2D codes seem to be gaining popularity as of late – the “new” way to download information in a pretty quick fashion. I hadn’t noticed these little beauties until they started appearing in magazines, touting specialized offers. Skeptical but curious I did just that and was pleasantly surprised at the relative speed to which I was able to get to the information and how easily I could do it by just scanning the code.

The most popular you see nowadays are the QR codes, created in Japan in 1994, it stands for “Quick Response” and can be simple or complex depending on the information you are including. It can be as small as a business card, or as large as the side of a building.

You can generate your own at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Of course it did take me a few more minutes beforehand to figure out where on my phone I had a scanner. I think that’s the major hurdle with these codes – the fact that most people understand them but don’t really know how to scan them. There are readers available out there to download and read them (NeoReader, Kaywa Reader, i-nigma, ScanLife, QuickMark, MicroSoft Tag).

Marketing with these little codes is fun and provides a way to send specialized information to a targeted audience. Think: promotions for giveaways or URLs to other apps, contests, special information you can’t get elsewhere!