The How of the Things Said
Last week I got to know a new friend quite well. Her name is Tiffany, and although we've never met; we've never actually even heard each others voices, I feel like I've known her for much longer than the two weeks it's only been. In that time we've used all sorts of mediums of communication, and I've noticed that there are a lot of subtle differences in the way we talk to one another depending on the form it takes.
For instance, we started with e-mail. These began as short little "get to know you" notes and evolved into something that almost got out of hand! These e-mails got to be so long that I found myself having to write them in parts whenever I had a little free time. I was seriously considering adding chapter breaks and a table of contents just to make things easier. This is a wonderful way to get to know someone, but it can be exhausting, and if you're not careful, can leave you burnt out quickly. Luckily we seem to have moved past the epic opus portion.
Next came that modern marvel, the text message. I was never a texter. In fact, when I used to see people doing it, I would snicker and revel in my high moral standards. Why, if someone wanted to talk to me, they could call me on the phone or we could get together. None of this mindless pecking at a tiny keyboard spewing acronyms and what not. That was of course before I learned how much you can get done while you're still texting someone. I'll have dinner, do the dishes, watch the news and feed the cats, all while carrying on a stimulating conversation. The only downside to this is the numbness that seems to be creeping into my index finger, which is the only one I use when I text. Might have to learn to use my thumbs...
Both of these methods have their drawbacks though. With the e-mails, I tend to get long-winded and wordy (pipe down in the peanut gallery) and in the texts I sometimes find my language diluted down to things like "This city has tall buildings. I like food." There is one thing I have found that works quite nicely though, and mind you, this is only in loo of actually calling, or getting together with someone, which will always be the best way to go. Barring that, good old fashioned chats seem to serve the purpose admirably. You have more of your attention on the subject, you're at a keyboard which makes it easier to type, and you can see the threads of the conversation more clearly. For my money, it's the closest thing to actual talking I've found.
Looking back over this whole entry makes me feel like an anti-social hermit trying to get to know people from the safety of my basement, but it's hard when you're both busy with work and school and life and such, so you do what you have to, and you make it work the best way you know how. It takes some doing sometimes, but in the end, hopefully it'll all be worth it. At the very least, you get to learn about someone and maybe find out a little more about yourself too, and I swear my typing is getting better every day.
For instance, we started with e-mail. These began as short little "get to know you" notes and evolved into something that almost got out of hand! These e-mails got to be so long that I found myself having to write them in parts whenever I had a little free time. I was seriously considering adding chapter breaks and a table of contents just to make things easier. This is a wonderful way to get to know someone, but it can be exhausting, and if you're not careful, can leave you burnt out quickly. Luckily we seem to have moved past the epic opus portion.
Next came that modern marvel, the text message. I was never a texter. In fact, when I used to see people doing it, I would snicker and revel in my high moral standards. Why, if someone wanted to talk to me, they could call me on the phone or we could get together. None of this mindless pecking at a tiny keyboard spewing acronyms and what not. That was of course before I learned how much you can get done while you're still texting someone. I'll have dinner, do the dishes, watch the news and feed the cats, all while carrying on a stimulating conversation. The only downside to this is the numbness that seems to be creeping into my index finger, which is the only one I use when I text. Might have to learn to use my thumbs...
Both of these methods have their drawbacks though. With the e-mails, I tend to get long-winded and wordy (pipe down in the peanut gallery) and in the texts I sometimes find my language diluted down to things like "This city has tall buildings. I like food." There is one thing I have found that works quite nicely though, and mind you, this is only in loo of actually calling, or getting together with someone, which will always be the best way to go. Barring that, good old fashioned chats seem to serve the purpose admirably. You have more of your attention on the subject, you're at a keyboard which makes it easier to type, and you can see the threads of the conversation more clearly. For my money, it's the closest thing to actual talking I've found.
Looking back over this whole entry makes me feel like an anti-social hermit trying to get to know people from the safety of my basement, but it's hard when you're both busy with work and school and life and such, so you do what you have to, and you make it work the best way you know how. It takes some doing sometimes, but in the end, hopefully it'll all be worth it. At the very least, you get to learn about someone and maybe find out a little more about yourself too, and I swear my typing is getting better every day.