This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Barnard chapter.
Ever pondered the “do”s and “don’t”s of group text? Wonder no more. We’re bringing you our guide to group chatting with poise & pizzazz.
- Don’t make HUUUUGE group chats. You might not be able to help being on a 90 person GroupMe for your new member class. But, if you’re making a group chat to plan an event, maybe just add the people that are necessary for planning it and not everyone you think could possibly help.
- You’re in a GROUP chat for a reason. Don’t simply talk to ONE person in the group chat. The rest of the group doesn’t care about your inside jokes or your funny stories. It’s cute to see sometimes, but generally unnecessary. If you have something you need to bring up with the person, text them separately! It’s probably better to keep personal things personal.
- Sometimes, more nitty-gritty things will come up. The group chat might start blowing up with opinions and disagreements, but, generally, try to stay kind. These people are people too. Just because you’re behind a screen, doesn’t mean you get to hide behind it.
- If a question is brought up to the group, don’t just leave one-word or one-letter answers. It’s just going to blow up the group chat, and sometimes it can be a little confusing as to what you’re okaying. “Ok”, you saw the message or “Ok” you agree, or “Ok” you are okay with the decision being made? Just be clear in what you’re saying, people!
- Don’t message-bomb. Try to condense your multiple thoughts into one text!
- Similarly, if someone in the group asks a question that has one answer, like “where are we meeting for dinner tonight?” or “what time is our sisterhood event?”, just let one person answer. There’s not a competition as to who answers first or who is more right in their response. If one person already answered, you don’t get extra points for saying the exact same thing.
- Be cognizant. If you’re not going to call everyone in the group at 3:45 am, don’t text everyone then, unless there is a serious issue that you need help with, or there’s an emergency.
- If there’s one person in the group who doesn’t participate much, don’t call them out in the group asking why they’re not answering! Just text or message them separately to make sure everything is alright.