Revisiting QR codes.

Seriously, if you don't know what they are now - you will get left behind.
I realise I didn't put enough information in the previous blog related to QR codes, so I'm going to try and put that right!!
Generally QR codes are free to generate - however do check the small print as to whether or not they can be used for commercial purposes.
This one is one I first used and gives you free codes (but says not for commercial purposes)
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
This one gives the first one free and says nothing, as far as I can see about not using it for commercial purposes
http://smartytags.com/
What can you include:
They can be made for anything, a website, a map, an information pack whatever you fancy, it just needs a related web page. I keep seeing them with special offers on them, so you scan the code and get taken to a page where there is some kind of special offer. (Locally the restaurants near me are using them on all their menu flyers).
Effectively think of them as a short cut to a web page from a phone.
So bearing that in mind, is there any point in putting them on a website?
I can't really see any, rather defeats the points, your viewer/ target is already where they should be and just clicking a link will do the job.
I have seen them in language magazines - linking to the article and having a listening that you can go to with the qr code, or a related video.
Could you put them on Etsy as a picture with your item? I don't think so really, you would effectively be going against the TOU's by linking to an outside site (unless of course it was to inside etsy in which case again - what's the point).
Something that is really cool is that they can be any colour you wish, so if wherever you are going to put them has a strong colour theme, you could match it.












Where could you use them?
The obvious places would be business cards, invoices, in fact anything not online as the idea is a way of giving someone quick access without typing in the whole url. Apparently in Korea on the trains and buses they are plastered all along the top panel inside and everyone with smart phones just goes along scanning them. The whole point is that (in my opinion - awfully humble) they will be very common and very used in the future, this is like the very early days of twitter and facebook, so if you get in there quickly, you could be giving the impression that you are at the cutting edge of technology - can't be bad eh!!
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