Many workers are constantly wired to their jobs through their BlackBerrys, and can’t seem to stop checking messages and texting long enough to have a social conversation. In a September 5 Ask Annie column, etiquette expert Judith Martin says we should have a little sympathy for friends doing business during social hours. What do you think? Do you have friends that need to lay off the BlackBerry? Are you a text addict? Do you think your friends should be more understanding?

If you get and send 100 e-mails a day, you probably spend an average of 100 workdays a year on e-mail. If you could manage to reduce the amount of e-mail you send and receive by 20%, you’d free up 20 workdays a year to use for other, more productive or fun activities, writes Anne Fisher in her May 17 column. Is your inbox overflowing? What do you do to keep your e-mail under control?