Are you using BlackBerry Etiquette? Here are a few rules of thought to answer that question.
We all know them, yes the BlackBerry users.. That little red light, that new message BING calls to them like a siren. For some it’s just a little too alluring to resist. Fortunately for me I have complete control over my personal BlackBerry addiction (Note from Editor – LIAR!!!!). “ Warning!!!: If you are a friend of mine and say one word, you will be defriended on FaceBook and removed from my BBM list to fend for yourself!†Now that we have that out of the way. BlackBerry or Tech Etiquette has found itself at the forefront of many discussions. With BlackBerry being the number #1 selling device in U.S (sorry to taint your Kool-Aid IPhone users), there are many users who don’t seem to have much discretion when are using it.
Jancee Dunn over at Oprah.com discussed the subject of tech etiquette. Jancee asked a few ethics professionals some questions on proper mobile tech etiquette. Here is what they said…
Q: Is it okay to “just check” a BlackBerry or cell phone at dinner if you’re having a work emergency or have a sick child at home?
A: “Only if you alert your companion first. Trying to hide what you’re doing is rude. I was in a meeting about etiquette, and as we were all talking about respect for others, one person was nodding—while looking at her BlackBerry.”
— Michele Wetherald, executive director of the American Association of University Women and a former ethics instructor
Q: What about if there’s no emergency—you just want to know who’s e-mailing or calling?
A: “When you’re ‘just checking,’ you become the equivalent of That Guy who keeps ogling other women while he pretends he’s listening to his date. And you hate That Guy, remember?”
— Faith Salie, host of Fair Game with Faith Salie, a nightly public radio show
A:”It’s never appropriate. What did we ever do without a crackberry? We waited, that’s what we did! We waited until we got to that big, black heavy phone at our grandmother’s house. We discovered that good news could wait and bad news would find you in the Amazon jungle.”
— Pastor Rudy Rasmus, leader of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Houston; his first book is Touch: The Power of Touch in Transforming Lives (Baxter Press/Spirit Rising)
Q: What if you’re suffering through a bad date/family wedding/niece’s ballet recital?
A: “Yes. I think life is too precious to waste by suffering through the school play in which your nephew plays a magnolia tree in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
— Faith Salie
“There’s no such thing as ‘discreetly’ checking. It makes no difference if you’re having a great time or bored stiff. The availability of gadgets doesn’t excuse giving less than your full attention to the gathering at hand.”
— Jack Marshall, president and founder of ProEthics, a training and consulting firm for business and government leaders
“If you’re on a date gone bad, don’t resort to playing games. Just end the evening early and admit to yourself that you’re still on the hunt.”
— Pastor Rudy Rasmus
So do you think the ethcs pros are right? Let us know what you feel is an improper time or place for someone check their BlackBerry?
