Cracking The QR Code | System ID Embed this infographic on your site <a href=" src=" alt="QR Code - Infographic" title="Qr Code Infographic" width="724" height="1200" /></a><br/><a href=" ID – The The Barcode People</a> Whether or not you realize this, you probably know what a QR code is. The Untouchables In any QR code, a square of either black or white is called a "module." In this example, the zones are highlighted in various colors: Red – Position Markers. If you mess with these areas, the chances of a successful scan are severely reduced. The Playground I call it the playground because anything can happen here. Here, the “no-zones” are all highlighted purple, while the 8-bit clusters are represented by the interlocking gray shapes. Now, here’s the really cool part. The only rule here is that you must alter complete bytes. On Your Mark… So, where do you go from here? Additional Resources:
F-Commerce Trips as Gap to Penney Shut Facebook Stores: Retail (Corrects to remove wrongly attributed quote in seventh paragraph of Feb. 17 story.) Last April, Gamestop Corp. (GME) opened a store on Facebook to generate sales among the 3.5 million-plus customers who’d declared themselves “fans” of the video game retailer. Six months later, the store was quietly shuttered. Gamestop has company. Facebook, which this month filed for an initial public offering, has sought to be a top shopping destination for its 845 million members. “There was a lot of anticipation that Facebook would turn into a new destination, a store, a place where people would shop,” Mulpuru said in a telephone interview. A year ago, investors hailed so-called F-commerce as the next big thing, speculating that the company had potential to threaten Amazon.com Inc. David Fisch, Facebook’s director of business development, said in June that the site would make shopping online, previously a solitary experience, more social. Physical Goods Shut Quickly J.C. Cracks in Model
13 Cool Examples of Google+ Brand Pages It was only a few days ago when Google+ finally gave us access to brand pages – the moment we have been anticipating since summer. Now, anyone can create their own business page on Google Plus and it seems that within a few days a lot of businesses have decided to do so. The brand pages are still very limited though – for example it’s not possible for the brand page to have more than one admin at the moment. Here are some Google+ brand pages that I thought looked beautiful and here is our post RT@dreamgrow How to Create a Google+ Page for Your Brand. Adidas Originals five pictures make a cool sneaker. If you still haven’t created a Google+ brand page, please read our guide about how to create a Google+ brand page for your business.
Ъ-Секрет фирмы - Код доступа "Секрет фирмы" конструирует рынок, которого нет Текст: Константин Бочарский "QR-код идеально осуществляет связь между реальным и виртуальным миром",— считает Аркадий Рутман, директор по развитию бизнеса агентства LifeIs. Бум рынка смартфонов (в мире продано 472 млн устройств) сделал прошлый год на Западе годом расцвета QR-кодов: по данным ComScore, к концу 2011-го QR-коды в США сканировали более 20 млн человек в месяц. Так, в сентябре 2011-го компания МТС разместила QR-коды на своих рекламных материалах. Еще одна сфера применения QR-кодов — анализ потребительских предпочтений и интересов, говорят в МТС. Но маркетологи авансом готовы предъявлять к технологии претензии. Бизнес заинтересован как можно плотнее связать виртуальный и реальный мир и ищет надежные мосты к мобильникам пользователей. Индустрия Мобильный маркетинг Сфера B2b Клиенты Ритейл, услуги Игроки Объем рынка По данным компании J'son & Partners, в 2011 году в России на руках у населения находилось около 20 млн смартфонов. Vision Время
Google Busted With Hand in Safari-Browser Cookie Jar | Threat Level Google intentionally circumvented the default privacy settings of Apple’s Safari browser, using a backdoor to set cookies on browsers set to reject them, in the latest privacy debacle for the search and advertising giant. Google immediately disabled the practice after the Wall Street Journal disclosed the practice Thursday night, which was discovered by Stanford researcher Jonathan Mayer and confirmed by security consultant Ashkan Soltani. Safari, which accounts for about 6% of desktop browsing and more than 50% of mobile browsing, is the only major browser to block so-called third-party cookies by default. When you visit a website, all browsers, including Safari, allow that site to put a small tracking file on your computer, which allows the site to identify a unique user, track what they’ve done and remember settings. However, many sites also have Facebook “Like” buttons, ads served by third parties, weather widgets powered by other sites or comment systems run by a third party.
30 Social Media Predictions for 2012 From the Pros How will social media impact businesses in 2012? We sought expert opinions from a wide range of pros you’re likely familiar with. We are grateful for the dozens of social media professionals who have written over 600 articles for us since we started Social Media Examiner in October 2009. To give you a glimpse of what we can expect in the next 12 months, we decided to tap their knowledge and expertise. Here are their predictions of where social media is headed in the next 12 months. #1: Businesses consolidate social media activities Michael Stelzner @mike_stelzner As the social media landscape becomes more crowded in 2012, businesses will pick their battles and dig in. The old mantra of “be everywhere” will quickly be replaced with “be where it matters to our business.” The major four players have all gone through massive changes in preparation for the battle for users. Have you picked your battle? Michael Stelzner, founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner. Jay Baer @JayBaer Now is the time.
