The modern journalist: Use QR barcodes

(Note: Thanks to Joe Grimm at the Poynter Institute for talking about this technology.)

More newspapers are now adding two-dimensional barcodes to their stories. These QR (for Quick Response) barcodes work with mobile phones. The software in the phone can send the reader to a web page for more information, provide the user with contact data or background information, send a pre-arranged SMS or display a text message.

All that is needed is free software and a smartphone such as a Blackberry or iPhone.

The first step is to download a free QR reader to your phone.

I went to QR Stuff to find a reader for my phone. I used my phone’s web browser and went to the appropriate site. (I use i-nigma.) In most cases once you navigate to the download section, the web site will automatically read what type of phone you have and start loading the software. (I had to visit a few sites before I could find one that accepted my phone. If you have a Blackberry or iPhone, you have more options.)

Once it is loaded you will be able to read any QR code.

Download the software to your phone and check out the two items below:

      

Generating a code is even easier.

All the sites that offer free phone software also offer free QR code generators.

Just type in the information — a web site URL, a short amount of text (although I have been having problems with this), contact information or even an SMS. And click the generate code button.

The screen capture below created a barcode to go to this web site.


Once you have created the barcode you can save it to your computer — right click on the image — or embed it in your web page. Or copy the image location — right click on the image — and post it in your blog. (That is how the above two codes were inserted here.)

A Luddite might ask: What are these codes good for?

As Joe Grimm points out in his Poynter article:

A two-dimensional bar code on a resume or business card can brand you as someone who is on top of technology and take prospective employers to your portfolio, resume or a video. They can jump-start conversations.

You can also create a code that sends a standard SMS to you. For example, if you are having a party and you want people to respond, create two barcodes — one for yes and one for no. All your guests have to do is scan and send the appropriate code on their phones and you will get an text message with their replies.

On your business card you can make it easier for people to contact and save your information on their phones.

Chances are you will find many more uses for this code. I am just now experimenting with it. (Some of the Brazilian papers have been printing the codes at the end of articles for about a year. When I first tried it the connections were a bit rough. Now they work just fine.)