August 31, 2012
by
Aaron Deacon, Managing Director, KC Digital Drive
The Google WIIFM Factor
In marketing, there's an old adage about finding the WIIFM Factor for customers...they want to know "what's in it for me." The answer with regard to Google Fiber is: a lot.
First, Google Fiber provides an opportunity to expand Internet access to thousands who don't have it right now. As technology keeps moving forward, our daily tasks continue to move more and more online. Those without connectivity and access run the risk of being left behind. A few examples:
---many jobs can only be applied for online, and the number is increasing
---college, high school, even elementary school students need access to the Internet for research, communication and testing
---the Internet provides another way we can stay in touch with our friends, families and communities, especially over a distance
---connectivity provides new ways to look after the elderly
---a visit to the doctor might not have to include a bus ride across town with a sick child or parent
I was talking with a friend who wondered, "what will I do with a faster Internet?" I reminded him of the old dial up days, and how the things he takes for granted (shopping on line, sending emails to clients, researching his fantasy football league) would have been very time consuming or down right impossible without the connectivity we have now. Ten years from now, we'll likely be wondering how we did it before high-speed fiber.
Second, we have a unique opportunity to do something amazing in Kansas City, something no other large scale community has done, something that can be a point of pride and bragging rights for years to come. We can pioneer the next frontier of the Internet, right here in Kansas City. The possibilities with 100 times faster Internet are endless:
--testbed for new products and services
---"cloud" storage and software, so we all have better access to files, pictures, videos and computer programs
---more ability to create with digital tools
---crystal clear access to high definition video from our favorite channels....or our next door neighbors
The place is Kansas City. The time is now. Let's turn the town "green" with fiber access across our communities.