User Comments

1. 

   12/30/08

   sellytapgirl

   I use text messaging all the time. I pay $5/month for unlimited texting and send and receive a lot more than 250-500 texts a month, so, no, I don't pay that much.

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   1. 

      12/30/08

      Norski

      Yeah.
      
      I've wondered if the pricey text messaging is for people who don't pay attention to billing details.
2. 

   12/30/08

   timethief

   G'day. I read your post and left a comment.

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   1. 

      12/30/08

      Norski

      Thanks!
3. 

   12/30/08

   ekim941

   The parents seem to be getting strong-armed into getting the unlimited texting package. My daughter racked up a huge cell phone bill before I finally gave in and got her the unlimited package.

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   1. 

      12/30/08

      Norski

      Thanks for an insider's view.
4. 

   12/30/08

   mikeny07

   I don't own a cell phone so maybe I am blind here.
   
   Why do people text message when you can email someone for free?

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   1. 

      12/30/08

      Norski

      The household has cell phones - but we don't do text messaging, so I'm out of my depth.
      
      Speculating from ignorance - I can easily imagine a situation where I'm not near a computer or other device that handles email, but do have a cell phone on my person.
      
      Particularly in business, immediate communication is somewhere between handy and vital - and some businesspeople move from one location to another during a typical day.
   2. 

      12/30/08

      ekim941

      Well, it's the hip and cool thing to do, if you're a teenager.
   3. 

      12/30/08

      clioandme

      It's not just hip. It is a way to pass notes around the class and school during classes. It is also a way to communicate without your friends hearing every word you're saying. That is worth something in schools where privacy isn't easy to come by. And frankly, a quick text is often faster than a phone call.
   4. 

      12/30/08

      MadameX

      Well, you can't email for free if you're sitting at home wishing that you'd remembered to tell someone who is already at the store to pick up milk, or to ask for directions when your destination isn't where you thought it was going to be, or to let someone sitting in a restaurant waiting for you that you're going to be late.
      
      Or, in my case last night, for something to do while you're sitting through Twilight for the second time.
   5. 

      12/30/08

      legbamel

      Wouldn't it have been more fun to just wait in the car out front?
5. 

   12/30/08

   timethief

   How many teen actually NEED a cell phone or text messaging? How many parents require them to get part time jobs or do chores to pay for them?

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   1. 

      12/30/08

      clioandme

      My son was required to have a cell phone when he went a way to school. Makes sense, especially since he has to be out and about, not tied to a landline in his dorm room. I was feeling the need for one for him before this requirement anyway, because I want to know what he's up to, and pay phones have disappeared from the landscape of my city. It's a safety thing. It's also a way for me to be available even when my work schedule is strange.
      
      For what it's worth, I was a die-hard cell phone opponent. But life happens.
   2. 

      12/30/08

      MadameX

      My daughter has a cell phone for my benefit. I don't know how it is in your area, but now that cell phones are prevalent it's nearly impossible to come by a pay phone. That means that if she goes out to a football game or a movie or even a school event with friends and needs to be picked up early or has a problem or anything like that, she's out of luck unless she can borrow a cell phone. And, of course, my faith in school officials is deep in the negatives, so I like to make sure that she always has a way to reach me that is NOT dependent on their judgment.
6. 

   12/30/08

   clioandme

   My son has unlimited texting, because that is how his generation communicates. I found it handy myself, especially when in a noisy or crowded situation, but I'm unwilling to pay extra for something that actually costs phone companies less than phone calls. Leave it to American companies to ruin this. In many countries texting is cheaper than phone calls, as it should be, since it uses less air time and represents less data.
   
   What really gets my goat is that one must pay for text messages one doesn't even want to receive. I tell people I know not to text me, but a wrong number can be irritating. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often.

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7. 

   12/30/08

   legbamel

   I don't understand the lengthy text conversations that hubby has with his friends, because it makes more sense to me to just dial the phone and talk. But it's handy for the occasional quick note. I do maybe two a month, so for me it's not worth the unlimited package. Happily, none of my acquaintances text much, either, and hubby just calls me so that I don't have to pay to get notes about stopping at the grocery store after work.

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8. 

   12/30/08

   timethief

   Where I live cell phones don't function ... I loved watching my friends adjusting to functioning without any electronic gadgetry whatsoever on their first visit. lol
   
   They tell me that coming here is the only time they actually disconnect and relax. They also tell me this is the only place they have been on vacation where it is actually dark and quiet at night - no street lights at all. Owls and nighhawks are the only night sounds aside from winds through the trees and grasses and the sounds of ocean waves and barking sea lions.

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9. 

   12/30/08

   dratiffarid

   I get 100 free SMS per day. So, I'm not complaining. I hardly ever reach that limit. Messaging is a good way of keeping touch with friends. It's easier and it's like leaving a post-aid so that the person can read it when he is free.

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