I think one that must be added is the inane talk-into-speaker/ move-phone-to-ear dance people do every time they talk.

I think the number 1 commandment is and should always be:

Have some decency to not answer the phone when somebody is already talking to you in person.

When texting, thou shalt turn off the little bleepy noise each key makes.

What about that you shall not wear a phone on your belt, and absolutely not a phone what is older than 1 year... Not withstanding a new "brick" phone.
And don't take pictures with your phone from people in the public transport..

What a great list!

Can I re-produce your list for my church newsletter? You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how many cell phones "ring" during worship. Ringers are bad enough, but when we get strange music to boot, it's just awful!

Thanks again.

- Thou shalt not turn on thy phone during flight or shortly after landing until given permission to do so by the flight attendants. Disturbing others with your personal conservations during flight is of utmost annoyance.

- Thou shalt not leave the cellphone ringing just to show off their "cool" ringtones or refrain from answering for that same reason. Not everyone wants to listen to a cellphone ringing for minutes even if it sounds "cool" to you.

- Thou shalt not complain or act inappropriately when at public places or areas where they may ban your camera cellphone for privacy reasons. Leave thy cellphone at home or bring a non-camera phone instead.

- Thou shall learn how to use thy cellphone correctly before using them in public and not fumble around trying to unlock the keyguard. RTFM shall be the utmost commandment. If thou cannot learn how to use thy phone, thou shalt not use it.

When you are having a conversation on the cell phone you are having a conversation. All the same rules apply: don't yell, don't talk in class and keep it appropriate.

#1. It is OK to use you cell in public places but be appropriate. A quiet conversation or short call on the bus is very acceptable these days. Yelling, crying and cussing are not and never will be. Basically, talk as if you are talking to the person next to you.

#2. You cell has call waiting, voice mail, caller ID and several call logs. You do not have to drop everything to answer it. If you are with a close friend or in a long conversation, it may be acceptable to say "excuse me" and take a call.

#3. If this happens, keep it short.

#4. If you are going into a meeting situation and expecting an important call that may pull you away from the meeting or interview it is both courteous and wise to warn the other party at the beginning of the meeting.

#5 Putting your phone on the table is a situational thing. It can be acceptable if you are planning to be there a while, are expecting a call, are with close friends or if you are with a group that makes that a practice (fairly common amongst softball and dragonboat teams for some reason). In short, you can put your phone anywhere you would put your wallet and keys.

#6. Please put the phone away while driving. This is especially true if you are anywhere near a school zone, playground, bike route or pedestrian area. If you want to kill yourself on the highway, do it alone and try not to leave a mess.

#7. If your cell rings in a public place, do something about it. If you don't intend to answer it, turn it off. If you are screening calls, use the "reject" feature. Hoever appropriate it might seem, please do not subject your fellow passengers to 40 minutes of the first four bars of "Crazy Train".

#8. If you must leave your phone on during a live performance (or movie if anyone goes to those anymore) please stick it up the most convenient orifice so that only you can hear it. If seems difficult, your fellow patrons will be glad to help. If you happen to be a doctor, plumber or drug dealer put it on vibrate and use it as a pager.

#9 Never take a call during a show, movie or lecture. This shouldn't need saying but apparently it does. If you are waiting on a kidney donor or a big shipment, think "pager". Use vibrate, let it go to VM, quietly leave the theater and call them back.

#10. Never, ever answer the phone while you are relieving yourself. Honestly I can't believe that this has to be said but take it from me, it does.

A couple of additions:

Thou shalt turn off thy cell phone at funerals, weddings, yoga class, and any place else where it would be socially unacceptable to bring a screaming child!

If thou must drive and talk, thou must own a headset. Watching a person try to hold a phone to their ear and talk while operating a motor vehicle is just frightnening.

You missed one of my biggest ones.

Use vibrate mode - as often as is humanly possible.

#5 Not only shalt thou not dial while driving, thou shalt not talk while holding the cellphone while driving. IMO, most people who attempt to do so cannot multitask, and with their focus on the phone, they are a hazard on the road. In fact, most of them should not even attempt to talk hands free while driving.

