Cell Phone Etiquette: 15 Rules To Follow (PICTURE)

Cell phones have invaded our classrooms and our bedrooms, our restaurants and our theaters, our offices and our streets.

CellPhones.org has put together a helpful list of cell phone etiquette tips.

Check them out below. Do you think there are others that belong on the list of cell phone 'dos and dont's?' List them in the comments section below.

Comments

[Michael630]

11:47 AM on 04/22/2010

#8 is not really true with at least U.S. domestic calls...perhaps if you're on an international call.

[Roguer]

10:03 PM on 03/29/2010

It is easier not to own one. Saves money. And I can work and play undisturbed. Call my home phone, leave a message and I will get back to you when I am available.

No cable, no satellite TV, no TV.

Freedom and peace of mind. Ahhhh!

[morrib]

05:03 PM on 03/29/2010

You left out an important one.....Do not talk on a cell phone when some one is serving you, we find that very rude.

[WoodyCPM]

09:20 AM on 03/30/2010

I worked at FedexKinko's for a number of years recently and it was the most obnoxious thing customers ever did. It is the very definition of rude. It was not only rude to the workers, it was also rude to other customers who were waiting in line to be served while the cellphone user had the front line person engaged. I suggested to management a simple sign on the counter that might say, "No cellphone calls at the counter", or an image of a cellphone with the no symbol over it, or my favorite, "While at the counter, turn off your G**&#@mn cellphone, please."

[robiform]

01:39 PM on 03/29/2010

These are all great rules, but I can guarantee you that people who violate them absolutely think that the rules don't apply to THEM! Consequently, you have people gabbing away in checkout lines, cell phones going off in theaters, and all the other rude things that occur when people think that etiquette means "everyone except ME"!!

Once or twice a week, I go to a needlecraft store, where people can sit and stitch, if they desire. There is a sign on the table where people stitch requesting that those who need to use a cell phone move away from the "stitching table", while conversing. This rule is rarely violated because culprits who abuse the rule get extremely dirty looks from others!

[LawHoo]

12:37 PM on 03/29/2010

Number 16: Do NOT use the phone in public restrooms...!!! It's just rude!

[InsideBrooklyn]

12:29 PM on 03/29/2010

I've noticed over the years that some people talk too loud no matter what kind of phone they're using or where they are or who is with them. Actually I don't like phones except for quick communication and not much more. I'm fact silence is golden.

[Blexican]

12:01 PM on 03/29/2010

Some of you people sound like a bunch of prudes. I feel like I'm watching the court of Louis XIV, except it's set in the 21st century. Your right to not hear my conversation doesn't trump my right to have a conversation. Get over yourselves.

[LiberalScoop]

12:37 PM on 03/29/2010

Conversely, your right to use your cell phone shouldn't impose on my right to enjoy my day. You got along fine before you got your cell phone. The world didn't crumble because you couldn't call somebody while in the checkout line or having a nice meal at a local restaurant with friends. You don't have to consider etiquette a personal affront to your civil liberties and you don't need to act like such a Cheney.

[DawnLA]

01:14 PM on 03/29/2010

I guess you don't say "please" and "thank you" either.

[farley1]

11:04 AM on 03/29/2010

The graphics in the lists could have been easier to decipher....just saying.

[HarrietteTheSpy]

10:46 AM on 03/29/2010

so we have come to the point where if I tell someone I think their phone may have dropped call this MAKES THEM FEEL BAD? Yikes. I got rid of my cel phone plan -- the greatest freedom, didn't realize how Pavlovian add1cted I have become. Give it a try! And Yes, I have a phone for safety (when driving) or convenience (when traveling) (I buy minutes)... but I use a home line or skype otherwise. What is so important that can't wait? Plus, saving my brain from all those nasty waves.

[noweknow]

11:37 AM on 03/29/2010

You need friends.

