Technology.
I guess I like Caller ID. It’s handy to come home and check the Caller ID and see who’s called you since you’ve been gone. But do you automatically call them back even if they didn’t leave a message on the machine? I don’t. I don’t because if I call someone and don’t leave a message I don’t expect them to call me back.
People have called me and said, “Hey!” I respond with a hey of my own. “I saw where you called me. What did you want?” I think that’s usually a bit rude. If I’d have wanted you to call back…I would have left a message like you asked me to do on the machine.
I’ve also had people call me and say, “Why didn’t you call me back yesterday? Did you not see my number on Caller ID?” What the heck? Did they leave a message asking me to call them back? Noooooo.
As cool as Caller ID is, I’m sure glad it wasn’t around when I was a teen. I mean, you may be trying to call a girl…but she’s not home. So back then you could call every 5 minutes and hope to catch her when she comes in. But if you did that now, your phone number would show up on her Caller ID 27 times since lunch. That’s no good. That scares them away.
OR…with Caller ID now…maybe she really is home, but doesn’t want to take a call from you because she’s hoping a cooler guy will call and ask her to the game. So you try to Star 67 your call. But any self respecting girl knows not to answer a call from “Caller Unavailable”. And most have figured out that you can Star 77 your phone and it automatically blocks those anyhow.
Cell phones use to be behind the times with Caller ID, but now they’ve caught up as well. Or at least you can see the # calling you. Pretty soon they’ll have the names on them too.
Technology is a good thing (I say as I type on a computer to post to the internet), but it can complicate things sometimes as well.
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It's easier for me. I don't care what other people think, so much.
I used caller ID to screen calls, not so much because I don't answer if I don't like you, but because it's nice to know who it is as I answer. There are times as a pastor where a call from the church is worth stepping out of class, but a call from my buddy is not.
Unless we've been trying to get back and forth or your my best bud and expecting it, I don't call a number back just because it's on the ID. If you ask me why I didn't, I'll be blunt and tell you it's because you didn't leave a message asking me to.
If you call me back because I'm on your ID but didn't leave a message, I'm equally blunt. My typical response is, "If I'd needed a return, I would have left a message, but thanks for calling back. Anything I can help you with as long as you've called?"
My phone is not a leash. My friends and co-workers know this or learn fast.
My thoughts exactly.
Or you could do like my father in law does. They don't have an answering machine at all. They say, "If it is important they will call me back. Besides, I don't want to owe anyone a call back…that takes up my time when I don't know what they want".
At the same time, he has caller ID. So when family or close friends call him while he is out, he can call them back. But of course they all know he does this and wait for a call back. Others keep calling again and again. He uses number of instances in his caller ID list to determine priority. If a church member calls him quite a few times in a few hours while he is out, he assumes it is urgent. If they don't call back often, then it must not be important.
Proof we all use the same piece of technology differently, and that when someone invents something…they usually can't predict all the ways in which it will used.
~Jason
Dallas, Texas
it all drives me crazy, the stuff you've talked about blake, and how my wife and mom use it…
Wife – if she doesn't recognize the number on her cell phone she wont answer it… BUT 1.) she sells candles and the calls can be potential candle folk… 2.) she tutors high schoolers and the calls could be potential clients… 3.) its your freakin' phone! if you dont want to talk to people on it, you shouldn't have one!
Mom – She'll let the friggin' phone ring like 4 times until it comes up on the caller ID and it's annoying, ESPECIALLY if it's a cell phone and i have to hear some stupid cell phone ring for an extended period of time…
mozal mozal
Jeremy, I love your "positive attitude". You crack me up!