The XX Factor: What women really think.

In Favor of Public Shaming For Cell Phone Misconduct: A Rant

I’m more of an etiquette snob than self-proclaimed etiquette expert Anna Post. Or so it seemed at yesterday’s “Mobile Etiquette Tea,” where she and Intel’s Dr. Geneveive Bell discussed what’s socially acceptable use of cell phones, smart phones, lap tops, and e-mail.

Over finger sandwiches and a tower of cupcakes at the Russian Tea Room, a woman posed a hypothetical for Anna, the granddaughter of Emily Post: Who is ruder, the person jabbering away on her cell phone on the bus while everyone around her grows increasingly annoyed, or the annoyed seatmates who spent 10 minutes rolling their eyes and harrumphing and generally trying to make it passive aggressively clear to her that she should shut up? Anna said that, as with someone who spills red wine all over a dinner table, the proper way to deal with the “accidental offender” is to keep your annoyance to yourself so the situation can be smoothed over as quickly as possible ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX).

BlackBerries Aren't Just Rude. They're Ruining the Art of Conversation.

Emily, you brought up BlackBerry etiquette yesterday, after Tom Golisano got mad at New York State Senate majority leader Malcolm Smith for rude usage of his. I'm continually astounded by the blatant disregard with which people whip out their devices and start multitasking in situations where full attention is obviously what etiquette demands. Or what safety demands—too often I've been the backseat witness to the unnerving practice of BlackBerrying while driving. I don't care that your BlackBerry has a map. Either pull over to check it, or have the passenger navigate, just like in the old days of paper maps.

But for the most part, it seems like even those guilty of succumbing to BlackBerry's pull toward constant communication, like Emily and Inci admit to being, realize and feel guilty about their breach of etiquette. The hazier question, I've found, is what's appropriate regarding... (To read the rest of this post, visit our new website DoubleX.com!)

Hug, Handshake, or ... Kiss?

Per our discussion about whether handshakes or hugs are more appropriate in workplace settings, I think it's safe to say that the Obamas' meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, provides absolutely zero guidance.

As we can see from the photo, Sarkozy gave Michelle Obama the Euro-style cheek kiss, while his wife gave Barack Obama a more formal handshake. But, as these photos from the British Sun show, Ms. Bruni greeted Mrs. Obama with smooches on the cheek, and the two presidents hugged.

I'll try to keep all of this in mind the next time I'm meeting a world leader.