It’s not gimmick. Just check in on Facebook and get free Wi-Fi at a hotel, retail shop, or restaurant.
Why is Facebook doing this? They want to compete more on the local level. Specifically, Facebook is looking to battle Google Plus in the local advertising market. Merchants will want more foot traffic to their shops so they’ll want to implement free Wi-Fi hotspots, courtesy of Cisco. Then, consumers will be more apt to look at Facebook local business pages versus Google’s. If it’s free, it’s for me is typically the consumer’s slogan.
If you check into the local merchant’s place, i.e. New York Computer Help, then you’ll be able to get free Wi-Fi. That was a shameless plug since we give out free Wi-Fi without the quid pro quo check-in measure.
I think it’s a smart move for Facebook. The local market is still open and untapped. Plus, why not leverage its 1 Billion plus users.
