by Patricia Oshier Franks

Created on: September 23, 2009   Last Updated: September 26, 2009

Though people should not use cell phones while driving as the distraction could lead to an accident, these phones should not be banned from restaurants and other public places. That's just ridiculous. I don't believe it to be rude to sit in a restaurant and talk on a phone, especially if you are alone. However, certain rules of public behavior should be observed. The cell phone user shoudl keep his voice down and his conversation private rather than causing a scene and disturbing other patrons. When a customer is loud and upset, it is not the phone causing a disturbance but the user.

Most people learn at an early age how to behave in public and what behaviors are considered unccceptable. A phone is a tool and should not be blamed for the way the owner uses it. Phone ettiquette should be no different than that used in any polite society. Those who disrupt the peace of a public place should be held accountable for their actions instead of punishing everyone by banning a useful communication tool. Keep voices down and conversations private, or if that isn't possible, take the call outside.

In today's fast-paced, high-tech society, ease of communication keeps one from being chained to a desk, or a landline. Besides, it's getting harder and harder to even find a pay phone these days. Not to mention, it sounds completely unprofessional to be conversing with a colleague and have an operator interrupt with the "please deposit another fifty cents to continue your call" automated message. And face it, how many people carry fistfuls of change in the age of plastic and electronic funds transfers?

I, for one, like the ease of communication and being readily reached in case of emergency. I don't have to ask or borrow house phone, find a pay phone to feed change into, or make check-in calls. And let's not forget that most cell phone service carriers now allow national long distance free of charge.

As technology grows by leaps and bounds, our communication needs expand exponentially. In all honesty, no one wants to revert to the stone age of communications. Wireless communication, i.e. cell phones and Internet, have put the globe at our fingertips. It truly is a small world and it shouldn't take days or hours to get a message to someone. Convenience is the name of the game. Every one wants and needs easier, faster communication, whether at home, work, or in a restaurant.

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