TAYLOR JANKOWSKI | OPINION COLUMNIST

Whether one is aware of it or not, there is an unspoken set of rules when it comes to texting.

This article is dedicated to those of you who are unaware of these common texting courtesies, or perhaps even, simply do not care. This will inform you about the various ways you’re probably offending people via text without even realizing it.

The Infamous “k”

Even if “OK” is all you have to say to what the other person just said, do not leave the “O” out. It is one letter. I think you can afford it. Simply putting “K” comes off as rather rude and abrupt, and gives other people the impression you do not want to talk. Even if this is the case, try to disguise it a little better.

Shorter than short replies

Let’s get one thing straight here: if you are in an ongoing conversation with someone, they expect you to be avidly, or at least somewhat, interested in talking. It should not all fall on one person to keep the conversation going. Two people investing in a conversation makes for a great one.

Do not be the person who replies nearly every time with only two or three word replies. No one wants to text that person.

The rude read receipt

This is the notification that lets the other person know you have seen his or her message–if both people have an iPhone, that is. While there are some acceptable times to use this as an end to a conversation, hitting someone with just the read receipt after he or she asked a question is not one.

People want an answer to a question, not the time you decided to ignore his or her message. If you really don’t want to reply to a message at that moment then don’t open it, but don’t let someone know you have read it and decided not to reply that bluntly. If you had time to read it you had time to reply.

Taking longer than necessary to reply

Let’s be real: it is 2016 and we live in a generation that thrives off of technology and communication. And most of us generally have our mobile phones on or near us.

Even if you are busy at the given moment, it’s common courtesy to reply to a message as soon as possible. Replying a whole eight hours later is obnoxious and unnecessary. Don’t make people wait that long for a reply from you. There’s a reason they texted you and that should be respected.

Lack of proper punctuation

We learned as early as elementary school how to use punctuation and how to capitalize. And I have a very hard time believing that ingrained knowledge slips from our brains in the later years.

Combining multiple complete thoughts into one sentence just leads to confusion and frustration, not only from all your teachers, but also from the people you text.

If you neglect to put periods or commas after statements, it becomes incredibly easy to misinterpret a given message.  

It doesn’t even take a whole second to capitalize the first word of the sentence or to insert a period, but it takes multiple minutes to explain the confusion you will have after sending a message without proper punctuation.

Save yourself some time and frustration and insert a freaking period between statements.

While some of you may be guilty of committing these unspoken texting rules, it is not too late to make an effort to stop. Simply consider the other person you are talking to before replying. Show them some respect and common courtesy.

It is really that simple.