Tips for ill-mannered cell phone users
Etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore draws on her years of experience to create a list of what she calls "suggestions" for cell phone users.
In the parlance of the ever polite etiquette-expert world, "suggestions" is about as strong a word that's used. It's impolite, after all, to tell someone they are doing something wrong, she suggests.
The tips listed below were originally written for Sprint PCS customers.
• Let voice mail take calls when you're in meetings, restaurants, courtrooms or other busy areas.
• Speak in a regular conversational tone.
• Use the vibrate function or turn off phones in public places.
• If you are expecting a call that can't be postponed, alert your companions ahead of time.
• Consider using two-way messaging or short messaging services when you are with others.
• Use discretion when discussing private matters or certain business topics.
• The people you are with should always take precedence over the call.
• If you are put off by a cell phone user, alert a maitre d' or another authority figure. Don't take matters into your own hands.