QR Codes

Have you noticed all these square bar codes around? I’ve seen it on websites and magazines and I’ve heard so many people talking about it, so I thought it was about time that I investigate further and find out what it was all about.

I must say after doing some research, I really like this little technological advancement. I have, unfortunately, pulled my tampon one too many times out of my bag and either tried to write with it or hand it to someone in desperate need of a pen, so I’m sure you can understand my enthusiasm for this particular feature.

So, what’s it all about?

Well, firstly, QR stands for Quick Response. It’s a two dimensional code bar code that can ultimately be scanned by various phones, including the Blackberry, Android and other smart phones.

It seems to be a great way to share your details or store someone’s information quickly. Another great feature is it’s paperless; therefore it could most definitely be classified as Environmentally Friendly (YAY!).

It’s perfect for Moms, especially when you’re out with your kids, just don’t have a spare hand for anything and need to get details in a hurry.

I read recently that some passengers, most commonly business travelers, are using these QR codes for their boarding passes onto the airplanes. The person travelling downloads the QR code to their phone, displays it at the airport scanning devices at the gate and their details get verified.

Advantages

• It’s paperless and quick, therefore it saves you on both MONEY (paper and printing costs) and TIME (that frequent challenge faced by Moms)
• It’s eco-friendly.
• It’s FREE! Yes, it’s free; therefore, whether you’re a start-off business or not, you really do NOT have any excuse not to have one available on your website and /or on your phone.
• It’s great for helping drive traffic to your site. More and more people are using their mobile phones to be on the web. So, make your website quickly accessible by people just having to scan in your barcode, point and SHOOT and they have your details on their phone and can access your website immediately!

Disadvantages

• You do need a fancy shmancy phone.
• It requires you to be a little more technical on your cell phone, but once you played around, you will find it super easy to use and love it.

Where to get it?

I have a Blackberry and I found an application called ScanLife which I have installed and am running.

Other applications I could find include:

• Barcode Scanner
• Quick Mark
• Optiscan

Check out this link for some more readers: http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/

This is the fun part!

You can check out the links below and create your image by filling in the forms and clicking the relevant buttons to generate your link.

• http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
• http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/

Here’s my QR Code if you fancy storing my particulars in your phone:

Your turn Mammas – go have some fun with it! You can create messages, a business and so much more, so have fun!