I have to disagree with a couple of these, if you don't mind. My tone is meant to be serious, but in all in good fun.

RE: #1 - Don't you feel like you're saying that people can't talk and interact with other people when they are around you? I have certainly been annoyed by someone talking on the phone next to me before, but I also get annoyed when people just have loud conversations while they are both in the same physical space. However, I don't go around making rules against human interaction in public.

RE: #3 - Stop perpetuating the fallacy that etiquette requires your cell phone to be OFF. Your RINGER should be off. Turning off your cell phone is akin to taking yourself off the grid and I am mildly offended when anyone suggests my link to the world, which is only becoming more vital over time, be arbitrarily cut off because they are talking or trying to listen to someone. If this continues, I'm going to start telling people they all need to close their eyes whenever I'm talking.

RE: #8 - I find this just plain pretentious and insulting. On what authority have you declared communication to be unhealthy? I understand where you're coming from, and I agree that most everyone needs some quiet alone time to be a well-rounded person, but I'll be the one who decides when and how I'll talk to people.

RE: #9 - I'm with you. You only get to show off new cool stuff when you are sufficiently informed about how cool it ACTUALLY is, which includes it's coolness relative to the rest of the world. For instance, a standard smart phone is ancient and boring to anyone living in Japan or South Korea.

RE: #4,6,10 - This is a symptom of being uncomfortable with the rate of change in society and the integration of humans with technology. This will only get worse, and it seems pointless and silly to fight it. Get used to it. If you were alive in the 1300's, you probably would have said no one should wear glasses when they aren't reading something.

Seriously, if you are this uncomfortable with welcoming technology into your life, and the lives of those around you, how are you going to handle it when we all start enhancing all our senses with gadgets and implants. This is the time for acceptance and adaptation. Choose your battles wisely.

I think number one should be:
Don't talk on the phone while ordering food, purchasing items etc.
If you are in the checkout line, get off the phone and show some courtesy to the attendant.

I believe the absolute number one cell phone rule should be:

Thou shallt not make the cell phone more important than the company you are currently keeping.

If you want to talk on your cell phone, you don't need my company.

Can there be an exception to the two device limit for work purposes?

My husband has a work phone and pager, which he betimes must carry and answer promptly. However calls between his personal phone and mine are free and do not tie up his work phone.

As for commandments; Thou shall not discuss in public spaces thing you would not discuss with bystanders. For verily, I do not want or need to know who put what where nor the diseases which resulted, neither do I wish to hear the details of your recent and very personal medical procedure.

Here, here. As a trainer, this is a very difficult issue to deal with. However, as far as I'm concerned, unless you're George Bush, there is no call that should interupt a 3 hours class that you've been assigned to attend that effects your bottom line -- your paycheck. HOW DID WE FUNCTION WITHOUT CELL PHONES IN THE PAST? I give adequate breaks. I even allow someone to check to see who is calling, but it just doesn't work. Thanks for the rules. Maybe someone will stop answering their calls for a minute to hear them!!!

Thine efforts to be biblical in thy speech are commendable. Howeoever, thou mayest wish to review thine grammar as in the example below:

If thou has (sic) suggestions for additions, we welcome thy (sic) thoughts.

I agree with Jaap - your phone is not an accessory - put it 3 inches below in your pocket and not on your belt - seriously we all know you are a hot shot "Insert high level position here" and that you are required to carry your treo/palm etc

seriously, i wish i could escape my cell phones. i have an old sanyo scp-4700 as my personal cell, and some new LG phone for work. if i could i'd dump'em both and fall off the grid for a few days! -if i didn't have an 'on-call' job, that is.

If anything, this article (and the subsequent follow-ups) illustrate that cellphones, as we know them, are very poorly designed.

Case #1 - A properly designed cellphone wouldn't even have ringtones or any sort of annunciator noise. The only alert options would be to vibrate or display a message or indicator light.

