Links: What stories do we share online, SAP CEO not asked back and More

DEFINITE READS

• Cyberjournalist reports that University of Pennsylvania researchers found readers are more likely to share three types of stories online.
• PEHub is looking for votes on where it should host its next meetup, and Philadelphia is a choice. Vote here.

Below, zombies and geeks, SAP CEO leaves in a tornado of speculation and more.

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AT&T taking on IT work for Wawa

AT&T is going to help make sure you get that hoagie of yours.

Our beloved Wawa transitioned much of its IT infrastructure to an operation fully managed by AT&T yesterday, according to a company press release.

The mini-mart retailer signed a new five-year contract with AT&T to migrate and host its existing SAP applications, which consists of more than 30 servers used by more than 15,000 employees across the region. Wawa first began using SAP for its retail IT in 2005.

Wawa has grown from a small milk-delivery company to the region’s third largest food merchant in its 45 years. For a large chain, most customer love remains high. Now if only they’d come back to Philadelphia in a big way.

The full integration of AT&T management was scheduled to happen within 18 hours, so if you pop in today for coffee, you can thank the Dallas, Texas-based telecommunications behemoth.

SEPTA adds AT&T cell phone service on Broad Street Line

Edit: SEPTA gave us a call to clear up some details

Continuing their subterranean domination of the city, AT&T and SEPTA have recently announced that AT&T customers will be able to receive cell phone signal while riding the Broad Street Line. The service is available between the Walnut-Locust and Fairmount Erie stops.

If I were SEPTA czar, first I would worship my Barack Obama poster for all of the recent stimulus money that came my way. But then I would use the new service to encourage advertisers to include text messaging in their promotions. Or maybe send out text alerts when trains are running late.

Last year AT&T and SEPTA announced a similar deal that rolled out coverage on the entire Market-Frankford line. According to spokesman Felipe Suarez, the idea to give cell phone service to riders on the subway lines originated when AT&T approached SEPTA. SEPTA never put the contract up for bid to other networks.

While we’ll stay out of the debate on whether having more opportunity to yak on a cell phone is a good thing or not (the R5 even has a quiet car), kudos to SEPTA for thinking of ways to improve their service.