Calgary International Airport allows users to sign on to their network using their Facebook accounts
I’m sure many readers of this article have sat in some public place, and tried to access the Internet on their laptop with limited success. Whether it be a hotel, airport, subway or café, the majority of the time, you won’t find instant access, and often the process requires inputting information and providing a credit card.
A tedious, annoying and
confusing registration process to simply get some connectivity. Is it
too much to ask for some simplicity?
Well, Facebook clearly has zeroed in on this problem. And Calgary Airport seems to be leading the way.
Facebook Connect, which is quickly integrating as a universal login across the Internet, is now allowing people to login to wireless networks. Calgary Airport is now offering its WiFi users a choice on how to access the airport’s network, according to AllFacebook.com. Users can either go through the hassle of registering a new account with Calgary’s Wi-Fi service, or simply get online by signing in with their Facebook account, and using Facebook Connect.
Launched in December of 2008, Facebook Connect is attempting to become the digital identification standard amongst social sites on the Web. This digital identification is rapidly eliminating the need to register for new sites across the Internet by allowing simple logins with your current Facebook account ID. No longer will users across the web have to fill out long registration forms to join new sites.
Facebook Connect also allows sites to easily integrate with user's Facebook accounts. Vimeo, a video sharing sites, recently added Facebook Connect functionality. For example, now if a user uploads a video to their Vimeo account, with Facebook Connect activated, the users Facebook Wall will be updated in sync with their activity on Vimeo.
The most recent innovation in Facebook Connect is its recent launch of a tool to allow Web sites the ability to add comment boxes using Facebook Connect by integrating a simple line of code into their sites. These comments will also synchronize with the users Facebook profile.
By this example seen at the Calgary Airport, it seems Facebook has the ability to not only offer logins within sites across the web, but now, logins onto wireless networks.