This is one of the best advertisements for free wireless I’ve seen:
This was seen outside none other than La Madeleine, a combo bakery-cafe-bistro thingy that’s well, frenchy. I’ve been there a couple times for brunchy goodness, but I’ll take a normal everyday stuffed breakfast taco any day over a scone or something I can’t pronounce. Which doesn’t really leave out a lot.
I think that sign is the best so far. I’ve seen the generic “free wireless here” or similar boring signs, and once in a while I’ll see a non-boring but clearly not great one like “Search for your next job here on our free wireless internet.” Why can’t they have something funny and sexy like “Have your next internet affair here!” or “Surf with your clothes ON for a change” or I dunno, *some*thing out of the ordinary.
In some ways I can see how free wireless is an attraction, because people can sit down, drink their coffee or eat their donut or whatever, and browse around or work. But aren’t they taking up a seat? What if they sit there for 4 hours? Is that still a good thing? I guess maybe it is, because they’re probably going to get hungry or thirsty enough to buy something, but it still seems like it would backfire with dozens of stingy slobs taking up valuable customer space just so they can use the free internet access.
Plus, I don’t think I could work while sitting in a coffee shop. The seats are too uncomfortable and I’d always be distracted by the people coming and going, aka “customers”.
What free wireless signs have you seen that caught your attention?
That, my friend, is a very good sign.
I don’t pay attention to free wireless signs because I don’t use other people’s free wireless.
(I am paranoid.)
I use free wireless all the time, especially with iPass, where I can use free and paid wireless all over, all the time, and use my corporate username/password to gain access, and then the company gets the bill at a drastically reduced per-minute charge. It’s one of the things we cell – global remote access, wired, wireless, hotel, airport, whatever.
And we make sure everyone has personal firewall and antivirus of course, making it a lot safer both for the employee and the corporate network.
“It’s one of the things we cell” – a geekFreudian slip? (hehehehe)
Poppy, good catch. I’ve been making all sorts of weird spelling and grammatical mistakes recently – maybe I’m in a hurry, maybe I care less, maybe it’s dementia. I don’t know if it’s ignorance or apathy and I don’t care.
I’ve been doing the same. Maybe it’s the holidays.
(I totally don’t believe that.)
Are you sure that you don’t care? Perhaps you just don’t remember if you care or not?
Ren, who are you and why are you on my blog? Oh wait, I forgot – I don’t care.