New! Bookmark My Blog on Your Mobile Device

In the sidebar of my blog you can now see the shiny new QR Code for my blog. When read with a QR Code Reader on a mobile device (iPhone, iPod, Android, etc) it opens a link to my blog. Add me to your bookmarks!

There are many apps to read QR codes for Apple products, Android, etc. On my iPod Touch I use RedLaser. This app works with the camera on your device. 

When you open RedLaser tap the little lightening bolt at the bottom. That opens the interface to align your camera to the QR code you want to open. You can see in the image below where it says to line up the edges with the arrows. Once the QR code is in place the arrows turn green and it tells you to hold still for the camera to read the QR code.

A little window opens showing you the URL that was read from the QR code. It offers you the choice to open the link or cancel.

Click "Open" and ta da! The link opens a tab in Safari and loads the page to which the QR code was directed. Usually it will open the mobile version of the site.

Now you can bookmark my blog quickly and easily on your mobile device! Yay!

I chose to use bit.ly to create my QR code. Above you can see the address I customized to make it clear that the link goes to this blog. When a QR code is generated through bit.ly, the service will track the number of clicks you get on that link. This is always juicy information for anyone who uses metrics to track website activity. 

The neat thing is that bit.ly creates a QR code for your link automatically. All you have to do is save it and plop it everywhere you want your readers to be able to open your links.

You can make a link to any website you want to - not just your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, Etsy, etc. I believe bit.ly is a better choice than to have just any QR code generator make your code.  

This isn't just for online uses either. You can print your QR code on business cards, fliers, and other promotional items so people can find you online from "real life". I've seen some really creative uses out in the field. I've even seen them posted up on billboards around town. (Please don't try to read that link while driving. Ask a passenger.) 

I'm going to print my code for my craft show booth so shoppers can learn more about me right away.

If you have questions please post them in the comments so we can learn from each other (or email me using the link at the top of my blog). I would love to see your uses of QR codes!

- Vickie 

The Potential Value of Status Updates

Thanks to an Etsy forum post by redpandajewelry, I learned more about twitter and how to use it. Basically it’s just a whole lot of Facebook status updates, which I really enjoy already. You can post up to 140 characters. It’s kind of like little mini-blog posts for those of us who may not have a lot to say.

Redpandajewelry says she has gotten quite a few sales with some smart marketing strategies on twitter. For example, she sells chainmaille jewelry. On twitter she searched the word “chainmaille” and followed everyone who had made any mention of chainmaille. In this way she exposed potential customers to her Etsy shop. I’m not sure how this strategy might work for my particular product yet, but I am on my way to figuring it out. Plus it’s good to be socializing with other artists.

My feelings are “Oh, great. Something new to have to constantly update.” But it if helps my struggling business get its feet under it, then so be it. It only costs time, and I’m usually parked in front of my computer for much of the day anyway.

If you join you can find me at http://twitter.com/inmyheadstudios.