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February 16, 2010

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Intros Mobile Barcodes

By Amy Tierney, TMCnet Web Editor

Newspapers editors are always trying to find new ways to reach readers. And now, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is going “mobile” with barcodes to do just that.

The newspaper is reportedly among the first to feature a mobile barcode that directs smartphones to the Post-Gazette mobile reader. The goal is to offer readers an “on-the go” supplement, giving them instant content when and where they want it.

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Mobile barcodes contain information similar to that of traditional barcodes. But mobile barcodes, the Post-Gazette explained are the cream of the crop. They can direct phones to text, pictures or video with a greater data-storage capacity, the report said.

How does it work? Readers download the barcode-reading application onto a smartphone and then scan the codes using the phone's camera. The phone then decodes the square and follows its direction. So in this instance, it would open the Post-Gazette's mobile reader page.

“We believe this will enhance the experience the Post-Gazette offers to its readers on all platforms,' David M. Shribman, executive editor and vice president of the Post-Gazette, said.

The newspaper’s mobile barcode will appear at the bottom of the paper's front page each day, the report said.

The Post-Gazette is among one of the first newspapers in the nation to deploy this technology, the company said. The technology is another sign of how newspaper companies are getting smarter about how they can reach an audience.

Amy Tierney is a Web editor for TMCnet, covering business communications Her areas of focus include conferencing, SIP, Fax over IP, unified communications and telepresence. Amy also writes about education and healthcare technology, overseeing production of e-Newsletters on those topics as well as communications solutions and UC. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Amy Tierney

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