Coffee shops are taking Wi-Fi off the menu

Los Angeles Times / latimes.com ^ | August 8, 2010 | Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times

[Ticonderoga34]

Seems simple to me... put a time limit on the users. Should be relatively easy to limit the time a MAC address can have access to the Wifi.

Most pay for sites have this anyway....

I believe that Panera Bread has a one hour Wi-Fi limit.

[saltlick]

. . ."Actually, I wonder what is going to happen to libraries as the printed word becomes more and more digital. For a library to have one or two copies of a particular book, and lend it out free of charge, is not a threat to booksellers. On the other hand, there's no way libraries can obtain digital copies of a book etc. and make them available online for free. No one would buy books (or online access to them) anymore.

Hi,

I can offer a little insight: many libraries already offer digital books; the way the agreements with the publisher works in some of these cases is that a limited number of virtual "copies" of the books are available for "check-out" at a time. For example, if 2 people were currently viewing/reading the 2 digital copies of a book the library had in its catalog, that you wanted read, you would have to wait until one of the people closed their browser (returned the book, so to speak) before you could view the digital version.

Best regards,
Saltlick

[ansel12]

"He was dressed like a homeless person, sitting in a derelict station wagon with the doors open leeching WiFi from the hotel."
"I'm not criticizing him"

Sure glad that you aren't putting a negative spin on the man sitting in his car, using his laptop.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I don’t get this.

Just specify a minimum charge/hour. Send a staff person around once an hour, to ask for the surfer to order something to keep connected. Put a sign up, indicating such.

The shop gets steady revenue from surfers, and everyone’s happy.

It’s not rocket science. Sheesh.

[tje]

4G will make this all a wasted effort..

[livius]

Yeah, this is San Francisco Luddite chic. Certainly, a business can do whatever it wants, and certainly the customers who like playing with the 53 year old coffee machine are welcome to go; but watch for the Internet to become yet another thing that our progessivists want to take away from us.

[Phinanceguy]

Does anyone remember the triva game craze that hit the bars in the 90’s? I think it was called NTN network.The bars and restaurants soon found out they’d sell one drink and the patrons would sit there for hours. Sort of bad for the bottom line.

[Popman]

Gee, my Blackberry gets the Internet though my cell phone service. I don’t need WiFi

[saltlick]

If I spent $4.50 on a latte that cost $0.40 to make, I would have no shame in reading FR for a couple hours on my laptop at a small table with one or two seats.

[chooseascreennamepat]

“If I spent $4.50 on a latte that cost $0.40 to make, I would have no shame in reading FR for a couple hours on my laptop at a small table with one or two seats.”

Of course he has no overhead and is not allowed to make a profit and the loss leader items miraculously cost nothing to make up for your attitude,

Have you ever run a business?

[bert]

Libraries are hard to find when you are on the road.

I want my free Wi fi!!!

[pieceofthepuzzle]

Thanks!

[sionnsar]

On the other hand, there's no way libraries can obtain digital copies of a book etc. and make them available online for free.

My library does this. But the digital copy is time-limited, so like the paper copy you only have it for a time.

[BlazingArizona]

The ideal place to have a coffee shop is next to a public area, such as a mall court with tables, that offers WiFi. People will keep ducking in for sustenance without blocking access by other customers.

[CajunConservative]

My library has digital online services. I use it all the time. I also still buy books as I’m a book person and am addicted.

http://www.overdrive.com/products/dlr/

[SandwicheGuy]

And thats why Barns and Noble and Borders are about to go belly up come and camp out all day and read our books

It depends on local management. I complained to the manager at Border's about not having a place to sit with my coffee cake and coffee as two bums, one sleeping, were taking up space and two wifi enthusiasts were happily surfing and eating non-store purchased items.

His reply? "We have a policy not to bother the homeless, if you don't like it, you can leave." I put down my items on the counter and left, never to go back. It is a shame, it is a nice store with lots of merchandise. But here, the local Barnes and Noble has a policy that the cafe is for eating and drinking and there are no bums. So now I go there for coffee and cake. If it was not for the military and tourists, Hawaii would be like Samoa.

[rlmorel]

Not Trivial Pursuit?

[rlmorel]

Yeah. If they can figure out a way to do it, they will. They HATE the fact that people can easily do things like review the text of a speech that a politician gave two years ago.

You could do that before the Internet, but it wasn’t easy. Not only that, it gives people a place to pool their expertise and resources to analyze things. Before the Internet, would anyone have caught CBS lying about Bush’s military service?

So, yeah. I agree with you. But from a business perspective, I understand this decision.

[Bob]

Besides FR, I just can’t understand what people do on the web that takes so much time?

While I can't think of anything besides FR, I'm pretty sure that the interwebs are good for something else. :=)

[conservative cat]

Totally agree. Logical solution, and everyone is happy. I used to be a hostess/waitress in college at a restaurant that had 24 hour service, and a smoking section. We had the people who bought one cup of coffee (free refills) and sat at a table smoking for 5 hours a night. If you were lucky, they tipped 25 cents for the whole table. UGH. Yes, minimum order for an hour of free wifi seems fair to me!