Saving/Archiving Instant Messages or Texts

[jencav]

I'm curious, how many of you save your instant messages or texts? We are unable to text, so we instant message a lot (which of course also comes like a text on my phone, too), but my SO is insistant that we not save them. He thinks it is like conversation and not meant to be recorded. I have to admit, that I save them anyway. Sometimes I like to look back at something he said to me, etc... I am starting to wonder if I should just erase them, though, especially since I told him I wouldn't save them. Any thoughts or comments?

[FadedSunrise]

Well the chat program the SO and I use, QQ, automatically archives them for me to a folder in my documents. ^^ . Also, since he and I are international and I don't have a smartphone/twitter is blocked in his country, I "text" through the computer, and that program archives them all as well. I don't usually reread any of it, though, but it feels like a precious keepsake.

[Micah]

I would save my texts, but my phone isn't too high tech, so I never have bothered. I don't think it's strange, though. I think a lot of people keep archives of their conversations to look back on.

[loveknowsnodistance27]

When we use MSN, our conversation logs are automatically saved, and I've saved old convos from when we used to use AIM. I keep lots of texts from him to go back and reread because they're so cute, and it's always nice to read when I'm feeling down or if I'm really missing my SO.

[SDPersona]

Same with me. I save my chat convos with him in a folder, but less for sentimentality and more for convenience because we like to send each other links of things we saw on the internet and I'd like to keep those great links of his. Of course I still go read those old convos because it makes me remember of really good times when I'm feeling down.

[Moon]

Well, if you told him you are erasing them, then that's exactly what you should do, it wouldn't be a good situation if he found out later. I save our IM's because they're usually full of links and things we send back and forth while on voice chat, but if my boyfriend wasn't OK with that for whatever reason, we'd talk about it and I'd follow whatever was decided. I wouldn't ever want to cause mistrust between us, especially over something so small.

[LadyMarchHare]

I have a huge archive file from AIM that has every conversation we've had on AIM since we started talking again in early 2010 (I had switched handles in mid-09 so I don't have anything from the old account) but I have to keep a word document with our MSN conversations because MSN only archives the stuff for x number of days and only keeps so much of the conversation anyway. I also save texts on a website called treasuremytext.

There's nothing wrong with doing it as it's not like you're saving it all to blackmail them, personally I like pulling up the archives now and again and re-reading them because they always make me smile. If it weren't for me doing that I would never have remembered when our anniversary is, certain things he's told me, things I've told him, and other things I consider important. I have a bad memory so re-reading it all reinforces it in my brain. It's your computer, you're allowed to have what you want on it and he doesn't get any say. My SO is well aware I have our conversations saved and he's jokingly told me to delete them a few times but he knows he can't control what I do any more than I can control what he does or what's on his laptop.

[LadyMarchHare]

Well, if you told him you are erasing them, then that's exactly what you should do, it wouldn't be a good situation if he found out later. I save our IM's because they're usually full of links and things we send back and forth while on voice chat, but if my boyfriend wasn't OK with that for whatever reason, we'd talk about it and I'd follow whatever was decided. I wouldn't ever want to cause mistrust between us, especially over something so small.

Though I agree to a point I have to wonder who in their right mind starts a fight over a conversation archive on a computer. So long as you're not giving the file to someone else or there's no way anyone else can read it there's honestly no problem. They let computers be password-protected for a reason.

[rori795]

Mine get automatically saved in a folder from gmail (we use gmail chat). I don't know if I would go out of my way to save them though. I do save texts every once in a while if it's something that I really want to remember or something that he said that was incredibly sweet. For instance, I saved the last text he sent me before turning off his phone for basic. I say if they mean something to you, save them. I sure he wouldn't exactly be mad about it if he knew how much it meant to you.

[kiara_silver]

I save alot of our convo's, most are saved automatically, just click history but the stuff i love and moments i want to go back on ive saved. Lol have a whole "Nathan file" I wish i would have saved our first stuff, ah well, i still have the memories. So i think theres nothing wrong with it, but if you guys talked about deleting them, then i would talk and tell him you plan to save them.

[YaraG]

My stupid i-phone 4 accidentally erased our convo, of almost a year. I was PISSED! We both save our emails, letters and texts. When I am feeling blue, he will send me an old email and it will brighten my day.

[13000km]

We IM mostly on google talk on my phone or on the computer, so everything is automatically saved under "chats" in gmail. My phone only keeps a certain number of old messages and the adium archives don't work very well for me.

There was a period of time when my boyfriend and I would go back to read conversations from our early days together. It can be fun, laughing at each other's expressions and reactions then. We've even done things like look through our first fight and picked out the parts that could have gone differently and talked about how we should go about things in a certain way our next fight.

Now we mostly skype, so our IM conversations are reduced to 3 hours a day at most (when the 3 year olds are napping). Other than that any conversation history looks like random words/phrases for when we don't understand what the other is saying or links we're sharing, so they're not very interesting.

[ClipitsWings]

haha i've got texts on my ipod, word documents, facebook archives, msn archives, yahoo archives, things saved into special files in my email...:3 all of it is wonderfully sweet for when i need it, and like LMH said, it can really help to remember little tidbits

So, as much as i tend to do what's asked of me (XD or my smartass interpretation on some occasions...), if you find the sentimental value means enough to you, i'd keep them. wanting to keep part of him to smile when he can't be around doesn't sound like a problem to me if you feel bad about ding it against his wishes you could tell him why you want to keep them, maybe he'll think its sweet?

[Leigh]

I save certain conversations. I think it's o.k. Especially if you want to reminisce.

[Moon]

Though I agree to a point I have to wonder who in their right mind starts a fight over a conversation archive on a computer. So long as you're not giving the file to someone else or there's no way anyone else can read it there's honestly no problem. They let computers be password-protected for a reason.

I don't disagree, but I was just making the point that if you say you've deleted them, then you should. For me, it would be a trust issue. I might think it's silly, and you might think it's silly, but for whatever reason, the OP's SO has an issue with it *shrugs*.