In today's fast-paced world with extreme competition, it has become necessary that a person has access to fast and reliable means of communication. Mobile phone or cellular phone is one such gadget which helps you reach another person anywhere, anytime even when the person is travelling without any efforts. When it first came into existence a few years back, it was sheer luxury and not every one could own it. Now, with a lot of easy payment options, availability of cheaper and efficient models, various tariff plans to suit the needs of various economical groups, mobile phone is being owned by almost all categories of people. Right from a swanky, upwardly-mobile professionals to a humble green grocer selling vegetables on the footpath, every one has a mobile. It has become so essential a thing, that without a mobile a person is bound to feel completely lost and bewildered. Especially in the youngsters, a mobile has become a symbol of acceptance by the peers. Recently, a new set of psychological symptoms related to stress has been recognized which is related to the mobile mania. These symptoms mainly are fear of being rejected, ignored, left behind by the others etc. if the battery of the phone dies down or the phone is not working.

While it is extremely necessary that a mobile phone should be owned by most people, it should be ensured that it does not become an obsession. Like it happens with every good thing over a period of time, mobile phones too have moved from being the objects of convenience to becoming the objects of inconvenience and irritation to the others. Especially if you happen to be sitting next to a commuter on the bus who will insist on telling each and every intimate details of his fight with his girlfriend to the friend over the phone. Equally irritating is the fact that your friend is visiting you for a lengthy chat after a long long time and will end up spending half the time over phone with her boyfriend instead of talking to you. It really irks me up and at occasions, I have had to tell some of my friends to switch off their phones on several occasions. The most annoying thing associated with a mobile phone is the ringtone.

Next time you are out walking, try to focus and listen and you will be subjected to listening to at least twenty different ringtones all within a radius of 5 meters around you. The sheer range and variety of these ringtones is flabbergasting; right from a child crying to a cow mooing or a dog barking. More irksome is the fact that people who play these ringtones or songs so loudly are completely indifferent to the fact that they might be annoying or disturbing people around them. Where people cry foul over drunken drivers, the people who nonchalantly talk while driving with one hand are let free. These drivers are as dangerous as the drunken drivers.

Some basic tips that indicate good etiquettes of a mobile phone user are:

1. Ensure that at public places such as a hospital, movie theaters, places of worship etc. the phone is kept at either a silent mode or on vibrator.

2. While attending a meeting, either shut it off or tranfer your calls to a voicemail inbox.

3. While in public, talk softly on the phone. Avoid conversations where you have to give your personal details in public places.Chances are that someone is listening to your conversation and may try to use this knowledge to dupe you in some way.

4. Do not attend to a phone while you are driving. If it is that important, park your vehicle at the side of the road and then attend the call. Even though you may be using a hands-free kit, it is still not safe since paying attention to the conversation, it is likely that your attention will be diverted from the traffic.

5. The ringtone on your mobile should quiet, subtle and decent. It should also be melodious and not jarring upon senses. Care should be taken similarly while choosing the dialtone. I just hate it when I dial someone's number and am greeted by a clanking loud heavy metal track instead of a plain ringing sound. It should also not create some kind of panic that a sudden dog's barking might create.

6. While on a public transport if it is inevitable to reach someone, send a text message instead.

7. If you are sitting and talking with someone and you receive a phone call, common courtesy dictates that you at least say "Excuse me" before taking that call and walking away to somewhere private place.

8. In your workplace, use mobile phones sparingly for personal conversations. Use them only if you have to while ensuring that you do so somewhere private where you will not disturb your colleagues. Also, exercise caution and discretion because the way you conduct conversations will create an impression about the person you are, since it impacts your working image as well.