From: judy@locus.com (Judy Leedom Tyrer)
Subject: Re: Phone Ettiquette
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1992 23:23:00 GMT

In article <1992Apr3.144417.13235@umiami.ir.miami.edu> ahelmers@umiami.ir.miami.edu writes:
>
>That's my husband-he didn't even HAVE a phone (or tv) till we got together.  I
>dunno, I'm getting better (worse?) but it has taken me years to realize that,
>no, you don't HAVE to answer.  But I'm always so curious...
> 

Well, I grew up in a house with 4, count them FOUR separate telephone lines
(not to mention a telephone in every room of the house including bathrooms). 
Both my mother and grandmother worked from the home and their clientelle was
private, so we weren't allowed to answer 3 of the 4 lines.  The 4th line was
the children's phone.

I can be sitting in a room and have the telephone ring for hours without even
noticing.  At work I used to get in trouble for not answering the phone after
hours (when the receptionist was gone).  No one believed I just don't hear 
ringing phones unless they are MINE.

>
>Here's my phone etiquette question:  how do most of you feel about people using
>the answering machine to screen calls?  I honestly can't decide-on one hand it
>seems a good use if you don't want to be bothered by solicitors, etc.  But on
>the other hand I know several families who always leave the machine on and if
>you are in the middle of a message they are likely to jump in "live".  Somehow
>that annoys me; I get the feeling that I've passed some kind of test (am I
>interesting enough that they deign to speak to me?).  And I also usually feel
>stupid getting interrupted knowing they're listening to me stumble through the
>message.  Actually, now I rarely leave messages--so there are folks I never
>call anymore!

This one easy.  We leave the answering machine on at all times because we 
don't want to have to remember to turn it on (and thus miss calls when we
forget).  We have it set to 4 rings the first time and then 1 ring from then
on, so if it picks up because we're out, subsequent callers will have it picked
up at all times.  

However, you cannot always get to the phone in 4 rings.  USUALLY, but since
I dropped the cordless phone from a ladder (don't ask), we're having trouble
racing to the only phone in the house.  This especially hard from outside.
So you can call and start leaving a message only to hear me huffing and puffing
(we don't get many junk calls - usually people I WANT to talk to) "Hi, I'm 
here."  It's just a matter of distance from phone and speed of travel.

Now, as long as we're on pet peeves, my pet peeve is people who don't leave
messages on answering machines.  I mean, it is really a drag to have your
machine tell you someone has called and then NOT have a message.  Don't you
just hate that?  Even if it isn't important I always at LEAST say, "Hi, this
is Judy.  I just called to chat.  I'll call back later."  That way they know
they don't have to return the call.

(My other pet peeve is 5 minute long messages.  While ours is dull, it is 
straight to the point.  "Hi, you've reached #.  Please leave a message."

>
>Geez, what a rainy afternoon and an available terminal can do to one's mental
>rambling urges...
>
>Ann Helmers
>
>P.S.  When *I* call home, I just let the phone ring one dozen times--that is
>our signal that it's me and my husband better pick up :).  


-- 
I finally decided what I want on my tombstone...

	"Here lies Judy Leedom Tyrer.  The world will never see another like 
	 her.  We are undecided on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing."	
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