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By C. Jake Williams. March 12, 2008
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The most important message in a text conversation is the second message sent, followed by the third. Think about it, the way each person replies to the other's first message sets the pace for the rest of the conversation.
If I write and you never reply, I'll assume you are busy, away from your phone, or don't want to talk. If you take ten minutes to reply, I'll assume you were busy, away from your phone, or didn't want to talk but are now ready to chat. And if you reply immediately, I know I have your attention and will expect speedy replies for the next couple minutes. Then I'll choose my response.
Just because I sent you one message doesn't mean you know how involved I am in the conversation. Perhaps I sent a message on my way out the door or before powering down for a nap. Maybe I'm multitasking and will only sporadically reply. And maybe I'm sitting at home bored, just hoping you'll have a prolonged textual talk with me. My second message will be non-existant, delayed, or immediate, respectively, depending on my situation.
Lets consciously set the pace to match our committment to our conversations. We're in this together.
You were there.