What Do You Do When Free Wi-Fi Comes to Town?
As I sat in a bagel shop today, I turned on my laptop hoping to snag some free wi-fi ... either the shop or someone nearby. Of course, I didn't really think I would get anything ... and I didn't. There was a Starbuck's nearby and I knew, of course, I could connect to the T-Mobile Hotspot there, but that would cost me.
It got me thinking though ... I see lots of businesses that use free wi-fi to attract business. What happens if one of them is close to Starbucks? Would Starbucks sue to make them turn off their free wi-fi? I mean, why pay if the wi-fi is next to Starbucks and you can hop onto it? Also, what's going to happen when San Francisco rolls out their free citywide wi-fi? All those poor Starbucks will be unable to charge for their wi-fi service any longer. Food (or coffee) for thought.
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1 comments:
I know that whenever wi-fi is available for free at a venue, there is usually mass jubilation from techies and business people with lap tops - I know because I've experienced it in Toronto!
At the mesh conference, we had wi-fi in each of the convention rooms and there was no end to the constant blogging, emailing, and corresponding in real-time on chatting tools - productive to an extent, but counterproductive when the goal was to pay attention to every word that was said.
The only downside to free wi-fi in public places it would seem, would be for anyone trying to charge for it or the survival of conventional social interaction between people at hot spots. Obviously it would be very distracting if you were out with others who desire your attention.
Hmmm... maybe it is a good thing to make people pay for wi-fi if they purposely want to ignore others in a social setting!
Interesting, nonetheless :)
Stephanie Ciccarelli
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