You may already know 4sqwifi app which gives out wifi passwords of numerous venues. Facebook is moving towards the same direction – with a twist, though. The purpose of the social network is to encourage shop or small business owners to give free wifi to their customers. For this reason, Facebook has partnered with Netgear and created a program called “Facebook Wifi“, which, according to the official announcement,
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[quote][Small business owners] can turn their NETGEAR 802.11ac router into a wireless hotspot where customers and other visitors are automatically requested to check into the business’ Facebook Page before surfing the web. From here they have the option to “like” the Facebook Page, and engage with content the business has posted.[/quote]
They functionality is relatively simple: If you are a customer, then your browser will open automatically to the business’s Facebook Wi-Fi Page. From here, you can check in to the business to access Facebook Wi-Fi. You can always as the business owner for the password, without using this new feature, though.
Checking in using Facebook Wi-Fi is similar to a regular check-in, but with Facebook Wi-Fi you can opt into being automatically checked in when you return to a business you‘ve previously checked into. In addition, if you use customized posting settings, you can keep your whereabouts only for yourself.
This is not the first attempt for Facebook to revive its not-that-popular check in feature; Earlier in 2013 it had teamed with Cisco to enable the very same functionality. Apparently, the scenario worked out as planned; Not only did Facebook get more users to play with the check-in button, but venue owners saw their audience grow. We suspect that, this is the reason behind the expansion of the initiative.
Let’s end this post with a funny note about the evolution of basic human needs:
So what do you think? Will this help Facebook sky rocket check-ins?
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