Comments on: QR as a Metaphor http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/ the neverending reference interview of life Fri, 17 May 2013 00:38:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Jimmy the Geek http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3478 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:28:22 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3478 QR codes have some use — look at your most recent packages from UPS or Fedex and you’ll see them.

In Libraryland, however, I can’t see them as useful in areas where most folks don’t have a phone with the capability, or in small library systems unless a program is being done on smartphone capabilities.

Additionally, lack of broadband/wifi/3G service also limits QR code effectiveness, as most folks don’t want to wait for data to download over slower services such as AT&T’s EDGE network. Live there, do that.

That being said, this is a great idea for a post, Andy! I like to flex my tech muscles every once in a while as well, and you sir, are ripped! It is well worth exploring technologies that are new and sometimes foreign just to see if you can, and sometimes you find something that takes your abilities and efforts to the next level.

]]> By: Jenny Reiswig http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3221 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:51:23 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3221 QR codes don’t do much for me either, as I don’t have a smartphone that’s actually a phone. On the other hand, I wouldn’t say I’m on the “other” side in the digital divide either. I have a personal desktop at home as well as an iPad and innumerable other electronic doodads. I do not happen to have a device that will read a QR code when I am away from wifi or ethernet. However, according to some report or other from the good folks at Pew, people who can afford only one network device often choose a smartphone so in fact, mobile may not be the elite technology. I do agree with other commenters that providing only a QR code without a human readable URL is all kinds of problematic. I have seen a few good uses, such as putting them on staff contact web pages so people can easily grab contact information, or putting them on OPAC records so people can bring that one record up on their phone and use it to go to the stacks without writing down a call number. Those kind of uses don’t disenfranchise anyone and they make good use of the technology for moving inconvenient bits of information from a desktop to mobile.

]]> By: Kirsten http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3219 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:25:03 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3219 Well put – precisely my feelings as well. Seeing QR codes splashed around always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

]]> By: Andy http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3218 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:07:36 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3218 Thank you for the reply! Yes, it has its use, but that’s not what I was going for. But a good reply nonetheless!

]]> By: Comment Response to QR as a Metaphor blog post « A Dog and Her Girl http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3217 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:49:00 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3217 [...] Original post: http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/ [...]

]]> By: Ashley Carr http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3216 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:27:29 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3216 The first time I scanned th first code, I got some sort of greeting card with a pig on it. It scanned correctly the second time though.

My college has a business card with hours, locations, phone numbers and website information on the front, and a QR code that links to the same information on the back.

As long as the information is posted in formats that are accessible to everyone, I don’t have a problem with using QR to reach out to those who have access to that specific technology.

]]> By: Laura http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3215 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:01:51 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3215 I just got a new smartphone yesterday, so I finally get to see what all the fuss is about. Great way to make the point about the digital divide. I personally don’t think QR codes will stick around for long. There must be a better way to produce “human readable” real-life links that let people in on the joke even if they don’t have the necessary hardware.

(Discussed this just a few weeks ago with friends from library school: http://klubkatalog.blogspot.com/2010/12/not-so-sure-about-qr-codes.html)

]]> By: Catherine Delia http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3214 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:26:47 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3214 My response in kind!

http://adogandhergirl.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/comment-response-to-qr-as-a-metaphor-blog-post/

]]> By: Andy http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3211 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:24:55 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3211 I updated the post to reflect what I was going for in terms of a point. So, I’d say this was a slight misfire.

]]> By: saucurriculumlib http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3209 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:20:33 +0000 https://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/qr-as-a-metaphor/#comment-3209 Previous to this post, I knew so little about QR codes that I wouldn’t have known that any accompanying URL would have been linked to the code. However, you make a good point about accessibility. I can’t imagine that library or librarian would (outside of a post like this one) purposefully segregate any section of the population through making data inaccessible to them. However, if accompanied by other ways to access the information (such as a URL), providing an easy way to access information on mobile devices is a service that would probably be appreciated by those who use them. Typing a URL on a touch screen can be maddening. Scanning a QR code is a nice alternative. IF you know what the hell it is and what they are for.

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