Cell Manners

Perfectly civilized people seem to lose all sense of propriety when they
use a cell phone, so Cell Manners is creating manners for mobile technology
via polls, forums and user submissions, warning that if they don't mind
their manners now, cell phone users may soon find themselves having to
sneak out in the cold to make a call like smokers have to sneak outside for
a butt.

Jeez, what a blessing that some folks threw together a web page for the blasted rude cell phone users out there. The only problem is that very few of the terminally rude may ever see this page. Oh well, nice try though.
Look here if you think you may be an offender. lol.

Thought this one would get "air" time for sure. lol. Oh, well. Been wrong about a few other things also. No big deal.

Sorry dude, I've been on the phone.

lol, to be expected.

Can you hear me now?

Thankfully, no.

I love the story about Lawrence Fishburne's performance.

Just a second... gotta take this call.

Everybody a wise-arse and no wise men. Sheesh. To be expected. lol.
(Points finger at self, first and foremost.)

Hang on... I can't hear this call!

There will be a hanging alright, and maybe a hanging up. <CRASH> lol.

Here. here! It's about damn time something like this came about!

A while back, while watching a movie with my ex, a teenager behind us got a cell call ... he proceeded to talk on the phone for a few minutes. During the conversation, someone behind HIM asked him to end his conversation or take it outside, since we'd all paid to see the movie. The kid refused. The manager was summoned, phone confiscated, and kid arrested by police who were also called. The theater has a policy ... phones OFF inside the theaters. No exceptions. Score one for John Q. Public!!

Quiet!!!!! I'm on da phone!!!!!

SLAP

I get the same way when it comes to phone sex. Ya all quite done now!

You know what I hate. That call waiting or whatever it is. You know when you are talking to someone and they cut you off and tell you to hold on because they have another call. I'm not talking about work stuff. Just having a conversation with someone. That is rude. Same shit with cell phones. Talking to someone. They get a call on their cell phone and cut you off right in the middle of conversation. Just hate that.

That winds me up too, I usually hang up if they want to talk to someone else.

Make that three of us. 10 seconds and you can phone me back or not. How blasted rude. What's this, the next person is a better friend, or what?? Phooey to youie, Louie. lol.

It also get right up my snout when you're talking to someone face to face then they answer the bl**dy phone and proceed to have a long conversation, leaving you twiddling your thumbs.

D'ya know, I really don't like phones. Mobile or otherwise.

Just a sec, my second line is ringing.

That just your tinitus WD.

A swift kick in the branch and berries cures that rude crap every time. Or just walking away. That is the height of rudeness, in my mind.

If I'm on the phone with someone long-distance, that generally means that I haven't talked to them in awhile. Which means call-waiting gets ignored altogether.

If it's a local thing (like trying to make plans for lunch or something), then I'll answer it - but only long enough to tell the incoming call that I'm on the other line. (telemarketers get hung up on immediately in that case)

Hey! There's a new way to get rid of telemarketers if you per chance pick up the phone and get them: "Hang on - I'm on the other line" then hang up. (Bonus points if you put one on hold for another then just walk away).

My cell phone lives in the center console of whatever vehicle I'm driving that day - turned off. Unless I've told someone to call me on it if they need me - which rarely happens. The phone is there for my convenience... not everyone else's.

Well...I'm afraid on occasion I'm one of those people y'all hate. But, in my defense, I essentially work as an independent contractor on 24/7 call, and the cell is my business phone, so it's often not an option to not take the call. Also, I can count on one hand the number of times I've used the house phone in the last month...my cell is the only good way to reach me, since I'm practically never here.

HOWEVER. I don't sit at a table at the restaurant talking on the phone, I go to the entryway, or outside, or somewhere else out of the way. If the phone rings while I'm talking with someone face-to-face, I apologize and excuse myself if it's something I need to take, and give them the option of going on with their lives or waiting for me to be done. If they choose to wait, then I make the conversation as short as possible. For the most part, I don't even know why I have call waiting, I think it's because it came with the minutes package I got, but I don't use it unless I'm already talking to someone I want to get rid of.

