A while back I saw my friend Jody Olson tweeting about poor cell phone etiquette. It’s a peeve of mine, too, so I invited Jody to write a guest post for this Make the World Better blog. Here it is, with a big “hallelujah” from me. You can comment here, and you can find Jody online at on the Chapter Two blog or the Chapter Two website.

How do you know when you’re guilty of misusing your cell phone in public? When the circus clown calls you out.

A friend was attending the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. During the show she pulled out her Blackberry to check in for her flight the next morning. “I wanted to get an ‘A’ boarding pass,” she later told me. But the clown, standing next to her in the beam of a giant spotlight, caught her in the act.

“Hey, lady!” he barked, “I don’t come to your work and ignore you!”

My friend’s entire section erupted in laughter and stared at my friend, her sister, her niece and nephew as they sat in the spotlight, shrinking into their seats. “We were so embarrassed,” her sister said of herself and her kids.

Interestingly, I’m not sure my friend felt embarrassed at all. Some people have no compunction about taking calls, texting, checking email, or surfing the Web…any time, in any place.

Are you an offender? When you’re having coffee with a friend, do you steal furtive glances at your Blackberry, which you cradle in your palm beneath the table? Or worse: When your phone rings, do you spring up from the table, leaving your companion in mid-sentence, holding up a finger to signal “shush,” then walk off to take the call? The clear implied message to your companion is that you’ve just found the opportunity to speak to someone more interesting than they.

Here’s an idea: If you anticipate an important incoming call, email, or text, let the other party know beforehand. “Hey, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m expecting a call. If I have to step away, I hope you understand.”

Try to take care of your important business prior to a visit or afterward. If silencing your phone isn’t an option, don’t be a clown about it. Be tactful, polite, and considerate. Give people the courtesy of your undivided attention.