Online Public Relations Thoughts

I wasn't going to comment on this but will anyway. We were telling this story four years ago, and no one - NO ONE - would listen in the media. Reporters were entranced by WiFi then and its possibilities. They liked the idea one could get connectivity free. They didn't want to hear about hacking and identity theft or the need for greater security in public places. One reporter of a major national paper even told us it wasn't his job to tell his readers about the dangers of grabbing a WiFi signal for free. He was only interested in telling them not to pay for WiFi in hotels. His take was that the rest was technology, and he wasn't a tech columnist.

There is an old lesson here. Every story has its time, and we were ahead of the curve. Reading the story today, one has an urge to fling open a window and scream, "I TOLD you so." It wouldn't change anything, but it might feel better. On the other hand, think of those who spent decades telling smokers about the dangers of cigarettes. Their frustration must have boiled over many times before society caught on. On some things, all one can do is to keep plugging.