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Newsletter Issue No. 18 -- August 15, 2008
Saving Energy – the “New” Etiquette (Part 1)
Living in a modern world, with the latest appliances, vehicles and conveniences, we use more energy than ever before. However, with the skyrocketing costs of energy such as gasoline, propane, natural gas and electricity, not only does it deplete our precious resources and puts a strain on our electrical grid, but as important, it hits our pocket book, really bad. In this three part series, we will look at ways to reducing energy and saving money. Let us first look at our vehicle.
Here are some tips to saving energy in our modern times using your vehicle:
1) Watch how much you drive. Try to combine trips to the various places you need to go to as much as possible. This will save fuel costs because you are not going back to home base only to go back out again.
2) Keep your vehicle in peak operating condition. Regular oil changes, filter changes, tune ups, and even keeping your tires inflated properly will not only reduce wear and tear on your vehicle, it will also save fuel.
3) Plan your trip to avoid left hand turns as much as possible by going in a big circle. By using mostly right-hand turns, you will reduce idle time being stuck in the left-hand turn lane and save time overall. UPS uses this trick and they save over 3.5 million gallons of fuel each year.
Even if the price of fuel goes down, this will contribute greatly to keeping costs at the pump lower!
If you have any other suggestions, please comment in our forums. We would love to hear from you!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 17 - July 15, 2008
The Lost Art of Saying, “Bless You”
You rarely hear it anymore when some sneezes.
Bless You, or Gesundheit (German) as many in North America say, was a very popular saying up until the late 1970’s, and slowly waned off to a mere trickle of “Bless You’s” and “Gesundheit’s” today. So why did this happen?
1) Some feel it has religious overtones – when you look at the term historically, it stems from Christianity, as one custom (of many) for its origin claims. As custom teaches, Gregory the First became Pope in 590 just as the Bubonic Plague was making its way to Rome. In hopes of fighting off the disease, he ordered unending prayer and parades of chanters through the streets. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing ("God bless you!") became a common effort to halt the disease. [Reference: Wikipedia]
2) It is overused – Bless You was used so much that it just came out of fashion. Nothing replaced it though until recently when a Robitussun commercial joked, “Robitussun!” when someone sneezed or even coughed.
3) It is a tradition that just didn’t get passed on – with the Baby Boomers in the 1970’s and 1980’s creating new traditions with their kids, many believed that this would be one that would be for the history books.
Here are some reasons why saying “Bless You” should be made popular again:
1) People actually appreciate it when they hear it! How many times to you get a “thank you” after someone says “Bless You”?
2) It is still a very polite term. People smile when the term, “Bless You” or “Gesundheit” are still used by people today, whether it is the one sneezing or those within hearing distance.
So when you hear someone sneeze, say “Bless You” or “Gesundheit”. See what kind of reaction you will get from a family member, friend, or even complete stranger!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 16 -- June 15, 2008
Random Acts of Kindness (Part 1)
I was parking my car at the doctor’s this afternoon, this being June 9, 2008. It was pouring down rain and cold. Unusually cold in fact, it was 16 F (about 9 C) below what a normal day would be typically here in the Pacific Northwest/Vancouver Island area.
I saw a hood up across the street and saw someone with his head under the hood. Didn’t think twice about it though. I needed to get to the doctor’s office.
I went into the warm, dry doctor’s office, just being on time for my afternoon appointment. Smiling at the receptionist, I said to her, “Wow is it ever wet out there!”
“Yes it is,” she replied. “You know there was an 80 year-old man who just came out of our office and helped that lady out there boost her car in this weather.”
I couldn’t believe what I heard. Eighty years old, crappy weather, and still doing a good old-fashioned ‘act of kindness’ for a damsel in distress. WOW!
It was on account of this act that I decided to opt out on the article I was going to post this month (you will see it in July or August, depending if I want to follow up on this article more) and write about the random act of kindness this old gentleman displayed.
