Cell Phone Manners Anyone?

I sure you have all been in the awkward position where you need to use your phone but you are not sure if it’s the right place or the right time (think on a blind date or even in class). And I’m sure you all know the person that’s setting next to you and screaming into their phone as if you are not there. And then there are the people who can never be separated from their phones – its as if they are just permanently attached to them.
With current technology it is easy to forget some of the manners from yesteryear in favor of the simple convenience of today. That however, is not grounds for people to act like their blackberry’s are more important than the people around you. On MSN lifestyle I came across an article an article entitled Minding your Mobil Manners that outlines a few basic phone etiquette rules to consider when you are chatting it up.
The first thing to consider is that when you are having a face-to-face appointment it is time to put the phone away. Most phone calls can wait till the conversation is over and if not then politely excuse yourself and take the call away from the table. It is not only rude but also unproductive to scroll through your email, or send out unnecessary texts while your speaking with someone else. Whether you are on a date or in a meeting its impolite to pay so little attention to the speaker. If it really is that bad of a time just consider rescheduling.
The second thing to keep in mind is the purpose of the voicemail, it was designed to take calls when you can’t. If texting or just goofing off on the phone is impolite then talking on the phone while you should be talking to the person setting across from you is even worse. And unless it’s an emergency the person on the other end will probably be content to hear from you later so turn the phone on silent and let the calls wait.
As I mentioned earlier there are some people who talk loudly on the phone and this disturbs the surround area. I mean realistically do you really want to be at a restaurant enjoying your meal when the guy at the table next to you is recalling last night’s party on speakerphone, I think not. Or what about the compulsive curser, apparently no one told her it was rude to act that way in public. The moral of this lesson is to just be conscious about where and how you are airing your dirty laundry.
If for some reason you need to take a phone call always asks the other person if they mind. This will minimize their irritation at the interruption because you are showing that you do care about them too. If you need to return a text you don’t have to explain yourself but don’t make it a habit and do do it at the right place and time.
The final rule of thumb is that if you have to question whether or not taking that call is a good idea then it probably isn’t. The other thing to consider it that not all phone rules are the same when you travel outside your give area. For example in Japan it is considered rude to use your phone while you are using public transportation.
These are some pretty basic rules I found but one would be surprised at how much people have to say about phone etiquette whether its at school, work, pubic, etc. There is even a cell phone etiquette quiz you can take.