Should you text?

September 5, 2015 8:45 AM

Should you send that text? Bustle has the answer with a handy flowchart.

A cute but reasonably useful way to figure out whether to send those texts you are waffling over. Bustle's article explaining the chart.

posted by Margalo Epps (24 comments total)

I was just about to send a text to a fellow I know about helping me unload a trailer. This flowchart was not especially useful.
posted by pipeski at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2015 [27 favorites]

Does not include the option for wanting to send him (or her) a link to this flow chart.

Which I take to mean that I can send a link to the flow chart. Disaster will probably ensue.
posted by bilabial at 9:16 AM on September 5, 2015

This doesn't seem to handle "should I text my roommate asking if it's ok to eat her dessert in the fridge, but I think she's already answered this earlier but I was watching TV and tuned her out and pretended I heard (so she'd stop talking and I can go back to Doctor Who) and if I reveal that I didn't actually hear her she'll reprimand me again for not listening to her while I'm watching tv?"
posted by numaner at 9:17 AM on September 5, 2015 [5 favorites]

numaner I'm not entirely sure I read the flowchart right, but I think in this case it says you're supposed to send her a picture of an eggplant
posted by phunniemee at 9:34 AM on September 5, 2015 [10 favorites]

I was just about to send a text to a fellow I know about helping me unload a trailer.

Nor for whether to text a staffer about whether they got the memo about putting the covers on the TPS reports.
posted by randomkeystrike at 9:34 AM on September 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

Is this an ex?
Have you spoken at all in the past year?
Are you intoxicated?

The answer is No.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 9:54 AM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

I had to text a bunch of people to not come in to work last winter during a heavy snowstorm. Now I feel that it was inappropriate, and I should have let them die in snow banks. This is like a whole new layer of social anxiety
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:56 AM on September 5, 2015 [27 favorites]

1) Are you driving?

A: Yes --> Are you an idiot? It can wait.
B: No --> Continue
posted by Talez at 10:03 AM on September 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

Are you intoxicated?

The answer is usually No to whatever you want to do if your response to that question is Yes.

Unless you're trying to throw up to feel better or you want to stop bothering people and pass out.
posted by numaner at 10:08 AM on September 5, 2015

numaner, do intoxicated people want to stop bothering people and pass out, or is that something that just… happens?
posted by cardioid at 10:11 AM on September 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

Aw man this is totally inapplicable for all my Should I Text scenarios.

actually my only Should I Text scenario is when an unknown number leaves me a message and i want to txt them and say hi i don't listen to voicemails because i am hearing impaired, who the fuck are you
posted by poffin boffin at 10:20 AM on September 5, 2015 [5 favorites]

I was hoping this would help me figure out if I'm supposed to send a text, e-mail, Facebook message, direct Tweet, MeFi Mail, actual phone call, or just show up on the person's doorstep.
posted by straight at 10:40 AM on September 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

I was just about to send a text to a fellow I know about helping me unload a trailer. This flowchart was not especially useful.

Yes, but were you actually waffling over whether or not you should contact this fellow?
posted by Margalo Epps at 11:19 AM on September 5, 2015

My most recent text exchange involved arranging with a buddy to meet for $7 pitchers of Yuengling at the Elks for Banjo Night, I'm not sure that this tool would have helped with that at all.
posted by octothorpe at 11:43 AM on September 5, 2015

There is nothing on this chart concerning sending a meatball text to a sports radio talk show.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:53 AM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Always send the first text, don't send the second if there's no reply to the first. The whole point of texting is it's (supposed to be) low-stress.
posted by subdee at 11:58 AM on September 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

again i curse my affliction wherein i am compelled to read through every possible path of a flow chart even once I get the general idea.

this is cute though.
posted by aka burlap at 1:20 PM on September 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

I was looking for an option that let me know if I should text a number I see written on a bathroom stall, but to no avail.
posted by LSK at 2:41 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Huh, reading between the lines I think it's a yes. You are supposed to read between the lines, right?
posted by meinvt at 3:13 PM on September 5, 2015

again i curse my affliction wherein i am compelled to read through every possible path of a flow chart even once I get the general idea.

AND THIS ANIMATION RUINED ALL THE FUN!!!!!

PLUS I DIDN"T GET TO SEE THE CLEVER WAY THEY GOT IT ALL INTO A NEAT SHAPE!!!!!

tcl;dr: flowcharts: you're ruinin' 'em with your fancypants ways.

(tcl;dr = Too Caps Lock: Didn't Read)
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:08 PM on September 5, 2015 [4 favorites]

I need someone to hold my phone :(
posted by soakimbo at 6:54 PM on September 5, 2015

AND THIS ANIMATION RUINED ALL THE FUN!!!!!

PLUS I DIDN"T GET TO SEE THE CLEVER WAY THEY GOT IT ALL INTO A NEAT SHAPE!!!!!

Use the back button! It steps you back but leaves the explored path on the graphic. This is actually a quite pleasing flowchart to step through all the permutations.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:30 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

do intoxicated people want to stop bothering people and pass out

whoops, that word was a brain misfire
posted by numaner at 7:50 PM on September 6, 2015

I don't care if this is supposed to be a joke, it's gross.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:41 PM on September 6, 2015