Nothing sounds very cool if it’s still in 2D, right?  Well, there’s still one thing.  QR codes are 2-dimensional bar codes that can allow quick and purposeful communication, like the exchange of contact info, or to effortlessly transport a prospective customer to your product’s website.

Follow along and we'll talk about where you might have already seen a QR code, how to install a free app on your mobile device or smartphone, and I'll describe some of the more creative uses of the technology!  Future articles will contain more technical information for developers, but for now let's just get everybody up to speed.

Where have I already seen these things? 

• Inventory tags
• Airline boarding passes
• Contact info exchange
• Business cards
• Tags on historical buildings, unique architecture, and visitor attractions
• Packaging and signage that calls on customers to take action with QR codes printed on a company's product
• Wearable QR codes 
• Games, scavenger hunts and contests

Best Practices 

• Use a URL shortener.  The longer the URL, the smaller the barcode squares, and the harder it is to get an accurate scan.
• Format the destination content for mobile devices.  Mobile users are the ones who are scanning codes and visiting your site.
• The content must be engaging.  Reward your users for scanning that code and visiting your URL! 

Creative Uses of the Technology

Some of these may not have been tried before, or at least are not well-known.

• Use QR codes in Facebook meta tags to allow URLs and content shared via Facebook to display a default thumbnail next to your shared content with the QR code pointing to the full URL.
• Devise a mobile app that can both read codes as well as generate them, making them easy to share with other mobile users by allowing them to scan a code directly from your phone's screen.
• Add QR codes to the tee boxes at your favorite golf course so that you can quickly get a feel for the layout of the hole, today's pin placement, and even a leaderboard with the best players' scores.

Where can I download a reader for my mobile device?

Most smartphone platforms have a reader. Here are a few free ones to take a look at ...

iPhone - Search for "iCandyMobile" in the App Store on any version of the iPhone, iPod, or iPad for a great free application.

Android - Search for "Barcode Scanner" in the Android Market to get the Google ZXing team's free app.

Blackberry - Visit http://get.beetagg.com/ from your berry device to install the BeeTagg app for free.

Windows Phone - Visit http://get.beetagg.com/ from your Windows Mobile device to install the BeeTagg app for free. This isn't the best one I've seen, but I'll look for more QR code readers for Windows Mobile and post them soon.

Now what?

Install a QR code reader app on your mobile device and keep an eye out in the wild — these things are popping up everywhere!