Further to our post last week about using NFC tags with the Kimtag connection hub, we've started some beta trials with a few of our users. Our aim is to see how our users would like the NFC tags configured and in which formats.
We are aiming to provide the NFC tags pre-printed as well as pre-programmed. We are currently beta testing various options and tag formats. We plan to allow to select what's printed from a simple NFC style icon, to a branded Kimtag NFC layout with integrated QR Code as well.
Based on the feedback so far, we are aiming to be able to provide Kimtag NFC tags by May.
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Microsoft Tag Support
Quick update on the Microsoft Tag trials that a number of users are asking about.
We are now starting to run some testing on the Microsoft Tag system. If we can find a good way to integrate, then we'll offer a Microsoft Tag alongside the QR Code and Kimtag Holders can decide which one (or both) they would like to use. Kimtag Holders will be able to download them as they would the QR code.
We are now starting to run some testing on the Microsoft Tag system. If we can find a good way to integrate, then we'll offer a Microsoft Tag alongside the QR Code and Kimtag Holders can decide which one (or both) they would like to use. Kimtag Holders will be able to download them as they would the QR code.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Kimtag Support for Near Field Communication / NFC
We've had a number of questions asking whether Kimtag will support NFC. Google's Nexus S already has a NFC reader and there are rumours that the next generation of iPhone, iPhone 5, will have a NFC reader built in as well.
The answer is yes. Essentially, NFC chips are not unlike QR Codes in that they can store a limited amount of information such as a URL. In the same way that Kimtag's QR Codes have an embedded URL linking to a specific Kimtag page, NFC chips can have a similar embedded URL. Therefore, the NFC chip simply has to point to your Kimtag page in the same way as your QR Code does.
We are actively investigating suppliers so that we can provide our customers with pre-programmed NFC chips. The problem at the moment is that cost of each chip is still in the region of one dollar/pound, which makes mass distribution compared to simply printing a QR code comparatively ineffective.
However, this is likely to change quickly and significantly and as soon as we can cost-effectively provide NFC chips to our users we will do.
If you are interested in using NFC with Kimtag, drop us an email at mail@kimtag.com and we'll discuss the options with you.
The answer is yes. Essentially, NFC chips are not unlike QR Codes in that they can store a limited amount of information such as a URL. In the same way that Kimtag's QR Codes have an embedded URL linking to a specific Kimtag page, NFC chips can have a similar embedded URL. Therefore, the NFC chip simply has to point to your Kimtag page in the same way as your QR Code does.
We are actively investigating suppliers so that we can provide our customers with pre-programmed NFC chips. The problem at the moment is that cost of each chip is still in the region of one dollar/pound, which makes mass distribution compared to simply printing a QR code comparatively ineffective.
However, this is likely to change quickly and significantly and as soon as we can cost-effectively provide NFC chips to our users we will do.
If you are interested in using NFC with Kimtag, drop us an email at mail@kimtag.com and we'll discuss the options with you.
New ! QR Code Help Page
We know. It's only one page but it's a Kimtag help page and that's kinda rare. Anyhow, have a read if you've got questions on Kimtag QR Codes.
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Coming Soon... Stats
Just an update to the (hundreds...) of people who have been asking for stats. The project is underway and we are looking at a first release in the next couple of weeks. Apologies for the delay but our project list is longer than the number of hours in the day !
New EPS & JPG QR Code File Versions
Lots of new minor releases today but a couple of interesting ones for our QR code users.
We've added two new file formats, a 'k' logo free version and an easier download system. The JPG version is the same as the PNG version with the 'k' logo. The EPS version and the alternative PNG version are available without the 'k' logo. Just click on the appropriate download icon. Available under the 'QR' tab within 'settings'.
We'd recommend that for offline print, the EPS is the best version, followed by the PNG. Due to the technical nature of JPG, it's possible that the images may be slightly blurred which is not ideal for QR Codes. However, we've provided the JPG alternative for people who don't want or can't use the other formats.
We've also added an embedded link for the QR code which users can add the html code directly to their web pages. This is available under the 'links' tab. Just copy and paste.
Worth pointing out that we are experimenting with various QR generation technologies and it's possible that the QR codes for various image formats may not look identical. Fear not, this isn't a problem and they will point to the right place though !
Worth also pointing out that a large number of users are placing QR codes into print such as adverts, business cards and so on. We strongly advise that you test the QR codes in place at a proof stage before you do a print run. QR codes are durable but nothing is perfect and it's worth a quick scan to make sure it's working properly before you start that big print run.
We've added two new file formats, a 'k' logo free version and an easier download system. The JPG version is the same as the PNG version with the 'k' logo. The EPS version and the alternative PNG version are available without the 'k' logo. Just click on the appropriate download icon. Available under the 'QR' tab within 'settings'.
We'd recommend that for offline print, the EPS is the best version, followed by the PNG. Due to the technical nature of JPG, it's possible that the images may be slightly blurred which is not ideal for QR Codes. However, we've provided the JPG alternative for people who don't want or can't use the other formats.
