QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology
I had been ignoring coverage of the funky looking black and white box in the image above too. It looks like it’s for retailers or people with flying cars, not for me (which is code for “I was intimidated by it because it looked scary“). But guess what? This stuff is easy and you should check it out, it only takes a few seconds!
Get to the Point
Okay. The two dimensional code you see next to Rosie the Robot is called a QR Code which is short for “Quick Response” and it’s simply a matrix bar code that contains information. QR Codes were initially used as a tracking mechanism (do you recognize it from the FedEx box where the delivery guy points his reader at it and it scans info?) but leave it to tech geeks to make it apply to our daily lives.
If one person has a cell phone that is equipped to read a QR Code, they point and click at the QR Code and it will hardlink to the website that is programmed in the QR Code, in other words if you have a QR Code printed on your business card, the guy next to you on the train can point his cell phone at it and it will automatically enter your URL into their browser and BAM, they’re playing around on your site! Pretty cool, huh?
That IS Easy & Useful, How Do I Do It?
- Step One: go enter your URL to automatically generate a fancy QR code.
- Step Two: familiarize yourself with what phones are currently equipped to read QR codes (so you don’t get embarrassed when you tell a new buddy who has a Treo “hey, point your phone here, dude”).
- Step Three: print your new QR code on the back of your cards, or use this template for an index-card sized, double sided business card that is centered around the QR code.
I told you this was easy! Aren’t you glad you didn’t ignore yet another article about the QR code? It’s not rocket science and it won’t change how the world turns, but it’s pretty dang cool.
Originally published on October 7, 2008.
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This article published on Saturday, August 7th, 2010 at 12:50 am | Contact the editor
Topics: Social Media, Social Media
About this Columnist (Full Profile)
AGBeat Editor-in-Chief: Lani, named one of Real Estate’s 100 Most Influential, as well as 12 Most Influential Women in Real Estate, is a business writer hailing from the great state of Texas in the city of Austin. As a digital native, Lani is immersed not only in advanced technologies and new media, but is also a stats nerd often burried in piles of reports. Lani is a proven leader, thoughtful speaker, and vested partner at AGBeat.
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- Nelson Real Estate » TECHNOLOGICALLY speaking, this is a sign of the times:
[...] could be said for Real Estate shop windows, the display cards could feature these QR codes too so that browsers can find out [...]
- Kathy Dipp:
RT @agentgenius: Very interesting. Using this technology for the Real Estate field is definitely a plus… http://bit.ly/736clZ [HOW NEAT!]
- QR Codes in real estate marketing « TQI Consulting:
[...] learned about QR Codes at PodCamp Western MA and through a post by Lani Rosales on Agent Genius,” said Lambert. “The code was added to the event t-shirts by one of the organizers, Jaclyn [...]
- Using QR Codes in the Real Estate World – Stickybits:
[...] We wrote about QR codes in 2008 and not many advancements in the technology have been made, but we’re seeing an increase in adoption rates. People are using their iPhone in grocery stores to scan barcodes and learn about products (how green they are, the extended nutritional information, reviews, etc), so consumers understand how it works and will soon use QR codes more extensively. [...]
- Google Goggles enhanced by acquisition of Plink visual search:
[...] A visual art search just bought by Google unlikely is considering the real estate angle of this, but this feature added to Google Goggles is big, given that Goggles is kind of like a hybrid of AR + QR for dummies (augmented reality plus qr codes). [...]
