New: Barcode Studio Creates Mobile Tagging QR-Codes with Shortened URLs

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Data List with Shortened URLs
Version 12 of TEC-IT's barcode maker software will be released shortly. This post introduces the built-in URL shortener capabilities of the Barcode Studio update.

The new URL shortening feature provides 3 main benefits:
  • Dramatically Reduced QR-Code Size
    URL shortening means squeezing a long URL into a shorter one. This is important when creating mobile tagging QR-Codes for vCards, meCards, SPARQcodes, etc. With URL shortening you reduce the amount of data to be encoded. Smaller, better readable, easier-to-share QR-Codes are the result.
  • Free QR-Code Traceability
    URL shortening providers like Google (https://goo.gl) and Bitly (https://bit.ly) offer simple and free tracking features. More on this below.
    • Data Import Assistant
  • Batch URL Shortening
    The data import assistant of Barcode Studio is able to shorten thousands of URLs with a single click.

Shortened URLs

You are not familiar with shortened URLs? Let me give you an example: A typical URL looks like this:

https://www.tec-it.com/software/barcode-software/barcode-creator/barcode-studio/Default.aspx

In total this example URL requires 91 characters. By shortening this URL you will get the following results:
The shortened URL requires only 19 (or 20) characters and still points to the same target URL. Just try it out by clicking on them!

QR-Code Tracking

A shortened URLs provide an easy way to analyze the usage of the codes. Whenever a shortened URL is used to visit a web-page the shortening provider tracks this event. It does not matter if the user scanned the code with a smart phone, simply clicked on it in a twitter status message or entered the shortened URL manually into the address bar of the browser. At the time being both providers offer publicly visible tracking statistics for free.

For Google's shortener service you get the tracking statistics by simply adding ".info" to the shortened URL: https://goo.gl/fnBby.info. When using Bitly just add the plus sign: https://bit.ly/c1ZTRO+

Privacy notice: Take care - the tracking statistics are usually publicly visible to everyone!

Free Release Candidate Downloads

A free pre-release is available for Barcode Studio on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Check it out!

Download Barcode Studio for Microsoft Windows

Download Barcode Studio for Mac OS X

About TEC-IT

Secret QR-Code
TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH provides high quality software in the areas of bar-coding, barcode extensions for ERP systems, label and form printing, reporting and automated data acquisition. TEC-IT products are available for all major platforms, thus customers benefit from complete and versatile software solutions for all possible requirements. The company is located in Austria / Europe and can be reached via www.tec-it.com.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Comments

  1. CastorsJanuary 19, 2012 at 5:53 AM

    Thanks for the information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brenda NelsonMarch 7, 2012 at 7:17 PM

    I have to admit I am often suspicious of the shortened URL's I want to see the name of the site I am going to go to, when I see a shortened URL I wonder if they are sending me to a site that is worth it to visit, or just trying to send me to a spam site or something.
    I did appreciate the explanation of the new barcode things, I had been wondering what they were and my teenage daughter actually told me what they were just a week ago when I asked her. I see them a lot on products and even signs and posters and advertisements.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TEC-ITMarch 7, 2012 at 7:36 PM

    Hello Brenda,

    yes, you are right. Shortened URLs introduce some kind of additional risk. Some apps (on smartphones) display the long URL to the user before navigating to it. This is good practice and should be the standard.

    ReplyDelete

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