The world has been waiting with baited breath for the time that free Wi-Fi would be accessible on site with the simple click of a button. Recent developments have allowed Facebook to partner with Cisco, actualizing the dream of free Wi-Fi for people who enjoy browsing the web in cafes and businesses.
The company, Meraki, which has been owned and operated by the likes of Cisco since 2012, has designed the program benefitting both users and businesses. This impetus of the free Wi-Fi is for Facebook to gain entry to the world of ad revenue from smaller businesses, and to keep Cisco informed in the consumer realm. The partnership with Facebook is golden, for Cisco will also gain visibility with this venture.
The online check-ins that Facebook users post, will promote the businesses to their online friends, showing a status update in their news feed, stating that the user has gained free Wi-Fi from the business. Once a Wi-Fi has been established, users are automatically brought to the Facebook fan page of the business that they have checked in to. Users can choose automatic check-in for locations visited frequently, so the network connection is instantaneous.
Customers are presented with ads and the opportunity to “like” the landing Facebook page upon sign-in. When customers log-in with their Facebooks, a more grassroots approach to marketing small businesses will arise; it’s like free advertising because Facebook users will recommend it to their friends via social networking.
There is also an option allowing anonymous check-in, for users who choose to opt out of documenting their every move in the Facebook universe.
Sounds great, right? But there is one potential problem with users’ total privacy.
When people sign on to this service, the business will gain access to anonymous data from Facebook users’ personal profiles, allowing enterprises to analyze that information while gaining knowledge of the potential target-audience they are dealing with. The store will then have the option of running more ads on their page while analyzing their clientele to strengthen their business.
Some concerns have been raised, since this system can be considered an invasion of privacy. Facebook claims that this service will not necessarily access customers’ online activity, such as browser history, messaging or computer data in other programs. To veer on the side of caution, the names of the users connected will not be identifiable, and businesses will only view users’ demographics, such as age, race, region, interests, and gender.
Facebook will also gain similar access, along with the types of locations that its users visit, viewing this as an opportunity to embed particular ads based on users’ interests and region.
Eric Tseng, the Wi-Fi program head of Facebook, sees no potential problems with this new system. He states that although it is strongly encouraged to connect with Facebook, there is always an option on the home page to connect without the social network. If users choose not to connect with Facebook, then no information will be shared with the business or Facebook.
Facebook looks forward to this initiative, allowing business to develop long-lasting relationships with the site for future opportunities in advertising.
The free Wi-Fi program has been successfully trialed at 25 businesses in California, and will continue to spread its operation nationally.
Source: businessinsider.com
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