I also don't use the damn thing while I'm driving, unless it's an emergency <and by emergency, I mean if I need to call 911 because of something that's happened on the road>. If someone calls me while I'm driving, they can leave me a voice mail. That's why I have it. Same thing with work...unless I'm on a job site where I need to talk to someone else who is also on the site and we haven't been given radios, I don't answer the phone. Again, that's why I have voice mail.

So while I am kinda one of "those" people, I do try very hard not to be. It's just that sometimes I don't really get a choice.

And for the record...we have two restaurants here in town which are "cell phone free". There are signs on the door telling you to turn off your phones, and if you must use them, they ask you to step outside so as to not annoy the other patrons. I LOVE that! We go there sometimes purely so we have a good reason to be incommunicado for a couple of hours.

Cell phones have their purposes, I don't deny that. Just like Palms, Clies, Pocket PCs, iPaqs, pagers, 2-ways, bricks, etc. I'm just not important enough that people need to get ahold of me at a moment's notice on any given day. Other people are, and that's cool. Some people I know don't even have regular 'land-line' phones anymore and use their cell as their main source of communication - and that's cool too. In fact, I see that happening a lot more in the future as they become more convenient and cheap, and wired telephones lose ground to wireless communications.

But for now - I'm of the majority who gets annoyed when those less considerate feel the need to impress those of us who simply don't care who they think they are.

Eric, could you keep it down? I'm on da phone.

Youse guys are cracking me up, here. Hello, hello?? Can you hear me now?? Hello?

You're breaking up Burner, ring me back!

I think I'm in a "dead band"... hello? Hello? Friggin "cells"...

<Gives up on mobile phone and whips out backup semaphore flags>

Wave, wave, wave, pause, wave, wave, wave, wave.

You want wdoll to wear wellies and a little Bo-Peep outfit?? Oh, my.... maybe I'm a little rusty at this......

<Appears in wellies and a Bo Peep outfit>

What did you want Gaz?

Can you round up those sheep over there? <Points>

<Click - dialtone..............>

Well, I ditched my landline phone ... got WAY too many telemarketers calling, and a lot of them were rude as hell. So, I went for the cell as my primary (and only) phone.

I try not to talk on the phone while I'm driving, but sometimes I do. I know, I'm guilty. However, when going to a restaurant or the movies, I generally leave the phone in the truck, or turn it off.

I usually try not to talk on the phone while I'm with other people, unless the call is in some way important (like parents calling on Christmas/Birthday -- ). Otherwise, the caller can leave a message.

Cells are a convenience that have become a part of everyday life, and they have also become quite a nuisance. Etiquette has yet to catch up with them. Perhaps some of us old farts need to smack around the youguns a bit when they screw up -- that would be a hoot!

I thought sheep were your stronghold of desire?

Nah, I'd be in the wellies in that case.

AH! Check!!! Well, when in Rome... c'mere you little lamb chop.

I've never seen an expression like that on a sheep's face!

That's because YOU'RE generally behind them!!!!

Cha-ching. Sorry Gaz, one for wdoll on that exchange. lol.

ROFL! You been spying on me??

Let that poor thing go, it's eyes are watering.

<Mutter mutter>I'll catch up one day! Muahahahah!

Oh, sorry 'bout that ma'am. My excitement got the better of me. Just remember when you speak to the authoritites, my name is spelled M-o-t-o...

And you live in Canada, right? OK. <makes notes>

Yes, I own TTZ as a matter of fact - very lucrative, pull in major bling-bling...

You no click sponsors - you ban!!!!!!!!!

Ha ha ha. Very droll, mister. Most amusing.

Whose phone is ringing?

Told you to cut back on the meds, but would you listen to your older brother? Oh no, I know better, said mister smarty pantless. Huh, now when the ringing in your head calms down, answer the real phone, it's me calling to hector you in person.

Can't be mine, I leave it on vibrate!