Facebook's Latest Experiment: Helping You Find Free Wi-Fi Hotspots (macworld.com)

Users of the social network's iOS app report seeing a new feature in the More section that lets them find nearby public Wi-Fi access points. From a MacWorld story: The feature does not appear to be widely available at the moment, which means this is probably something Facebook is only testing. The social network tests numerous features all the time but this one is particularly notable. Helping users find public Wi-Fi could enable more people to use Facebook Live. If your cellular connection isn't strong, a nearby Wi-Fi location can be a big help -- unless, of course, your Facebook Live broadcast is dependent on your specific location. There could be other uses for finding Wi-Fi beyond live video broadcasts. If you're desperate to upload a photo or recorded video, then locating the closest public Wi-Fi point helps. On top of that it's just one more reason to open the Facebook app, which Facebook obviously wants to encourage as much as possible. Check where the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot is, see that unread notifications indicator at the top of the screen, and before you know it you're engrossed in the news feed.

Comments

What if you're offline?

[Eloking]

If your cellular connection isn't strong, a nearby Wi-Fi location can be a big help

What if you don't have a cellular connection?

I can already easily use Google Map with limited connectivity to find restaurant with free Wi-Fi. What I don't have is an helper to help me find free Wi-Fi hotspot when I'm driving in the USA and I "don't" have cellular connection.

Oh yeah, and on the sideline and while I'm talking about the USA, why there's no free Wi-Fi in your airport yet?

Keep It Up, Facebook.

[sycodon]

Eventually Facebook will collapse under all its bells and whistles same as AOL.

Trying to be everything to everyone is never a good plan.

Re:Keep It Up, Facebook.

[TWX]

Eventually Facebook will collapse under all its bells and whistles same as AOL.

Trying to be everything to everyone is never a good plan.

Unfortunately AOL is still not dead, more than thirty years after it debuted and a decade or more after dialup itself was ostensibly dead.

I have noscript on my browser and I see a lot of pages with embedded script from Facebook. I suspect that even if they collapse under their own mass, they're still going to be an Internet Force of Nature for some time.