Calling America is a new project being done by a couple of British guys that are looking to find out what the U.S. is really like, not just what Hollywood portrays.

Calling America hopes to make a small contribution to exploring the development of culture through new Internet media. In a broad sense Calling America is a call to the heart of culture, to people and their stories. It asks them to share memories and thoughts with others and hopes to form a rich tapestry of tales and imagery.

I think this is an awesome project, and will probably be contributing my own stories soon!

Via David Seah.

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A lot of manners and basic etiquette in this country seem to be long forgotten. No one sends “thank you” notes anymore (hell, no one even shoots off a quick email to say thank you most of the time). People don’t say “please”, they don’t say “excuse me”, and they generally ignore everyone around them. When was the last time someone bumped into you in a store and said “excuse me”? Bet it was a long time ago. When was the last time someone bumped into you and then shot you a glaring look as if to imply that it was your fault? Bet that was within the last week.

Saying “thank you”, “excuse me”, and “please” should not be regarded as antiquated traditions that have no relevance in the modern world. If you bump into someone, say “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”. Don’t glare at them as if it’s their fault for being in your personal space. If you need to squeeze past someone, again, say “excuse me”, don’t just try to squeeze through (this is one that my husband is horrible about — he always squeezes through people when I’m following him and then they seem to close in immediately behind him so that I can’t get through, and then they miraculously don’t hear me when I repeatedly say “excuse me” until I’m practically yelling it; meanwhile he’s already 100 feet ahead of me).

One of the biggest ways that you can form lasting relationships is to be polite. If you meet someone interesting at a conference, give them a call or send them a note afterwards thanking them for the opportunity to chat and suggesting some sort of follow-up in the future. If a colleague, friend or family member does something nice for you, send them a thank-you note. If you have a good job interview, send a thank-you note immediately afterward (this can score you major points toward getting the job, as long as you’re sincere and don’t sound like you’re just trying to suck up). If a client does something nice, send them a thank-you note. If a prospect invites you to bid on a project, even if you don’t make the sale, send them a note to thank them for their time and the opportunity. Same goes for if a prospect schedules a meeting with you. Send a thank-you note for the opportunity immediately afterward.

One of the keys to this is that most people don’t bother. The majority of people won’t take the time. So when someone receives a hand-written thank-you note from you a few days after a meeting, they’re going to remember you. They’re going to remember that you took the time to acknowledge them, and that you’re grateful for that person. This can go a long way in forming stronger business and personal relationships. It forms a positive impression in their mind. They know that you value what they’re doing for you or what they did for you. Everyone wants to feel valued, and they’re going to remember the people who value them.

Oh, and thanks for reading!

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Cell phones are the best, worst invention of the 20th century. In 1990, very very few people had cell phones and coverage was pretty iffy even in metropolitan areas. In 1996, my parents bought a bag phone for use when my dad would travel (mostly hunting trips). He would have to drive to the top of the hill near our cabin to get reception, and would pay somewhere around $1.50/minute to talk. Some nights he couldn’t get any reception, and wouldn’t call.

Now, even in Northern Vermont where I live, we can get cell phone coverage in most places (but definitely still not all places). I can’t get cell phone reception in the downstairs of my house, but upstairs it works just fine. There are a couple of competing cell companies up here (Verizon and Cellular One, mainly), and in some places you can get coverage from one but not the other, and vice versa. A lot of people who need to stay connected all the time end up getting two cell phones, one from each company.

But enough babbling about our spotty cell coverage up here in no-man’s-land. Cell phones can either be an excellent tool for productivity or the worst thing that ever happened to your workday. Learning to use your cell phone for good is an important lesson indeed. Here are the basics:

1. Caller ID exists for a reason. Use it to screen your calls. No one will know why you didn’t pick up, promise. And this brings us to,

2. Voice mail also exists for a reason. Those calls that you screened using your caller ID will go to your voice mail, and if it’s important, that person will leave you a message. Make a point to return phone calls within 24 hours (except on weekends). If you’re worried about something being really important, just check your voice mail immediately after the caller hangs up. If it’s that important you can just call them right back.

3. Make sure you get a cell plan that allows you to roll over minutes. Then get the highest number of minutes practical for you. Anything you don’t use will go to the next month, and you won’t have to worry about overages. This means that you won’t be looking at your watch while you’re on the phone with your biggest client (or your boss).

4. Learn to turn it off. When you’re in a restaurant, movie theater, library, or other public gathering place, turn your phone off. No one wants to hear you talking about your latest project, last night’s date, or how sick your mother has been. They really don’t care, and you’re only pissing them off. Phones have an off button for a reason. Use it. If you can’t bring yourself to turn your phone off, at least put it on vibrate and excuse yourself (ie, go outside) if you have to answer it.

5. Buy a hands-free setup for your car. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing someone not paying attention to what they’re doing while driving because they’re busy talking on their cell phone. How’s it going to sound to that big client that you’re trying to sign when you get into a fender bender (or worse) while on the phone with them? They invented hands-free systems for a reason - get one and use it. Many states (including Vermont) have either made talking on cell phones illegal while driving or are in the process of banning it. I couldn’t be happier!

6. Use your cell phone to read the news and blog feeds you subscribe to. I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you have a super-tiny cell phone screen, but if you have a newer smart phone or similar, you shouldn’t have an issue doing this. Mobispine offers free mobile feeds, with almost 20,000 feeds active (including this one, right under the bookmark button and above the tag cloud on the right). You can also add feeds for any of your favorite blogs, whether they have a Mobispine account or not.

Cell phones are tools, and should be treated as such. While they can be incredibly annoying if used improperly, they’re also excellent for increasing your productivity if make them work for you.

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