iPod etiquette stories

[Tom M.]

I'm a freelance writer researching a story about evolving ipod etiquette. I'm looking for stories and anecdotes about how being plugged into the ipod has made verbal communication more difficult - or easier. The funnier and more insightful the better. Thx.

[frisk291]

The only thing I can come up with right now is this:
There's a girl in my chemistry class who is constantly falling asleep, so for the last few days, she decided to take out her iPod and listen to it with 1 earbud. Suddenly, she was wide awake and taking amazing notes with is pretty difficult to do in that class. It almost made me want to try it myself.

Sorry if this is a stupid story lol. :D

[enjoilax]

Well, i always have my iPod around me at school so heres the rules I've setup for myself.

1. If I make eye contact and the person wants to stop and talk, take out your earphones and pause your music but leave the iPod in hand showing you need to get going.
If I would like to talk to the person, put away the iPod to show respect.
2. During lunch: no earphones in at any time, unless eating alone
3. During class: big no unless i can't stay awake
4. Absolutely no iPod during work whatsoever unless explicitly allowed by the manger, but never in front of customers. Ever.

[thefonzdied]

I sometimes just wear one ear bud so I am able to listen to other people talk, but usually I just crank up my volume and nod along with approval and smile and say "yeah."

[dasda41]

here are my rules:
-if someone else w/ ipod is talking to you, take out one bud.
-if someone w/o ipod talks to you, take out both and put them around your neck and pause music.
-ipod in class only if the teacher allows
-if some one is saying something stupid to you while you are listening, turn up volume and pretend not to notice.
-ipods can help work when you are alone, but not w/ people
-only listen to music when you have time.
- if you are late, don't show up with ipod in ears, take the buds out, turn it off and store it before opening the door.
- when in a library/ class, check volume by taking out ear buds and holding them out and listening. if you can hear clearly, turn it down. if you can sort of hear it, don't worry about it.
- do not use ipod as a projectile weapon. you lose both ways.

[Kristiano]

Good rules Laxy.

I don't adhere to any of them :p

[RatherPlayHalo]

At an urban campus like Pitt, the iPod is great. I can ignore bums and idiots handing out flyers VERY easily. Most times, they don't even bother.

[Preebs]

Wow, another Pitt person. That's one of the things about the iPod that I love. People on the street don't bother you as much with the headphones in, regardless if you have your music playing or not.

[viccles]

The only one I have is if I'm about to talk to someone no matter who it is I take out both buds from my ears

[i.am.barfbagman]

i don't listen to my ipod in school because i don't want to look like a nerd.


sry, i'm trying to say this without offending anyone.dont' shoot me

[VipFREAK]

Hmm... there unspoken but.

I use common sense and go by courtesy for the most part. Although sometimes I feel it's ok to break that rule. Perfect example is during Xmas anytime I went to the mall I had headphones blaring to drown out all the fake people and stupid xmas music. It was great.

Most of the time I have it concealed so no one knows I have one. One reason is I don't feel like getting mugged and two I don't want to look like a typical iPod owner oblivious to everyone and everything as well as full of themselves.

: puts on flame suit:

The only thing I can come up with right now is this:
There's a girl in my chemistry class who is constantly falling asleep, so for the last few days, she decided to take out her iPod and listen to it with 1 earbud. Suddenly, she was wide awake and taking amazing notes with is pretty difficult to do in that class. It almost made me want to try it myself.

One day... ask her if she can't stay awake because she's dreaming about you and tell me what happens. lol

[ThisisCraigP]

I wear my earphones in class so people will quit bugging me in class. Once they see the earphone cord they shut up and do there work on there own. Its been working good i dont like distractions while i work

[L33tG4m3r]

I take off one earbud when i'm talking to someone, but if it's like this ####### who I really hate (only one person), I just pretend i hear them and nod along. For hot girls, I take off BOTH earbuds and give eye contact.

[xboxman]

1) When with someone keep your iPod tucked away with headphones stored discretely. It's plain rude listening to music while talking to someone.

2) If you are using your iPod, instead of walking by and ignoring everyone, maintain eye contact for a second and nod to acknowledge the person. Proceed to walk on. This shows that you are busy yet you do know that they are there.

3) If someone asks to listen to your iPod say your headphones have wax on them or the battery is low/empty. This way you won't get it back with wax on the earphones and with a dead battery :P

[Keatah]

Well, i always have my iPod around me at school so heres the rules I've setup for myself.

1. If I make eye contact and the person wants to stop and talk, take out your earphones and pause your music but leave the iPod in hand showing you need to get going.
If I would like to talk to the person, put away the iPod to show respect.
2. During lunch: no earphones in at any time, unless eating alone
3. During class: big no unless i can't stay awake
4. Absolutely no iPod during work whatsoever unless explicitly allowed by the manger, but never in front of customers. Ever.


#1 is absolute high class, and shows that you are interested. Just fabulous!

[bigbabydaddy196]

How about some etiquette for people who clearly SEE! you're wearing headphones!?! One of my emerging pet peeves (I have many, so competition is rather fierce) is people I don't know who interrupt me at the gym. One of the ancillary benefits of using an iPod (or other such device) is the headphones are a socially acceptable way for me to tell others: "I'm here to work, not socialize. Bugger off, now, please-n-thanks." That way, I spend 60-90 minutes working out, not 2 1/2 hours trying to fit in my sets while Cpt. Clueless blathers on about WTFE or some little twit wants to meet people. And a simple nod to acknowledge you is not an invitation to talk. It's me being nice...which clearly needs to stop. :)

I need to get a gym shirt that says, "Does not play well with others...except yer mum" with an arrow pointing directly upwards.

