You may not have used them, but you’ve probably seen them. QR codes, the small black and white square barcodes, are popping up on everything from billboards to magazines to airplane boarding passes.
QR (short for Quick Response) codes are unique 2-D matrix barcodes that contain information such as text and URLs. By aiming your camera phone or barcode scanner at a QR code, you can “read” the information stored in that QR code. For example, scanning a QR code that you see on a movie poster may bring up the movie’s trailer or a link to buy tickets, all on your phone.
People such as small business owners can also create QR codes to market their products and services. Using a website like uQRme, you can put individual QR codes on business cards, products that you sell, T-shirts, and stickers to direct customers to your website and social networking pages.
Indeed, QR codes offer a bridge between the virtual, online world and one’s physical environment, providing a new way to give or receive information quickly.
