Have you been noticing those odd squares that look like some kind of bar code? Did you know that they are called QR (Quick Response) codes? I've been seeing them in magazines recently and have been curious about them. The other day I was watching CNN and they had a QR code that they displayed on the screen. They were encouraging everyone to scan it and it would take ypu to to a place to donate to victims of that horrible earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown disaster in Japan.
So what do you find when you scan one of these codes? Well, it turns out that you can get a whole range of information from these little squares, depending on what the developer of the codes wants to use it for. You can get an email, a text, a picture, a video, a website, general information, contact information, etc., etc.
I’ve read that the codes were originally developed in Japan to track parts for vehicle manufacturing at Toyota, but now they are being used for a wide variety of information. How do you access this information? Using your cell phone’s camera you scan the information and after it processes the information it pops up on your screen. Some phones are already set up to scan while others need an app to do the scanning. Once you have the app it is really easy. Just take a picture of the QR code, let it quickly process the information and voila – there it is on your phone!
We recently went to a class by socialmediadentist.com and discovered that we could be using these codes in our dental office. Since attending that class we’ve been developing a number of QR codes to make it easier for people to access our information online. Patients can now scan separate codes to take them to our website, to follow us on Twitter, to take them to Facebook where they can “like” us, to take them to this blog, to read patient reviews of the office, to check in using either Facebook, Foursquare, or Google Lattitude, etc. We plan to offer post procedure instructions through QR codes as well. Who knows what else we will make a QR code for.
So discover what QR codes are all about. Get the app if you need one and don’t already have one downloaded on your phone - ScanLife is an app we have been using. Now scan the QR code above and see what you find…
Hello,
ReplyDeletewe believe that QR codes will make the connection between offline and online worlds easier. That’s why we created our QR code generator with social features – YouScan.me - http://www.youscan.me. You can add all your info like Facebook profile or fan page, twitter, youtube, etc. and connect with others.
Cheers