12 Rules to Public SmartPhone Etiquette

Cell phones have become vital to our daily lives, and people are relying on them more and more for both business and private calls. Particularly smartphones  as they are rapidly evolving into indispensable devices.

With an increasingly connected society, it is becoming more and more important to know how to use these devices properly, without annoying or irritating those around us.

Following are twelve rules to using your smartphone in a way that allows you to conduct business but as not to annoy everyone around you!

    Twelve Rules

1.   If you are in a situation where you cannot move away from others, (a bus, theater, meeting, dinner table) you should not be using your smartphone. No one wants to listen to your conversation and it is rude to force them to do so. 

2.    If you use your phone for business, keep the ringer to a normal phone ring, not the latest Top 40 hit, or your favorite childhood song. 

3.    Turn your ringer off during public performances. 

4.   You do not need more than one electronic device with you at a time. Either use your cell phone, smartphone or your tablet, not both. And if you must do get a Phablet.

5.   Do not ever use your smartphone while driving. Pull over, and save yourself and your fellow drivers from a potentially dangerous situation. No Calls. No Texting. No skyping....etc. 

6.  Especially when in a business situation, do not wear an earpiece or other attachment for your phone. 

7.    Do not scream into your smartphone. You should be able to use your normal speaking voice, or do not make or receive the call. This prevents others from having to listen to your conversations. Having a poor viber-skype connection over WiFi is no excuse either.

8.    You do not need to have your smartphone with you everywhere. In fact, there are some places that a cell phone should never go, let alone a smartphone- such as a hospital, house of worship, a classroom, etc. Turn it off, or set it to Silent, if you must have it with you. No Facebooking.

9.    Do not try to show off all that your phone can do in a public place, that's what YouTube is for.

10. Do not take your phone out of your pocket, purse, or bag when in a meeting, at a meal, or other public venue just to hear it ring. Put it on vibrate or turn the ringer to a reasonable level that you can hear with it still safely tucked away in your pocket, purse or bag.

    
  11. If you are with company, in a meeting, at the dinner table, or even just visiting, do not         over do it with messengers, and you better not be continuously updating your social           networks status. No browsing. And certainly no AngryBirding.  

12. Before posting your captured photos of people with your smartphone, make sure you have their permission to post to your social networks; regardless whether they are your friends or just happened to be there. 

Be Connected. Be Considerate. Be Social. Be Polite. Be Safe.

My Top Four Social Networks - and how I relate to each

Am probably on 100+ of social and professional networks that I can't even remember joining. The ones I kept on using are the ones that provided the most value to me personally and professionally one way or the other. I still use about a dozen other professional and niche networks, but am not talking about those today.

This post is about the social networks I love using the most and use almost on a daily basis; which are Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Despite the many similar features, I find each network is unique; in how I use it and what it means to me.

Twitter, I find provides a window to the world, or one big social event that never ends; from news to gossip, music & videos, intelligent and not so intelligent conversations, and I just love the topic focused chats. Twitter offers great two way exposure.  About 40% of my coaching clients found me on Twitter. 

LinkedIn, is brilliant in every possible way, professional and very useful, great for brainstorming ideas and sales leads. Groups, InMail and LinkedIn Today; well I just love. LinkedIn results in about 60% of my Consulting business, and 50% of that are of clients initiating first contact! 

Google Plus, well you just got to love the clean and simple layout. Google+ is where I learn about things and meet great people of brilliant minds. Hangouts are super cool, I've even used them for business meetings and coaching sessions. Though I found that most people are more comfortable having those over Skype. Circles make me happy, and Sparks I enjoy. Google+ to me is more about the people.

Facebook, well, its FACEbook, it's an interactive  family album and a school yearbook that updates me on what every family member, classmate and friend are all doing, playing and Liking. A little bit more personal than professional for me. Facebook Ads I found great for generating Page LIKES and creating traffic to outside links, that's about it. But Pages I like, more than Groups. Feel free to visit my pages. Coach Ghada Facebook Page  , Decapolis Consulting Facebook Page go ahead and LIKE them! 