It seems that it does not matter how old or young you are, random acts of kindness go a long way in society. They build community, make people feel appreciated and feel recognized.
I like to commit ‘random acts of kindness’ too. They generally come in the more mundane ways though. For instance, I will hold the door open for the person behind me at a store, even if the person is more than 10 steps away. It’s actually fun watching them run while saying ‘thank you’ to the door. Maybe I’m helping them with exercise too!
I realize we live in a more dangerous world than before. However, you can pick and choose your opportunities to commit these ‘random acts of kindness’. Do not let a good opportunity go by you without committing one, where and when appropriate!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 15 -- May 15, 2008
Dealing with Telephone Solicitors and E-Mail Spam
In today’s society, we are getting bombarded with telephone and e-mail solicitors. In Canada and the U.S., strategies are being developed to curb the solicitor from calling your home or business or with details to curb e-mail spam.
Here are some political developments in the past several years:
In the United States:
In the United States, the federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 was signed by President Bush in December 2003, and took effect on January 1, 2004. The act prohibits fraudulent and deceptive commercial e-mail messages and requires senders to include information allowing recipients to opt-out of receiving further messages. The law also preempts any state law that "expressly regulates the use of electronic mail to send commercial messages, except to the extent that any such statute, regulation, or rule prohibits falsity or deception in any portion of a commercial electronic mail message or information attached thereto."
In Canada:
The Canadian government passed legislation in 2005 mandating the creation of a do-not-call registry. The registry is scheduled to take effect in mid-2008, yet many Canadians may be disappointed to learn about the exemption of a wide range of organizations (registered charities, business with prior relationships, political parties, survey companies, and newspapers). Under the law, exempted organizations are permitted to make unsolicited telephone calls despite the inclusion of the number in the do-not-call registry. However, organizations must remove numbers from their lists if specifically requested to do so.
What you can do to register to free services in North America:
In the United States:
Consumers can register on-line for the national do-not-call registry by going to www(dot)donotcall(dot)gov. To register by telephone, consumers may call 1-888-382-1222: for TTY call 1-866-290-4236. You must call from the phone number you wish to register.
In Canada:
Go to www(dot)ioptout(dot)ca, and register to their do-not-call list.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 14 -- April 15, 2008
Telephone manners (Part 2)
Keeping with the subject of telephone manners……
Things to remember when on the phone:
1) People at the other end of the telephone line cannot see you (unless you have your webcam up and talking through the Internet), so little etiquettes such as hello, good-bye, please, thank-you and your welcome really help.
2) Watching your tone of voice. Having a positive voice tone certainly lifts up a telephone conversation, especially when talking to strangers on the phone.
3) Language control. Using appropriate language really helps when on the phone. You just do not know who’s “little ears” are listening to you just around the corner!
Do you have any more thoughts on telephone manners? Discuss them in our forums!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 13 -- March 15, 2008
Telephone manners (Part 1)
In today’s society, telephone manners have gone by the wayside, especially with our younger generation. What has contributed to the change?
1) Technology. We now can see who is calling on a call display.
2) Technology. We can design ringtones to specific people calling.
3) Television. Television shows, especially popular ones, set trends on life, including answering the telephone.
We do not say hello anymore on the telephone because of call display and ringtones.
We do not say good-bye anymore on the telephone because our favorite actors do not do it on television.
We do not say please and thank-you on the phone where appropriate either. So, what are your thoughts about telephone manners? Please join our forums and discuss what you believe are good telephone etiquettes!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 12 -- February 15, 2008
Setting a table (Part 2)
Whether it be a nightly family dinner, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or even hosting dinner guests, a nicely set table can make that “small difference” to making an evening go well. When it comes to setting a table, we are going to write about the absolute basics. This is what we recommend:
While it is optional to use a tablecloth for nightly family dinners, it is recommended to place one down when having guests over, even if it is your mother-in-law. As an option, you can use place mats instead of a tablecloth.
