1. I do not believe that I have to answer the phone every time it rings. In fact I
believe that was part of the purpose of voicemail, so that people could rest assured
that the information they wished to convey (be it call me or more complex than that)
could be clearly expressed to the person you are calling even when they do not answer.*
*The exception to this is my mother who has caller ID block that refuses to acknowledge my phone as a "real" phone and therefore blocks me from leaving voicemail, Which is why I now bypass my mothers landline and use her cell.
2. In this day and age of caller ID and such, calling two times in a row is a risky
venture. If, by chance, the only reason I missed your call was either I did not
hear the phone or did not make it to the phone in time, than yes, a second call
might assist. Although if I simply didn't make it to the phone in time, and wanted
to speak to you right then, chances are I would have already called you back.
3. Calling three or four times in a row is ridiculous. Seriously, even if you care
calling to get a ride to the hospital, I have now clearly demonstrated that I am
currently unavailable. Try someone else. Or 911.
4. It is a really good idea to have a sense of a person's schedule when you call
them. I personally think it's pretty risky to call most people before nine in the
morning (even on a workday when, you would, you know, expect them to be at work,
unless you are calling them at work). I also think after ten at night can be a
risky proposition, although certainly I have a number of friends for whom well past
ten would be totally acceptable, but the point there is that I know that about them.
5. It is also a good idea to know the timezone folks are in to better plan your
call.
6. Most people have shorter tones for texts, so texts work well for some messages
that have some reason to be conveyed outside of a person's known good times.
7. Violation of more than two of these rules is likely to both delay my return
contact as well as increase my level of irkitude when I do call.
NB: This is not aimed at any of you in particular. Promise.
Rants About New (and old) Things
