Cell Phone Etiquette - Phones Off at Networking Events

Cell phone etiquette: It is important to turn your phone off at networking events. At today's eWomen Network meeting, I was touring the vendor booths prior to the start of the event. I was at one booth where they had facial products, body products, and cosmetics which I love. The consultant was putting lotion on my hand and describing the product to me when her cell phone rang. She abruptly stopped talking in mid-sentence, turned sharply, grabbed her cell phone, and hastily motioned for the other consultant to come over as she took the call. No "excuse me this is urgent," and no apology afterwards. The other consultant had seen this exchange and was noticeably embarrassed by the other woman's behavior. Needless to say, I will never consider doing business with what I refer to unfortunately now as the "cell phone woman." I am guessing she doesn't even know that her behavior was rude. I do appreciate however that I have a new example to share with my readers and in my workshops!

Technology Impact on Kid's Friendships

If you have teens or close relationships with young people, you may find the following article interesting: How Does Technology Affect Kids' Friendships?

Are kids engaging in anti-social networking or more supportive relationships with technology? Actually, it could be a little of both. And, rather than anti-social, perhaps it is a new type of being social? An important point raised by the article is that rather than one-to-one communication, it tends to be group chats which can diminish a child's reading of social cues, important in face-to-face communications. More research will need to be conducted to determine the long-term consequences.