Metrics are also one reason the paper chose Microsoft’s solution over similar, open source options that are more widely used. Another “2D” barcode variant, QR codes, have gained some popular support from online services including Google, which uses the codes to link users to apps in the Android Marketplace.
Fulmines said the open-source question was an issue they wrestled with, but Microsoft’s solution provided some key features.
He explained that USA Today codes require the use of Microsoft’s TagReader app, which assures comprehensive tracking of user interactions. If the paper had chosen to use the standard QR code system, users could have chosen from a variety of mobile apps, making tracking difficult.
Some have also criticized Microsoft for creating “indirect” links via its Tags. Unlike QR codes that contain a complete representation of a final Web URL, Tags instead link to Microsoft’s servers that then direct the reader to the intended destination. This is similar to the issue facing users of TinyURL or bit.ly links. If either of those companies shut down its servers, millions of Web links would stop working.
However, Fulmines said, assuming Microsoft continues to support the product, this is actually an advantage of Tags. By using indirect links “we can change the URLs the code represents on the fly.” A link pointing to a photo gallery in the morning can be redirected to a news video on the same topic in the afternoon, for instance.
Another advantage for USA Today is that Microsoft’s Tags are slightly smaller, and can be created in either color or black and white. For a paper known for its use of color, Fulmines said, “that was not a trivial” feature. USA Today uses barcodes to connect print and online experiences
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