On the topic of my distraction this morning, did you know you can get QR Codes from Tiny URL? Do you know what at QR Code is?
According to Wikipedia: QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside the industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds ("modes") of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or through supported extensions, virtually any kind of data.
For those of us not that conversant in computerese, a QR Code is a square with funny black symbols on a white background. Scanning devices can "read" these codes and take a person to a product site. Here is a QR Code that I made for one of my books, Play it Again, Sam:
I have heard from other authors that it is a good idea to have a flyer or bookmarks or some kind of handout that has the QR Codes for you books. That way when you are at an event you can encourage people to take a flyer. Then if they are interested in buying one of the books later, they have a quick connection to a sale page by scanning the Code with a Smart phone.
There are also apps that you can get that allow you to process sales on your own Smart phone. That would necessitate one has a Smart phone. I do not. I do not even have a stupid phone. So I will be reduced to having to actually take real money from folks who want to buy my books at the upcoming festival.
The East Texas Bookfest will be September 8th in Tyler, TX from 10 to 4. I will be there with many other Texas authors, and it will be a fun day.
And now since the morning here is almost gone, I will have to forgo my enthralling blog about Minute Rice and move on.
Hope everyone has a wonderful, productive, and fun week.
9 comments:
HA! I don't have a smart or "stupid phone" either. (That cracked me up.) Boy, you're having to learn all kinds of new things, aren't you? Pretty nifty. Have fun at the book fair.
Thanks, Susan. Appreciate the compliment, but I have been dragged kicking and screaming into this whole new world of technology. Life was so much simpler when it was just me and my Smith Corona. LOL
I still have a flip phone, which my kids and grandkids treat with complete distain. But I did know what a QR code is. Never used one but at least I'm not totally ignorant.
Good luck at the fair.
Thank, LD. I do have a flip-phone somewhere. I got it for when I travel, and I only buy minutes for it for the trips. It's been quite a while since I used it, so I don't even know where it is. LOL
Thanks! I've been wondering what those squares were for!
I have two QR codes on my business cards. One leads to my website and the other to my Amazon author page. On my bookmarks, I just have one to my website. Do readers look at them? Who knows? It's just another tool in our promotional arsenal.
Hi, Maryann --
Thanks for your informative blog. Now I know what those black boxes are. The more I read about new technologies, the more I realize that I'm living in the dark ages. Now all I have to do is find out how one gets a QR code. Maybe that's something you can cover in a future blog.
Hi, Thanks for this. My first historical mystery novel is coming out in December, and I have been seeing references to these mysterious QR codes flying around me. You have helped me...in fact, I'm printing your blog entry for future reference....:) Does that "date" me, or what?????
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