The etiquette of the cell phone is most commonly involved in my everyday life. I actually do not mind when people interrupt a current conversation if the phone call is important and needs to be answered at that particular moment. What is frustrating is when the phone call is irrelevant and ruins the momentum of the conversation. I really dislike when people text in dark places. They feel that since they are texting they are not distracting others. When I go to a movie or indoor concert and the lights are off the bright screen is distracting. Just because someone is not talking on the phone the bright screen is distracting in a dark and quiet environment.
My pet peeve with answering machines is when people do not leave their name. There are basically two three people in my life that don't have to leave their name my girlfriend, Mom, and Dad. I have many other close friends I keep in touch with and I would recognize their voices. But, it is ridiculous to assume the person on with the message knows who is calling by your voice. Even if they have a cell phone or caller ID. It is rude and I feel a little arrogant.
I never have any problems with beepers any more. Most of the time it is people with next tells that have alter sounds when they are at work. It does not really bother me much. The only time it bothers me is when people are definitely off work or not answering their phone and fail to turn off their alerts. For example, there are people who get an alert but are in a situation where they are not going to answer their phone. Instead of turning off their alerts they just ignore all their alerts one after another! If your not going to answer your phone then turn off your beeper after the first alert.
I have never had to be on a conference call in my life. The example of the book seems to go hand in hand with my pet peeve of people not giving their name with their messages. It would be frustrating if you are on a conference call and spend more time guessing who is talking than listening to what the person is saying.
I do not really have a problem with call waiting as long as people use it responsibly. Just because someone gets a call on another line does not mean that person must respond. Call waiting should be used if really necessary. I will typically answer call waiting if I get the same person calling multiple times during a conversation. Then I usually know that it is probably appropriate to put a person on hold. Yet, call waiting should not be done within the middle of a thought or topic that will kill the momentum of a conversation.
I enjoy having the option of call waiting, email, fax, etc. With new technology and new ways to communicate should come basic etiquette that is acceptable to the specific means of one is communicating. Just as talking in people different social settings have different types of etiquette and language. Each technology has their own set of ethical standards that should be upheld.
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ReplyDeleteI agree when people don't leave their names when leaving a message it's irritating. I work at a doctors offices and some people leave long messages about their eye problems and don't even leave their name so I can call them back. They leave their phone number but that's it.
It's funny how in the movie theatres they now tell you not to text during the movie because it's distracting. Technology has come a long way since the beginning of cell phones. When I first started dating my boyfriend he used to ANSWER his phone during a movie. That irked me so much. Needless to say, he doesn't do that anymore.
Hello Chip9! You said that you do not mind if someone interrupts a conversation to answer the phone if it is important. Do you feel it would be better if the person waited until the present conversation was over in order to check messages? Do you think the definition of an 'emergency' or an 'important' call has changed since cell phones have become more widely used?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think folks 30 years ago would respond to someone interrupting a conversation to answer the phone? How do you think people 30 from now would respond?