Place the dinner plate at the center of the place setting. Do your best to give enough room on the right and left for people who must sit beside each other enough “elbow room”.
If you are eating in courses, the salad or soup bowl can sit on top of the plate. As an option, have a saucer underneath the bowl to catch any accidental overflow. This will keep the dinner plate clean.
Next, we place down cutlery. Forks reside on the left-hand side of the dinner plate with the salad fork on the outermost end, and the dinner fork right next to the plate. Optionally, a desert fork can reside next to the dinner plate at the very top.
Next are knives and spoons, which reside on the right-hand side of the dinner plate. The soupspoon sits on the outermost part from the plate, then place a teaspoon for tea and coffee, then have the dinner knife placed immediately to the left of the dinner plate. Optionally, you can place a desert spoon right above the desert fork next to the top of the dinner plate. You are now looking quite smart!
Place your drinking glasses on the top right-hand side of the dinner plate, with the water glass closest to the center of the plate, the wine glass to the right of the water glass, and the coffee or tea cup beside the wine glass, all angling along the curvature of the plate.
Finally, place a dinner napkin where you think it would look the nicest. Just remember, have the dinner napkins placed in the exact same spot around the table.
Here is our opinion on being dogmatic about this particular etiquette: we will not be dogmatic, nor do we encourage others in our forum to say there is only one way to set the table! However, we make our suggestions to make things easier and more uniform so that when guests come over there is a familiarity about where to find their eating utensils. Setting the table the same way daily for family dinners makes a great opportunity for your children to develop their table setting skills!
We encourage you to offer any cool comments (or even stories of how you have helped others develop some great table setting skills) to help others get into setting the table using our forums!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 11 -- January 15, 2008
Setting a table (Part 1)
As our culture progresses in the 21st century, we here have noticed that there is less emphasis on the “proper” setting of a table for meals, especially supper. Then again, we have also noticed that families have gotten away from eating nightly together. Our lives have gotten so busy with work, sports, children’s activities, and other situations that make eating together very difficult. As a result, table setting skills have gotten “passé”.
Before we go into the etiquette of setting a table, I would like to encourage all of you out there to try and re-establish the dinner hour “ritual” of eating together. Here are some important reasons why:
1) Eating together at supper fosters a sense of family, and that all members belong.
2) When eating together an opportunity to “catch up on the day” with everyone is provided.
3) The parents can ensure that a good nutritious meal has been served to their children.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 10 -- December 15, 2007
At a checkout stand
Checkout stands can be long and a little nerve wracking, especially during the holiday season. Showing consideration and a little patience can go a long way at a checkout stand, but also here are some other tips to help make your checkout experience a little better for you and others:
#1) Try to avoid clogging up the main aisle at a checkout. Using the “boomerang” effect works best at the checkout stand. By bending around, it allows other patrons of the store to go around you so they can continue shopping.
#2) Upon arrival to the conveyor belt, move your cart up as far as possible to the end of the till. This makes it easier for you to unload your groceries and other shopping items onto the table or conveyor belt.
#3) Once finished, move you and your cart right out of the way. Move ahead far enough so that the customer behind you has plenty of space to start unloading their cart. And as a courtesy, place a divider (if available) between your items and the customer’s behind you. This helps speed up the checkout process too.
#4) Have your cash or card ready for the transaction. Being prepared in this manner speeds up the process and moves the line up just a little faster.
#5) Always say thank you to the clerk. Proper manners go a long way. He or she sees many grumpy customers every shift they work. Do not add to that equation!
As you can see, it’s all about common sense and a little bit of courtesy. Developing these good habits here will spill into other areas of your life.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 9 -- November 15, 2007
Eating (Part 5)
#5 bad habit to address – when eating crackers or a sandwich close your lips around the bread. If you don’t it will be a “crumby” experience!