[HarrietteTheSpy]

12:19 PM on 03/29/2010

I have no idea what you mean. Perhaps you meant that as a response to someone else? as has nothing at all to do with my comment. (unless you are just a viriolic person who likes to hang out on blogs and randomly project their own issues on others!) peace. love. off with the cel!

[lovetheshoes]

10:40 AM on 03/29/2010

One of the most important ones is:
Do not talk on your cellphone when you are in the cashier line, either ordering or paying for your item(s). This is the epitome of rudeness and shows the person behind the counter how little you think of them by not offering the courtesy of a personal interaction.

[LeftieLefty]

12:12 PM on 03/29/2010

I've been in line behind people who, though they are on their cell phones, scream at the cashier for not interupting their conversation to ask them what kind of bag they wanted. Expecting the whole world to be as rude as they are. Classy.

[alexii]

10:32 AM on 03/29/2010

Recently kicked my 23 yr. old daughter out of the house because it's obvious the phone is more important to her than her family. She wants to be loser the rest of her life texting and making phone calls, she can do it somewhere else.

[PAposter]

11:52 AM on 03/29/2010

Can I do that with my 13 yr old....she will be your daughter in 10 yrs...and what I mean by that is....selfish and homeless, hahaha!

[DocTonyNYC]

10:31 AM on 03/29/2010

Yesterday, I saw South Pacific on Broadway. Not only was there an announcement asking patrons to turn off their phones, but there was a special insert in the Playbill explaining that even on vibrate, the radio signal can interfere with the sound system in the theater. Whether or not this is true, is really not the point. I was sitting a few rows from the stage, in the center of the theater. The woman sitting four seats away from me ignored the requests and her phone rang not once, but THREE times during the first act. Apparently, the fact that everyone around this rude woman paid over $100 for each ticket made no difference to her--heaven forbid she could go for an hour until intermission without her phone.

At another Broadway production several months ago, a patron had turned off the ringer on his Blackberry, but he continually checked and sent emails and texts throughout the production. Apparently, he didn't give a whit that in a dark theater, everyone's eyes are pulled to the illuminated screen.

I wish could say that these are rare happenings, but it's becoming the norm. This is just a matter of common courtesy.

[Alfredo Zapata]

11:51 AM on 03/29/2010

Too many people are just clueless. This happens every single time I got to the movies!

[DocTonyNYC]

12:57 PM on 03/29/2010

Yeah, me too. In fact, I don't go to movies as often anymore for this very reason. Even so, when people are spending more than $100 for theater tickets, it truly amazes me that people are so self-centered. These people really do believe that the world revolves around them, and the rules are only meant for other "less important" people.

I'm not anti-cell phones, but people need to understand when they are interfering with the lives of others.

[battlinbob]

10:12 AM on 03/29/2010

Its pathetic people have to be told this...

[Sandmanj]

10:00 AM on 03/29/2010

I've actually seen people so crass as to yak away on a cell phone when checking out groceries, completely ignoring any questions or comments made by the checker.

But what really angers me is to see the number of people ignoring the new cell phone law here in CA against using hand-held cell-phones while driving. These law breakers are all over the streets and parking lots. I sometimes have to set through an entire green cycle of a traffic light while the idjot in front of me is so busy texting or yakking with their cell phone they haven't even noticed how many times the traffic light has changed. Next time I'm going to lean on my horn until the move or I'm going to get out of the car and bang on their window.

[american-dolt]

09:56 AM on 03/29/2010

I must be one of the last ones in the USA that doesn't have a cell phone.

Rudest invention ever made, and great source of brain cancer for those using and not using.

[leifcatt]

10:43 AM on 03/29/2010

I don't have one. I don't need one despite what family and friends think. My land line is annoying enough for me.
It has nothing to do with being against technology. I have a degree in computer technology.

[HarrietteTheSpy]

12:08 PM on 03/29/2010

yes agree-- just make sure you dont use those portable home phones-- just as bad!!!

[HarrietteTheSpy]

10:48 AM on 03/29/2010

yes agree-- just make sure you dont use those portable home phones-- just as bad!!!