I know that it’s not the preferred method of communication by everyone but, regardless, I love texting. First off, it is casual and informal which syncs up well with what many people enjoy about online dating. Second of all, people are busy and they don’t always have time to respond to lengthy emails, or carry on long phone conversations where you can really get to know a lot about someone. However, perhaps the reason why I enjoy texting the most is that it’s fun.

Recently I began talking via email with a woman that I met on JDate, However, due to the travel schedule imposed by my job, we weren’t able to plan a date during what I considered to be the prime window. Fearing that I would miss my chance I asked for a date anyway just so that I could get her number and see if I could figure out a way in the interim to delay our first date without losing our momentum. That was where texting came in to play and was key to keeping everything going.

Around the time I was set to go on a road trip, I texted her in an attempt to begin a conversation and keep things progressing. She responded and seemed receptive to a texting conversation. As a result we’ve been texting back and forth for the past few days that I’ve been out of town, and through short messages we have been able to carry on a conversation where I think we’ve learned a lot about each other.

Instead of putting what we were doing or what some of our interests were in an email we’ve talked about them via text. In addition to our casual correspondence we made plans for a date when I got back. However, due to weather conditions in Chicago, our flight back was cancelled and I had to postpone our date. Perhaps had we been emailing and not texting she would have understood this situation; however, through our text messages she was fully aware of my situation.

In fact, she even suggested, after I told her that my flight was cancelled and our first date would have to be pushed back another week, that we continue texting and talking, which made me feel really good. Ultimately, I know that not everyone is going to be cool with this form of consistent communication, but right now it’s really the best way for me considering my schedule. In the end I appreciated her understanding and in spite of how well we’ve corresponded via text message I do plan on calling her from the airport later tonight so that we can finally take the next step in our relationship and chat over the phone.