How do I … use text messaging on a cell phone?

Contrary to popular belief, text messaging is still a minority activity in the United States. (In Japan, it’s quite a bit more popular.)

An industry study released last week found 40 percent of the country’s 220 million cell phone users have used and continue using text messages. That 40 percent group is very busy with their keypads; they shipped about 65 billion text messages in the first half of 2006, roughly twice the volume from a year earlier, according to the CTIA-Wireless Association.

Every wireless or cell service provider now promotes text messaging. The bandwidth required to ship short text messages from one cell user to another is far less than even the shortest voice call.

So what are the advantages of using text messaging? Each text message costs very little, varying with service plan from 10 cents each to nothing at all.

Some folks mistakenly believe another advantage is the invisible history of where text messages go. Not true. Just like cell calls, those text messages get tracked and show exactly where you’ve sent them.

So how easy is it? Even you can do it.

1. Get your cell phone going and find the option for New Message.

2. Enter the number of the recipient in the “send to” option. You can also send a text message to e-mail addresses.

3. Just like typing an e-mail, use the phone keys to generate a message. Text messages are typically compact. You can say “I’ll see you tomorrow” as “Il c u 2-mora.”

Most wireless carriers have limits on the size of the text message. Most U.S. carriers restrict messages to 160 characters, said Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Georgia Taylor.

4. Press send.