What are QR Codes?
What are QR Codes?
A Glossary for the QR Code Newbie
Are you new to mobile marketing or the use of QR codes? At myQRad.com, we’ve taken the guesswork out of some of the most commonly used terms associated with this increasingly popular promotional tool. Our list of terms and definitions is designed to better help you navigate the world of “Quick Response” barcodes.
Analytics – Comprehensive, reported data that has been tracked and compiled to provide valuable information about the responses and behavioral trends of mobile device users, based on their interactions with a QR code.
Barcode – A digital code that holds a limited amount of encoded data. It can be one-, two-, or three-dimensional. A QR code (two-dimensional) can carry up to several hundred times the amount of information carried by its first-generation counterpart. It can be scanned by mobile devices and read in any direction in 360 degrees, at high speeds.
Built-In Error Correction – A capability of QR codes. It restores and correctly displays encoded information, in the event the code gets damaged or dirty.
Dynamic QR Codes – Offers more functionality than Static QR codes. This type of code can be color-customized, as well as track and provide more specific information about a mobile device user.
Flexible QR Codes – Extends the life of a QR code by defining the phases and date ranges of a marketing program. The code does not change but the marketing message does. This allows you to deliver specific messages and content throughout the lifetime of a campaign.
Hardlink – A real-world hyperlink to online information. A hardlink can be in the form of a QR code that is placed on a physical object, yet relates detailed information about the object at a specified Web address.
High-Speed – The nearly instantaneous rate (milliseconds) at which the customized content linked from a scanned QR code can be read, decoded, accessed and presented to a smartphone or mobile device user.
Mobile Application – A software application that has been developed for small, handheld devices, such as smartphones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Mobile applications allow users to easily access and use the Internet without having to do so via a desktop computer or laptop.
Mobile Tagging – The process of information sharing and displaying data on mobile devices. Via tagging, QR codes quickly connect physical objects to interactive digital experiences.
Module – Each square area comprising a QR code. The larger the module, the easier the code is to scan or read.
QR Code – Abbreviation for “Quick Response” barcode – A two-dimensional matrix that connects the physical world to the virtual world. Scan it with a smartphone or other mobile device to be quickly directed to Internet-based information. (Also known as a 2D barcode, scan tag or matrix square.)
QR Code Generator (or Creator) – A software application that allows a user to quickly and easily create a QR code, most often for free. Generate your QR code today at www.myQRad.com
QR Code Scanner (or Reader) – Downloaded onto a mobile device, it is a software application that can scan a QR code, read and decode its data, and present it to the user.
QR Code Tracking – Determines the ongoing courses of action or progress made as users interact with a QR code. This information is valuable in imparting overall awareness of a QR code and its hyperlinked content.
Static QR Codes – The most common form of the quick response barcode, used to provide customized content to the mobile public. Static QR codes are often black-and-white squares found on printed promotional materials such as business cards, brochures, magazine ads, posters, etc.
URL – Universal Resource Locators, or most commonly known as web addresses. The pre-determined Internet locations to which QR codes direct users.
URL Shortener – A preferred option in regards to code density. The more information that is embedded into a code, the more dense and difficult to read it becomes. A URL shortener simplifies the information embedded in a QR code, making it easier to read.
