What’s black and white and super-confusing to wrap your head around? If you’re unfamiliar with QR codes, not to worry. Those fuzzy boxes on business cards and promotional swag are easily scannable information barcodes. Essentially, you point your camera at the image and get a message, website, or other piece of content beamed directly to your smartphone or computer.
QR codes are still a relatively foreign concept for most casual users, but they have a lot of potential to change the mobile game. Some uses include added nutritional information on groceries, the ability to comparison shop for textbooks, access to free giveaways and bonuses at major music festivals.
We’ve already shown you how to use QR codes for your business, but we didn’t actually show you how to create the code itself. For anyone new to QR codes, or for those looking for a refresher, click through our gallery for a super basic, step-by-step guide on how to create and deploy your own scannable messages.
1. What Do You Want to Say?
The golden rule: Share something worth sharing. Shiny new technologies won't make up for awful content. Think about whether the message, website, or information you are sharing is appropriate for quick, mobile consumption. QR codes can be used in a bunch of ways.
Are you looking for a laugh? A new contact? A valuable service? We chose this comic from Penny Arcade.
2. Find a QR Code Generator
There are a bunch of sites that can help you create a quick QR code. This guide will focus on Kaywa, one of the simplest and most popular non-commercial services. You can also check out sites like Zxing Project, delivr, QR Stuff, or Maestro for some different approaches and specific feature-sets.
3. Add Your Content
You can select what type of code you want to create by clicking on the buttons. We opted for text so we could manually paste the link and also add a small note. You can select the size of your code, but bigger is generally better. After you hit "generate," you can toggle the size from the same menu.
4. Make Sure it Works
Wait! Make sure your code works the way you want it to before you slap it onto your site, card, etc. You'll need to download a reader app in order to access the buried content. Most sites that generate QR codes also offer a reader, such as Kaywa above.
5. Share It
You can add this code by sharing its permalink (as you would any other link), embed it into your blog, or save the image to a file which you can print on flyers, business cards, or anything else you can think of.
6. Finished Product
Here’s the finished product; a cartoon message for new parents.
If you're interested in the nitty gritty of QR codes, Wikipedia has more information than you probably need to get caught up.
What are you your thoughts? Are QR codes a mobile revolution, or just another tech gimmick?
More Mobile Resources from Mashable:
- The Rise of Text Messaging [INFOGRAPHIC]
- How Mobile is Affecting the Way We E-mail
- 5 iPhone Apps to Help You Learn to Dance
- A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Mobile
- Top 5 Mobile Commerce Trends for 2010
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