Who is Farhan Lalji?

Jeremy Zawodny has an interesting post about meetings being laptop free, and this allowing people to focus more. I like this idea and enjoy meetings where everyone is focused.  I think the debate needs to be widened a bit. I get really annoyed when I’m having a conversation, out for dinner, or in a meeting, presenting something and people are checking their email/using their Blackberries – an aside is it Blackberries or Blackberrys? Sorry RIM if I’ve broken your brand guidelines.Checking your email, while having a conversation with someone else, is like having a separate conversation at the same time. Or reading a paper or a book while conversing with other people, it’s not a very nice feeling for the other people you’re with.

I understand we’ve been granted technology that helps us stay communicated with multiple people, have multiple tasks on the go and multi-tasking like this is good, revolutionary even. But, if you’re sitting in a meeting, having dinner with people and you’re checking email or using your blackberry instead should you really be out with the people you’re with? Do you really need to be in this meeting?

So far I’ve resisted having a blackberry, I’m connected enough, feel like I respond to emails in time, can wait till I get home or back to my desk, and that’s okay by me. I know that I rarely offend people but there have been times when I’ve been with people and I want to throw their Blackberries out the window. Am I alone in this?

Have we become so dependent on real time communication that we sacrifice our basic levels of respect for one another? I hope not.