Do you own a cell phone? If you do are you the type of person who answers their cell phone? If you don’t answer your cell phone will you return the call if someone leaves you a message? If someone leaves you a message on your cell phone do you listen to the message or do you call the person back before listening? There needs to be some cell phone rules for people like this.
I am too attached to my phone. I need some written rules that say things like don’t text while hanging out with friends, or don’t answer your phone after work.
What if every cell phone came with rules? I don’t know how you would enforce these rules. Maybe if you abused the rules your cell phone would shut down for 15 minutes…or your phone could send out a mild but affective shock of electricity.
What rules do you think should be in place for every cell phone user.
I have set different rings on my cell phone for different people so I know, just by hearing it ring, who’s calling me. (Scott has his own ring, Shepherd’s have their own ring, my teachers at school have their own ring, etc.). I use my blue tooth a lot and I wish they would devise a way for the blue tooth to have different ring tones. That would be helpful! Depending on what I’m doing when it rings determines if I answer it or not. I never answer my cell phone if it’s an unknown caller. But if the unknown caller leaves a message, I always listen to it and then decide if I want to call them back. Sometimes I just don’t hear my cell phone ringing. If that happens and I pick it up and see that I’ve missed a call, if I recognize the caller, I often call them back without listening to the message first. Usually I know if a call is really important if my cell phone rings, I don’t answer, and then either my office or home phone (depending on where I am) rings immediately after from the same person. I do agree that some cell phone etiquette should be established.
I am not eligible to write rules about cell phone use I am commenting on your blog while the tech at the eye doctor is showing me a video on safety with your contacts.
On the technology side, if the phone could filter the severity/intensity of the call and limit them on non work hours….yeah.
I have specific rules.
– I don’t answer the phone when I’m with someone else.
– I almost never answer the phone while with clients.
– I don’t take business calls before 9 AM or after 9 PM.
– I will not interrupt a client to take another call.
– I will interrupt a friend to take a clients call.
– I ALWAYS call back if I have to interrupt a friend or if a message is left, at my earliest opportunity.
– I listen to the message before calling.
– I’m not obligated to call back if no message is left.
– I turn my ringer off if there’s any chance of it being disruptive.
– I don’t text, but if I did I wouldn’t do it while with someone else.
My rules will be bent for multiple calls in short succession or for unusual circumstances, but my cell phone usage is strictly governed by the above rules.
I'm a text-a-holic…. so I'm working on being more aware of when it's annoying/unacceptable timing on my part to be texting…. but generally I don't care because it's usually a text about whether or not someone is coming to wherever/whatever the rest of us are doing. As far as voicemails go…. I tend to just call the person right back if I missed the call & notice that they've left a voicemail… rather than waste the potentially precious time listening to it first. and my phone is almost always on vibrate, so as not to disturb others around me with Super Mario sound effects.. Journey songs.. and other various noises
I am terrible with the phone. I often don’t call people back. I often won’t answer if I can’t, or don’t want to talk. If someone leaves a message, I will often call back without listening to the message. I could use some rules.
Danielle, read my rules and follow them. You could actually start by keeping your cell phone with you. Seriously, my wife is the worst cell phone etiquette person I know.
Well maybe my friend Joey is worse. He screens all calls and rarely calls back. I would think he just doesn’t like me, but I’ve been with him when he does it to other people. Then again, maybe he doesn’t like them either.
I usually call the person back without listening to the message. I’m trying to improve on that because my sister will leave these long detailed messages then I will call her back without having had listen to it and that annoys her.
One rule that everyone needs to remember is to look around you when your phone rings. A friend of my daughters called her Step-Dad from a work truck she was in sitting next to him at a stop light. He looked at his phone then pressed ignore. Ouch!
It drives me crazy when a person comes to hang out with you…and then texts someone else the entire time. Just go home if you aren’t going to give me your attention!
I’m also not a fan of folks that call back and didn’t listen to my voicemail first. Usually because I told them everything they needed to know and therefore the call back was unnecessary.