I'm sorry, I always feel that if they are distracted by their tech and not socializing, they really don't want to socialize with you. I often use the book/phone/tech as an excuse to not socialize. I tell people to email me what they want (or reminders of what they said), family knows that IMing me is the best way to get a response from me. I'll add that I have social anxiety and I don't process verbal information well.