THE RULES OF DATING & TEXTING

FIVE TEXTING RULES FOR NEW RELATIONSHIPS:

#1.) TEXT ON NOTEWORTHY OCCASIONS. Texts are a great way to let someone know that they're on your mind . . . especially when a response isn't really required.

--One text-worthy occasion is the morning after a great date. A text saying "I had a great time last night," is less intrusive than a phone call. Or if your date mentioned an important upcoming meeting or event, send them a quick text wishing them good luck.

#2.) DON'T TEXT WHEN A PHONE CALL WOULD BE BETTER. Even though texting is so common nowadays, having endless and lengthy text conversations in place of voice-to-voice action is a bad idea.

--Not only do you lose a bit of the human element over text, sometimes texting can even be more time-consuming than a phone call. If you're asking your date something that's going to require a back-and-forth dialogue, skip the texting and just call them.

#3.) FLIRT WITH CAUTION. It's easy to offend your date with a message that's a little too much too soon. People who can get really creative in bed still don't want to see certain words on their phones. So start off with something small, like "I love kissing you," and see if it escalates.

#4.) DON'T TEXT AT ODD HOURS. Just like you wouldn't call at all hours of the night, you shouldn't text at those times either. As a general rule, don't text before 10:00 A.M. unless you know for sure they get up early . . . and don't text after 10:00 P.M.

#5.) DON'T SAY ANYTHING YOU WOULDN'T SAY IN PERSON. It's best to save texting for fun and flirty notes, or where-to-meet type messages when you're making plans. Save heavy conversations or the first "I love you" for face-to-face chats. (Happen Magazine)