A Lesson in Group Text Etiquette You Will Not Want to Miss

Stick to People You Know

It's all too easy for people to keep adding new members, but keeping the circle tight makes sense. "Everyone should know each other, at least," Swann says. "If you have no dealings with each other, the group is probably a little too large."

Think about the purpose of the group when you're deciding who to include—if it's the bridal party text thread, you may not need to include the parents of the bride (or even the bride themselves), as they may not need or want the details of the bachelorette party plans.

Post Things Meant for Everyone

If you have something to share with only one or two members of the group, it's time for a sidebar conversation. "Remember it is a group message, so whatever information you're sharing should be meant for the entire group," Swann says. "If you end up in a side conversation with an individual, take it outside of the group text."

Watch Time Zones and Bedtime Habits

Be careful about texting in the evening or early morning hours, especially if you have people in different time zones—a midnight text from you may wake someone at 3 a.m. across the country.

Mute or Leave if Needed

Sometimes, a group text simply might not be working for you—whether it's because you're having disagreements with your fellow texters, or you have too much on your plate to keep up with the message thread. You can either completely leave or mute the text to give yourself some breathing room. But either way, do it quietly.

"Leave discreetly, but let the person who took on a leadership role in the text know that you have left the text," Swann says. "That way you don't ghost someone."

Be careful about burning bridges with a scathing departure text to the group, especially if you only have a beef with one or two people. "Unless you have a desire to end your relationship with everyone in that group, the goal should be to maintain relationships," Swann says. "It's difficult to do that if you've offended people on the way out."

Post With a Purpose

No one likes to get spammed with dozens of unnecessary texts, so think before you post—that's the whole basis of group text etiquette. "Bottom line, stick to the topic at hand," Swann says. "This is not a social media profile, where you post what you're doing in your life in the same way as you would on Instagram or Twitter. We don't need that sort of update."