qr code
Imagine my surprise last night while reading Twitter on my iPhone in bed (yeah, I know…) when I came across a tweet from Fiona @Seville_Writer (aka Scribbler in Seville) about just having made a QR-code for herself. What was this? And what was Fiona doing with one of them before me?? She usually comes to me for this sort of info and refers to me as her internet guru.
Of course I had to immediately find out what this was and so I looked it up on Wikipedia and discovered that a QR (or Quick Response) Code is:
…a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (e.g., binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols)
An article in Search Engine Land goes into more detail about what a QR Code is and it’s various applications.
So this is the QR Code I just made using this generator which includes my name, phone number, email address, website URL and city location. Pretty cool, eh? And now, like Fiona, I have to figure out what to do next. Though I think the first mystery to solve is how Fiona found out about something so geeky before I did! I am humbled and in awe…
As Thomas likes to say con frecuencia – the U.S. is 10 years ahead of us in everything. I suspect he is often mocking me…
I don’t know if you saw Michelle’s tweet, but their business cards have QR codes on them now, so she’s going to get me some with it on too! Quite a few magazine ads have them here, and I’ve seen them on posters, eg for exhibitions and other events, in London. And, obviously, the US has been using them for years (it was an American I first learned about them from, nearly two years ago – he had one on his business card, when I barely knew what a smart phone was).
Novel uses for QR codes
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/inspiring-qr-codes/
There are a number of sites which have QR code generators. They’d probably be a good idea for your tapas blog to promote your tours as well as your blog.