Sexting Secrets

The secret to effective sexting and flirty text messages: Real turn-ons and turn-offs revealed

This woman is smiling because the person texting her can spell.

Courtesy photo

Call us old-fashioned, but we are happy to hear that people still value accuracy in spelling and grammar, especially when it comes to courtship. According to a Digital Flirting Rules survey by chat and messaging app Omlet, most men and women say funky or informal spelling is the No. 1 biggest turnoff when receiving chats or text messages.

In other words, your “cr8tive” words are not cute. Seventy-three percent of women and 58 percent of men disapprove of that nonsense.

Both sexes also disapprove of lack of punctuation and grammar (46 percent of men and 59 percent of women). Men also hate multiple exclamation points. Apparently the ladies aren’t as bothered by them, which is probably because they’re the ones using them. On the list of turnoffs for men, it ranks No. 2 (47 percent disapprove). Only 38 percent of women had negative feelings about overly excited messaging.

Another thing on which the sexes can agree: emoticons and emoji. Thirty one percent of men and 38 percent of women prefer to receive chats and text messages filled with smiley faces, winks and all that other stuff. So, you know, keep doing that.

Something on which men and women radically disagree: the late-night texts. Guys really like being messaged from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (21 percent), but only one percent of women want to receive texts in the middle of the night — and 55 percent really dislike it.

So, dudes, maybe chill on the “R U up?” texts at 3 a.m. Perhaps they’d be better received if delivered as “Are you up?”

Here are the big turnoff takeaways:

Top five biggest digital flirting turnoffs for men

Funky or very informal spelling (58 percent disapproval rating)
Multiple exclamation points in chat messages (47 percent disapprove)
Lack of punctuation and grammar (46 percent disapprove)
All lowercase words (41 percent disapprove)
Excessive slang — LOL, BRB, WTF (40 percent disapprove)

Top five biggest digital flirting turnoffs for women

Funky or very informal spelling (73 percent disapproval rating)
Lack of punctuation and grammar (59 percent disapprove)
Excessive slang (54 percent disapprove)
Messages during sleeping hours (51 percent disapprove)
All lowercase words (50 percent disapprove)

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raising the stakes

Two event giants team up to transform Houston's party rental market

Photo courtesy of Nick Scurfield (Scurfield Group)

Houston Tents and Events just got bigger.

Looks like everything is coming up tents in Space City! Houston Tents & Events recently acquired A Finer Event, vastly increasing its share of the tent market in the city.

“We’re excited about bringing A Finer Event into the Houston Tents & Events family,” HTE COO Darren Randle said in.a statement. “They have been our go-to vendor for tabletop rental products for years, and I’m humbled and appreciative that we are the company they trust to carry on their family’s legacy. As we continue toward our long-term vision of expansion, our teams combined have some of the most knowledgeable and experienced event specialists and installers in the industry. We are ready to showcase what we can do for Houston and beyond.”

The move adds 30,000-square-feet of inventory at the 14820 North Freeway location. HTE will continue employing Finer Event’s management staff.

The acquisition comes on the heels of the death of Finer Event founder Mike Little. He started in the tent and party rental business in 1977, building it into a small but successful empire. Little passed away after a long battle with cancer in 2023, leaving the business to his son Jeremy. After the loss of his father, Jeremy saw a partnership with HTE as the next logical step for the company.

“In the wake of my dad’s passing, there was a season of transition to find the right fit for A Finer Event’s next chapter,” Little said. “Having worked closely with Darren over the years as a partner on events, we felt his company held similar values to how we’ve done business for the last 20 years. I respect Darren as a business leader, and I’m confident he’s the right person to continue serving our customers with the same standard of service.”

HTE will need the extra size because Houston is in the midst of a good old-fashioned tent-off! Last month, Town & Country Party Rentals made the surprise move to reacquire Aztec Events & Tents. Todd Johnson, co-owner of Town & Country Party Rentals, had sold the business in 2015 to a group of buyers led by A. Kelly Williams and Michael Hanks, only to buy it back this year. The acquisition consolidated major parts of the Houston party rental infrastructure market.

Now, HTE and Town & Country will be two titans vying for dominance of the outdoor wedding, party, and/or social gathering industry. The fact that HTE has hired Fito Reyes, a 28-year-industry juggernaut who was previously senior operations manager for Aztec, shows that the two companies know what the (tent) stakes are.

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