Case #2 - Cellphones would not have cameras.

Case #3 - Cellphones need to have built in an "invisible fence" system. The idea here is that cellphones would be programmed to recognize a FCC-assigned low-power "marker signal" from an installed transmitter in a business, movie theater, etc. that would instruct the phone to immediately drop all incoming calls to voicemail, and disable any outbound calls except to 911 and other designated emergency numbers. This is entirely possible to implement, only the protcols, frequencies and mandatory software upgrades for cellphones need to be worked out.

I like Ben's points, but he makes one little blunder.
"However, I don't go around making rules against human interaction in public."

These rules have been in force for centuries. Call it "Polite Society" sadly, something that many cellphone users don't seem to partake in.

Solution? Get rid of all "free" phones and make their cost of use even higher. The increased price to be used to subsidize public schooling where the rules of "Polite Society" used to be taught.

I think 1commandment that needs2be added as maybe a bonus is thou shalt not slam thy cellphone as if it was a house phone. Slammin the phone against a table does not have the same effect as slamming a phone against a reciever. This makes about as much sense as getn upset on a cordless phone&hanging up by pressing the end button extremely hard. I never understood this yet I see it often

To Dustin: Courtesy to the attendant is nice, but how about courtesy to the person on the other end of that phone? Wouldn't it be better to just say, "Let me get back to you in a few," and call back after you are through with that order and out of the line? Not to mention that the people in line behind you might be a bit perturbed if you can't juggle driving, talking to the attendant and talking on the phone?

Number 1 commandment should be DO NOT use your mobile phone in public restrooms. No converation is that important that it can't wait.

Thou should not give cellphones to those persons under the age of 8.
I mean seriously, all these little kids have cellphones when they really don't need them-- and it's just wrong. They should wait till they are more responsible and recognize the fact the a cellphone is a communication tool, not a toy to play with or chat randomly.

What is with these people who not only leave their ringers on in church, but they actually answer their cell phones during Mass? What is SO important that you need to answer your cell phone during Mass? Come on folks, it's one hour out of your "busy lives." Shut the ringer off before entering church.

Hello There Mr.Dan Briody,

I understand where you are coming from and what actually made you come out with the 10 commandments. Personally I think one should be educated on simple ethics before they are allowed to use a mobile phone. What could be worse than being stuck to a sardine packed bus?....listening to one scream/speak loudly/ or worst a sprayer(saliva) on a mobile phone on how his/her day had been...Like I need to know that....or anyone else for that matters. Conclusion is...people are not considerate these days as they were back then. Everybody is busy with their own lives and at times they just don’t realize what they are doing is inconveniencing other people. Lets just hope that one day before the sun turns red…there will be mutual understanding between us humans on simple ethics of using a mobile phone.

Regards,
Jason J David
Malaysia

Hang up and go outside and play for a while. It will all be O.K. Everybody play nice now, and please leave your phones insside.

I agree with Sherrie - please don't make your phone calls more important than talking with me at the moment when I'm right in front of you.

This is particularly annoying when I'm having a conversation with someone and they feel compelled to constantly check and send text messages while trying to keep up with the thread of our face-to-face conversation.

I didn't see (or maybe I overlooked) the cell phone use at the LIBRARY! I cannot for the life of me understand this? I remember in the "old days" if you so much as held your voice above a whisper..you were SILENCED! Not only are they ringing off the hook but they are being used for long conversation! Plus no cell phones signs posted everywhere! Mind boggling!

There is nothing rude in wearing a small Bluetooth head piece while in the car, walking and shopping. The cell phone can be on vibrate and out of sight.

We live in Germany, i.e. high speeds, bicyclists everywhere, narrow winding streets, sharp turns, etc. We get ticketed by the local Polizei as well as MP's on the Posts, for having a cell phone in hand and in the driver's seat.

Because this is our family link, and not knowing when Deployed Daddy can get a chance to contact us, I wear one whenever out of the house. The phone stays in a secure case on my purse strap. Digging for the bluetooth is not always a safe option.

