Having Caller ID on a phone brings about an interesting etiquette question. No, not the "should I or shouldn't I answer" question - that's obvious - you shouldn't. I'm referring to the conundrum of the initial greeting. When you answer the phone, full aware of who it is, are you supposed to let on you know who it is? Should the identity of the caller affect your tone or even what you say? Are you supposed to answer with a personalized greeting to the caller? For some reason, I find this spooky when people let on that they know it's me from the get-go.

I still answer with a generic "Hello" or "Sean here" greeting, no matter who it is. If you *do* get me on the line, take it as a compliment that I saw your name and still picked it up.

The phone companies are playing a tricky game with Caller ID. They now offer a service called Privacy Services, or Caller ID Block. This feature allows you to mask your identity when you call. You can also buy a service from the phone companies (above and beyond the price of the caller ID feature) that allows you to unmask these hidden caller's true identities. Didn't Sylvester McMonkey McBean do this, too?