Code for Life

Private Beta Now Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:30:00 +0000

I've decided to end the private beta. All existing codes will continue to work as long as I own the domain and maintain the database. Since I like having all the short URLs and whatnot, this will likely be for a while.

If you have any questions about the project, email me or check this out: http://4qr.me/invite

Agency Profile: MyThum Interactive

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:38:00 +0000

UDPATED: MyThum was recently purchased by OLSON Interactive.

A North American leader in the mobile marketing space, MyThum Interactive knows QR codes.

In 2002, MyThum was one of the first companies in North America to be granted access to multiple carrier networks, enabling the ability to launch some of the first SMS short code programs in North America, including the first premium program to operate in both Canada and the United States. In 2004, MyThum created Canada’s first approved mobile commerce initiative and launched North America’s first live television text-to-screen programming. This was followed with the first fully-automated, user-generated television channel in 2005.

In 2006, they staged the first mobile-ticketed concert in North America and signed one of the first “mobile agency of record agreements in the marketing industry. These and other achievements were recognized by the Canadian New Media Awards in 2007 when MyThum Interactive was named Company of the Year, and by Deloitte who included the agency in their technology and wireless Fast 50 companies.

MyThum expanded their broadcast solutions in 2008 with MMS-to-screen and created the first fully transactional mobile ticketing solution in North America, which received a Best In Class award at the international Interactive Media Awards in 2009, a year in which they also opened a second office in New York and launched innovative campaigns incorporating iPhone applications, QR codes and mobile donations.

In 2010, MyThum’s capabilities continued to expand to include location-based services, mobile applications, social media integration and much more.

Success at #TwestivalTO

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:19:00 +0000

Last night in Toronto, at Tryst Nightclub, TwestivalTO raised a bunch of money for Concern Worldwide, a charity that's supporting Haiti and other charitable causes.

We were there too. Unfortunately, as a 'start up' there is isn't a lot of money around to go sponsoring things, but what we can do is codes. We provided a code that, during the time of the event, was directed to Concern Worldwide's donation page, and now the same code directs to Twitter.

Part of the fun of last night, being a Twestival and all, was that you could pretty much guarantee that every person there had a mobile device, and was going to share something. The advantage of having a code available means that you can make the conversion a little easier for those looking to take action.

If your call to action is "Donate Here" but your link is 100 characters long, you may want a short link-- but even better, a link that requires no typing. That's the real advantage in this case. No typing.

Last night was really just for fun, and was a good test for us to understand what kind of response to plan, timing, and even things like what wording do you put around the code. (Note: At the last minute we decided to add "Need a QR reader for your phone? got to http://4qr.me/software " to help those that had never seen a code and maybe needed some help with it.)

Yesterday I was browsing the App Store, and there are a BUNCH of free QR code scanning apps for the iphone. At this point, if you don't have one, you should just go there right now and get one. For Blackberry lovers, it's a little more of a hassle. There are apps, but they're not all amazing. RIM has added QR functionality to BBM5 but what would be great is a native, main-menu app that just starts the camera in scan mode and delivers the encoded data. (Sound good RIM? Let's do it!)

Code Idea: Mapping and Promos at the mall

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Yorkdale, a large shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario was the recent guinea pig in a 4QR test. The best way to use the code in this situation is to make it a service-centric interaction. Instead of reading the entire map, the user could simply scan the 4QR and use a mobile directory/mapping application to find the stores of their choosing (while starting to walk in that direction...).

By having a different code on every map, the system can even place your "You are Here" location more accurately. Taking it one step further, if each store had a code out front, the store could point the user to a promotional landing page-- then when the promotion is over, point them to a Facebook page. All without changing the code on the wall.

What would you do as a retailer to easily share variable data with your customers? Leave a comment.

Are you coming to Twestival TO?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:03:00 +0000

It's a great cause, and it's right around the corner.

Twestival Toronto will join hundreds of cities around the world in using social media for social good. We cordially invite you to an exciting new event on March 25, after raising $16,000 with the help of over 700 Torontonians last year.

Join your community offline to rally behind the important cause of education for @Concern. This is an issue that involves many different elements: hunger, water, teacher training, building of schools, etc. Organized 100% by volunteers, we ensure 100% of all tickets and sponsorships go directly to projects. Tweet. Meet. Give.

4QR is testing some codes for the participants of the Twestival. If you're planning on attending, you may want to get your ticket soon. @4qr

It's your code. Put it on everything.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:20:00 +0000

Part of the fun of having a code that you can put on stuff, is not having to worry about where the code goes. In the old days (before 4QR) you may only have printed a cool code on a shirt or mug if you were absolutely certain that you would never need to change where that code pointed. (So, never really.)

Now, you can point it to your Twitter, then later when you finally get around to updating your blog, you can point it there. It's your code for life.

Going to a party? Change your code to your Facebook profile, and wear your 4QR shirt, so everyone knows where to tag you, and new friends can find you in a snap.

Going to a conference? Bring your super-hip and environmentally delicious SIGG water bottle with your 4QR emblazoned. Your new conference friends will have no problem finding your LinkedIn profile, or the Amazon page where you're selling your new book (good for you!).

Just so you know, we're not selling this stuff. We put our code into Cafepress and just made a bunch of stuff, so you can do the same.

What is a QR code?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Kinnear) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:38:00 +0000

A Quick Response Code is a two-dimensional bar code created by the Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. It was originally developed for commercial tracking because of it's higher data storage and error-correction features, and is currently in use by shipping and logistics companies such as UPS, FedEx and DHL.

It is now being used for marketing in the mobile phone industry. Some mobile phones have QR Code scanners built in, and when they scan a QR Code they get back the information contained in the code. The iPhone and Blackberry can both read QR codes with free, downloadable apps.

Codes are used heavily in Japan and Europe for marketing, and in North America, 90% of camera-enabled phones can access content via a QR code.