We've all done it. Your cell phone rings and for whatever reason you look at the caller I.D. and hit IGNORE. Maybe it's a sibling who always wants to "hold" some of your money. Or your drama queen friend with the trifling boyfriend who always wants you to be her stalking accomplice. Or maybe it's that chick you gave your digits to before you realized that she was 50% crazy.
As much as the advent of mobile phones, text messaging, instant messaging and email has made it easier for us to stay in constant contact. It has also given us the freedom to avoid people at will. I may be dating myself, but I remember the days when there were no mobile phones. When your home phone rang, there was no way of knowing who was on the other line. If you didn't answer the phone, you would never know.
There was no voicemail, no answering machine, no Caller I.D and no cell phones. It's hard to imagine now. But in those days, if someone called who you didn't want to talk to, you had to find a way to politely excuse yourself from the phone. If you owed them money, you had to tell them to call back after pay day or disguise your voice and pretend you weren't home.
As with everything, however, there are pros and cons to the new freedom to avoid people that technology brings. In most cases, I don't think there's anything wrong with "getting little" when the need arises. It gives us greater control over who we associate with. No one has the right to hijack our kicking it time or suck up our minutes with B.S.
On the other hand, it's not always appropriate to blow people off - especially in business, where reputation, straight forwardness and relationship building are valued. As a business owner, I've seen it a lot. When people realize that you aren't going to let them work you like a one-legged dog for free, that same potential client who was blowing up your cell phone two days before suddenly is harder to find then Bin Laden.
It's bad business and just rude. Business 101: You just never know when you will need that person again and everyone should be considered a resource. I'd rather someone be upfront and say, "I've decided to go another way" or "Is that negotiable?" Or what is probably the truth in most cases, "I just ain't got it, Dog." It might not be the easy thing to do, but it's respectable and takes more balls than hitting IGNORE.
As much as the advent of mobile phones, text messaging, instant messaging and email has made it easier for us to stay in constant contact. It has also given us the freedom to avoid people at will. I may be dating myself, but I remember the days when there were no mobile phones. When your home phone rang, there was no way of knowing who was on the other line. If you didn't answer the phone, you would never know.
There was no voicemail, no answering machine, no Caller I.D and no cell phones. It's hard to imagine now. But in those days, if someone called who you didn't want to talk to, you had to find a way to politely excuse yourself from the phone. If you owed them money, you had to tell them to call back after pay day or disguise your voice and pretend you weren't home.
As with everything, however, there are pros and cons to the new freedom to avoid people that technology brings. In most cases, I don't think there's anything wrong with "getting little" when the need arises. It gives us greater control over who we associate with. No one has the right to hijack our kicking it time or suck up our minutes with B.S.
On the other hand, it's not always appropriate to blow people off - especially in business, where reputation, straight forwardness and relationship building are valued. As a business owner, I've seen it a lot. When people realize that you aren't going to let them work you like a one-legged dog for free, that same potential client who was blowing up your cell phone two days before suddenly is harder to find then Bin Laden.
It's bad business and just rude. Business 101: You just never know when you will need that person again and everyone should be considered a resource. I'd rather someone be upfront and say, "I've decided to go another way" or "Is that negotiable?" Or what is probably the truth in most cases, "I just ain't got it, Dog." It might not be the easy thing to do, but it's respectable and takes more balls than hitting IGNORE.
