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Lil' Buddy's Blog - Some Chicago Coffeehouse Shun High-Speed Internet for Patrons!

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Real Estate Agent with Dean's Team - Keller Williams Realty Partners Chicago IL

THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!

Buddy and Dean - Lake Elmo MN - July, 2008Hey, you dogs!  Have you been OK?  I missed you all - have been on Dog Sabbatical, traveling to such exotic haunts as Livonia MI, Cincinnati OH, and Palatine IL.

I sure missed you - dog, human, or other species, and I am glad to be back!

Those of you who know me know I have few vices - The Chicago Cubs, Old Movies from the 1940's, Early Rock & Roll (especially songs from the late rocker I was named after).  

And COFFEE!  Java!  Joe!

What?  You're surprised a dog like me has taken up the caffeine habit?  Well . . . hey, it beats smokin'!  And the stuff helps keep me up when I am working late writing my blog posts, or servicing our Team's many clients.

But something crazy is going on at a couple of the Chicago Coffee Houses I frequent each week.  It's so frustrating, even my normally-sedate friend Angus - my Boxer Bud from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago - is getting a bit ticked!

It seems that some coffee houses - especially the smaller, independent ones - are pulling the plug on their High-Speed Internet Wi-Fi Connections!

Why?

Well, some folks settle down for a long while, milking a single cup of coffee, spreading out their laptop, notes, and accessories on a table that normally serves four, and camping out for the day!  Some do work, but others spend the time checking Facebook, Tweeting on Twitter, or watching You Tube Video after You Tube Video.

And, as a dog who is also a successful businessman, I know this doesn't result in a lot of revenue to the coffee shops in question.   It can reduce the revenue stream, actually, as Tweeters and Face Bookers commandeer tables that could be used by other, higher-ticket patrons.

As reported by Jessica Gyunn of the Los Angeles Times, as syndicated to The Chicago Tribune, many of the independent Java Houses began to offer free Wi-Fi several years ago to lure customers from Coffee King Starbucks, who used to charge for the service.  Last month, Starbucks began offering Wi-Fi for FREE in most of its U.S. stores, and the competitive advantage the smaller shops offered began to lose its luster.

Customer reaction?

Ooooh . . . generally quite negative!  However, as Jessica continues, many groups wanting to simply talk, rather than to surf, like the experience, as they can now more easily get table space to drink and chat.  Some have defected to the now-free-Wi-Fi Starbucks, or competitive chains, such as Seattle's Best Coffee, who are ramping up their high-speed signals, and installing more electrical outlets throughout the store to accommodate power-hungry laptops.

As for me, my lil' sister Gracie Ella Moss, and the rest of us Chicago Blogging Dogs, no Wi-Fi in our favorite Coffee House is something we would have to get used to.  I guess we'll have to do more work out of the Dean's Team World Headquarters, on the Mezzanine Level, on Montrose and Lincoln Avenues, in the Lincoln Square Neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago.

Or, perhaps we'll just pony up  for one of those 4G WiMax Cards, and sit in the park, with the rest of you dogs, and type away.

That might not be a bad idea, you know.  If we work more in the park, we won't have as far to travel if we have the urge to mark!

Have a productive week, you dogs!  Tell your humans to relax a bit.  Stay unplugged!  And wake up and smell the coffee!

See my post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,

BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

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