Please consider another Commandment...like "Thou shalt lead by example and teach thy children proper cell phone etiquette before allowing them to carry a cell phone, and discipline them when your rules are broken." GBA, USAF Gram in Germany.

Could you PLEASE add to your list that it is extremely rude to continue talking on your cell when a waiter/waitress comes to your table to take your order. Especially if you don't even acknowledge their presence. If the call is that important, step outside and come back in when you're done! Did you go there to eat or talk!!!!!!!!

#1!! thou shouldest not drive thy fone booth

Gather up all the old wired phone booths and require restaurants and other public places to have a few, then, anyone who wants to use their cell must go into the booth, thus saving us all from the knowledge of their human experience.

No phones on belts. Refer to your own gunslinger comment. There is no need to holster digital artillery.

If thou leavest thy phone upon thy desk in thine absence, please makest thou certain to silence its ringer. Little but naught distracts so well as a wretchedly unattended cell phone in thy workplace.

I think the basic theme of all the comments is everyone is worried about what other people are doing. Yes I have been annoyed by cell phone users but I have been equally annoyed by other human behavior so I can get over cell phones like I have gotten over everything else.

I think people should finish their phone conversations before stepping up to a retail service counter. I think it is VERY RUDE to have to wait for a person to finish their conversation before waiting on them. It not only holds the line up, but in all seriousness, if you walk up to my counter, then I become your priority, not your conversation.

Thou shall not use your cell phone to continually conduct your business at a pool at a vacation resort. I did not pay $5000 on a vacation to sit in a telephone booth with you and your "remote" office.

I agree with everyone who said that the first commandment should be; [If you are talking face to face with someone and having a genuine conversation with them, and your cell phone rings, unless it is an emergency, DO NOT PICK IT UP!] It is rincredibly rude! As a college student in LA, I have witnessed this all over my campus.

Also, a note to my college age peers, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD besides you and the person on the other end of your cell phone! Be gracious to them.
Life is so precious, when you are on your death bed I guarantee you, you will not be say "wow, I wish I had talked on my cell phone more often!" No you will probably wish you had spent more time with the people you love - the 'other people' in the world! As thoreau said, "Let us consider the way in which we spend our lives." THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE!

How about the very disturbing case of using a cell phone while on the hopper or at the standing urinal.

Read this article and you will see that this was a problem 6 years ago.

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/skaw/cellphone.html

In the same way that cell phones are becoming ubiquitous, digial audio players seem to be hanging from every other person's ears. Many of the commandments listed above can also apply to people listening to music on the go. Maybe it is just my pet peeve, but it seems rude when you encounter someone who is letting their attention become divided between their music and another person. Although the young lady behind the counter at McDonald's may only be making minimum wage, she still deserves the respect of your full attention whe she is taking your order. This is one use for that pause button, folks!

> If you want to talk on your cell phone, you don't need my company.

I totally agree with that, although receiving a call it be alright at times, it gets me really mad, when someone your with makes a call (and sometimes even gets one) to make plans with someone else in half an hour or an hour to do something. Its like if you wanna hang out with them so bad get the f*&k outa my face right now, maybe i wont be mad tomorrow. well thats what i think anyway as i try to leave asap.

Love those ten commandments. Here's a song about the subject for those who are musically inclined. www.myspace.com/dwpatterson -- click "JWaC" -- the lyrics are in the blog below that. Don't let cellphone boors run roughshod over you!

Thou shall not answer your cell phone while in the bathroom or using the bathroom.

I don't want to talk to you while your taking a dump. Please spare me the sounds and noises, and yes we know what your doing on the other end, so STOP!!!!!!!!

Thou shalt not come into my office, interrupt my work to start a conversation, and then answer your cell phone while you continue to sit in my office!!!

Thou shalt not talk on the phone in the bathroom.