We've also added an embedded link for the QR code which users can add the html code directly to their web pages. This is available under the 'links' tab. Just copy and paste.
Worth pointing out that we are experimenting with various QR generation technologies and it's possible that the QR codes for various image formats may not look identical. Fear not, this isn't a problem and they will point to the right place though !
Worth also pointing out that a large number of users are placing QR codes into print such as adverts, business cards and so on. We strongly advise that you test the QR codes in place at a proof stage before you do a print run. QR codes are durable but nothing is perfect and it's worth a quick scan to make sure it's working properly before you start that big print run.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
SoundCloud And Other Connections Added
We've just added some more connections : SoundCloud, Steam, App Store and iTunes.
Monday, 21 March 2011
Bug Fix : Mobile Login, About
We've fixed the bug with mobile logins. Users should now be able to login correctly on mobile devices to see any visibility restricted connections.
We've also just fixed another bug that a number of people had notified us about which was regarding errors saving the 'about' section on Kimtag information.
We've also just fixed another bug that a number of people had notified us about which was regarding errors saving the 'about' section on Kimtag information.
Bug : Mobile Login
We've become aware of a bug which means that mobile users can't login which will restrict the ability to see connections requiring login ! We're on the case.
Friday, 18 March 2011
QR Code Updates
We've made a couple of minor changes to the QR codes.
Firstly, there's a subtle aesthetic design change - the k logo has been moved slightly away from QR code block.
More importantly, we've also changed the URL which QR codes direct to. They used to connect directly through to the standard Kimtag URL such as http://kimtag.com/mykimtag . However, because we are working now on a range of statistic features, we've decided to make a switch and give QR codes a specific URL which will be http://kimtag.com/qr/mykimtag . This will enable us to track visits to your Kimtag from QR codes separately to those visits otherwise. Visitors to the QR URL will be automatically and instantly redirected to the standard URL.
There are a number of reasons for this. Because of the nature of most QR code readers, it's impossible to tell whether the visit to the Kimtag came from a QR code or not. While most QR code visits will be from mobiles, only a percentage of mobile visits are from QR codes so you can't assume a direct mobile/QR code relationship.Therefore, using a specific URL is the only option (until we've launched our Kimtag mobile app and everyone is using it!).
We avoided it until now on the basis that if someone uses a QR code to get a specific QR code URL and then that URL is passed around instead of the standard URL, those subsequent visits would be attributed as QR code visits but would not be. To get around this, we decided that instead of simply landing on the QR code URL, we'd instantly redirect to the standard URL. Which, while not completely solving the problem (as the user may take the URL from the QR code rather than the final page), it goes a little way to working around the issue. The downside is an additional page redirect in the middle which is not perfectly ideal for mobiles.
Ultimately, we decided that the risks of stats numbers overstating QR code visits was less important than not being able to track them at all. Hence the change.
All previous QR codes will work without any issues or problems. We would recommend that if you can change to the new codes then do because it will give you the ability to track QR specific visits in the future. However, if you can't, the only difference will be a few tracking stats and you'll not see any other operational differences.
Firstly, there's a subtle aesthetic design change - the k logo has been moved slightly away from QR code block.
More importantly, we've also changed the URL which QR codes direct to. They used to connect directly through to the standard Kimtag URL such as http://kimtag.com/mykimtag . However, because we are working now on a range of statistic features, we've decided to make a switch and give QR codes a specific URL which will be http://kimtag.com/qr/mykimtag . This will enable us to track visits to your Kimtag from QR codes separately to those visits otherwise. Visitors to the QR URL will be automatically and instantly redirected to the standard URL.
There are a number of reasons for this. Because of the nature of most QR code readers, it's impossible to tell whether the visit to the Kimtag came from a QR code or not. While most QR code visits will be from mobiles, only a percentage of mobile visits are from QR codes so you can't assume a direct mobile/QR code relationship.Therefore, using a specific URL is the only option (until we've launched our Kimtag mobile app and everyone is using it!).
We avoided it until now on the basis that if someone uses a QR code to get a specific QR code URL and then that URL is passed around instead of the standard URL, those subsequent visits would be attributed as QR code visits but would not be. To get around this, we decided that instead of simply landing on the QR code URL, we'd instantly redirect to the standard URL. Which, while not completely solving the problem (as the user may take the URL from the QR code rather than the final page), it goes a little way to working around the issue. The downside is an additional page redirect in the middle which is not perfectly ideal for mobiles.
Ultimately, we decided that the risks of stats numbers overstating QR code visits was less important than not being able to track them at all. Hence the change.
All previous QR codes will work without any issues or problems. We would recommend that if you can change to the new codes then do because it will give you the ability to track QR specific visits in the future. However, if you can't, the only difference will be a few tracking stats and you'll not see any other operational differences.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
New Connection Hide Feature
We just launched a new feature that allows users to hide their connections from non-registered users. It's part of a group of upgrades which will allow users to control who can and cannot see their connections. Useful, for example, if you want to hide a connection from regular search engines or the more casual web user.
