With social media over taking traditional media, everyone seems to follow trends on Twitter, status updates on Facebook and LinkedIn updates, but there is one aspect yet to be fully explored. The square, pixilated bar-code type graphics, which can be found on just about anything, are becoming more popular.
Quick Response, QR, codes stand as a useful social media tool used all walks of life, but not many know how they work.
They are 2-D codes that can be scanned by most smartphone cameras to get information from a different location on line. QR codes are just like the barcode used by most stores to track inventory, but its slightly different because it has more storage capability.
The codes are now used to link people to the digital content of a particular item or story by corporations, churches, advertising agencies and newspapers, including UVU Review. In short, it can be used by anybody who can create the codes.
Chris A. Oakeson, the HR business partner for Henry Schein Practical Solutions, happened to be at UVU for the career fair and had made use of QR codes in her company.
“It is an effective technology and it allows for faster and better information access,” Oakeson said.
The code saves the stress of writing down excessive information that is important. Instead of hauling a bulky newspaper down the hallway to class, people can easily scan a QR code and quickly access the entire story their phone screen.
“I think it’s cool if you have a smartphone,” said Abraham Tashman, a sophomore Accounting major from Jordan. “But since I don’t have a smart phone and don’t have money to buy one, I think its still cool, but I can live without it.”
Even with the downside of this technology, which is limited to smart phones, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have taken advantage of it, because any phone that has data plan can access them.
Junior Josh Child, a Business Management major, doesn’t see the value in them.
“I never really see the need to use it, I just Google everything,” Child said.
McKay Bird, a junior Accounting major feels it can be helpful in places that Facebook and Twitter cannot help.
“I used it at Best Buy to get detailed information, price check and compare prices of products. I think it’s really effective,” Bird said.
There are two simple steps to getting the QR codes up and running, and it takes less than two minutes. First, download the QR code reader on your smartphone for free, and then start scanning any code to get the information you want.
QR code generators can also be downloaded to create a personal code to link people to websites, or any information to share from the Internet. Codes can be made to share a video, link to a Facebook page, or even share an entire e-book.
As smartphones become more and more popular, QR code usage will only increase. It is much more simple to scan the QR code vs typing in a url.