Verily, I say unto thee: Thou shalt not publicly discuss thy commercial business over thy cell phone, in a manner as where thy voice may be heard some cubits in the distance.
And when, in the course of thy public discussion, if thou shouldst receive most evil glares from those around thee, thou shouldst promptly and with great dispatch, take the hint and cease thy mind-numbing prattle, instead picking up the most recent newspaper and perusing it in silence. And behold--those around thee will be most grateful for thy sweet consideration and mayest even offer to furnish thee with a free latte.

"Thou shalt not hold up busy lines by trying to make a decision whilst thou simultaneously continue a cell conversation."

I encountered this problem several times a day while I was working as a butcher at a full-service meat counter. Inevitably, cell phone guys would hold up the busy after-work rush by wavering between lean and extra lean ground beef while driving home the final details of some business deal. It drove me nuts, and I'm sure anyone who's waitied behind such a doofus will agree. I think the scope of this commandment is broad enough that it should appeal to anyone who's ever worked behind a counter, a window, or a cash register!

What about those people who stare at the phone when it is ringing, and allow it to keep ringing?

The ringer on every phone that I have owned is silenced by touching any of the buttons on the side.

Why stare at the phone trying to discern who it is while the ringing commandments are broken? Silence the ringer while you try to remember where the 212 area code is!

I'm with you on all of them, except:

"Thou shalt not slam thy cell phone down on a restaurant table just in case it rings."

If the phone is in silent mode (as it should be when in public) we will only know if it rings if it's in eyesight, so this one doesn't always apply.

As I have sent to my state lawmakers, any laws for restrictions or bans on cell phone usage in a motor vehicle should not end there! Eating, drinking (non-alcoholic) and smoking should also be banned or restricted in motor vehicles. Women and putting ont heir makeup, see this every morning, should be banned as well. Cell phones in cars are not the only thing nor is it the most common cause of accidents.

Phone on table. Yeah, i do this and always will when I take my wife out to dinner and leave the kids home. Only way I can tell the phone is ringing, since 99% of all restaurants are noisy as heck with NOT PHONE conversations, but general discusions and music.

So, since everyone has been whinning about phone talking in restaurants and check out lines, well, lets BAN talking at all restaurants and stores! Better yet, no talking in public. PERIOD!! What a quiet peaceful world this would be!!

Talking on the stupid nextel walkie talkie and using the speaker phone so people can hear both side of the conversation. I don't care what your baby daddy did or who he has been doing lately.

I think a HUGE cell phone no-no is talking on your phone when you are checking out at a store or otherwise dealing with a customer service person. It is rude to them when people ignore them for thier own conversation when they are just trying to check you out or otherwise help you. It is very disrespectful. No one likes to be ignored for a phone call.

People with Nextels should have to put the phone on private when using the direct connect feature. I have a Nextel and I always keep mine on private. People really don't care what you are talking about so don't make them listen.

1) If you are in line, especially in a restaurant, don't try and carry on a conversation with whomever is on the phone AND try and place your order. It: A)annoys the crap out of the folks behind the counter, B) slows down the line behind you, C) is just plain rude. This goes along with carrying on a conversation on the phone while talking to someone in front of you.
2) And the driving while talking/dialing/texting. Although I am personally guilty of said offense, I agree that it is the most dangerous. thing a person can do...unless it's added with trying to put on makeup.
3) As an early riser, I am amazed at the number of tweens, teens, and twenty-somethings that are on their phones at 6 AM (and sometimes earlier)! Whatever happened to the rule that you don't call before 8AM, unless it's an emergency? What on earth do you have to talk about at 6 AM that can't wait a few more hours?

RE: #10 -- not true! I can never hear my cell phone in my purse. This is the reason I mostly keep it turned off. It never seems to ring through when I'm receiving a call, or I can never hear it, sometimes not even when I have it on the table. So what's teh point of being reachable if I can't be reached? Screw it, I hate the phone. Leave me a message, e-mail me, or write me a letter, or just leave me alone. . .

Regarding #7: "Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any other phone."

There is a very simple explanation to this (not justification -- just explanation). When using a regular phone your own voice is re-directed to your own earpiece and you can hear yourself talk. However, cell phones don't do this and people think they are not loud enough becuase they are used to regular phones...

