials meet for your friend enjoy sleeping in on the If you’d like to lose your job quickly panel discussion 1. Didn’t get a reply right away? It’s weekends? Don’t text him or her at and with little effort, texting “hey okay. Chill out. 8:30. Be nice. sexy I miss you ;)” to your boss Competition - we Don’t keep texting until they re- instead of your significant other is a need a name! spond. They’re probably busy. And 4. Don’t text a novel… great method. if they’re not, maybe they just don’t This is one that I personally break Inspirational feel like texting. Texting them over all the time, but it just makes sense: 9. If you’re running late, text the South African and over again is the perfect way if it’s taking you more than thirty person. women to ensure that they won’t respond. seconds to text it, you probably It’s just good manners. Brownie Self-worth from Ever again. just want to take care of it over the points for including an ETA. phone. Don’t make it more confus- with in 2. Always respond. ing than it has to be. 10. Respond proportionally. The Insurance That being said, don’t blow anyone phone call, text them asking them If someone breaks rule number 4, Apprentice off. Respond to someone’s text in a 5. …however, don’t call in response first. don’t respond with just “k.” Unless kind and reasonably-timed manner. to a text without asking. you want to lose friends and alien- (Unless the person is a stalker, in Be kind to the introverts. If someone 6. Generally, avoid sarcasm. ate people. Or make them want to which case, please do not respond. I texted you, it means they didn’t Unless the person knows you really destroy their phone. do so care about your safety here.) want to talk on the phone. That well, sarcasm is best avoided via might mean they’re busy, or they’re text. You can’t read the tone nearly The same goes for the opposite 3. Keep the other person’s schedule relaxing, but don’t call them in as well, and you could end up get- case: if you’re composing novels to in mind. response. If you really think it would ting into arguments or hurting someone, and they’re texting you Of course, you generally shouldn’t be something better covered via someone’s feelings. Continued on p.2 >> 1 The 18 Unwritten Rules of Texting You Should Know COMPETITION extended back with very short replies, take to make that fact obvious. the hint. Haha: use when you don’t really find something funny, but you would like to be polite. 11. If you wouldn’t talk to them Hahaha: use when their text made you smile. about this issue in real life, don’t Hahahaha+: use when you sincerely laughed. text it to them. HAHA+: one of the few exceptions to the no-caps rule. Use when What’s in a name? This can apply with so many differ- you find something hysterical. ent situations. Everyone knows not to use texts to break up, or to Lol: Use when you want the sincerity of your laughter to be a Our monthly newsletter communicate grave injuries. But you also shouldn’t try to get really mystery. Did you really laugh out loud? Nobody knows! You’re so needs a name that is funky deep into conversation with an acquaintance / stranger. I recently mysterious! and represents what Gauteng had someone I barely know text me their life story, and it was more than a bit jarring. 16. Don’t bury your face in your phone when you’re hanging out Women in Insurance stands with someone. for. Members only, please 12. Do. Not. Hashtag. In. Your. Text. Okay, let me preface this by saying that with some people, it’s cool send your suggestions to It’s something you can only do ironically. And even if you do that, if you text. I have a group of friends who are always responding to [email protected] before you have to make it really obvious that it’s ironic, or else you’ll risk texts when we’re together, and we’re okay with it, because we hang 30 November 2014. looking like an idiot. out all the time. 13. Don’t use chatspeak. Just don’t. But if you don’t know how the other person feels about texting eti- The winning entry will re- dont 4get this rule, b/c u will lose s0 much credibility rofl quette, or you don’t know the person well, just don’t do it. It’s rude ceive a R500 voucher with and it gives the impression that you don’t particularly care about the compliments of Gauteng There are certain abbreviations that are generally accepted, but the other person’s presence. Women in Insurance. make sure you know the meaning of them. Don’t text someone “lol” when they’re going through a crisis, thinking it means “lots of love.” Another exception: if there’s something really pressing, like, I don’t know, your sister is expected to go into labor any day now, inform 14. DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS!!!!! your company that you may be checking your phone every so often. DOESN’T IT SEEM LIKE I’M SHOUTING AT YOU?!? NOTHING IS If you are really angry to the point where you feel like shouting, it’s 17. Don’t text while walking. probably a conversation that should be saved for another medium. You might walk into a large parked van in front of a crowd of stran- IMPOSSIBLE. gers. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience. (Note: the only exception to the past two rules is while you’re live- texting the Game of Thrones season finale to a friend, e.g. OMG I 18. Above all: do not text while driving. THE WORD HATE YOU CERSEI STFU WHY DO YOU EXIST.) This is the biggest rule. Please. Please please, don’t do it! ITSELF SAYS 15. Use the right texting laughter. Here’s a quick guide to laughter via text. “I’M POSSIBLE”! Ha: use when you don’t really find something funny, and you want - Audrey Hepburn 2 High ranking officials meet for panel discussion auteng Women In Insur- financial services industry, opening this is very exciting and rewarding ance (GWII) recently communication at a senior level for women, one wonders if it has arranged an event with of some of the key issues faced been challenging. Julia Graham, Presi- by women and what the potential Gdent of FERMA, Director of Risk solutions are. A word of the wise Management and Insurance at Da Silva started off the conversa- DLAPiper. The event took place on Jacquie Cassette, Director: Pro tion by mentioning that she has the 17th of September and was Bono and Human Rights Depart- been working in the insurance hosted by Cliff Dekker & Hofmeyer ment at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr industry for 28 years. “I am a in which high ranking insurance of- facilitated the discussion by asking mother, a wife and a working ficials met for a panel discussion. these panellists, who have many woman. I would like to say I am years of experience, to share their very grateful to be working in the Panel speakers included Julie journey and the challenges they financial services industry in a Graham, Caroline da Silva, Deputy have faced based on gender equal- democratic society where equality Executive Officer for the Financial ity issues in organisations. is entrenched within the constitu- Advisory and Intermediary Service tion. Through drive and determi- (FAIS) at the FSB, Wayne Abraham Going back to basics nation, I am where I want to be, Managing Director of AIG Africa Since the beginning of time there which I think is very important for and Board Member of the Insur- has been a distinction between women. I have never really faced ance Institute of South Africa (IISA) men and women and what role discrimination and I think it is and the South African Insurance they play in society. It was often because the picture has changed Association (SAIA), Thokozile said that a woman’s place was at from 20 years ago. Before there Ntshiqa Executive Management: home, raising children and main- was no choice, today we have a Stakeholder Management at taining the household, while the choice. ” SASRIA SOC Limited and Seamus man served as the breadwinner for Casserly Past President of the the family.