I think it was AOL IM or MSN Messenger that used to tell people in a chat that the other person was typing.
For me, those two were the sweet spot in history and I wrote about AOL IM in particular here.
Seems like a great idea in theory. WhatsApp has it now as well of course.
They added it without asking us if we wanted it…
Have you ever been in a chat, seen someone is typing something, then they stop.
The thought process goes a bit like this:
“Ooh… they’re typing something”
“I wonder what they’re typing about. It must be something really worthwhile because that bubble almost looks like it’s here to stay.”
“So thoughtful writing such a well considered message before pulling the trigger. You can’t put a price on that.”
“They seem to be typing for a long time. Why don’t they just hit send? What are they writing? The Magna Carta?”
“The bubbles have stopped. They must have deleted the thing they were typing. Everyone’s an editor these days”
“What were they going to say? It seems more interesting now it hasn’t materialised”
“Anything? No?”
“Nothing. Hmmmm.”
“It was important enough to start typing it, now they’ve thought better of it”
“Damn them to hell”
“Maybe they just slipped on the keyboard interface. Yes, that will be it. They are just so clumsy aren’t they.”
“But it might not have been?”
“I bet they were going to say something I wouldn’t like and saved themselves at the last moment”
“Absolute bastards. “
“I’m getting carried away”
“It was probably something lovely… or at least flowery”
“They know I don’t like it when they heap too much praise upon me”
“Holding back on all that waxing lyrical stuff to spare my blushes. I respect that”
“Maybe they think they get charged when they send anything. Should I tell them it’s free?”
“When they open their wallet a moth flies out I bet”
“I am going to change their saved name on WhatsApp to “Bubble Typing Tease””
Thanks for reading.
As ever, until we get to 100 posts and I disappear like a lone ranger in the middle of the night, I’ll see you in the next one.
Of course, that does mean you’ll have to put up with me for another 32 posts on this blog 🙂 After that I just have to remember to renew it for a couple of years.
Playing this one with call me on the Hanging On The Telephone by Blondie…