These commandments are not only hilarious, but should be posted on billboards and posters in every airport around the country! Not only am I unimpressed with other peoples' cell phones, I can hardly stand to answer my own (which is silenced anyway).

Added one here:
11. Thou shall not have a message intro lasting more than 15 seconds. The standard "please leave your name, number, and brief message", is sufficent enough. If I want to listen to 'We are the champions', I would have listened to it - BEFORE - I called. ( Besides, us whom uses pay-per-minute, won't be leaving YOU any messages . . . So don't expect us to. )

Here's another one that no one has touched yet... Texting in the movies! People, it's dark in there and we can see your BLUE light shining in the dark! It's terrible. You go to an early movie and you get the screaming babies, then you go to a late movie and you get the "youngsters" texting, giggling, or taking on their phones. Security!! ARGH!!!

Also, my boss talks extremely loud on his office and cell phone. We share the same office which is about 20'x10' and when the door is open (which he likes for it to be) almost everybody in the office (about a 40 foot radius) can hear. It leaves me very embarrassed. You can't just tell your boss, "You talk too loud."

Do you think phone etiquette can be taught in schools!! I was a teacher; I wish it was.

three more cell phone user complaints! [1] i am so tired of going into any store/business and the clerk is actually having a personal phone converstion going on while trans acting business![2] people do not have an obligation to answer every cell phone call that comes in-unless you tell your live human friend in advance that you are expecting a very important phone call![3] i hate people who are engaged in a very personal verbal conversation and they stop the talk---to answer their damn, stupid cell phone![4] if your cell phone has a hands free speaker option-don't use it in front of friends-i don't want to listen to the calling party and i don't want the caller to hear my conversation to the cell phone user. IN ESSENCE, CELL PHONES ARE THE MOST ABUSED AND STUPIDLY USED DEVICE THAT MAN HAS YET INVENTED! I SHALL NEVER OWN ONE AND I HAVEN'T MISSED AN EMERGENCY YET!

My gripe is about people making cell phone calls who are inconsiderate of the people they're calling.

I've had all these things happen ... from callers who are otherwise well mannered people. Surely they don't realize their rudeness.

1. Don't call me when your service is iffy. When the call drops I'm stuck waiting for you to get in a good spot and call back ... for who knows how long.

2. Don't call me as you're pulling up to the drive through and then tell me to hang on while you order and pay. I'm not interested in your transaction and don't appreciate being left hanging.

3. Just because you have free minutes to use doesn't mean I have free time to blab. Ask if I'm busy before you launch your monologue.

4. Don't talk to people around you at the same time you're talking to me. It can't see who you're addressing and it confuses the conversation.

5. I don't want to hear your disciplinary vocalisms to your children. Get off the phone if you must and call back when things are calmer.

Back in the old days, the phone was in the hall, attached to the wall or so close to it there's no way you could wander more than a step or two away.

When people called, they had each other's attention. They were not so distracted they forgot about manners. They conducted their business and hung up. And they were not annoying or endangering anyone around them.

The old system had its good points.

Not sure which commandment this relates to, but:
"Thou shalt not converse on thy cell phone whilst walking, lest thou forgetest to WATCH WHERE THOU ART GOING!"
I've seen too many people carrying on conversations as they're walking who simply forget to look before crossing the street! (Hmm, on the other hand, maybe they're providing the solution already... - just kidding!)

#1 There is no call important enough to use your cell phone in the rest room. No one wants to or needs to hear the back around sounds.

So much for the old commandments, check out InfoWorld's new, improved Ten Commandments of Cell Phone Etiquette, Slideshow Edition, here: http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2007/03/63-ten_commandment-1.html

I have only one suggestion-vibe mode. One of my jobs is in a library, and cell phone talking is banned, but we allow people to keep their phones on vibe so they can pick up and dart out the door if they really need to take a call. A muffled hum is much less distracting than a 21-gun salute ringtone. I never set my ringtone to audio unless I am at home, and on call.