Survey gives luv txt tips
Nothing says "I LUV U" like a mawkish text message and a Peter Frampton ringtone.
This Valentine's Day, millions of cell-crossed lovers will triple-tap their romantic feelings to one another, on what has become one of the world's top-texting days.
But Cingular Wireless' annual Valentine's survey of 1,006 adult cellphone users provides a cautionary tale for all would-be wireless Cupids.
Nearly a third of respondents said they had answered a wireless phone "in the midst of a great conversation" on a date, and 38 percent said that the person sitting across the table from them had done the same.
Five percent admitted that they called someone else they were interested in from their cellphone while on a date, and seven percent said their date did the same.
And while it may seem sweet when "HEY CU T" pops up on your screen, don't read too much into those messages -- 28 percent of respondents reported they used texting to avoid long conversations.
But don't lose hope. While eight percent of respondents said bad cellphone etiquette ended their relationship, twenty-eight percent said they flirted by text, and a third said they texted their significant other -- six percent more than last year. Nearly a fifth said their cellphone had been useful for crashing an unpleasant date.
"Text messaging has become part of the social fabric of dating in America," said Jennifer Bowcock, director of consumer public relations for Cingular Wireless, in a statement.
In honor of "Text UR SWEETHRT Day," Boston-based Joopz, a service that allows people with clumsy thumbs to send text messages from the Web, is offering free, unlimited messaging and mobile candy hearts, proclaiming things like "U R 1-D-R-FUL."
But frumpy phone-owners beware; even if you text a sonnet, your date might not swoon. Six percent of people surveyed said they had judged a potential date based on the phone they use.
(By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe staff)
