Mobile Phone Users: Follow These New Year's Resolutions

This is the time of the year when everyone makes New Year’s resolutions, and I’d like to take a moment to suggest that maybe a few of these resolutions should be applied directly to mobile phone usage. Here are a few suggestions, feel free to add any others.

• Don’t text while attending a business meeting or listening to a conference speaker. Unless you are in high school detention this is rude and if you can’t pay full attention, it is better to leave the room if you must send a message.
• When your mobile phone rings during a conversation or meeting don’t answer it unless you are expecting to hear that your loved one is in labor, or the Feds are coming to check the books! But seriously, if you would let a landline go to voice mail, why answer the mobile? It sends a message that any call is more than important than the in-person conversation you are having.
• The whole first class cabin doesn’t need to hear details of the meeting you just had, or worse "how wasted you got" at the bar last night. Try to use your inside voice when you’re waiting for the cabin door to be closed.
• Only put your mobile number on your business card, or otherwise give it out, if you really don’t mind being called at that number.
• No earpiece is fashionable ever. So don’t walk around with a Bluetooth earpiece permanently attached to your ear unless it is actually permanently attached to your ear.
• If your company is facing layoffs don’t show off the new iPhone, Storm or Dash to employees that might soon be on the unemployment line. We all love toys, but when the economy is bad it is better not to show off.
• If you have a colleague’s emergency mobile phone number only use it if it is really an emergency.
• Don’t include "sensitive" information on your mobile phone. This includes messages about confidential information, as well as risqu? photos. In other words, be careful about anything sensitive that you wouldn’t want to get out.
• On that note, don’t use your work phone to take risqu? photos.
• And don’t send highly confidential information (the kind that could ruin a deal or get someone fired) via IM. If it can’t be said on a phone IM isn’t any better.
• Never make a phone call, or answer the phone from the restroom. Enough said.