10 Rules of Cell Phone Etiquette - Are You Rude?

To me, there is nothing ruder than a cell phone. Yes, I have one and have occasionally broken the rules. But I try very hard not to since I work with the public and have been at the butt end of the rudeness. Have you noticed how some folks seem hopelessly attached to their phones? Like they are growing out of their ears or something. Who in the world are they talking to all that time? They must be very important people.

Here goes - my 10 top rules of cell phone etiquette, followed by a couple of links to quizzes that will establish just how rude you are.

1) Shut your cell off in hospitals, clinics, movie theaters, classrooms, doctor's offices, etc. These are obvious places where you can irritate other people. People are trying to concentrate on other things. They are not interested in your gossip.

2) At least put the phone down when you are ready to order something from a counter, whether it be the donut shop, seafood counter, fast food place or cleaners. Show some respect. It is rude to point at what you want and continue to discuss your girlfriend's hideous new haircut.

3) Pay attention to your driving!! I've noticed that the majority of bad drivers I run into (and there are plenty) are yacking on the phone while they drive. They tend to forget to use their directionals or stay totally in their own lanes. Be a courteous driver but, more importantly, be a safe one.

4) Keep your voice at a normal tone. You don't have to scream. Technology is such that you can be heard in a normal voice. Once again, other people don't care about your day at the beach.

5) Don't ignore the folks you are with. I observed a family unit at a restaurant once who all ate in silence except Dad because he was talking business on his cell phone the whole time. Not much fun for them.

6) Text messaging can be just as bad. It seems to be addicting to those that do and they are always distracted. Pay attention.

7) Get rid of the annoying ring tones. Do you really need to have a circus theme song or a police siren to let you know someone's trying to reach you?

8) Keep the ring tone at a reasonable volume. You don't want to startle people.

9) When I call you on your cell phone, please don't have five minutes of your favorite band entertaining me before I leave a message.

10) Most importantly, be considerate when in public. You can always call back, they can always leave a message. Stop looking at your phone and try looking at the world.

Links to etiquette quizzes -

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10779_7-5843439-1.html

http://www.blogthings.com/howsyourcellphoneetiquettequiz/

More stuff-

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