ITT, pls post your personal rules regarding telephone etiquette.

In general, I:

Never call earlier than 9:30 am unless I know for certain the person really, really wants/needs to talk to me.
Never call later than 9:30 pm unless I know for certain the person really, really wants/needs to talk to me.
Never call during someone's working hours unless I know for certain the person really, really wants/needs to talk to me.
Try to verify one's time zone before calling.
Have an agenda/key talking points identified before every call, regardless of the person.

Someone called me at 3 am today. Ugh. That's a huge pet peeve.

10/31/2010 7:10:05 AM

you sure sound like a ball of fun - do you go to bed at 8pm?

10/31/2010 8:24:14 AM

I go to bed around 10 or 11 on weekdays and between 10 pm and 5 am on weekends. I just think phone calls are annoying. Texting ftw. I prefer documentation of communication.

10/31/2010 8:32:22 AM

have you ever heard of turning your phone off or on silent?

10/31/2010 8:35:08 AM

I agree with all of this.


^ I keep my phone on "calls only" at night in case someone has to get in touch with me. That being said, most folks I know realize that I'm usually up between 4 and 5 most Saturdays, so it is a bit asinine when they drunk dial me at midnight.

Quote :

"Have an agenda/key talking points identified before every call, regardless of the person."

fucking key. OTOH, I'm just enough of a selfish asshole that people don't usually call me "just to talk".

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 8:49 AM. Reason : .]

10/31/2010 8:48:57 AM

my parents feel like they should wait until a telemarketer stops explaining their stuff & asks if mom/dad is interested to say "no thank you we're not interested." i just wait til they pause and say "take me off your list" then hang up. they think that's a little rude. telemarketers don't call anymore, so this was back in the day. i don't really care what a telemarketer thinks. this is inappropriate? yay or nay?

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 9:11 AM. Reason : ]

10/31/2010 9:10:57 AM

All those rules go out the window if it's a booty call. Amirite?

10/31/2010 9:29:24 AM

^^^^ I sleep through everything, so the phone doesn't wake me up. Those are just my rules for outbound calls, as I hate waking people.

I screen almost all of my phone calls. If you don't leave a message, I don't call back. If you didn't message, it obviously wasn't important.

^^ it's more polite to do what you do and end the conversation early. Time is money.

^ booty text is much more efficient, as you can mass text multiple people.

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 9:38 AM. Reason : J]

10/31/2010 9:34:42 AM

^^^absolutely appropriate. telemarketers are no more than tv or radio commercials. there's no need to be nasty with the person on the phone (they are just trying to earn some money and most likely hate calling you as much as you hate calling them) but there's no need to sit through their whole spiel either.

^^I wish everyone had an agenda/talking points before calling. The worst is when Chatty McChatterson calls and goes on and on and on and you can't get a word in without being rude. I hate when people call "just to talk". I was taught as kid that saying "hey, what do you want" is rude so instead I say "hey, what do you need" before they get going.

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 9:44 AM. Reason : .]

10/31/2010 9:43:05 AM

Ahhh texting is easier to set up the gangbang. Got it.

10/31/2010 9:43:32 AM

^^ amen. I hate when people (other than mom and bro) call just to talk.

10/31/2010 9:47:51 AM

DUDE its fucking halloween, they were drunk, get over it.

I am pretty sure this individual did not have some long though out process to decide to call you or something.

10/31/2010 10:55:24 AM

Quote :

"Texting ftw."

10/31/2010 11:01:29 AM

Yeah, but IMO, a 35-year-old should have more self-control/common sense.

It's generally a good idea not to use your phone when drunk. That's how cell phones get destroyed.

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 11:04 AM. Reason : J]

10/31/2010 11:03:04 AM

I hate texting. A bunch of nigga technology.

10/31/2010 11:52:22 AM

i remember when i lost all social skills and forgot how to actually communicate with people using spoken words

10/31/2010 11:54:27 AM

if we are on the phone longer than it takes for me to drive to see you... we've been on the phone too long.

10/31/2010 2:13:53 PM

My biggest pet peeve is not fucking enunciating. That's fine if you speak ebonics or dirty southern, but if you're calling me to ask a question then you need to learn to talk correctly....

10/31/2010 2:39:45 PM

Don't talk on your cell phone in public where everyone can hear what you are saying. My favorite was when I was working at the grocery store and a lady came walking down an aisle while talking loudly on her cell. She said, "AND I SAID TO HIM, YOU COULD GO TO JAIL!" It was like she wanted us to know that her guy friend had done something wrong.

10/31/2010 2:46:10 PM

Sexting ftw

10/31/2010 2:46:34 PM

My parents know not to call me before "double digits"

10/31/2010 2:59:07 PM

Duly noted.

10/31/2010 3:03:56 PM

I whole heartedly agree with OP.

