By Jerry Riley

A recent survey of phone survey pollsters found that those people who have no hard-wired telephones, are often not contacted by phone surveys because it is more expensive. If you think about it, though, people with cellular phones would always be available, not just at mealtime. No matter what type of meeting or event, someone’s ringtone plays. The bright side for non-landline phone users, is that they often don’t get those survey calls. The only down side is that they don’t count, at least to that polling company.

Just think, driving in traffic you could occupy your mind thinking about what type of personal hygiene product is best for you – a question that may become more important if your attention is diverted from your driving.
Now, to be fair, many people are cutting their phone cords and going wireless. For younger people, who have grown up with cellular phones, it may seem somehow unnatural to ever shut them off.
I took a small survey of cellular phone users and most of those said that cell phones are more convenient than hard-wired phones, which are more confining. Some people say it is less expensive, but I personally have found no cellular plan that costs less than my monthly old fashioned phone bill. One user said it is simply “the need to be able to always be able to communicate with others.”
I guess different people have different needs. Yes, different comes naturally to me – and what a revoltin’ development that is!

Jerry Riley is an occasional commentator for the News Bulletin. He is a retired telecommunications supervisor.
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