While we were at SxSW, Laura and I threw a Mobile Manners brunch with Intel. We gathered a group of very smart women to eat quiche and text one other about the irritating things people do with their gadgets.
Genevieve Bell, an Intel Fellow who studies how different cultures use technology, presented some of their mobile etiquette research.
During Genevieve’s presentation, I tweeted while she was talking (event hashtag, FTW), checked in to Foursquare, and texted with a person sitting two tables away from me. Afterward, I drove around town looking for a funeral parlor, because I’ve heard those are nice quiet places to make phone calls.
Everyone else was the picture of civility, even when the gift bags came out.
Now that’s some good home training.
The bags were a team effort amongst attendees, and as always we saved one for you. Maile brought her gorgeous Epiphanie Bags, and I set aside the Clover Laptop and Camera Bag in grey, which is the one I carry. Everywhere. And sometimes I spoon with it. It looks like this:
Elizabeth works for Twitter, but also has a letterpress business called Paperwheel Press. She brought everyone a couple of geeky letterpress thank you notes:
And finally, Intel threw in a copy of Emily Post’s Great Get Togethers:
To win, please leave your pinky out when you sip your tea, and leave your most profound mobile etiquette peeve in comments.
Please only enter once; I’ll leave comments open until Monday when I’ll announce the winner. I hope it’s you.
Mighty Girl 
I hate that when you hang out with friends, everyone has their cell phone out. You look at a table of people out at dinner and most plop their phones right on the table, for example. It’s like they’re waiting for something more interesting or important to happen. Unless I’m expecting a work or family emergency call, I try to leave my phone in my bag while I’m spending time with people.
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I hate it when you are in a public bathroom and someone is using the bathroom and yelling into the phone. Not only is that rude it is gross!!!!
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I hate when people use their blue tooth ear pieces anywhere but when they are driving.
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Oh man, I hate when you’re in the middle of a conversation and suddenly that person’s phone rings AND THEN THEY PICK IT UP. To have a five minute conversation about something completely unimportant! It’s so rude.
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I love getting together with friends i haven’t seen in a while, but it really bothers me when they start texting while we’re having a conversation.
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People texting during dinner. If you are there to have dinner and conversation with me then you should be there beyond just physically.
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Those walkie-talkie-esque phones that chirp loudly at the end of each incoming message, and everyone can here the garbled voice of exasperated mom towing three unruly children to irritated husband on the other side of the store. It’s always in the store. Who are those people?
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texting during dinner
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I hate when my friends come over for our quarterly retreat weekend and spend most of the time on my couch playing Angry Birds or Words.
Really?
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Loud one-sided cell phone conversations on a crowded bus, especially if it’s regarding your sex life or ugly breakup.
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When people use those bluetooth headsets. Especially if they are constantly wearing one and you have had to develop a way of speaking to them to “test” if they are talking to you or to their headset.
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I hate it when you say something in a conversation among friends, and people immediatly make a tweet from one sentence you said, completly without context. And off course they mention your name, what would the fun be without that…
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My pet peeve is a classic: I hate when people talk on their cell phone when ordering coffee/food. It’s so rude!
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When you are having a conversation with someone and they decide it is more important to see what is going on with facebook or texting. How rude!
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the blue tooth headsets should stay in the car. when someone comes up beside me in the grocery store talking to themselves I think they’re nuts. then I see a gadget in their ear and I know they are.
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My peeve is, unfortunately, my own, and I can’t seem to break the habit – my husband and I CONSTANTLY have our cell phones out when we are out to dinner with each other. Whether we’re tweeting, texting, surfing, or playing scrabble, we just sit there at the table like silent robots and it’s sad. Sigh.
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I really get annoyed when people are on their phones in stores/waiting rooms/ resturants talking loudly and discussing more private items… either step outside to a quiet/private spot, car, etc….
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So much fun! My biggest peeve is when people think they have to yell into their cell phone to have a conversation. They have no sense of the people around them. Annoying.
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I get annoyed when people are addicted to their phone and won’t stop texting, facebooking, etc when we’re hanging out. Life won’t stop if you don’t post for an hour.
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I can not STAND to see someone swerving down the road and when you pass them (or they pass you) you see that they’re texting while driving!
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Yell phone usage on public transit. “Are you there? Did I lose you? WE’RE GOING THROUGH A TUNNEL, HELLO? HELLO?” Ugh.
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If we get together for lunch it is because I want to, you know, actually talk to you and spend time with you.
I don’t want to just sit there while you take photos of the meal for your food blog and twitpix, and twitter about how you are having lunch with me, and update your foursquare with your location…
Just stop! Turn off the damn iPhone and enjoy the moment!
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I know it’s a cell phone and meant to be used when you’re away from a landline. I get it, really I do. I have one myself. But honestly – the rest of the world is not interested in your conversation. EVER.
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When the teenager behind the ice cream counter talks on her cell phone while I stand there waiting to order. so. rude. makes me smashy.
