Came across an interesting article the other day entitled "Wifi spells death of 9-to-5" which you can read @ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-news/2008/09/04/wi-fi-spells-death-of-9-to-5-by-2033-91466-21670008/
The article raises the question and makes a fairly good case for why wifi may indeed set many a worker free who in today's world find themselves tethered to what is effectively a broadband leash. Being an entrepreneur, the word "freedom" holds a very special meaning for me... one that is dear to my heart and central to my motivation. I would love to believe that wifi will indeed set the world free from dreary, unimaginative corporate environments but I think it will be a confluence of technologies ranging from wimax (wifi's big brother that cover miles versus meters), 3G and whatever other wide area wireless internet technologies come down the techno pike. And... despite the fact that I'm in the wifi business (http://www.freewifihotspotsoftware.com/), I'm thankful for it all because I believe that what the world of work needs is revolution.
This new generation coming up has been raised on PC's, laptops,. wireless technologies and entertainment that mocks the corporate structure such as The Office, movies like Fight Club, Office Space, and of course Dilbert. I've suffered many hours myself in such environments and to think that one day future generations could be speared the broadband leash is a bright thought indeed.
And it all makes sense in the grand scheme of things... from a technological point of view. We started out as hunter / gatherers who learned to farm instead of hunt. From farming, workers migrated to factories that built machines that automated farm labour. Next computers and robotics automated a lot of the factory work and we found ourselves in the service economy, essentially selling factory output and whatever jobs where created around that activity. It went down something like that anyhow.
The beauty of our economy is the level of creativity if affords the worker in terms of having access to and control over the tools of wealth production. Just like robotics "liberated" factory workers, I suspect that computers and specifically wireless technology will have the eventual effect of almost completely liberating office workers.
Even today, many call centers are taking calls from North America in India and these folks are logging into contact management databases located across the ocean. That being the case, it's not a stretch of the imagination that office workers might be "allowed" or even "encouraged" to log into the corporate server from home or a cafe or wherever given the appropriate level of security. The real issue would be putting together wholesale systems that measure remote employee productivity (and paying accordingly) because the rest of the technology is here now.
Ah well... let's hope that 2020 sees more people happily milling about our wireless internet cafes, parks or the beach etc... I think people were meant to be more or less free (like the hunter gatherer) with mobility built into their everyday work lives.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hotspot software for your Restaurant, Cafe etc..
Yes, it's true. Anyone with a Restaurant, Cafe or any other suitable prospective wifi hotspot location can acquire a Linksys WRT54GL wireless router and by upgrading it's native firmware to DD-WRT (alternative open source firmware), can connect to 82nd Street Wireless's free hosted wifi hotspot software server which enables the location to:
> Provide free, timed wifi access to patrons. The benefit here is being able to put a leash on guest access so as to prevent guests from overstaying their welcome, unless of course you consider your business to be a non-profit. The advantage of free access is you'll probably be bringing them in in droves, generally during off-peak, quieter hours when it's easier to concentrate. The best way to do this is to serve up limited access (say 2 hours for example) with a minimum purchase amount decided by you. Our free wifi hotspot software enables you to provide access in a variety of popular increments. Wholesale rates are cheap enough that you can profitably provide free access with a reasonable minimum purchase.
> Or... you could do what most locations are doing which is charge for access. What's truly unique about our free wifi hotspot software is that it enables you to set your own rates which should keep you on the cutting edge of profitability for your market. Guests can acquire paid access (a) via the login page or (b) by purchasing prepaid codes directly from you staff (if they lack a credit card).
> The free wifi hotspot software enables you to customize the login page your guests see when they open their web browser. Customization options include (a) opt-in email link (b) logo (c) custom greeting text (d) and image. Couple of notes... posting an opt-in email link (in conjunction with opt-in email newsletter software) allows you to capture your guests email addresses for the purposes of driving repeat visits virtually on-demand by sending out news and special offers. Previous guests are after all, your best, most targeted prospect for future business are they not? A great way to make use of the custom greeting text option is to use it to advertise your food specials when you're trying to move excess food inventory.
The general major benefits of becoming a wifi hotspot include:
> Drive new business into your location without spending a penny on advertising. There are a bunch of wireless hotspot directories out there that you can post your location for free with. Prospective wireless guests will see your location when they are searching within your geographic area for a wifi hotspot to connect to.
> Increase add-on sales to your existing customers. Our free wifi hotspot software enables you to add a fully-automated revenue stream. You decide what rates to charge, not us.
> Drive repeat visits on demand by adding an opt-in link to the wifi login page in conjunction with an email newsletter program. Again... just send them news and special offers.
> Set-up is free and we do not charge you a monthly fee to use our wifi hotspot software. We take 25% of credit card transactions or if you prefer to sell access directly via your staff, you can buy wholesale prepaid codes at price A and resell them for price B. Those rates are low enough that you can profitable give them away for free with minimum purchase if you were so inclined.
That's about it.... my blog's purpose from here on forward will be just news and updates on what we're doing but being an entrepreneur with sales in my blood... I just have to make my shameless pitch. Oh... you can visit 82nd Street @ http://www.freewifihotspotsoftware.com/
> Provide free, timed wifi access to patrons. The benefit here is being able to put a leash on guest access so as to prevent guests from overstaying their welcome, unless of course you consider your business to be a non-profit. The advantage of free access is you'll probably be bringing them in in droves, generally during off-peak, quieter hours when it's easier to concentrate. The best way to do this is to serve up limited access (say 2 hours for example) with a minimum purchase amount decided by you. Our free wifi hotspot software enables you to provide access in a variety of popular increments. Wholesale rates are cheap enough that you can profitably provide free access with a reasonable minimum purchase.
> Or... you could do what most locations are doing which is charge for access. What's truly unique about our free wifi hotspot software is that it enables you to set your own rates which should keep you on the cutting edge of profitability for your market. Guests can acquire paid access (a) via the login page or (b) by purchasing prepaid codes directly from you staff (if they lack a credit card).
> The free wifi hotspot software enables you to customize the login page your guests see when they open their web browser. Customization options include (a) opt-in email link (b) logo (c) custom greeting text (d) and image. Couple of notes... posting an opt-in email link (in conjunction with opt-in email newsletter software) allows you to capture your guests email addresses for the purposes of driving repeat visits virtually on-demand by sending out news and special offers. Previous guests are after all, your best, most targeted prospect for future business are they not? A great way to make use of the custom greeting text option is to use it to advertise your food specials when you're trying to move excess food inventory.
The general major benefits of becoming a wifi hotspot include:
> Drive new business into your location without spending a penny on advertising. There are a bunch of wireless hotspot directories out there that you can post your location for free with. Prospective wireless guests will see your location when they are searching within your geographic area for a wifi hotspot to connect to.
> Increase add-on sales to your existing customers. Our free wifi hotspot software enables you to add a fully-automated revenue stream. You decide what rates to charge, not us.
> Drive repeat visits on demand by adding an opt-in link to the wifi login page in conjunction with an email newsletter program. Again... just send them news and special offers.
> Set-up is free and we do not charge you a monthly fee to use our wifi hotspot software. We take 25% of credit card transactions or if you prefer to sell access directly via your staff, you can buy wholesale prepaid codes at price A and resell them for price B. Those rates are low enough that you can profitable give them away for free with minimum purchase if you were so inclined.
That's about it.... my blog's purpose from here on forward will be just news and updates on what we're doing but being an entrepreneur with sales in my blood... I just have to make my shameless pitch. Oh... you can visit 82nd Street @ http://www.freewifihotspotsoftware.com/
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