Texting is still a pretty new method of communication, and, text etiquette is still evolving. Over on Twitter, #waystoirritateme is getting a lot of attention. Not surprisingly, given the medium, many of the things that irritate people who post on Twitter revolve around texting behavior. A lot of people don’t care for texting at all, so, it can be easy to push their buttons by making a wrong move. When you are just starting to date someone, avoiding pet peeves can go a long way toward keeping yourself from landing in the discard pile. What text habits irritate people most? A round-up of some of the most common ones are below:

Taking hours to reply to text messages is one of the top irritations mentioned. The post mentioning this faux pas has been retweeted over 7,000 times. Other deal breakers were failing to reply to a text when there are obvious signs you have your phone in hand, like updated Twitter or Facebook statuses.

However, don’t repeatedly text those who aren’t responding. Back to back or repetitive texts also that made many people’s lists of irritating behavior. If someone is not looking at their phone at the time you text, chances are they will see your message as soon as they are free.

Other folks expressed dislike for short, enigmatic replies. Unless it really is the end of a conversation, do not drop conversation enders like smileys, LOL, or K. You have 140 characters to fill. Add a new question, an observation, or, make a date to chat with one another in person. 

Other posters were annoyed by messages sent in kiddie text speak. I’m definitely on board with this complaint. Most people have autocomplete, qwerty keyboards or both by now. There’s no excuse for U or UR at this point, unless you are a moron who can’t remember when to use your or you’re.

Cancelling plans by text at the last minute made a lot of lists. If you have to reschedule a date, pick up the phone and call.

It can get complicated keeping everyone happy on a medium where everyone assumes you are always available, you have no voice or facial cues to accompany messages and your communications are limited to just a few words at a time. Managing texting as politely as possible can help keep from irritating previously interested singles, and can help you keep their interest.

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