QR code treasure trails
I've been working with QR codes since the tail end of last year and have seen an impressive growth in interest from marketers and consumers, with QR codes appearing in all sorts of different places, from the Metro newspaper to estate agents' windows. Doing social media work with the Tag Street twitter account @tag_st, I get to keep an eye on how these codes are being adopted around the world.
Whenever you're working for any length of time with a technology that's new to you, it's quite common to try and think up other uses for it, testing things out in new ways to see if they'll work.
So, a month or so back, I had the idea of creating a QR code trail using little stickers that could lead people from one point to the next. I asked on Twitter to see if any of my followers would scan a random QR code they found on the street. Some seemed curious, others unsure, or even concerned, and others definitely wouldn't. A good cross-section, I thought, and enough to convince me to get some stickers printed up (Moo stickers were perfect for this) and give it a shot.
On 1st June I tweeted the start point of the trail, on the northern part of Tower Bridge and it was soon picked up and retweeted by the London SE1 hyperlocal site.
The same day, the first tag got scanned by a couple of people, but nobody made it to the second tag, or any further than that. Nobody has scanned any of the tags since, despite all (but one, the final tag) still being in place*.
So, what does this leave me thinking about QR codes? Actually, not much differently than I did already... For QR codes to work, and prove useful to to the people they're there to help, they must:
- be clear about the content they'll deliver, and their value
- provide alternative ways to access their content - a short URL
- be easy to see, and invite people passing by who could gain value
These tags had their own unique website address printed on them (at QRtrail.co.uk/something) but that was about it. They didn't provide a clear way that a person could benefit from scanning the code. In fact, the last tag - the treasure if you will - was simply a nice relaxing place to sit, with a nice view of City Hall, Tower Bridge, and Potters Fields park.
If I'm going to try this again, it'll need some rethinking, probably some better publicity, and a prize at the end to encourage people to try it out. Meanwhile, if you'd like to try out a sheet of 6 stickers wherever you are, let me know and I'll sort you out with a set of tags that you can edit at qrtrail.co.uk.
If you'd like to try the SE1 trail, visit QRtrail.co.uk/trail/se1 and let me know how you get on.
* I'll take the stickers down before too long so they don't stay as litter in the city
Are they married yet?
Overwhelmed by the amount of coverage in the worldwide media about the Royal wedding? If so, you may be interested in checking out a simpler source of news about Prince William and Kate Middleton:
are they married yet.com will tell you all you really need to know about the occasion.
Tag Street: QR codes for estate agents
QR codes are becoming a common sight in the UK, used for all sorts of things, from innovative marketing campaigns to museum guides. The codes can be a great way for people to get more information about a topic right there and then.
In my day job at Inteeka we have been looking at ways of using QR codes in the estate agent industry, where it's important for potential customers to be able to get at property information with ease.
By scanning a QR code, potential tenants or buyers can be taken directly to the estate agent's mobile site, giving detailed information about that specific property; they can find out pricing information, photos of the interior and any other important information, as well as letting the customer register their interest while they are still thinking about it.
To let estate agents try out QR codes for their own portfolio of properties, Inteeka is launching a service called Tag Street, allowing agents to order QR code stickers and signage boards they can attach to their existing property marketing signs. Both boards and stickers will be free (with the exception of postage) and estate agents will only pay if their customers are making use of the boards to view property information.
If you're interested, you can find out more over on the Tag Street site. If you have any feedback, please tweet us @tag_st or get in touch.
Book Review: OpenStreetMap: Using and Enhancing the Free Map of the World
A review of OpenStreetMap: Using and Enhancing the Free Map of the World by Ramm, Topf and Chilton
This book is a great introduction to, and overview of, the OpenStreetMap project, with plenty of detail and pointers to further information, all of which is sure to get the reader hooked in the realm of open geodata.
As an open source community-oriented project, there is a lot of information already available on the OpenStreetMap wiki website, but it can be disjointed at times, and difficult to get a good overview of the project. This book provides a good alternative, condensing all the information you need to start updating the map, using the map data on GPS devices, and also gives plenty of examples to developers keen on using the wealth of map data in their own projects.
The chapters of the book are broken up into small enough chunks that readers can easily dip in and out, while also providing plenty of information to refer back to during mapping.
The first half of the book is geared towards those readers who want to get started mapping their surroundings and contributing geographic information to the OpenStreetMap project. The second half goes into more detail about the technical aspects of OpenStreetMap, introducing the data API and other ways of accessing and modifying the data for use in third party projects.
Throughout the book, readers are given links to the OpenStreetMap wiki for further information about topics, should they be interested in finding out more.
This book would be of interest to a range of different audiences, from walkers and geocaching enthusiasts keen to explore and document their surroundings, to GIS users wanting to know more about emerging sources of geodata, and web developers who are looking for maps or a new source of information to use in their projects... or anyone else who has an interest in geography and how emerging technologies are helping develop the subject.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
2010 is quickly drawing to an end, so I'd like to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas from a snowy Isle of Man, and hope you have a very Happy New Year!
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