Whether conventional or smart, cell phones can be just as annoying as pleasing.  Heck the days of day dreaming have become filled with cell phone gazers. You know those that sit and wait for the cell to boil, I mean ring. At concerts, the days of lighters & cameras flickering are long gone – 2012 concerts are host to cell phones clicking, ringing and videoing. Ugh – who’s here for the music? Ever sit in a meeting, seminar, movie or church and a phone rings – how many people are anxiously digging for their phones? July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month. So in honor we thought we’d remind you of a few simple ways to be more courteous. Not that you aren’t courteous already. And not that we are complaining. We are all guilty of breaking cell phone etiquette. Don’t be offended if this post was shared with you – someone cares. We want to help you not be “that person”.  Consider this a refresher if you will, like a defensive driving course.

Check out these 5 Cell Phone Etiquette tips.

1. Be ALL there. When you’re with friends and family, let calls go to voicemail, texts be dismissed, emails go unread. Trust us that facebook post can wait until after dessert. We don’t need to know that you had to escape the dinner table to go potty.  And there is nothing more annoying than being in the company of someone you haven’t seen in a while and every 5 minutes they are checking their phone.

2. VIBE. Your cell phone has silent and vibration settings – please use them in public places. Not everyone will enjoy hearing the dog barking or Beiber’s “Baby Baby Baby Ohhhh” or Flo Rida’s “Boots with the fur, the whole club was lookin’ at her”  tunes a blasting. I mean I was at a wedding once and during the ceremony a cell phone rang…it was the best man. Ok really? There are some moments worthy of silence. Enjoy the VIBE! It’s not so bad and leaves a little more to the imagination and may bring a sweet smile to your face.

3. Avoid “cell yell”.  Inside voices please. We tend to speak louder than normal on cell phones in public places and often have no idea how distracting that can be to others. Most cell phones have the technology of ambient noise lowering, so if you can’t hear what you are saying, it doesn’t mean that your receiver on the other end of the line can’t hear you clearly. Even worse if you have a blue tooth, which might to look to some amongst your audience as though you are yelling to or at yourself – aka ~ loco!

4. Excuse yourself. Expecting a call that just can’t be postponed? Alert your companions in advance and please excuse yourself when the call comes in. You don’t want to be the spectacle, do you?

5. Be a good Samaritan. Pay it forward. Use your cell phone to help others in need. As of Dec 2011 according to CTIA, The Wireless Association, more than 400,000 distress daily calls are made to 911 and other emergency numbers by mobile phone users who report crimes, accidents and potentially life-threatening emergencies. This is the safest way to get INvolved.

RECYCLE YOUR CELL & PAY IT FORWARD

Do you have old cell phones to recycle? Make a difference.  Check out these recycle options:

Cell Phones for Soldiers – Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active duty military members and veterans.

 Cell Phones for Charity – Donate or Recycle your used cell phones through AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org, the largest most comprehensive cell phone drive in the world today. Over 4,000 organizations are part of the AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org Choose the organization you would like to donate or recycle your used cell phones through in your local community by going to AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org on the Internet. Your old cell phones will make a difference. By entering your zip code you can find a local collection point and a worthy cause for you to donate or recycle your cell phones.

Cell Phones for Seniors – Secure the Call is a charity with a single mission; to collect and convert as many old cell phones as possible into 911 emergency access phones. This is done on a national basis, with collections and distributions going on in most states.

Cell Phones to Fight Domestic Violence – Exclusive to Verizon, HopeLine puts our technology and the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless network to work in communities by turning no-longer-used wireless phones into support for victims of domestic violence and helps protect the environment by disposing of wireless phones in an environmentally sound way.