Question about texting ...

[kenny]

I'm beginning volunteer work at a charity.
All of us volunteers in this new project are new to the charity, and we have not yet met.
The leader communicates via text and email.

She started a group text for all of us noobs.
Many other noobs responded and several conversations between several individuals took place all mixed together in this one group text (chain?) (thread?) (conversation?) What's it called?

It was confusing because I didn't know who was who in the long group text.
The name of each person does not appear, only their phone number.

So I posted a text saying, "I'm Kenny. Would each of you please write your name in this group text so I can add you to my contacts. Then I'll know who's saying what?"

Nobody did, but everyone kept talking as if they all knew who the other texters were.

Do they have psychic powers?
Am I just stupid.

Please help this old dinosaur.
How does this stuff work?

(Where is a 15 year old when you need one?)

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

What phone do you use Kenny, and what messaging app? And do you know what phones the others use?

 

[kenny]

Someone lent me their old Samsung phone with (I assume) runs on Android software.
Is the following statement true? ...
"All smartphones are either an iPhone or one that runs on Android software."

I have no idea what kind of phones the others have.

Why should any of that matter?

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Someone lent me their old Samsung phone with (I assume) Android software.
Is the following statement true? ... All smartphones are either an iPhone from apple or an android.

I have no idea what kind of phones the others have.

Why should any of that matter?

That statement is basically true, yes. There used to be other notable OS like BlackBerry and Windows but I think both have been fully discontinued. Android (developed by Google) is the OS that is used by almost every smartphone manufacturer in the world except for Apple, who use their own proprietary OS, which is called iOS.

Your Samsung phone is definitely Android.

The reason I asked what messaging app is being used and what phone you/the others have is because if it was WhatsApp or something then it shows you the name of the contact even if you haven’t saved it.

iMessage/Messages (which is Apple) also allows you to share your name and/or photo when you send someone a message. I’m not sure if it only works between Apple devices though (in my country, no one uses anything other than WhatsApp to communicate). I was wondering if that’s how they could all identify each other.

 

[kenny]

Thanks.
I was not using "WhatsApp", or any other ap.
Actually, I've never downloaded a single ap on the phone or my home desktop.
Most apt track you and sell your personal info ... as the saying goes, if it's free YOU're the product being sold.

So my question still stands, what is customary when texting someone for the first time?

Does one have to tell the recipient their name, then the recipient adds that name to their phone's contact list in order for that name to show up on texts?

Or is there some other way for the text sender's name to appear on the recipients screen that I'm not aware of?

 

[HGar]

If you add them individually into your phone as contacts it may show as their names in the messages? But the proviso is you need to know each name for the phone number. Maybe reach out to the administrator?

 

[kenny]

Thanks

You wrote, "If you add them individually into your phone as contacts it may show as their names in the messages?"

Yes, I have done that when I know the name of the person texting me.
From that point on their name displays every time that person texts me.

You wrote, "Maybe reach out to the administrator?"

When you say administrator are you referring to the lead person at the charity?
In my OP above I wrote, "So I posted a text saying, "I'm Kenny. Would each of you please write your name in this group text so I can add you to my contacts. Then I'll know who's saying what?"
The person who started the group-text in question here IS the leader.

So I've already done that, if the leader I referred to is the administrator you refer to.
My request was ignored and all the noobs just kept talking to each other.

So, what am I missing?
I strongly suspect I'm missing something.
I think everyone in the world knows this stuff but doesn't bother answering my question because they think I already know the answer but I'm being a troll by pretending to not know in order to get attention.

I'm just very late (or never) when it comes to adopting new technologies.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thanks

You wrote, "If you add them individually into your phone as contacts it may show as their names in the messages?"

Yes, I have done that when I know the name of the person texting me.
From that point on their name displays every time that person texts me.

You wrote, "Maybe reach out to the administrator?"

When you say administrator are you referring to the lead person at the charity?
In my OP above I wrote, "So I posted a text saying, "I'm Kenny. Would each of you please write your name in this group text so I can add you to my contacts. Then I'll know who's saying what?"
The person who started the group-text in question here IS the leader.

So I've already done that, if the leader I referred to is the administrator you refer to.
My request was ignored and all the noobs just kept talking to each other.

So, what am I missing?
I strongly suspect I'm missing something.
I think everyone in the world knows this stuff but doesn't bother answering my question because they think I already know the answer but I'm being a troll by pretending to not know in order to get attention.

I'm just very late (or never) when it comes to adopting new technologies.

I have a Samsung Z Flip4 (android). Even if I don't use any type of messaging app and we're simply chatting via text, my phone shows the name of the "caller." Then it will give me a prompt like, "so and so messaged you and is not a contact" with options to add them to my contacts list or block them. I suspect that depending on which phones your fellow noobs are using (newer versions), that may be why they have it all sussed out. The other option is maybe they have no idea who is texting which message and are just replying in kind. Perhaps you can write each # directly, if there aren't too many, and ask (outside of the group text).