Another thing that irritates me is when my sister calls our house every five minutes (sadly, this is not always hyperbole). It's one thing if you forgot to tell somebody something during your initial call, but I get so sick and tired of hearing the phone ring 20 times in an hour. If it's so damn urgent, perhaps you need to speak to the person.....in person.

Quote :

"if we are on the phone longer than it takes for me to drive to see you... we've been on the phone too long."

Another excellent rule of thumb.

10/31/2010 4:46:49 PM

at work, when leaving a voice message to someone and it is business related...do you end it with, "Thanks, bye" or just end it without anything special at the end? You dont know if you are going to talk to them later, etc.....

10/31/2010 4:56:41 PM

^ if I'm only relaying information and I don't need a conversation, then I send an email instead of calling, that way the transaction of information is documented.

If I need to chat with someone and get their voicemail, I close by saying, "Give me a call at ####. Again, that number is ####. I look forward to hearing from you."

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 8:03 PM. Reason : N]

10/31/2010 7:59:30 PM

Always speak as fast as you possibly can on a voicemail, so nobody can understand you and they must call you back.

Then end with a distasteful joke.

10/31/2010 9:07:46 PM

I always call and send an email, so they can't say they didn't get the email (always save a copy of the email too).

10/31/2010 9:11:00 PM

^what about a messenger pigeon as a back-up, back-up?

10/31/2010 9:12:04 PM

Print all of your emails and save them for seven years, just for legal intents

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 9:17 PM. Reason : M]

10/31/2010 9:14:25 PM

I hate voice mails that say "give me a call back" and don't say why.

10/31/2010 9:26:57 PM

I don't leave voicemail and I don't listen to voicemail

10/31/2010 9:28:14 PM

^^^^you made a funny!!!!! har har har har har!

^lots of people don't, or at least not timely, thus the email....which tends to get checked faster....

[Edited on October 31, 2010 at 9:33 PM. Reason : w]

10/31/2010 9:32:06 PM

I don't leave voicemail and I don't listen to voicemail

10/31/2010 9:35:23 PM

When I had let my real estate license expire in 2009 I had voice mail removed from my phone it was really nice. People finally figured out to either text me or just hope I called back but leaving dumbass messages was not going to work.

10/31/2010 9:36:00 PM

Text messages really aggravate me in some situations. I can't wait for the rest of the world to get google voice, then everybody can go back to voicemails AND have a record of messages.

10/31/2010 10:05:38 PM

If anyone calls me before 9am I don't bother picking up the phone. I assume that others will do the same.

11/1/2010 10:24:22 AM

pm me the digits! we can be text buddies

11/1/2010 10:54:16 AM

I hate talking on the phone in general. Always have. Too many long, awkward pauses, and too easy for miscommunications to come about. Unless I'm giving my complete attention to a phone call I get completely confused.

Whereas with text messages pauses are normal and I can do it while doing other things, like checking e-mail or operating heavy machinery.

11/1/2010 11:24:46 AM

I'm going to look into getting my voicemail removed; I didn't even realize that was option.

I'm tired of having to dial my voicemail just to hear a message about whether we should go to dinner first and then the movie, or vice versa, only we shouldn't get popcorn because then it will ruin our appetite.

11/1/2010 11:30:10 AM

I would like to be added to these mass booty call text bombs.. if its first to respond wins I like my odds

11/1/2010 11:30:29 AM

this isn't the first time you've bitched about idiot friends who call you in the middle of the night, ya know

11/1/2010 11:39:57 AM

^ true ... this is actually the same guy. Great guy when he's sober. But every so often he goes overboard with the booze and gets very chatty. At 3 am.

11/1/2010 12:23:00 PM

This thread brings up a question of mine that has bugged me for a long time:

Why, in movies and TV shows, do people in telephone conversations almost never conclude with something along the lines of "bye" or "see ya later"? If you pay attention, there is almost never any acknowledgment of the end of the conversation with any salutation, just an abrupt hang-up of the phone. WHY?

11/1/2010 12:35:38 PM

^I too, notice this.

11/1/2010 12:40:14 PM

my mom always leaves me 2-3 minute voicemail messages. I never listen to them. sorry mom.

11/1/2010 12:48:19 PM

I stopped making 3 AM booty calls when they stopped working.

11/1/2010 12:49:56 PM

Because in the movie they know when the other person is done talking because there is a script to follow.

In real life, you say goodbye in order to give the other person a chance to say "WAIT WAIT WAIT!"

[Edited on November 1, 2010 at 12:51 PM. Reason : .]

11/1/2010 12:51:09 PM

Quote :

"i remember when i lost all social skills and forgot how to actually communicate with people using spoken words"

I am fairly certain I never knew how to properly communicate to begin with.

11/1/2010 12:54:17 PM

I solely rely on texting now unless it's work related, or it's my parents.

11/1/2010 12:54:49 PM

set em up!

11/1/2010 2:29:18 PM