Poised for Success by Jacqueline Whitmore

27 Jun

July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month

Did you know…

  • At least 91% of Americans own cell phones
  • There are more than 285 million cell phones in use in the U.S.
  • 3 out of 10 people prefer cell phones over landlines

While a majority of us experience a range of rude behaviors on a daily basis, the one transgression that seems to occur most often is accompanied by a ring tone: People talking on cell phones, in public places, in a loud or annoying manner.

Eighty-seven percent of Americans in an ABC News “20/20″ survey say they encounter that kind of gabbing at least sometimes, and a majority — 57 percent — hear it often. That takes the cake for frequency; by contrast, just under four in 10 often experience generally rude or disrespectful behavior, cursing, near-cursing or people interrupting conversations to use e-mail or cell phones.

It was this bad behavior that prompted me to come up with a remedy.  In July 2002, I officially founded National Cell Phone Courtesy Month with the intent of making cell phone users more respectful of their surroundings.  With more and more people using smart phones, Blackberries and other electronic devices these days, our society’s techno etiquette seems to be declining.

If you agree that cell phone rudeness is on the rise and would like to help eradicate this growing epidemic, please spread the word about National Cell Phone Courtesy Month.  Here are some helpful tips to share. Read more

June 27, 2010 | Filed Under Cellphone Courtesy Month, Cellphone Etiquette, Techno-Etiquette, Telephone Etiquette, Voicemail | 11 Comments 

How Late Is Too Late To Call Someone?

At 12:15am this morning, while I was soundly sleeping, my phone rang.  I immediately woke me up, glanced at the caller ID, and noticed that someone from Philadelphia was calling.  I don’t know anyone in Philadelphia so I didn’t answer it.  The phone rang again one minute later.  This time the phone woke up my husband and my dogs too.  I glanced at the caller ID again — same caller.  I didn’t answer.  By this time I was fully awake and frustrated that someone would call me at that hour.

When I got up today, I listened to the phone message from the “midnight caller” who happened to be a student calling to schedule an interview for a business etiquette story she was writing for a class project.  Chances are, she wasn’t aware that she was calling my home when she dialed my office number (which she probably found on my website). Read more

April 29, 2010 | Filed Under Telephone Etiquette | 5 Comments