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I resisted until my business partner insisted and the company bought me one, which I still have. I just recently got in trouble with a good friend over it thou

I resisted until my business partner insisted and the company bought me one, which I still have. I just recently got in trouble with a good friend over it though -- she is very much into the cell phone thing, and culturally, she considers it rude that I don't get back to her quickly -- she says the longest reasonable time is a return call that same day. I, on the other hand, feel like someone calling doesn't obligate me to call back ever, never mind quickly. In this case, it's not a matter of ignoring her, it's a matter of simply not looking at my phone. I just can't wrap my mind around how having a piece of technology obligates me to use it. I have a feeling I'm in a shrinking minority.

garply 17y ago
How are you with email? This is my attitude towards non-business communication as well.
TrevorJ 17y ago
I feel that unless the person calling leaves me a message indicating what they want it's not a high priority for me to get back to them. I'm not sure if that's the norm or not, I just figure if they don't leave a voicemail then it signals that it was just a casual call I can return or not at my leisure.
- AndrewDucker 17y ago
  I agree. If someone wants something then they text or leave a message. Otherwise I assume it was just a "Hey, how are you?" kind of call.
  - hernan7 17y ago
    Or it can also be a scam "congratulations you won the prize please dial '1'" call. I get them all the time since I got my cellphone 1 year ago -- mostly in Spanish, which kind of creeps me up (how did they figure out I speak Spanish? or is it only a coincidence?)
    - jeffcoat 17y ago
      I get Spanish spam calls on my cellphone, too, a couple of times a year... though I don't speak Spanish, so I have no idea whether or not I've won a prize.
  - guitarjunkie 17y ago
    right there with ya
warp 17y ago
It depends on your relationship with that person. For some of my relationships it is perfectly normal to return a call two months later. In general it helps if you're clear about it. I have a friend with two cellphones, and she never answers either of them. I know this, and just e-mail her instead (which does get a quick response). I tell my co-workers I only read e-mail once in the morning, and they will have to walk to my office or call me if they have something more urgent (this is quite different from company culture). Etc.
bmj 17y ago
I've had a cell phone for a long time, but the average monthly usage between my wife and myself is under 100 minutes (and probably 60 of those are because of phoning into meetings when I'm working from home). Typically the phone is buried in my bag, or the ringer is off and I don't notice it, so I'm part of the shrinking minority, too. We are, however, considering an iPhone. We're taking an extended road trip soon (4+ weeks), and figure the ability to find a campground or coffee without searching out free wifi could be useful.
decode 17y ago
I just can't wrap my mind around how having a piece of technology obligates me to use it. It's the same as if you had a landline, bought an answering machine, set it up, and never listened to the messages. Then you blamed your friends when they got upset about that. That would be rude. Not because of the technology per se, but because you're telling your friends that you can be reached via cell phone, but then you disregard the time and effort they put into reaching you. If their time and effort really isn't worth the courtesy of you meeting them half way by looking at your cell phone once a day, then either they're not your friends, or you're a jerk to your friends. A solution is simply to tell your friends that your cell phone is for business use only, and offer them other ways to reach you. But to give out your phone number and ignore your friends when they follow your own directions is not polite.
- pmichaud 17y ago
  I agree that if I set up an expectation that I didn't follow through on, I would be rude. The fact is that I'm very, very clear about my position on the phone, so she has no reasonable expectation that I'll check it regularly.

garply 17y ago

How are you with email? This is my attitude towards non-business communication as well.

TrevorJ 17y ago

I feel that unless the person calling leaves me a message indicating what they want it's not a high priority for me to get back to them. I'm not sure if that's the norm or not, I just figure if they don't leave a voicemail then it signals that it was just a casual call I can return or not at my leisure.

AndrewDucker 17y ago
I agree. If someone wants something then they text or leave a message. Otherwise I assume it was just a "Hey, how are you?" kind of call.
- hernan7 17y ago
  Or it can also be a scam "congratulations you won the prize please dial '1'" call. I get them all the time since I got my cellphone 1 year ago -- mostly in Spanish, which kind of creeps me up (how did they figure out I speak Spanish? or is it only a coincidence?)
  - jeffcoat 17y ago
    I get Spanish spam calls on my cellphone, too, a couple of times a year... though I don't speak Spanish, so I have no idea whether or not I've won a prize.
- guitarjunkie 17y ago
  right there with ya

warp 17y ago

It depends on your relationship with that person. For some of my relationships it is perfectly normal to return a call two months later. In general it helps if you're clear about it. I have a friend with two cellphones, and she never answers either of them. I know this, and just e-mail her instead (which does get a quick response). I tell my co-workers I only read e-mail once in the morning, and they will have to walk to my office or call me if they have something more urgent (this is quite different from company culture). Etc.

bmj 17y ago

I've had a cell phone for a long time, but the average monthly usage between my wife and myself is under 100 minutes (and probably 60 of those are because of phoning into meetings when I'm working from home). Typically the phone is buried in my bag, or the ringer is off and I don't notice it, so I'm part of the shrinking minority, too. We are, however, considering an iPhone. We're taking an extended road trip soon (4+ weeks), and figure the ability to find a campground or coffee without searching out free wifi could be useful.

decode 17y ago

I just can't wrap my mind around how having a piece of technology obligates me to use it. It's the same as if you had a landline, bought an answering machine, set it up, and never listened to the messages. Then you blamed your friends when they got upset about that. That would be rude. Not because of the technology per se, but because you're telling your friends that you can be reached via cell phone, but then you disregard the time and effort they put into reaching you. If their time and effort really isn't worth the courtesy of you meeting them half way by looking at your cell phone once a day, then either they're not your friends, or you're a jerk to your friends. A solution is simply to tell your friends that your cell phone is for business use only, and offer them other ways to reach you. But to give out your phone number and ignore your friends when they follow your own directions is not polite.

pmichaud 17y ago
I agree that if I set up an expectation that I didn't follow through on, I would be rude. The fact is that I'm very, very clear about my position on the phone, so she has no reasonable expectation that I'll check it regularly.