With so much going on in a students life these days, I try not to allow them to loose focus when they come to me with questions and issues. A lot of the time it is just an excuse for what's truly underlying. Once we seek common ground, the student feels relaxed and usually opens up about the person business and we are able to get everything resolved.

I handle the social media (facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc) for a private school. And most students type short hand and include pictures instead of the actual words. I still feel my response needs to be written in full since it is a reflection of the school. Sometimes it makes it hard with limited characters and space, so I really have to focus on the best way to respond depending on the media.