I Bequeth These SMSes to My Estate and Future Biographers....maybe?
November 25, 2011 9:32 PM   Subscribe

Help me catalog my youthful correspondence so that when I grow old and wither I may smile at a time well-spent but long-gone with those I love -- 21st CENTURY STYLE!!!11!!

So, one of my favorite features on the iPhone is that it keeps a record of all my text conversations, now stretching back years. Sometimes when I'm sad or nostalgic I'll re-read these mini-letters and threads of conversation. I think its wonderful. With a few people in particular, the growth of our relationship is amazing and plotted perfectly almost week by week. I really want to save these. If they were letters and this was 1910 and I was a young and well off Oxford gent headed for greater things I would wrap them in a ribbon and keep them in a box. But they're little bytes on my phone. How do I store these conversation in some sort of separate document that I can save and keep for the long-term? Is there a way to export texts from my iPhone or to create an updating backup? Other suggestions for preservation of these, in earnest, sacred memories?

There is a previous thread from a little over a year ago on this topic, but I'd like to know if there is a free program by now that can do this on a Mac. I'm sure I could find $20, but it seems a little indulgent to forgo ~3 meals for.

Thanks!
posted by Chipmazing to Technology (5 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'd say that if these truly are memories you want to reflect on a million years down the road, twenty bucks is worth it. You won't remember how much you spent, I'll bet you that.
posted by Chutzler at 9:36 PM on November 25, 2011


Response by poster: Chutzler, if there isn't a similar free product, I will go down the road most definitely. I just want to explore my options. I enjoy supporting (and utilizing) freeware.
posted by Chipmazing at 10:13 PM on November 25, 2011


Just make sure you print them out when you extract them, bonus: you even get to tie a ribbon around them and keep 'em in a box.
posted by Blasdelb at 10:16 PM on November 25, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I don't know if it can catalog text messages, but this is pretty cool and I read about it on Anil Dash's blog: http://thinkupapp.com/ Certainly the same idea, targeted towards other forms of social networking. Maybe worth exploring a bit?
posted by Betty's Table at 11:12 AM on November 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: That is really cool Betty's Table. Thanks!
posted by Chipmazing at 11:50 AM on November 26, 2011


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