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on my last airplane trip while waiting at the gate, there was a woman sitting near me and it seemed like she called everyone in her phone book and told them THE SAME STORY over and over and over again. at another gate a fella was doing business, laptop open and talking to someone about whatever it is he does and it was really annoying. i think it’s a space thing. shared spaces don’t just have to do with physicality but sound can be invasive as well.
what a great idea to have a talk about technology etiquette. we should establish this training in middle schools and high schools!
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I hate when you are talking to someone, telling them a story maybe, and they start texting on their phone. When you stop talking and ask, worried, if its something important (because it must be something really big if they are being that impolite and ignoring you when you are talking, right?) they answer, ‘no its nothing. Keep talking. I’m listening.’ Arg! If you have somthing better to do with someone more isnteresting, go ahead because I feel like I am wasting me time trying to have a conversation with someone glued to their cell.
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1. When I am with someone at dinner or whatever, I ignore my cellphone (put it on vibrate or silent). If it is a family emergency, they will call more than once. Anything else can wait. When you are with someone face to face, be there! Taking calls and texting makes the person you are with seem less important than your phone.
2. I try to never talk on the cellphone while a server is taking your order or a cashier is ringing you up.
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volume turned up on other people’s ipods/devices so loud that i can hear it coming out of their earbuds, texting while crossing the street (i live in a small college town and it happens all.the.time.), and my biggest pet peeve: people not holding the door open for others.
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I’m definitely in the ‘on the phone while ordering’ camp. If the call is so important that you have to take it right then – step out of line.
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I can’t stand it when people send four texts when one would have sufficed:
1. A “hey” to get your attention
2. “Did you hear…?”
3. A link to said ‘tidbit’
4. And finally, the goodbye
Really? Cause some people (not me, for I am smart, I mean cheap) have limited texting plans.
Weak, I know, but I get easily irritated!
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My pet peeve is when you are talking to someone face-to-face and he/she is more interested in checking emails, texts, etc. You know that noise the scroll bar makes? Gaaaa – listening to that while you’re trying to talk to someone makes me nuts.
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I could think of a million things that irritate me with people & cell phones/electronic devices. The biggest one for me would have to be the people that talk on the phone while going to the bathroom. Who wants to hear that?? And I’ve actually heard these people make comments to the person they’re talking to about going to the bathroom. Eeeewwwww!!!! If you’re going to the bathroom while on the phone with me I’m hanging up!!!
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Walking while texting. Never looking up. Dangerous!
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Just good old fashioned LOUD TALKING on the cell phones. You’d think they have been around long enough that people would realize you don’t need to scream into them, but they don’t. Worst culprit – my dad!
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1. Long conversations on the train.
2. When people I’m calling answer at inappropriate times, I feel like an ass. Ex. “Hey, what’s up?” “Oh, I’m out to dinner at [super fancy restaurant].” Then why did you answer your phone?! I feel guilty for your ettiquette misstep.
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It is rude to answer the phone while out to a meal with other people. It is even ruder to have a conversation with that person while others at the table wait.
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Oh hands down, the dinner table. Everyone checking, everyone pretending not to check, everyone half-listening to a conversation. And when I’m in a store, and I see someone look like they are talking to themselves. I am still not used to the hands-free thing..
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I can’t stand when people text/talk on their phone during the movies. Is there something REALLY that important that you have to disrupt everyone???
Take it out into the hall if it’s that important or leave it in your bag/pocket for 2 hours.
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Phones at the dinner table (please put it away!)
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Definitely checking your phone during a date. A *first* date. Really? It’s only two hours at the most. Are you that special? (No.)
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Checking your blackberry during a meal – enjoy the time with those around you!
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I’m not sure that this is an etiquette problem so much as it is a public safety concern. I cannot stand seeing people text, check facebook, tweet, etc. while driving. IT IS NOT SAFE. PLEASE STOP.
(And, ditto on the public bathroom thing, especially when there is a line!)
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Talking loudly in a quiet area. Just yesterday I was at the auto parts store buying oil and a filter, and a guy was walking around using a “rock concert talking voice” on the phone while the ten other people in the store used their indoor voices.
(oh, and if I win, all the goods go to my wife, who prompted me to enter!)
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I hate when people text while talking to you, but pretend they are not texting, by maintaining eye contact. When really, its hard not to notice their fingers tapping away under the table.
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I know it’s been said, but it bears repeating:
People who talk on the phone in the bathroom. Especially public restrooms where there are five other people around. Nothing is that important. Nothing. Not to mention, I don’t want to be on the receiving end of that call.
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I thought I really had only one, but as I thought about it, I might have several. I don’t like it when people talk/text/email whatever while having dinner. Phones are a NO at the table.
I also don’t like it when people use the internet to be mean and catty.
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it’s a toss-up between long, rambling voicemails and butt dials.
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Walking around with the bluetooth headset talking like a psych patient. Comes a close second to my mother answering the phone while I am at dinner with her.
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I hate when you are out with someone at a restaurant or bar and they text, check twitter, and whatever other app they recently bought for their phone. If your phone is so awesome, why don’t you marry it? Also, I miss the days when you could argue about something in a bar-like what year a one-hit-wonder was popular without someone just looking it up on their phone.
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I cant stand it when people are texting during a movie. Gosh you cant put that thing down for one hour to enjoy a movie.
Crossing my fingers!!!
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