Here are advantages to closing your mouth on a cracker or sandwich:
1) Cracker and breadcrumbs won’t fall over the floor so that you may end up feeding the dog too.
2) Crackers and your sandwich are less likely to fall apart on you.
3) People won’t think that you need eating lessons.
Of course, there are many other items that we can talk about, but we prefer that you add them to our forums! Please add your comments, suggestions and questions to our forum group.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 8 -- October 15, 2007
Eating (Part 4)
#4 bad habit to address – use a napkin, paper towel, or even just a facecloth to clean your hands and face. Too often I have seen people, yes even adults, use their shirtsleeves as a napkin! Oh my gosh!
Here are four advantages to using a napkin:
1) Using paper napkins or paper towels means that they can be disposed of easily. They break down easily at the dump and therefore more environmentally friendly.
2) You can actually wear your shirt for the rest of the day, rather than throwing it in the dirty clothes at the end of the meal.
3) You will avoid staining your clothes with mustard, oil, or other yucky substances that are hard to get out.
4) People won’t ask you if they can use your shirt to clean their hands too.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 7 -- September 15, 2007
Eating (Part 3)
#3 bad habit to address – use utensils where appropriate. Forks, knives and spoons are what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom when it comes to eating. Of course, there are always foods that are fun to eat using your hands. What comes to mind is hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza.
Here are five advantages to using utensils:
1) It keeps your hands clean.
2) It avoids you burning your hands from hot food and freezing your hands from stuff like ice cream.
3) Food is less likely to fall off your fork or spoon all over the table or your clothes, unless you decide to eat at a million miles per hour, where your food may fly everywhere anyways!
4) Utensils are great to keep your uneaten food on your plate better organized.
5) People will not look at you as if you are a caveman.
Remember, when using your utensils such as a fork and a spoon, avoid holding them like a “shovel” so that you do not look like you are part of a garbage site and your mouth looks like the giant garbage disposal!
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 6 -- August 15, 2007
Eating (Part 2)
#2 bad habit to address – eating your food at a million miles per hour. Eat any faster and you will get pulled over for a speeding ticket, or even worse, get grounded! Slow down when you are eating.
Here are four advantages of slowing down your eating:
1) Slowing down your eating means that you will have the opportunity to savor your food.
2) Eating slower means less chance of getting indigestion, therefore saving you money on buying Rolaids.
3) When you eat slower, it gives your stomach a chance to signal that it is getting full, therefore avoiding overeating.
4) People won’t like at you sideways wondering where your food went.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 5 -- July 15, 2007
Eating (Part 1)
Stating the obvious, eating is an essential part of your everyday life, but developing bad habits of eating your food with your spouse, family members, friends, and in the public can not only be embarrassing to the party of people around you, but also to yourself.
Once you develop a bad eating habit, it is very hard to break. Starting with and maintaining good eating habits will help you foster a better relationship with those who are eating around you, while at the same time you can better take care of your body when some of these good habits are employed. Here is something to think about before we give you some suggestions about eating: if you eat with proper manners no one will say a thing; the minute bad habits are displayed, people will talk about it and therefore it will affect their relationship with you.
In this first of a five-part series, we will address what we call our “Top 5” bad habits:
#1 bad habit to address – chewing food with your mouth open. There are not many people who like to see what you are eating, and how it is done. If they wanted that lesson, they would have watched our funny video on this subject instead. At least there they would get a good laugh at Mike the Slob.
Here are two advantages to chewing food with your mouth closed:
1) The food will stay in your mouth and will not fall out all over your clothes.
2) No one will have to look at the food you are chewing.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 4 -- June 15, 2007
Personal Hygiene
I remember when this was an embarrasing subject to talk about as a youngster, but not today. I am not afraid to let people know that their personal hygiene is lacking. Let's look at some areas that can and should be talked about:
#1) Teeth. If you see a friend or family member with yellow teeth, chances are they do not brush them. Not only does it look terrible, it is not healthy for the teeth, gums, or the rest of the mouth. Oh yeah, did I mention bad breath?