Будет ли технология NFC убить QR-код? | Мобильный, технологии и запуск Размышления бизнес Image supplied by flickr.com/photos/msdi/ I’ve been aware of NFC for sometime and back in January we published a consumer guide to NFC centred around how I believe it will be the next big thing in mobile. At the weekend I mentored at Launch48 in Birmingham and one of the participants showed me what he was doing with NFC, and all I could say was “Wow!” When I saw NFC technology in action first hand, it didn’t do anything that I was not already aware of, but actually experiencing it really put it in perspective and left me wondering about where that leaves the future of QR codes. The demonstration was fairly basic. And this is where QR codes have an inherent weakness. You may now be wondering whether the cost of this NFC techno-wizardry might prevent its uptake, after all, QR codes can be created for free. Not all mobiles yet support NFC technology though. So is there a future for QR codes? Let us know if you have scanned a QR code and was it worthwhile?
Amex Invests $100 Million In Its Future: Digital Ecosystem, Not The Plastic Card In its press release today American Express revealed explicitly that its new $100 million Digital Commerce Investment Initiative was destined to fund "early stage startups to facilitate the company's digital transformation." If that sounds like a firm that's aware it's got to rapidly pivot, that's because that's exactly what's going on. Amex's Dan Schulman, Group President Enterprise Growth, spoke to Fast Company to explain the move: As far as saying that the credit card is going to evolve, Schulman noted, "It goes even further than that. Where traditional credit card transactions were all about giving the merchant a secure and authenticated copy of those all-important 16 raised silver numbers on the face of your card, technological developments like NFC, smartphone payments and even innovations like Square and Google Wallet show that there's scope for a much richer interaction to go on at the moment of payment--something that's never been possible before.
How Pinterest Can Get Your Brand Attention [INFOGRAPHIC] If your brand isn't on Pinterest, you could be missing out on a growing stream of potential customers. While shaping your brand's image on Pinterest, remember to take into account the specifics of the site's userbase. A recent study showed that home, arts and crafts, style/fashion and food are the most popular categories on Pinterest. SEE ALSO: Pinterest’s First Investor Explains the Secret to the Startup’s Success Even if your brand doesn't directly specialize in these topics, there may be a way to include them in your brand's boards to gain maximum exposure. Take a look at this infographic from web optimization company Maxymiser, and then let us know in the comments if you're altering your plans to take advantage of the explosive growth of Pinterest. Infographic courtesy Maxymiser
20 ways to use QR codes correctly (page 5 of 11) Have them use -- and drive them to -- your product in the creative What's a better way than telling consumers about your product? Actually engaging with them in a way in which your product is integrated into the creative. Spotify used QR codes to allow you to send someone a mixed-tape. Lesson seven: If you have an app, use creative ideas that integrate that app's functionality into your QR code creative strategy. Make it personal, and connect your brand to emotional moments Have you ever purchased something online and written a note to be included with your gift (your elegant words, not in your own handwriting, but a banal typed message)? When you purchased a gift from any JCPenney store over the holiday season, you received a "Santa Tag" with an accompanying QR code. Lesson eight: Making something personal provides the emotional connection to a "branding moment."
5 Paradoxes Shaping the Future of Mobile Commerce Igor Faletski is the CEO of Mobify, a web platform that optimizes ecommerce and publishing sites for mobile and powers more than 20,000 sites. Remember when it took 23 clicks to find movie showtimes on your mobile phone? While that may seem like an eon ago, in reality it’s just been a few short years. The mobile evolution has been advancing at a break-neck pace. “Mobile is ramping up faster than any other technology we have seen in the past,” says Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins. With that growth comes a new set of user behaviors and consumer trends. 1. My company powers about 20,000 ecommerce sites. While multiple factors contribute to this data, the most important may be the power of the tablet, which has quickly emerged as the third digital screen in consumers' lives, in addition to desktops and smartphones. IPad users generally have higher education and higher income than general internet users. The moral of the story for retailers? 2. 3. 4. 5. Yes, we’re living in an app culture.
Twitter + Random Acts of Kindness = A Successful Social Campaign Running out of cereal is usually a problem that one must face on his own. But when David Berkowitz awoke to the dilemma one morning this October, he got some support from an unexpected source. After reading a tweet about his irritation, Edge Shave Gel sent him enough cereal that it should be a very long time before he runs out again. "I’m still eating the cereal they sent me, so the positive brand association continues," says Berkowitz. Since September, 234 people have benefited from similar random acts of kindness from the @EdgeShaveZone Twitter account. In about three months, @EdgeShaveZone has gathered about 1,500 followers, the #soirritating hashtag has been used about 6,800 times, and attention from numerous media outlets has contributed to mounting buzz — all of which likely contributed to Edge's decision to continue the campaign throughout 2011. Using Twitter, Not Changing Twitter When was the last time you used Twitter to rave about a product you use every day?