texting

And the results are in - AT&T is calling Valentine's Day one the hottest texting days of the year, claiming 61 percent of adult cell phone owners surveyed plan to send a text message to their significant other this February 14. More than half of those surveyed, said they believe receiving a Valentine's Day text to mean the same or more than receiving a card.

And AT&T isn't the only one on to this trend.  Last night I came across a study released by the British National Trust, a charitable organization in charge of preserving and displaying some of the most famous love letters in our history. Over 2,500 adults took part, and while the majority would prefer to receive the old fashioned love letters and poems, the survey reveals that very few actually go through the trouble of penning them, choosing instead to type a simple “I luv U” text message. 

But texting isn’t the only way social citizens are spreading the love this Valentine’s Day. After all, it’s a desperate time for so many and we all feel a level of uncertainty that was not as apparent just a year ago. I put a call out on Twitter and Facebook asking friends and colleagues to share some of the ways they are planning to spread the love for “social good” this February 14, and you can find some of them below.  I also want to give a nod to the list of Valentine's that Give Back on Britt Bravo's Have Fun Do Good Blog, and my colleague Stephanie Hackman our resident  fashionista at the Case Foundation who reminds us why she "Heart's" Valentine's Day, and you should too.

• Honor your loved one with a life-changing gift. The Grameen Foundation is encouraging individuals to make a tribute to a loved one and bring a square to life by pledging $10 to help Stop Poverty Now.

• The folks at Global Voices think Valentine's Day is a day of love, friendship and communication. So, what better way to mark the occasion than to teach someone you love to blog or micro-blog?

• It's amazing but true: $5 can provide clean water for a person for 20 years. You can really make a difference this Valentine's Day and beyond, says Angel Mission via their viral video campaign that was spreading across facebook this past week.

• At MicroPlace a $20 donation in honor of your valentine gets you a box of fair trade milk chocolate from Ghana and a good feeling that your investment will make a difference in the life of a hard-working poor person.

• Wondering how to green your valentine’s day? The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. has plenty of tips and tricks to cut down on your environmental impact this February 14 with some green gift ideas.

*And yes, all of the text talk, reminded me of the picture our photographer’s captured as my husband and I were feverishly typing away on our blackberry’s on our wedding day last March. Only further revealing the mild addiction we are “working through.” I don’t think we were actually texting each other, but I wouldn’t put it past us… Happy Valentine’s Day! 

My husband shared this fantastic op-ed from the Times with me the other day.  In short, the NFL is arming fans with a text number so that they can report unruly and vulgar fans to security quickly and privately.

This is certainly a huge help to fans, particularly with children in tow, who want to enjoy a game and not hear beer-sloshed men spew obscenities nearby. But now imagine what else can be done with text messaging to make communities safer. What if your neighborhood in East Baltimore is being overridden by drug dealers? Here's a way to report it quickly, safely and securely to the police. And kids can report other students bringing weapons to school. Read more »