#2) Hair. Unclean, unbrushed hair just does not look good in public. It's harmful to the scalp when hair is not continuously cleaned.
#3) Dirty Hands. Dirty hands are not sanitary for shaking other people's hands, eating, or holding other objects, unless the object is part of the reason why your hands are dirty in the first place, like gardening.
#4) Body odor. Nobody likes to stand near a person who smells at least 5 feet away from them. Most likely they are not wearing deodorant or showering enough.
And of course, no one likes a dirty face. If you end up with a situation where you have a friend or family member who needs some encouragement, sit the person down privately and address the issue with them. Try to be as sensitive and positive as possible. If they get upset, just remind them that you care about them and want the best for their health and appearance. Your advantage is: the closer the relationship you have with the person, the better the opportunity to discuss the issue with them.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 3 -- May 15, 2007
Driving and parking your shopping cart (Part 2)
Common Sense Prevails
In our first segment we covered two pretty basic common sense rules to operating a shopping cart in and around a shopping center. Here are two more common sense approaches to operating a cart when shopping:
#3) If a cart is in the middle of the aisle, be polite to the person, no matter how annoying seeing a cart in the middle.
A little politeness goes a long way. When this happens, politely ask the person if it would be alright if you moved the cart for them. Or you can say, “excuse me please,” then smile. The word “please” with a smile is used so seldom today that you can even use it as “shock value” to others!
#4) Put the cart back in its proper place.
Stores and parking lots provide shopping cart spaces to put your cart back. Use them. The reason: it is hard enough to find a parking spot in many instances and having a shopping cart take one up needlessly is just going to aggravate people further. Worse yet, leaving a cart on the sidewalk or in the middle of the parking lot is inconsiderate and can be dangerous. Do your part by putting the shopping cart in the shopping cart racks. Remember, being considerate to others in all instances creates a more enjoyable and safer community.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 2 -- April 17, 2007
Sticking to the grocery store genre, here is the first of a two-part series on "driving and parking" your shopping cart.
Driving and parking your shopping cart (Part 1)
Many times when you go to the supermarket, you will need a shopping cart. I find it very annoying on how others operate their cart. Here are the first two “etiquettes” on shopping in a supermarket using a shopping cart:
#1) Keep to the right-hand side of the aisle when shopping.
I can’t stand people who stop their shopping carts right in the middle of the aisle! You cannot go around their carts and then in frustration you move it for them. After all that they give you an indignant look! Don’t be like them, move your cart over as far as possible, and try to park in front of items that people will be less likely to buy, therefore showing courtesy and a good example to others. This rule applies when in the fruit and vegetable, bakery, and butcher/meat & poultry sections of the supermarket as well.
#2) Go slowly around an aisle corner.
All too often I have bumped into carts because they were barreling around the corner. Like cars, you need to be careful when going around a corner. Proceed carefully and you will avoid striking another cart, person (heaven forbid a child), or a display (mind you I love it when a display gets knocked over and cans roll everwhere!).
We will continue with Part 2 in the next article.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
Newsletter Issue No. 1 -- March 29, 2007
Welcome to Funetiquette.com and our very first article. We invite you to offer your opinions and suggestions in our public forums.
Putting things back in their place properly
Frequently when you are in a department store or supermarket, do you find products in spaces where someone has just left them, and they aren’t supposed to be there? Do you find it annoying, especially when it’s in front of a product that you are trying to put in your cart?
I realize that the stores have stockers and they usually take care of putting products back where they belong. But often enough people are just too lazy to put the product back in its proper place, especially for products that are found in the same aisle!
Even if it is a large store, make an effort to put a product you have decided you didn’t want back where you found it. The exercise will do you good and it will help the next customer.
The opinions of this article are solely of Funetiquette.com and are open to discussion in our forums.
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