ANTenna Blog -- Mobile

What would Miss Manners have to say about the use of cell phones in public these days? Or have times changed, and it's perfectly acceptable to text during a meeting?

I have a list of gripes about phone usage. Some are pet peeves, such as people who hold loud conversations, but some of my complaints I believe are legitimately rude and wrong.

• Working during meetings. This is perhaps my No. 1 complaint. In the old days, you sat through a meeting with a plastered-on look of interest. It didn't matter if you were concerned about the mound of work on your desk -- you stuck out the meeting staring straight ahead. These days, people leave their smartphones out during meetings and text away, send e-mails, update Facebook profiles ... but I have yet to witness anyone speak up about it. It's now commonplace to have a business meal, and everyone pulls out their phones and leaves them on the table -- phones have become an expected part of the table setting. So you can be interrupted midsentence by a phone call. The only time I can see when this is appropriate is when the phone's owner states he or she is waiting for an important message.
• Terse replies. Everyone gets those e-mails all the time: "Thanks." "Meeting at 11." "Go with red." And they're followed by "Sent from my BlackBerry." I've received many of these messages, and because of the lack of information, I don't always remember what the initial e-mail was about. Of course, sometimes a simple "thank you" is sufficient. But other times it would probably have been more useful if the sender had just waited to get back to a normal computer to send a more detailed message. Which leads me to ...
• Incomplete messages. Recently, I sent an e-mail that contained three questions. It was a detailed e-mail. I received a reply that answered one of my questions and didn't explain why the others went unanswered. When I followed up, the explanation was the person had read my e-mail on his BlackBerry, and he simply hadn't scrolled through my entire e-mail. Really? That's an excuse? He wasn't even apologetic for his lack of attention to detail.

My point is: Have I become a curmudgeon, not understanding these kids and their shiny toys? Or do I need to accept that people are more mobile these days and are working harder to keep their jobs, so I just need to adapt with the technologically advanced times?

But I know I'm not the only person who is frustrated by what I consider a lack of consideration when it comes to mobile phone usage. Microsoft's Small Business Center has an article called "Cell Phone Etiquette: 10 Dos And Don'ts." The author, Joanna Krotz, states that technology and manners are, indeed, compatible. And wireless users must evolve. "Sure, there are a handful of folks who must take calls no matter where, no matter what -- say, heads of state or expectant fathers," Krotz states. "But virtually everyone can turn on the vibrate option, depend on voice-mail messages or head for a secluded area before pressing 'send.'"

I think the most important thing to think about is: What impression are you making on your audience when your attention is diverted by your phone? Because these days, customer service and professional relations are vital best practices that we need to focus on to stay in business.

And one last thing: My entire opinion might change, as I've recently acquired a BlackBerry -- we'll see if all my etiquette flies out the window in the coming weeks.

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