16 December 2011
QR Codes. These things that keep popping up on my innocent drink, in the newspapers and on posters. These square bar code looking things? What the heck are they?

What the heck is a QR code?

These things that keep popping up on my innocent drink, in the newspapers and on posters. These square bar code looking things? What the heck are they?

QR (Quick Response) codes are a super quick way for a company to display a link in a quick easy way. Much in the same that the internet is full of domain names, rather than a long series of numbers, some geek (affectionate term!) decided that having a website address was far too difficult to remember, so 'invented' these things. Basically, you scan it, and it takes you to a website.

In the simplest of terms. They can take you elsewhere too, (not like Narnia or anywhere) but to a movie on YouTube, and download of an app and even some code to contain telephone and mobile numbers – you know, those things you can’t remember!

All this being able to be scanned by most modern mobile phones.

As QR codes become more widely used and cause a lot of people like us wondering what’s behind them. Businesses are becoming more creative (and not so creative!) in both the design and uses for QR codes.

One hugely bad example of use of QR code is one ‘Marketing agency’ that sends us emails, and in the footer is a QR code which links to their website. Yes, that’s right, you’re already online, on your email, and they are asking you to get your phone out, picture the screen and find their website. Links people. Links!

So. The future? I doubt it. But the here and now? Maybe. Expect to see more QR codes on your Gloucestershire bus stops before too long.