Hi Kevin,
I have designed this kind of system before for an photoscavenger hunt
game we did in Taiwan. We identified users through unique emails.
We set up a website where players registered to join the game. When they
registered, they got a unique email address on our server. They then sent
cameraphone photos to that unique address. The address can be randomly
generated or created by the user. Either way, the user should be able to
send easily once it is saved into the phone, and all this was done as we
were promoting the game--the promotion prompted them to go to the website
and the get the unique email upon registration, before the game started.
MMS may be better for something meant to be scalable, but email should be
fine with an organized event such as yours. We looked into MMS options for
this kind of thing for China, but I can't speak to Europe.
Happy to chat more if you like, hit me up offline.
~Robert
On Feb 19, 2008 12:09 AM, slavin (area/code) <kevin@areacodeinc.com> wrote:
> Hey, the Mobile Scan Codes thread has been super-interesting.
>
> I have some questions for the list as to what you think is realistic these
> days, right now. We have some experience in this (mixed results) and are
> looking to keep pushing at it. As background and context --
>
> --
>
> Scan codes:
>
> We first worked with Semacode back in 2003, which was one of the first
> actual deployments of such technologies in the US. We had to execute the
> program (http://www.areacodeinc.com/work/conqwest/) in a relatively
> primitive way. We used indirect resolution, decoding the MMS messages on the
> server and routing back to phone via SMS. Even that only worked because we
> were working with 150 of the same phones on the same network.
>
> Optical reco:
>
> In 2006, we worked with Mobot to execute a game in which players
> collected pieces by shooting the ads with phonecams. (
> http://www.areacodeinc.com/work/sopranos/) While the game was quite
> successful, this particular optic-capture element had minimal participation.
> Many reasons, but most prominent among them was that here in the US we
> couldn't send MMS to a common shortcode, so users had to email the images.
> So how do you associate the email address they've sent it from back to the
> phone? The email name protocol differs across carriers, and may not reveal
> anything about the phone number.
>
> --
>
> So the question is, here in 2008, what's possible -- in particular in
> Europe? If we were to do a campaign with optic codes, what can we expect?
> Since we don't expect people to download a new app to their phones, we'll be
> resolving indirectly. So...
>
> a.. should we ask them to send to an *email address* or to *MMS* it to a
> shortcode or longcode?
>
> b.. if by email, how do we determine what phone sent the message? E.g.,
> if I email a photo from my blackberry, there's no way to associate the
> decode with that phone, just with the email address I sent it from. In
> Europe, what % of people even know how to send photos from their phone via
> email?
>
> c.. if by MMS, where do we tell them to send it to? We have cross-carrier
> and trans-national issues to sort out. And some phones (e.g., iPhone)
> don't even have MMS if I understand right.
> If you were going to do an optic code campaign in Europe right now, how
> would you execute it, and what kind of results might you expect? Is all this
> hopeless until/unless there are direct clients on the phones themselves?
>
> Apologies for a lengthy post, but I think this discussion is helpful to
> anyone considering using Mobile Scan Codes in the near future.
>
> Kevin Slavin, managing director
> area/code
> 36 E. 12th Street, 6th floor, NYC NY 10003
> US+917.250.9416 / skype slavin_fpo
> http://www.areacodeinc.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Curt Sampson" <cjs@cynic.net>
> To: "Jim Levinger" <jlevinger@nextcodecorp.com>
> Cc: <keitai-l@appelsiini.net>
> Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 10:52 PM
> Subject: (keitai-l) Mobile Scan Codes and Direct vs. Indirect Resolution
> Japan 2008)
>
>
> > On 2008-02-12 09:55 -0500 (Tue), Jim Levinger wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks for your comments on the QR code direct mode vs. the indirect
> code
> >> resolution approaches that are being explored and trialed by Operators
> >> outside Japan.
> >
> > Not just outside Japan: ColorZip (colorzip.co.jp) has been selling the
> > Korean Color Code technology in Japan for quite a few years now. That
> you
> > (and many other people) didn't know this sort of says something about
> how
> > the two models compete, I think. (And note that Color Code has certain
> > advantages, such as being scannable from a television screen.)
> >
> >> However, operators question the business model and are looking for that
> >> direct ROI to code scanning services.
> >
> > As usual. They really ought to stop and consider that if they had ten
> > times the number of people using the mobile web, they'd be making a lot
> > more money off of data than they are now.
> >
> >> Are you seeing any companies in Japan that have been successful in
> >> building business that are directly associated with QR or other code
> >> scanning services and technologies? Is it alternatively that QR is a
> >> core technology that is underlying lots of services but it is open,
> >> ubiquitous and somewhat taken for granted?
> >
> > I would say the latter. I do know of at least one company that is
> > looking at making a business where they'd sell the development of QR
> > codes, but that's really a rarity; the common thing is you just slap one
> > on your advertisement or business card the way you would a URL.
> >
> > cjs
> > --
> > Curt Sampson <cjs@starling-software.com> +81 90 7737 2974
> > Mobile sites and software consulting: http://www.starling-software.com
> >
> > This mail was sent to address kevin@playareacode.com
> > Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/
> >
>
> This mail was sent to address robertness@gmail.com
> Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/
>
>
--
Robert Donald Osazuwa Ness III
mobile: +86.15911132613
Danwei: www.danwei.org, www.danwei.fm
Skype: robert_ness
Received on Tue Feb 19 05:54:28 2008