[Keatah]

Some bodaciously awesome chick apologized for 'interrupting' my workout at lifetime. She did that after I took off my headphones AND put my ipod away. Needless to say that was not an issue! There is probably a wholly unexplored bag of dating tricks you can do with ipods.. rock on!!!

[donnabr]

Sometimes in my classes I allow people to use ipods when we're in the lab and they're working on their papers. I chat with people about their work in turn, and I don't mind tapping someone on the shoulder to get their attention to talk about their papers. All students when talking to me take out their buds, because if they don't, I reach over and yank on the cord. But that's just me. I hate, hate, hate, when they're working and someone has the volume up so high I can hear the music from six or seven feet away. Then just to mess with them I only mouth words, so they have to take out the buds.

[bigbabydaddy196]

Some bodaciously awesome chick apologized for 'interrupting' my workout at lifetime. She did that after I took off my headphones AND put my ipod away. Needless to say that was not an issue! There is probably a wholly unexplored bag of dating tricks you can do with ipods.. rock on!!!
OK, OK, we can set up exceptions, I suppose--though when I was young and unmarried enough to describe someone as "Some bodaciously awesome chick," I wasn't passive enough to wait for her to approach me. But enough of how I met my wife. :D

Exceptions:
1. If you are a certifiable hottie, it is acceptable to approach someone with their headphones on--unless they're also wearing a wedding ring as well, in which case, see my aforementioned "Bugger off." Also, be prepared to present your certification card so the person knows you haven't overestimated your attractiveness.
2. If the person wearing the headphones is on fire and hasn't noticed, you may politely approach and tap same on shoulder...or whatever area is not actually on fire.

[Reubania]

I think it's rude when someone only takes out 1 earbud when talking to me. And then they have no idea why they don't fully comprehend what I'm trying to tell them, or ask me to speak louder. No respect.

[nvr-brkn]

I only listen to my iPod when I'm at home or riding in the car or on the bus

< off topic >
Why is it in a car for cars and on a bus for bus? Instead of on the car or in the bus?
< /off topic>

Back on topic:
I, too, find it ridiculously rude when people have an earphone in one ear while I'm talking to them. If you don't want to talk to me, just *say* so. Don't be all passive aggressive. I can understand the need for some down time.

[Reubania]

I actually got pulled over by the cop for having my headphones in, listening to my iPod - it's actually an offense, which I had no idea and was quite innocently unaware (when I was driving a car with no CD player - I hate listening to the radio).

[nvr-brkn]

I actually got pulled over by the cop for having my headphones in, listening to my iPod - it's actually an offense, which I had no idea and was quite innocently unaware (when I was driving a car with no CD player - I hate listening to the radio).
...It's not obvious? You won't be able to hear the sounds of the rest of traffic that well. It's probably not against the law to listen to comedy stand up while driving, but common sense would tell you that you shouldn't. Simply because with comedians, they make you laugh your ### off. You do that while driving, you crash the car. These days, you'll be able to walk away without a scratch, but the insurance bill will still rack up.

Deaf people are allowed to drive because they're used to not having their hearing to fall back/rely on. Hearing people are not allowed to use earphones because we aren't used to not having all of our hearing and sounds directly into the ear are far more distracting.

If you have a tape deck, you can buy the cassette thingy that plugs into the iPod's headphone port, and listen via the speakers.

[Reubania]

I know. I was young and naiive. But I never had the music turn up loud. And no, I didn't have a tape deck. I had used iTrip - but the sound quality and occasional static was becoming annoying. I've now got a new car with a CD player and I never listen to my iPod in it anymore.

[a7dk]

I have to say I occasionally do leave one earbud in when talking to people because I use IEM's that are kind of a pain to put in. I didn't realize so many people think it's rude.

Just to add my two cents, maybe I'm kind of antisocial but my pet peeve is when people talk to me when I have my buds in. Clearly I'm busy listening to music! Just nod and move along, please.

[gsu_paintballer]

I didnt realize so many people thought it was a big deal to leave one earbud in too :(

Makes me wonder what people have thought when I stop and talk to someone on the way to class :P

[Music Hunter]

i do the one earbud thing too but i always lower the volume if your talking to me regardless

[KG GT500]

I just hate people that try to talk to me while I'm listening to my iPod and doing work. It's anoying. I lose my train of thought. I then get ####ed off and tell the person in question to #### off.

For me it's especially anoying because my headphones (Bose IEs) have a nice and QUITE noticeable black and white cord. There is no excuse to not see it.

I also can't stand people that listen to their iPods so loud that I can hear it through my own. In a perfect world I would be able to walk over and smack them, but that's frowned upon apparently. HaHa.

[musiclover92]

In guitaer center, iPods are normal, in conversation that is, everybody is listening to music all the time, I once saw two people with phones loud enough to hear it from 3 feet away, both were listening to the same Hendrix song, Voodoo Chile(at different times in the song of course)