Freelancers May Find New Use for Starbucks	Visited: 1011 5.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Shannon Suetos June 17, 2010

As of July 1st you will be able to connect to Starbucks Wi-Fi for an unlimited amount of time.  Previously you had to be an AT&T customer, or use a Starbuck’s card to use the Internet, and there was a two hour limit.

When July 1st rolls around, we will all be able to walk into any Starbucks with our laptop, iPad or other mobile computing device and be able to log on with one click.  Mashable.com is also reporting that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is, “also planning on rolling out a new Starbucks Digital Network in partnership with Yahoo later this fall. This network, which will only be accessible in U.S. company-operated stores, will offers customers free and unrestricted access to paid sites and services like WSJ.com and other content providers on their phones, tablets or laptops.”

This is good news for anyone who works from home and needs a change of scenery.  Because of the 2 hour limit Starbucks currently has in place, many patrons found different coffee houses to work from. 

Why We Should Care
“The new Wi-Fi service, slated to start on July 1, is aimed at helping the company find ways to tie the coffeehouse experience with social and digital media, said CEO Howard Schultz in a presentation at WIRED's Business Conference,” reports Chanel Web.

Yahoo! is also in talks with the coffee giant to develop the Starbucks Digital Network, which will have available free downloads, local/community news and activities.  These “extras” which include access to the WSJ and other paid content news for free, could be the edge Starbucks needs to draw in freelancers. 

Benefits
iPads, smartphones and laptops are becoming the “norm” for many industries, especially for marketing, public relations and journalists.  Starbucks may not be the only choice when it comes to coffee shop Wi-Fi, but it seems they are targeting this demographic.

Credit card processing companies may see a decline in use, if more self made business owners start using mobile credit card processing.  Meeting a client for coffee, and being able to process their credit card is a perk many freelancers should take advantage of.

This new network could also be a good test for anyone interested in local-target marketing tactics.  “Customers will have to log into the Wi-Fi and Starbucks Digital Network with a unique identifier. Starbucks will know who the customer is, but not where the customer currently is located, and will potentially allow targeted messaging to help offset costs,” Schultz went on to report.

Do you find this new service useful?  What do you like most about the new service?  Let us know in the comments below.