RESEARCH SUGGESTS the digital age is making people rude.

Apparently 31% of UK workers would answer a mobile call during a face-to-face meeting, according to a survey conducted by Harmon.ie.

A staggering 41% remain "glued" to their mobile during a meeting through sending texts, tweeting etc.

I'm not the greatest tweeter, my followers will know, but I am constantly glued to Tweetdeck.

However, it is slightly worrying that one in three 20-39 year olds would take a call during a meeting.

Although I love technology (sometimes), I believe it should add to the communication toolbox used by organisations, not detract overall.

One should not be placed in priority of another just for the sake of it. Both avenues of conveying your profile or obtaining business is important; face-to-face and technology.

The more worrying statistic shows 36% of companies now block websites they deem inappropriate to work related activities. I'm sure Facebook features high on that hitlist.

But that suggests a lack of understanding of the potential plusses of social networking to 'doing business'.

A quarter of businesses have the right idea and are providing better training on managing information.

I however, can't keep my eyes off my smartphone and email and have resorted to turning the phone off when meeting someone. There's having lines of communication, and just ignoring someone.

Maybe we'd talk to each other more if our faces resembled screens.

I RECENTLY ATTENDED the CCH annual conference where I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of work that had gone into the event.

But...

There was a burning issue I felt was missed off the agenda.

Social media.

Everyone talks about how great it is, and at the event speakers were claiming young entrepreneurs are more comfortable picking up a mouse than a phone - so accountants should utilise it.

But no-one explained how.

Should an accountant tweet? If so what about and how often? Should accountants or a firm have a facebook page? If so, marketing what? How much should a firm invest in social media? Should the firm start LinkedIn debates? How do you utilise social media effectively?

Someone out there must be able to show accountants the nuts and bolts. At the moment it feels like accountants are throwing darts at a dartboard wearing a blindfold. Some will hit the target but it's pot luck if they do!

The majority of firms are sticking to traditional methods of finding and attracting clients. About 80% of clients and accountants seek each other out through face-to-face meetings and networking, according to a CCH and YouGov poll.

Someone needs to describe exactly how to use social media effectively while also keeping traditional routes of finding clients alive.