The QR stands for Quick Response and these little squares are designed to give you information in a snap. They originated in Japan in 1994 by Denso Wave-a subsidiary company of Toyota. Like traditional bar codes they contain information. However, QR codes can hold a lot more including contact info links to websites and YouTube videos
Think of them as real world hyper links to our online world.
They work with your iPhone, blackberry, android or any smart phone’s camera, as long as you have downloaded a QR reader. Most readers are free. Just browse through your app store to see what’s available and download the one with the best user rating. Once you have the reader on your phone, simply open the app and snap a picture. In an instant up comes the information, website, video or any other media unlocked by the reader.
Companies are using QR codes to promote their products in variety of ways which include providing detailed product information, recipe ideas and shopping lists, movie trailers, contests entry opportunities, user ratings, store locations and so much more. But it’s not just for companies...you can create your own QR code. Just Google QR generator and you’ll have pages of options. Once you select a generator, you can create your personal QR code that contains all of your contact info. You can have your custom code printed on your business cards or on your resume for easy connections.
Although the technology hasn’t taken off here as quickly as it has in Japan, the QR code makes transferring information a snap. So it’s highly unlikely that they’re going to fade away anytime soon. Try it out for yourself and let us know what you think!