“ok…in a few”

My husband was recently communicating via email with a banking representative. In his email he requested some information be sent to him. The individual responded: “ok...in a few”. Subsequent communication from this same banker was: “here u go”, “I got u scheduled”, “give u a call 2mrw”.

This was all done through emails – not smart phone texts. Which brings me to my question: What is protocol for emails versus texting?

I feel that if I am emailing someone I spell things out: “you vs u”, “tomorrow vs 2mrw”, “okay vs k”. However, if I am texting, I will abbreviate. Having said that, I am starting to wonder what is the “right” way to communicate.

It seems the younger someone is, the greater the tendency to type in code. So, should we just accept that fact and standardize this new form of shorthand? With lol, idk, and btw becoming main stream abbreviations, is it time to accept this shortened method of communication? Is it no different than, FYI?

While writing this I decided to consult with my good friend, Google. I searched “text abbreviations list” and found a list of 2000 abbreviations! I learned new ones: YOYO – you’re on your own, G2G – got to go, IIWM – if it were me, and many I wouldn’t say much less text.

The more I think about it the more I go back to the original intention of this blog. Just how confident should my husband feel dealing with a banker who talks in code? How credible will my clients feel about me if I resort to encryption?

I think I will stick with abbreviating when texting and communicate in complete sentences while emailing.

What do you think?