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

As someone who is always being added to group chats where I don’t know all the people I’m speaking with, I tend to respond without caring about who is writing. The messages seldom need to be tailored to a specific sender (for eg, if someone drops a text in the group asking what time we are all meeting; I don’t need to know who exactly it is to respond with the time). So it’s fully possible that the others don’t know who is sending each specific message but it doesn’t bother them.

 

[kenny]

As someone who is always being added to group chats where I don’t know all the people I’m speaking with, I tend to respond without caring about who is writing. The messages seldom need to be tailored to a specific sender (for eg, if someone drops a text in the group asking what time we are all meeting; I don’t need to know who exactly it is to respond with the time). So it’s fully possible that the others don’t know who is sending each specific message but it doesn’t bother them.

Good point, thanks.

 

[missy]

Kenny, I hate group chats. Unless they are in your contacts you don't know who is writing what. It's just messy and annoying and the reason I put my phone on silent.

The only thing you can do is put each of them in your phone contacts and then it will show who is texting

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

its just rude no one answered you Kenny

 

[kenny]

Kenny, I hate group chats. Unless they are in your contacts you don't know who is writing what. It's just messy and annoying and the reason I put my phone on silent.

The only thing you can do is put each of them in your phone contacts and then it will show who is texting

How does 'putting your phone on silent' prevent group chats?

Wouldn't that just make your phone not ring .. for both the undesirable group chats, and for the texts that you did want to get?

 

[kenny]

its just rude no one answered you Kenny

That's what I thought.
But I'm such a late-adopter at texting, and haven't really caught on to its customs, that I usually blame my ignorance when texting confounds me.

I'm an old dog.
To learn a new trick I need a formal introduction to new tech ... like this ...
(I love these old videos ... opps ... I mean films.)

 

[missy]

How does 'putting your phone on silent' prevent group chats?

Wouldn't that just make your phone not ring .. for both the undesirable group chats, and for the texts that you did want to get?

Yes LOL. I cannot stand the constant ding ding ding or vibrations with group chats because they go on forever in my experience. Not a fan of group chats but then again I am more comfortable with one on one interaction in general so yeah. The way to know who is texting you however is to make sure you have everyone's contact info (name with their mobile #) in your phone. Then their name will show with their text

 

[lambskin]

My sister gets me on a HUGE group chat when she goes on vacation. I hate it! ping, ding and responses from folks I don’t know. I know she is trying to include anyone and everyone who is interested but frankly I am not. Plus somehow one number got into my contacts ( I’m a Luddite so I know I am at fault) and I was texting other folks and she got in the group and she responded kinda crappy. not a fan

 

[sledge]

Assuming you know the names of all the people in your group, just randomly shoot a text saying, "Johnny is such a prick". The guy that responds back angry is Johnny. Wait until they calm down and then respond, "Sally is such a b*tch". When you get read the right act, you can then save that number as Sally.

Rinse and repeat as necessary. This might cause some slight uncomfortable feelings at your next face-to-face meeting. Just explain you were fishing for names.

Follow me for more cool social media tips.

 

[SparklieBug]

As someone who is always being added to group chats where I don’t know all the people I’m speaking with, I tend to respond without caring about who is writing. The messages seldom need to be tailored to a specific sender (for eg, if someone drops a text in the group asking what time we are all meeting; I don’t need to know who exactly it is to respond with the time). So it’s fully possible that the others don’t know who is sending each specific message but it doesn’t bother them.

^^ Unless someone has a specific request for me, this is what I do, too. I don't know quite a few people in one group I was added to, but the discourse is uplifting, so I don't mind.

 

[monarch64]

There have been times I've been expected to participate in group texts for work and it's a total pain in the booty. Kenny, I don't think anyone purposely ignored your questions; maybe they just didn't know how to answer because they had to be told how to do things themselves. Regardless, it's a scary awkward feeling joining in on something new and no one volunteers immediately to help you out.

It's times like these I wish we still had the PM system (wow that was a LONG time ago!) so someone could communicate directly with you and help you out.

You can silence your phone for sure. You won't receive audible notifications or vibrations to let you know there's a new message. Instead, you would rely on being on or near enough to your phone constantly to see it light up and you'd know you had a new message(s). Remember how you used to post about people being attached to their phones and sort of causing chaos in the streets because they weren't paying attention to their surroundings? Many if not most people now are "chronically online" and while they have their phones silenced they're watching their screens so consistently that they never miss a text due to the visual cues. Myself included. I use my phone for work and have for many years and it's become second nature. I know that is not your bag and I get it; but here we are.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

at my work the owner/boss/head baker got us to use the i pad to send our orders in for the next mornings delivery
we have two shops as well as the actual bakery shop
as i work afternoons on my own i miss ringing up the bakery

sometimes the ipad turns into a bit of a group chat and i find that hard with only the 3 of us
at home we are an android family and the i pad does not come naturally to be but the first day i managered to photograph the order sheets and send them in he brought me a hibiscuss to acknowlege i was doing well and trying my best

then the next night i got send & done mixed up and no order arrived at the bakery
- we still got an order, the bakery just guessed