To activate this new feature, simply click on the 'advanced' menu item below your connection and choose your preferred setting. Note that by default, all new connections are still visible to everyone.
We'll be adding extra privacy layers when we release the Kimtag directory system early next month. At that point users will have the ability to control connection visibility directly to specific users. Which is nice.
To activate this new feature, simply click on the 'advanced' menu item below your connection and choose your preferred setting. Note that by default, all new connections are still visible to everyone.
We'll be adding extra privacy layers when we release the Kimtag directory system early next month. At that point users will have the ability to control connection visibility directly to specific users. Which is nice.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Bug Fix : Connection Link Problems
We've fixed a rather complicated problem which caused some connections on some browsers to link incorrectly. Part of this upgrade will also allow us to provide click tracking stats in the near future. Which will be nice !
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Updated Information Pages
We've done a little spruce up on the information and help pages. We know that there aren't that many help pages but the new move around allows us to add pages quickly and easily. Which is what we'll be doing !
Friday, 11 March 2011
Bug : Missing +Signs
We've found and fixed a bug where some users on some browsers may have found that plus signs magically disappeared when saving links or information.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Short URL Kimt.ag now active
We've just activated a super short version of the Kimtag URL which a number of Twitter users were asking for. You can now use http://kimt.ag/yourtag as well as kimtag.com and kimtag.me. Oh... choices, choices.
Share !
We've just added a new 'Information' option for sharing your Kimtag. Just add the share section to your information list (the right hand column) and it'll add a row of icons for sharing your Kimtag with Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit and Delicious.
For those techie amongst you... We decided not to use the standard Facebook 'Like' for a number of reasons. Firstly and mainly, because it takes up a lot more space on the page and would leave less room for other sharing options. Secondly, because people hate it when the Facebook like system shows the number of 'likes' as one :-) Thirdly, because it makes the page heavier to load for little benefit to the user.
Enjoy and share people !
For those techie amongst you... We decided not to use the standard Facebook 'Like' for a number of reasons. Firstly and mainly, because it takes up a lot more space on the page and would leave less room for other sharing options. Secondly, because people hate it when the Facebook like system shows the number of 'likes' as one :-) Thirdly, because it makes the page heavier to load for little benefit to the user.
Enjoy and share people !
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Hiding Email From Spam Harvesters
Because Kimtag is an open system and many users want to publish all their connections, including email addresses, we've started work on a couple of things to help protect people from having the email addresses on their Kimtag pages scanned by robots. It's not easy. We want to make sure we don't accidentally block real users.
Firstly, if you want to publish emails on your Kimtag, make sure you use the 'email' connection so we can process the protection levels properly.
We are doing this :
Email Encoding
We will release today or tomorrow a couple of trials of email encoding. The aim is that normal users will see a 'real' email address and won't know any different but robots will see nothing. We'll see how it goes but if anyone notices something odd with emails, then please let us know !
Registered Kimtags Only
We have started work on a feature that will allow Kimtag tag holders to restrict the viewing of email (or any other connection) only to other registered Kimtag users. In this way, we can add substantial extra control over page scanning. Clearly, this may restrict the number of people that can see your email address, but at least you have the choice.
Secret Something
There's a third system that we've already put in place to secretly block scanning of email addresses. To keep it secret, we can't tell you !
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Tag or Name ... you choose !
We've added a couple of new features.
Name or Tag
You can now set your Name as your tag title instead of the tag. Obviously only works if you've set a name !
Profile Image or Not
You can now choose whether or not to display a profile image. If you haven't uploaded your own image, then this is a simple way of removing the default image and making your tag look more 'finished'.
Both these features are available from settings/account. If you've already got a tag, nothing will change unless you modify these settings.
Name or Tag
You can now set your Name as your tag title instead of the tag. Obviously only works if you've set a name !
Profile Image or Not
You can now choose whether or not to display a profile image. If you haven't uploaded your own image, then this is a simple way of removing the default image and making your tag look more 'finished'.
Both these features are available from settings/account. If you've already got a tag, nothing will change unless you modify these settings.
Login & Profile Image change bug
We've become aware of a bug affecting the login drop down box and image change drop down boxes when user select box style layout. It only affects certain browsers but we are working on a fix now.
Quick workaround : login via Kimtag homepage and select standard layout rather than box layout.
Update : This bug should now be fixed. Sorry about that.
Quick workaround : login via Kimtag homepage and select standard layout rather than box layout.
Update : This bug should now be fixed. Sorry about that.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Transparency Setting Added
We've added a transparency setting so that users who have a background image or colour can control the amount that the image or colour shows through their tag details. By default, we've set transparency to off. To change it, just go to your settings/design and select one of the three levels of transparency.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
System Updates
We've just completed a couple of days of boring database, backup and system updates. Fear not ! We are working on new features and they'll be on their way soon.
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