Phones

[andrewducker]

I noticed a few reaction posts to my poll yesterday - and a fair amount of commentary that making phone calls unnerved quite a few people. It doesn't bother me at all, so I quizzed a few people about what it was about making phone calls they didn't like. Likewise with phone etiquette. Hence, a new poll.

[Poll #1278852]

Comments

[robhu.livejournal.com]

I have a phone at work (this is unavoidable).

I have a VOIP phone at home, but it hasn't been plugged in for 6 months.

I have a landline at home but that hasn't been plugged in for several weeks.

I have a mobile but I don't know where it is.

I don't like phones that much. I used to use the phone a lot (calling a friend for hours every night), but I don't know anyone now who I'd do that with - and I prefer my contact to be via email or IM because it's more easily managed and efficiently processed.

Just think though - Knuth is another level on from this.

[andrewducker]

See, when it comes to arranging something with a single other person I frequently find phones more efficient, because you can have multiple responses in the space of 30 seconds.

"See you tonight?"
"Sure, 7:00?"
"8:00 is better. Your place or mine?"
"Julie's working at home tonight, how about yours?"
"So is Ed - meet in the pub?"
"Ok - The Regent?"
"Sorted!"
can all take place in the time it takes me to get an email and reply to it.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

It's fairly rare for me to meet with just one person - but in that eventuality it's usually handled by IM, which has the advantage that it can be done with a group of people in disparate physical locations.

In other cases it tends to be meeting in a group. I find email works well for this for about 4 or so sets of people (singles or couples lets say), but above that it doesn't work so well. For larger groups Doodle is fantastic for finding out when people are free (or what option they prefer).

Almost all my friends are very computer literate and active on the internet though. I imagine this wouldn't work if that weren't the case. One friend (who is a computer programmer) complains that social things get organised (not by me, but by some people) on Facebook (which she's not on).

[andrewducker]

Ooooh, Doodle looks very handy - thanks!

(I can't use IM at work, have plenty of friends who aren't on it, and sometimes organise things at the last minute, while away from the computer)

[poisonduk.livejournal.com]

In that example you are talking about a specific person who you are entirely happy to call and have that chat with. If however we started off in text and I hadn't previously made plans for a time and venue I would probably have called you in response to either your inital text, or in this case as you're the reciever I would have expected you to call me back. To me a text is generally a way of initiating a 'I would like to talk to you when it's convenient for you' type scenario, especially as I have mom commitements which I undertake most evening and can often be in the middle of homework support/making dinner.