Now concerning privacy issues on all social networks, most of posts and updates are PUBLIC, Facebook is where I pay more attention to privacy settings since the family and friends are almost all addicted to posting pictures almost instantaneously; and for the occasional awkward shared joke or link.

My personal Advice about privacy online, applies to the same advice I give about writing: if you don't want people to find about it, don't write it! simply don't put into writing anything that might come back one day and bite you!

With constant privacy policy and layout changes on any given social network, you just can't be sure! So, if you don't want people to find about it, JUST don't write it, don't post it, don't upload it. don't share it, don't tweet it, or even like or plus it.

The cat always gets out.

Connecting the Dots: Find Your Own Social Media Recipe

So yesterday, I finally, decided to Explore Empire Avenue the social game, that I've been hearing and reading about quite often lately!  I did create an account, and set my profile and connections, and started exploring some.

I found it interesting and fun. but this post isn't about Empire Avenue, though the story of yesterday started with it. 

You see, I was curious about the 16 investors who had bought my shares. So I searched for some of them on Google+ and added them to my circles. Surprisingly, later in the day, I received Linkedin invitations to connect from those I circled on Google+. and I thought I'd check my G+ to see if they have circled me back. And sure enough they did. Oh Cool, and then I got back to work.

Early evening, I got on twitter, and seeing that I got new followers, I checked and I found a few of my Empire Avenue shareholders whom I have circled on G+, got connected to on Linkedin and now we are following each other on twitter.

I don't know about you, but I find that fascinating. especially that it completed the thought I have been entertaining for the past week.

I was thinking about the different social media platforms I personally use, and engage in. Specifically that, for the past few weeks (ever since Google+ launched) we have been seeing debates, comparing, and even over- analysis of which social media giant will lose to whom. I am not an expert on this, but as regular user of those platforms, I don't see why they one should lose to another. I find that each social media tool serves a specific purpose for me.

Despite the many similarities social media platforms such as Google+, Twitter, Linkedin, facebook, and other tools out there, they are different and am sure their users are also different, even though there are many users like me who use and rely on more than one tool regularly. Users are people, and people come in different shapes and personalities, eventually they will choose the Social Media tool(s) that appeals to them the most, and works for them the best.

Connecting the dots, I cannot do with only one social media tool. I find that all of them are useful in more than one way. 

Click image to buy on Amazon

                                          Now, Going back to my Empire Avenue story yesterday,and let's say that I was on vacation (My Empire Avenue exploration), and I met a few people, discovering we both belong to the same Country Club (where we have fun, relax, help each other, learn new things, get to know each other better, and build good relationships) my club in this story is Google+. Some of our club friends, connections and fellow members,  may be interested in further networking, and a professional meetings is mutually agreed on and set up. Thus further connecting on Linkedin: Conferences and Conventions, and following up on each others news on Twitter, the perpetual Trade/ PR Show.

After all of this networking and connecting,and given that deal is in the horizon, you can comfortable move to the Meeting room to discuss particulars (Email, IM, skype, phone, or a good old in person meeting).


Although, I find better uses for Linkedin, Twitter, and Google+, am still using Facebook, on a personal level (keeping in touch with Family, friends and old classmates), and on a professional level, a good number of my audiences are there, and its a good way to connect with them.


Therefore, depending on your own business needs and purposes for using Social Media, you may well find yourself using more three to five tools on regular basis, and using another two to three for certain events or purposes on occasion. Do not feel that you have to choose one over the other just because it is trending.


Find out what works for you and your business, experiment, connect the dots, and learn how you can improve and perfect your very own recipe for using social media.

My Circles My Rules

 +1 My Circles ==> MY Rules

Here is an illustrated article, that describes my usage and views of the top four social media platforms that I use the most.in the words of Donna Svei @AvidCareerist "sums up the state of play on the Big 4 Social Networks 

Google+ 1 page infographic"