Update: QR Codes An Exciting Technology

The following information was gleaned at Rootstech 2012

class provided by Thomas Mac Entee

http://hidefgen.com 

Still A Viable Technology  

Smart phones and digital technology have created another wonderful family history application. Picture this, you come upon the gravesite of a person who might possibly be an ancestor. It has a QR code embedded in it, such as the one above. You place your smart phone against the QR code and it delivers the story of the ancestor buried there.

QR Code stands for “quick response code” and is much like the bar codes we’ve become used to seeing on our packaged foods at the grocery store as well as any retail item. A QR code works in much the same way – it can be scanned and deliver to the user a website, a document, or even a family tree or a biography of an ancestor.

When you think QR codes think “more” or “scan for more information.” The scanning process is performed with the camera built in to most smart phones or mobile devices. A special “app” (most if not all are free) reads the image from the camera and then uses the device’s web browser to display the information.

QR codes are becoming more popular because more and more people are using smart phones and devices to access information. These devices already have the tools needed for someone to access the information wtihin a QR code:

Of course there are numerous other applications: Place it on a poster or other media as an advertising purpose, put it on a business card, place it in a manual, in a book, on a website, and of course on a grave marker.

Generate Your Own QR

Now that you understand more about QRcCodes and their possible uses, you might want to generate your own. There are many websites and applications – again, most are free – which can take your URL or text and convert it into a QR code. A partial list of QR code generation apps and websites can be found in the Links section below.

QR Code Readers

BeeTagg
http://www.beetagg.com

Kaywa Reader
http://reader.kaywa.com

NeoReader
http://www.neoreader.com

QuickMark
http://www.quickmark.com.tw

QR Code Generators

http://www.eloops.com/

 

BeQRious
http://www.beqrious.com/generator

Delivr
http://delivr.com/qr-code-generator

Google Chart Tools – QR Code Generator
http://createqrcode.appspot.com

QR Generators List
http://qrmedia.us/qr-code-generators-list/

Top 10 Free Online QR Code Generators
http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-qr-code-generators/

ZXing Project
http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/

QR Code Uses – Business Cards

TEC-IT QR Code Business Cards
http://businesscards.tec-it.com

QR Code Uses - Conferences

QR Codes for Event Planners
http://www.ready2spark.com/2010/02/what-qr-codes-mean-for-special-events.html

QR Code Uses - Documents

TagMyDoc
http://tagmydoc.com

QR Code Uses - General

20 QR Code Tools and Uses
http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/2854-20-QR-Code-Tools-and-Uses

QR Code Uses – Headstones & Memorials

Living Headstone™
http://www.monuments.com

QR Memorials
http://qrmemorials.com

Timeless Footsteps
http://www.timelessfootsteps.com

QR Code Uses - Libraries

Library Success Wiki
http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=QR_Codes

QR Code Uses – Historical Sites

GeoHistorian
http://www.rcet.org/geohistorian

QR Code Uses – Museums

QR Codes and Museums
http://www.museumnext.org/2010/blog/qr-codes-and-museums

QRpedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRpedia