Student Barb asks: Are QR codes a form of a web app? I know what they do, my son showed me last night, I've been seeing them popping up everywhere but didnt know how to use them. http://www.qrtists.com/s/ Have you ever tried any of the software on this list?
I thought I would answer on the blog, as this could be of interest to a number of you. I have experimented with two types of scannable tags - the classic QR code (black square pixels) and Microsoft's mobi tags, which are generated using colorful triangles. Here's an example of an application for mobi tags: http://smartdoor.weebly.com/ The photo description panels for my iPhone Photography art gallery exhibit have QR codes. Users with smartphones can scan the tags and they take are directed to web pages for more information about the images. QR codes are not really a form of web app. They are more related to the URL shorteners Bit.ly and others. The classic QR codes generated by Kaywa (free to use, no account setup necessary) can forward to a URL, display a text message, dial a phone number or send an SMS message. The Microsoft mobi tag types are URL, app download, free text, vCard and dialer. Microsoft tags are free to create and use, but do require an account setup. By setting up an account, users can track statistics about how often the tags are scanned and when. [cid:B5D285F1-D03D-4B03-A922-99220E8BDEA8@edisonohio.edu] There are three parts to implementing QR tags: Tag creation, tag management, and tag scanning. Scanning tags Users download an app, usually to a smartphone, to be able to scan and interpret the codes. Some readers are generic, able to read several formats, while others are specific to a single format. This may be a temporary barrier - a number of technologies are in the works to both make tag scanning an integrated function of the smartphone camera so no additional app is necessary, and to extend the concept to real-world images, not just generated tags. Creating tags When a company, organization or individual wants to implement scannable tags, there are a number of questions to answer. First, of course, is who is your audience? If you are implementing tags for an internal audience, then specialized or even proprietary systems may be appropriate. However, if you intend to use codes in a public forum, then you need to take into consideration what your audience knows about scannable codes and how they will be placed. For instance, I chose the Microsoft mobi tags for the Smartdoor project because it is part of an art exhibit and the colorful tags were more appropriate to the venue, even though I knew few people had the Microsoft tag reader app installed before seeing the sculpture. However, for the art gallery exhibit, I decided to use the more generic QR tags from Kaywa because more readers are capable of interpreting the codes, the exhibit would be in place for just one month, and black and white worked well with the display's aesthetics. Tag creation software can be free or paid, depending on the level of customization and management needed. Managing tags If you do not want user statistics and the tags are "one use" then a free service like Kaywa may be enough. Microsoft is climbing uphill against the larger QR community, so they are making their service available for free to build market share, but they offer a pretty decent set of tag management and analytics tools. For the Smartdoor, one advantage to using the mobi tags is that when the exhibit closes I can redirect the tag URLs and repurpose the Smartdoor for other events. Conclusion This is definitely something to explore, and thanks for the questions, Barb. Scannable tags and related technologies are strategies for integrating the real world with the online environment, and those who understand and can apply theses technologies will have a competitive advantage. On Sep 22, 2011, at 7:07 AM, Schwarz, Barbara wrote: 
I thought I would answer on the blog, as this could be of interest to a number of you. I have experimented with two types of scannable tags - the classic QR code (black square pixels) and Microsoft's mobi tags, which are generated using colorful triangles. Here's an example of an application for mobi tags: http://smartdoor.weebly.com/ The photo description panels for my iPhone Photography art gallery exhibit have QR codes. Users with smartphones can scan the tags and they take are directed to web pages for more information about the images. QR codes are not really a form of web app. They are more related to the URL shorteners Bit.ly and others. The classic QR codes generated by Kaywa (free to use, no account setup necessary) can forward to a URL, display a text message, dial a phone number or send an SMS message. The Microsoft mobi tag types are URL, app download, free text, vCard and dialer. Microsoft tags are free to create and use, but do require an account setup. By setting up an account, users can track statistics about how often the tags are scanned and when. [cid:B5D285F1-D03D-4B03-A922-99220E8BDEA8@edisonohio.edu] There are three parts to implementing QR tags: Tag creation, tag management, and tag scanning. Scanning tags Users download an app, usually to a smartphone, to be able to scan and interpret the codes. Some readers are generic, able to read several formats, while others are specific to a single format. This may be a temporary barrier - a number of technologies are in the works to both make tag scanning an integrated function of the smartphone camera so no additional app is necessary, and to extend the concept to real-world images, not just generated tags. Creating tags When a company, organization or individual wants to implement scannable tags, there are a number of questions to answer. First, of course, is who is your audience? If you are implementing tags for an internal audience, then specialized or even proprietary systems may be appropriate. However, if you intend to use codes in a public forum, then you need to take into consideration what your audience knows about scannable codes and how they will be placed. For instance, I chose the Microsoft mobi tags for the Smartdoor project because it is part of an art exhibit and the colorful tags were more appropriate to the venue, even though I knew few people had the Microsoft tag reader app installed before seeing the sculpture. However, for the art gallery exhibit, I decided to use the more generic QR tags from Kaywa because more readers are capable of interpreting the codes, the exhibit would be in place for just one month, and black and white worked well with the display's aesthetics. Tag creation software can be free or paid, depending on the level of customization and management needed. Managing tags If you do not want user statistics and the tags are "one use" then a free service like Kaywa may be enough. Microsoft is climbing uphill against the larger QR community, so they are making their service available for free to build market share, but they offer a pretty decent set of tag management and analytics tools. For the Smartdoor, one advantage to using the mobi tags is that when the exhibit closes I can redirect the tag URLs and repurpose the Smartdoor for other events. Conclusion This is definitely something to explore, and thanks for the questions, Barb. Scannable tags and related technologies are strategies for integrating the real world with the online environment, and those who understand and can apply theses technologies will have a competitive advantage. On Sep 22, 2011, at 7:07 AM, Schwarz, Barbara wrote:
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