Ring in the New Year by Silencing Cell Phones

It all started innocently enough, as most embarrassing moments do.

The relaxed business lunch with a new customer was filled with good food and breezy conversation. As far as first impressions go, this was a pretty good one. We even laughed at each other’s jokes.

Everything was going smoothly, until the annoying chirping of my colleague’s cell phone stopped us mid-dessert. Any notion of this lunch going off without a hitch was over. For the next few uncomfortable minutes we pretended not to hear my colleague help her confused husband search his coat pockets, his dresser drawers and even the laundry basket to find his lost car keys.

A long, icy stare brought the phone conversation to a halt. Finally aware of the breach of etiquette, my colleague sheepishly said goodbye to her husband and I fished for my wallet to pay the bill. The lunch had come to a screeching halt.

A recent New York Times editorial put it best: “New technologies require new rules, and even a new set of manners.”

Nobody knows that better than Jacqueline Whitmore. As etiquette spokeswoman for Sprint PCS, Whitmore’s job is to right the wrongs of more than 121 million American cell phone users. And it isn’t easy. She has a number of horror stories to share, including one about a pallbearer carrying a casket with one hand while flipping open a ringing cell phone with the other.

“Is it a losing battle?” Whitmore asks.

Whether she wins or loses the war, Whitmore’s role as the Miss Manners of mobile communication is one of the most visible efforts of several carriers to teach cell phone users some basic manners.

How bad have things gotten? Well, consider a recent survey by Wirthlin Worldwide that found that nearly 40 percent of cell phone users would answer a cell phone while using the bathroom. Amtrak has already banned cell phones in some cars. A new website, CellManners.com, is devoted to promoting civility between cell phone users and the people around them.

Carriers are already making moves in anticipation of cell phones soon being in the hands of 70 percent of Americans, as analysts predict.

Cingular Wireless uses gentle humor in its 15-second movie trailer — shown in 160 Loews movie theaters — which urges people to put their phones in silent mode. If a phone rings, the trailer warns, the movie will be paused while the owner is asked to stand up and other moviegoers are encouraged to pelt them with jellybeans and chocolate-covered raisins.

Nokia has joined the fray, partnering up with various cities, including San Diego, to create unofficial “no cell phone zones,” where people are politely asked not to power up. But then, nearly every carrier has some type of courtesy outreach. Many, like AT&T Wireless, combine driving safety tips with courtesy tips. Most carriers also slip courtesy tip sheets into monthly phone bills.

Verizon Communications has a pamphlet called “Thou Shall Not Take Calls in Church.” In it, a cartoon character named Vern preaches the dos and don’ts of cell phone calling.

“It is getting out of hand,” says Dorothea Johnson, director of the Protocol School of Washington. She predicts that one day all carriers will have an etiquette spokesperson.

Until that happens, perhaps we can all heed the tips below, which were originally written for Sprint PCS customers:

  1. Let voicemail take calls when you’re in meetings, restaurants, courtrooms or other busy areas.
  2. Use a regular, conversational tone.
  3. Use the vibrate function or turn off phones in public places.
  4. If you are expecting a call that can’t be postponed, alert your companions ahead of time.
  5. Consider using two-way messaging or short messaging services when you are with others.
  6. Use discretion when discussing private matters or certain business topics.
  7. And most of all, remember that the people you are with should always take precedence over the call you are receiving.

So maybe instead of ringing in the New Year, all cell phone users will simply hear the call of good manners and practice a little common sense.

Finding the Right Firewall

Michael Rasmussen, an analyst for the information technology industry, of Giga Information Group, advises business owners to look for three critical elements in firewall protection: security, speed and flexibility. He also suggests a few firewall vendors who he feels measure up:

    Security: CyberGuard and Secure Computing. “Secure Computing developed their firewall and operating system architecture originally for the U.S. Government, and it represents a model system for security,” says Rasmussen.

    Speed: Rasmussen suggests CheckPoint, Cisco PIX and NetScreen.

    Flexibility: CheckPoint is also one of the best here. “They offer many relationships with other security vendors,” says Rasmussen.

EPA Goes Paperless

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a website (www.epa.gov/cdx) for users to submit environmental data to the agency. CDX stands for the Central Data Exchange, and it will allow the EPA to sort information much faster. In the past, industry and other entities filled out environmental permits and compliance on paper. Now, the CDX will become the point of entry for almost all environmental data submissions.




POSTED ON: 1/1/2002