You’ve all been there.  You’re sitting comfortably in your seat, waiting for baggage handlers to load up the last of the luggage.  Vacation time is just about to begin; finally, there are peaceful days ahead.  Well, not so fast.  To one side of you there is an A-type personality barking away on his or her cell phone, cramming in some last minute business before take-off.  Despite you staring this individual down, the barking continues.  For these loud-talking people, and you know who you are, these top five rules are for you. 

Here’s how to keep your digital manners in check. 

1.  Remember the phone booth concept
There was a day when our public phone conversations took place within four soundproof walls called a phone booth.  Today, cell phone barkers are everywhere around us.  If you’re talking on your phone in a public place, keep your voice down.  Finally, consider texting or emailing if you really need to get a pre-flight message out.

2.  Tone down your tunes
While Rage Against the Machine, or RATM as their fans like to call them, might be your favourite band, the person riding the subway beside you might prefer Johann Sebastian Bach.  Not only will turning your tunes down make your public transportation neighbours happy, listening to your MP3 player at a lower volume is also key for healthy hearing.

3.  Ask before you post pics
Despite the low quality pics, a camera phone is almost always the most accessible way to take and share digital photos.  Whether you’re dancing up a storm at a club on May 2-4 weekend or just chillin’ in your bathing suit up at the cottage, someone always has a phone in hand, and that’s part of the problem.  The other part of the problem is how easy it is to upload photos to sites such as Facebook, just shoot and send them up into the Internet cloud.  For this reason, when you plan to put pics of your friends online, always ask their permission.  With employers searching sites where their employees hang out, not to mention your mom checking up on you on the web, it’s critical to protect others’ privacy.

4.  Tweet with caution
The micro-messaging site Twitter is exploding.  With millions of users, and counting, tweets (Twitter messages, which are 140-characters long) are the latest rage on mobile devices worldwide.  Just like rule number 3, if you plan to tweet about the people around you it’s important to make sure that you have their OK.  After all, mentioning on Twitter that you’re sitting on a patio with a friend who is supposed to be at work will only cause unnecessary online drama.

5.  Shut them off
There is a time and a place for all gadgets, and sometimes it’s OK to turn them off.  If you’re in a meeting or hooking up with an old friend, tuck your tech toys away for the duration.  It might be hard, but the people around you will appreciate your good digital manners.