WUP- 11.03.06: Scanning Panera WiFi people
Scanning Panera/Columbia, MD 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - newspapers and WiFi users
WiFi people at this Panera (Dobbin Rd., Columbia) congregate along the tables against the walls and near the fireplace.
The fireplace club chairs are nice enough to have in your home.
At 10:00 a.m., the newspaper rack is still fairly full. Least number of copies left: Baltimore Sun (4); Washington Post (7); USA Today (13). The USA Today pile is the most jostled, and it looks like it has the largest amount ordered by the manager.
Rack, top to bottom: Post, Sun, USA Today.
7 laptops out. 4 solo, 3 collaboratively. Solos: 3 male, 1 female. Collaborative groups: all co-ed, some as large as 5 people.
10:50 a.m.: One solo guy is using a portable printer (!) 10 laptops out; 9 solos. 1 collaborative with 2 females, both with laptops. All of the collaborative groups smile and interact in a happy manner. One solo person (female) smiles for almost the entire time she's there, looking at her screen.
11:00 a.m.: peak users, at 11.
A lot of people know one another, some visiting table to table, others speaking briefly or just saying "Hi," as they pass by.
All are under 40, most appear to be under 30.
Dress varies from business suits (very few) to business casual/casual. (Almost everyone.)
11:30: The crowd has shifted. Only 3 laptop users left when I leave.
Throughout, the older the patrons are (laptop users included) the more formal/expensive their footwear and clothing in general. (My friend Adam spotted that.)
WiFi people at this Panera (Dobbin Rd., Columbia) congregate along the tables against the walls and near the fireplace.
The fireplace club chairs are nice enough to have in your home.
At 10:00 a.m., the newspaper rack is still fairly full. Least number of copies left: Baltimore Sun (4); Washington Post (7); USA Today (13). The USA Today pile is the most jostled, and it looks like it has the largest amount ordered by the manager.
Rack, top to bottom: Post, Sun, USA Today.
7 laptops out. 4 solo, 3 collaboratively. Solos: 3 male, 1 female. Collaborative groups: all co-ed, some as large as 5 people.
10:50 a.m.: One solo guy is using a portable printer (!) 10 laptops out; 9 solos. 1 collaborative with 2 females, both with laptops. All of the collaborative groups smile and interact in a happy manner. One solo person (female) smiles for almost the entire time she's there, looking at her screen.
11:00 a.m.: peak users, at 11.
A lot of people know one another, some visiting table to table, others speaking briefly or just saying "Hi," as they pass by.
All are under 40, most appear to be under 30.
Dress varies from business suits (very few) to business casual/casual. (Almost everyone.)
11:30: The crowd has shifted. Only 3 laptop users left when I leave.
Throughout, the older the patrons are (laptop users included) the more formal/expensive their footwear and clothing in general. (My friend Adam spotted that.)
