Is common courtesy dead?

This must be a sign of the times or that I am not moving fast enough for them.

Today I got a call from a connection who asked me a question. Once I answered the question, before I could react, the line was dead. I guess I fulfilled their requirement.

Whatever happened to "goodbye"?

Common courtesy, Emily Post style, I suppose is dead in this hectic, want-it-now, wired society. We crave/want/need/demand attention/information/satisfaction and then we're done.

Why?

I, for one, hope this practice dies a quick death. What better way to hack off and alienate your network than to cut them off as if they were stale bread from yesterday. In other words, think long and hard about how you treat people or they won't be around to be treated.

Relentless

Etiquette is Eternal

We talk about manners in this space quite often. We've come to the conclusion that they are not obsolete. I found someone who agrees with me.

Peggy Post is the director of the Emily Post Institute. Yes, that Emily Post. In the May/June issue of AARP Magazine (www.aarpmagazine.org/peggypost), she wrote that manners in today's fast-paced, complex and crowded world are still relevant.

"The potnetial for awkward moments--and yes, even rude ones--is amplified," Post wrote, because of societal shifts. Technology, fashion trends and more open talk are driving and changing how we interact with one another.

However, the basic principles of Emily Post endure and apply and never change:

• Honesty
• Respect
• Consideration

No matter the situation, these three ideals are the basics of being polite, in showing manners. Respect for our fellow humans should be under all of our interactions. These should be easy for us to apply to networking situations. Or at least they should be.

Relentless