- kristin terry:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology: I had been ignoring coverage of the funky looking black and white … http://bit.ly/boYpv0
- Nelbee:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology http://bit.ly/d1UYAP @AgentGenius
- Real Estate Ninja:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology http://bit.ly/boYpv0
- RealEstate Babble:
AgentGenius: QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology http://bit.ly/9xvRgc Full http://bit.ly/9uol9f
- Thad Schell:
Real Estate News: QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology http://bit.ly/cyPh0D
- Real Estate Feeds:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology: I had been ignoring coverage of the funky looking black and white … http://bit.ly/beLfKq
- Tom Lyons:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology – I had been ignoring coverage of the funky looking black and w… http://tinyurl.com/npzjsp
- realdiggity:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology: comments http://bit.ly/9asOVG
- MetroBrokersTV:
QR codes fear not simple, useful technology – I had been ignoring coverage of the funky looking black and white box… http://ow.ly/18tcfK
- kaywa:
RT @agentgenius: #agnow This article was published in 2008 and since then, you can see QR codes on yard signs in Austin (granted, we… http://bit.ly/736clZ
- Z.W. Brown:
Are you using QR Codes? How? http://bit.ly/9joa3c #realestate #tech #cool
- Leah Soleil:
RT @ZWBrownRE: Are you using QR Codes? How? http://bit.ly/9joa3c #realestate #tech #cool
- Natasha Hall:
QR codes fear not simple, useful technology – I had been ignoring coverage of the funky looking black and white box… http://ow.ly/18tyeh
- telivant:
Love the QR Codes on business cards idea for quick link to website, tested this one out using NeoReader and it worked! http://bit.ly/ddBDFQ
- Telivant, Inc:
Love the QR Codes on business cards idea for quick link to website, tested this one out using NeoReader and it worked! http://bit.ly/ddBDFQ
- mike harrison:
QR codes – fear not… simple, useful technology http://dlvr.it/3YKvh
- QR Media:
RT @agentgenius: #agnow We put a QR code on every 4 Sale sign. i saw a flyer 4 Swiss Chalet & some billboards…. http://bit.ly/736clZ
- MAlamat:
RT @QRmedia: RT @agentgenius: #agnow We put a QR code on every 4 Sale sign. i saw a flyer 4 Swiss Chalet & some billboards…. http://bit.ly/736clZ
- DotLoop:
QR Codes: Does "QR" stand for "Quite Ravishing"? Because they're so… http://fb.me/GnuZvBVD
- Alex Allison:
RT @dotloop: QR Codes: Does "QR" stand for "Quite Ravishing"? Because they're so… http://fb.me/GnuZvBVD
- Bryan Thompson:
QR Codes: They're actually kind of cool and not geeky at all! Okay, a little geeky, but check it out! http://ow.ly/2n9r4
- David Hill:
QR Codes: They're actually kind of cool and not geeky at all! Okay, a little geeky, but check it out! http://ow.ly/2n9r4
- AgentGenius:
#agnow I started using QR Codes on my yard signs, postcards and will be adding it to the back of my business cards … http://bit.ly/736clZ
- AgentGenius:
#agnow Great Post! Interesting Article. http://bit.ly/736clZ
- Market Leader:
What is a QR code, and how can it help my real estate business? http://fb.me/vAfSiwYn
- QR News:
RT @Market_Leader: What is a QR code, and how can it help my real estate business? http://fb.me/vAfSiwYn
- CALAMAR:
RT @agentgenius: we're at it again QR Codes- Fear Not… Simple, Useful Technology: Come comment on .. http://bit.ly/9joa3c
- SnapTags - logos that are interactive over smartphone and text:
[...] could make the codes pretty and smaller as tech innovation made the scanners less sensitive. Then, QR codes came to be, and smartphone users could scan billboards and business cards to be sent to a dedicated [...]
Benn Rosales
Conal Campbell
Elijah May
Lani Rosales
Tara Steele
Marti Trewe
Charlene Jimenez
Ok Lani…this is HARDCORE! (YOU are hardcore!)
I don’t see myself printing that on the back of my business cards but it is pretty cool…
Good post. I was just reading recently about how iPhone apps will use QR codes so you can redeem online coupons in stores without printing. I think it has a lot of potential for coupons and in other mobile transactions.
Ricardo, thanks. It took me a long time to warm up to the idea and un-lazy myself to look into it!
If it’s not for your card, perhaps you’ll get it printed on a scarf or a T-shirt?
