About my headline: No, FUD isn't a reference to Elmer. And IMHO isn't where you can get pancakes. It's text messaging (a.k.a. SMS for Short Messaging Service).

Now, don't have a cow. I know what many of you are thinking. It's ruining the language. It's changing the dynamics (and abilities of our youth) of face-to-face communications. It's certainly not for me.

At the recent PCMA Annual Meeting in Seattle, I had the pleasure of facilitating the Technology SIG (Special Interest Group - aren't these darn acronyms everywhere?). We had a great group of about 30 folks who discussed the prevalent challenges technology is creating as we try to manage our meetings and sales tasks; cool future technologies; dealing with legacy systems; and the various new tools (RFID, RSS) available.

And then it came, from one of the students attending (and I'm so glad they were there). I don't remember exactly how the subject - text messaging - was broached, but the "adults" were outraged. It's not professional, they said. Too many acronyms … not enough verbs. Don't those $#&% kids ever get their heads out of their phones anyway?

I say it's time to realize that this is their tool. When I was growing up (OK, it was a long time ago), we had the telephone. Maybe it was still rotary. It was certainly tied by a cord to a room in the house (if we were lucky, it was in our bedroom). But we were on it all the time as teenagers. It was our lifeline.

Now you can only find rotary phones on Andy Griffith reruns. Kids have cell phones at an early age, which offer a number of communication options: speech, texting, Instant Messaging. We can't blame them that the technology has raced forward. They want to stay connected, just as we did. They just have cooler toys and tools.

The Generation Yers are entering the workforce in massive numbers. They are ultimate multitaskers. Communication isn't only face to face - the virtual tools (texting especially) allow for brief, quick responses. We say we want to embrace them … shouldn't we start communicating on their terms as well as ours?

I have to admit, I'm not a big text user, probably because most of my peers haven't gone down that path yet. And I do believe (even as a geek) that technology has an off button, and I don't want to (or should) be available 24/7. But that's just my feeling. If you're trying to bring younger members into your organization, or as a salesperson, attempting to sell your product/facility to the new generation of planners, wouldn't it make sense to embrace the communication choices that they use?

Texting is everywhere. Maybe it's time to embrace it rather than shun it.

Did you know that you can text Google to open a search? Try texting 466453, and then enter the terms of your search. You'll get your answer momentarily, as a text message reply. (The use of keywords in this type of search is important.) You can even text message your airline to get an update on your flight.

With Gen Y and the Millennials entering our industry and attending our events, maybe it's time to consider textmessage marketing. Why not offer an option of text confirmation of event registration, such as this SMS text:

anncnf rgcnfm
www.mymeeting.com 
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James Spellos, CMP, (jspellos@meeting-u.com) is founder and president of Meeting U., which provides customized training solutions for the meeting professional. A certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), he has 16-plus years of computer training, software training, meeting planning education, and technology consulting experience. Working Smarter is sponsored by PSAV Presentation Services, www.psav.com.