Texting for Beginners

There are many ways to sound when texting. Here's some tips to get you sounding how you want.

Greeting- "Hello" is a little frosty and more formal...you could use it in an argument of some sort. To sound a bit insecure or submissive say "hi" with all lowercase. To be  more dominant say "Hi" with an uppercase. To be a bit casual you can say "hey" for which the lowercase/uppercase rule doesn't apply. If you're talking to a closer friend it is okay to answer with "Yo", but don't overuse it or use it in situations that it wouldn't be appropriate for.

Smileys- For joking around use :P. For flirting use ;) or ;P. To soften a statement that may sound offensive use :). Using :( or any form of this is not recommended as it can come off as fake to some people.

Closing- For most situations you don't really have to put a period or anything. If you want to sound a little formal, threatening, mad, or sarcastic end with a period. If you are really excited multiple exclamation marks are fine but don't overdo it. Asking a question can be a bit tricky so to sound normal don't use a question mark, if you want to sound more curious use a question mark. Multiple question marks are only okay with close friends or in extreme situations. Ending with a "dot dot dot" is fine with friends but using it too much looks a little strange. 

Case- To be more formal start with an uppercase letter. I usually just use lowercase letters when talking with friends. Uppercase is difficult to use properly I find. When talking to a close friend you can use it for emphasis, shouting, excitement, and whatever. But if you're talking to others try toning it down a bit and only using uppercase in the beginning of sentences.

Names- To be more formal or talk with someone you just met I recommend using uppercase for the first letter of names. Lowercase names are for casual mention usually.

Gibberish- Spouting gibberish is only proper when talking to close friends about being excited or when getting in a horrible accident that causes you to press random buttons on your phone.

Wait time- Answering immediately is the best thing to do. Waiting a little is only okay if you are doing something more important, in which case you should inform them, or if you are purposely not answering them or avoiding them. It's not cool to leave a message unanswered just because you didn't feel like answering the person.

This is all the help I can really give you, the rest is up to you. Good luck and be careful!