If you print one on the back of your shirt, people behind you on the sidewalk or BART can get info on you without you even having to talk to them, woo hoo!
Interesting idea. Right now there are less than 80 cell phones that can read this code, and obviously Nokia thinks it’s the next big thing. I’m not sure how much it’ll catch on. My drivers license has this on the back and I’ve never seen it being used. Wait, does that mean that a guy on a train with a Nokia cell phone can scan my license and see my weight? Scary!
I think i used one of these a boarding pass for my flights last week. I hear they are actually catching on in Japan.
Well, ir is being phased out (someone please tell ekey and palm) so I’m guessing we’ll be needing a new mechanism very very soon to also be phased out very very soon by the next really simple thing
as long as my phone continues to get lighter and lighter, I’m cool with swapping them out over and over again… 
@Lani: Re: “can get info on you without you even having to talk to them, woo hoo!”
LoL. I’m sensing a little bit of an anti-social side here?
We are seeing a lot of activity and more and more new use-cases for QR codes. If you have website and want to offer QR codes for your mobile audience, have a look at wimob.com. Love to hear ways of how this could be applied and useful for real estate professionals.
Benn, supra is about to release the blue tooth for blackberry, we are beta testing in Ann Arbor.
Lani, off to see if my BB8830 works, I can see this would be helpful at conferences.
Hi Lani,
Mike Mueller mentioned to me about your QR post tonight at the Real Estate 2.0 Demo Pit. Cool stuff I’d love to look into (can’t wait to test it out on my Google Android G1 phone)
Marissa Louie
@malouie
Marissa – When you do get your G1 here’s the link to Google’s QR reader http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/GetTheReader
have had a lot of success with neoreader reading these codes… iphone has had it as an application download for a while.
Custom Fit Realty in WI is now using it, and looks aggressive.
they call it their ‘neo sign’.
will be looking into this further.
Lani I am not sure how I missed this post, but the QR thing is very cool. I loaded Optiscan on my iPhone. New hobby is to find QR codes.
I been using http://www.beqrious.com/ to generate my QR codes, its been great they even have a function where you can upload a logo to the center or the QR code.
Very interesting stuff. Using this technology for the Real Estate field is definitely a plus. Just think about to place an URL on a yard sign. This is a nice idea
Interesting stuff Lani. Im a tech guy OK, but this seems a bit strange and wacky for real estate purposes. IMO I don’t see this being useful sorry.
This article was published in 2008 and since then, you can see QR codes on yard signs in Austin (granted, we’re a tech city) and on business cards. It’s not on mine, simply due to aesthetics, but it’s not *that* far out that it hasn’t been adopted in the last few years in the industry. It’s just a self generated, universal bar code. Will it be the universal norm some day? Probably not, but a growing segment understands what it is and is interested in using it.
Lani Rocks!
Thanks Mike, I’ll TAKE it!
PS: Rosie and QR codes rock more
Of the four sizes to pick which one do you recommend? Thx.
It depends on what you’re using it for. Signs, I would suggest XL. Business cards, Small. Make sense?
We put a QR code on every For Sale sign. I’ve seen a flyer for Swiss Chalet and some billboards (the famous one being for CK Jeans in NYC) begin using them too. They’re big in Japan but it’s only a matter of time until they gain more traction in North America.
I started using QR Codes on my yard signs, postcards and will be adding it to the back of my business cards the next print run. While I know it isn’t widely used technology YET, I feel it will be more mainstream in the near future and I want to be there first. For more details on how I am using it you can see my post blog.tqiconsulting.com/?p=92 which was inspired by Lani’s 2008 article!
Great Post! Interesting Article.
Thank you Lani. I have been ignoring QR codes for the very same reason you mentioned – I was intimidated by them. It seemed like Greek to me… Yours is the first article I have read that has made sense to me. Thanks again – I feel so much better now that I know what all the fuss is about.:-)
Wow, what a compliment, thanks Denise! I look forward to learning how you use them!