YOUNG and youthful love could be fun. But at the same time, it could be disastrous. While growing up, I was more of a tomboy. I made friends easily with boys my age and even older and I remember then it made my female friends jealous like crazy. I can still say so till now. Guys always find it comfortable and exciting to talk to me. It’s like I have answers to most or if not all their problems. I was and I’m still their best buddy but a female buddy.

Most times guys like when they can relate on the same level with a woman. A woman that acts like a lady and thinks like a man. A woman that can see a man from a man’s point of view. They get completely lost in you almost to the point that people would think you are dating each other.

I remember back then when mobile phones just came out. One would be considered a “big babe or big boy” to own one. The use of landlines and nitel pay phones used to be the only way we could carry on relationships because our parents back then never used to like the idea of male friends coming to visit their daughters at home. But now, the digital world has clearly changed the way we communicate and conduct our relationships.

However, that doesn’t mean that our old-fashioned forms of contact are old news. Learning the art of 21st century communication can be tricky as this new media convenience has given us the ability to hide behind digital walls. With the simple text-written language, we lose some of the key ingredients in holding a meaningful conversation and understanding tone and context.

With the aid of exclamation points, question marks, dashes and commas, we can assist our recipients with some indication of emotion through punctuation. Yet, our society often times communicates through sarcasm, wit, banter and yes, even T9 and voice-to-text capabilities. Therefore, in lies the problem: there is so much room for error and miscommunication.

It’s all about finding a healthy balance. Especially in new relationships, we tend to want to be more guarded, using social media and texting to our advantages, as it is more comfortable. However, it is very important to know and understand the proper etiquette for when each form of communication is acceptable.

Consider these thoughts below about each form of communication to be your guide to knowing the appropriate and inappropriate times to use each method of connecting when building a new relationship.
Twitter

The Good:
I honestly never liked twitter but when my friend introduced me to it, I saw a bit of fun in it. I mean this guy is hooked on it and I remember calling him a twitter junkie one time and he was even happy about it. I never even understood what it was all about. But with Twitter gaining popularity, it’s no wonder that relationships are also blossoming. I later found out that twitter is a great networking site to find people within your social circles that may share common interests. Therefore, the “there are plenty of fish in the sea” motto can really hold true. Also, for just starting a relationship, this is a good way to quickly share fun and flirty comments or tweets to get the conversation ball rolling. Or, if you are thinking about the person, you can send him or her a quick tweet to let him or her know that they’re on your mind.

The Bad:
Ultimately, there is a character limit for your tweets. Therefore, you have to make sure to say what you need to say in 140 characters or less. This can really make it hard to hold a meaningful exchange or conversation. Also, I found out that Twitter relationships don’t last as long as real-life communications.

The Ugly:
With social media dating, you always have to be cautious about what you post. In reality, your business is out there for everyone to read and indulge in your juiciest updates. This can be detrimental to any relationship, because people can stick their noses into your personal life with their “he said, she said” bits.

Texting
The Good
Texting is a great way to assist a new relationship. For example, if you’re feeling flirty or trying to break the ice, a simple text can do the job. This is a fast way to let someone know that you are thinking about him or her and excited for a first meet. Often times, texting helps ease the pains of rejection, especially when you are meeting online and just want to see how things go. Plus, it takes less time to send and can be done anywhere. Just make sure that your text is simple, so there is no confusion.

The Bad:
Avoid lengthy text messages, particularly ones with an over-abundance of emoticons and pet names. This can get annoying pretty quick. Text messaging is meant for a quick check or mention like a “Thank you,” or “I’ve been thinking about you.” Anything that runs over 50 characters is pushing it. If you need to say something and provide details, call. That way, you can avoid any miscommunication due to lack of punctuations or tone.

The Ugly:
Never cancel the day of a date or break up with someone through a text. Be courteous to one another and make the proper moves towards being polite and respectful to the other party. If you have to cancel for a good reason, explain that to your date to show him or her that your interest is still there. If you just aren’t interested, call the person and make the conversation short and sweet. Most likely, your date will appreciate that you didn’t waste his or her time playing games.

Make the Call
At the end of the day, if you have something to say to your significant other that is in any sense important or meaningful, make it a point to call them. For example, if you are on your way to a first meet and get into a car accident, don’t text your date.
Call your date and explain what happened after you’ve called a family member for help. It’s always important to call your family or someone that can help. Most likely, your date will understand if he or she had to wait around a little before hearing from you. The person will probably want to help or are just glad you are okay.

Whatever method you choose, do it wisely. Make it a point to consider how the other person will feel receiving information from you. If it’s a simple ‘Hello,’ text them, a ‘Hey, look what I found and it made me think of you,’ tweet them, a ‘Let’s talk about plans for next Friday, movies?’ call them. At the end of the day, communication is the key to a healthy relationship. Trust me.
To our happiness, cheers.