SXSWORLD

R CODES AT SXSW A t SXSW, new connections are made constantly. Potential clients, col- laborators and sources of inspiration converge during panels, trade shows, and other events of the three conferences. Keeping up with all the names, faces, and emails can be daunting. Last year, we launched my.SXSW, our registrant social networking platform, to help registrants digitally connect before, during and after SXSW. To add to the networking resources, this year we are adding QR Codes to registration badges. A QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a special kind of bar code that can be read by QR Code consulting by: qmcodes.com mobile phones and can contain a link to a website or other online information. We are going to use QR Codes to create a real life "follow me" button for my.SXSW on every badge. Along with your badge photo, you will have a square bar code to scan. When you meet someone at an event, let them scan your badge with their smart phone, and they will automatically be following you on my.SXSW, where they can message you or access your contact information. Hopefully, this will cut down on the paper footprint of SXSW by reducing the need for business cards. QR Codes have been used for years in manufacturing and have been popular in Japan but are just now beginning to be used in the U.S. in magazines, advertisements, and even cereal boxes. Like a simple bar code, a QR Code makes it easy to link digital data, such as your my.SXSW profile, with physical objects, such as your badge. However, unlike a regular bar-code, a QR Code does not require a special machine to read the code. All you need is a smart phone with a camera, a data connection, and a simple piece of software. The phone takes a picture of the code and using the pattern of black and white squares, decodes the data into a link, contact information, or any other data. Most major smart phones have QR reader software including BlackBerry, Android, iPhone, Symbian, and Windows Mobile platforms. You can find some of our suggestions for readers, more information, and useful diagrams at sxsw.com/qrcodes. We are looking forward to using QR Codes at SXSW 2010. We hope they will be useful networking tools and help keep conversations going long after this year's event ends. sCANNING A R CODE Here is a sample QR Code that will link you to our First QR Code page with all the details of our mobile content for SXSW 2010. To scan the code and see what your smart phone can do for you at SXSW, you must first download the QR reader. You can find one at link.me/sxsw, a reader down- load portal run by our partners at QMCodes. If you visit this site on your mobile phone, it will automati- cally download the correct reader for your make and model. Next, activate the program and aim your phone at the code below. You want your phone to be centered and on level with the tag, just like it was evaluating a fine painting. Then, make sure your phone is close enough that the code takes up the majority of the screen but is never cut off by the edges. Depending on the reader and your type of smart phone, you may have to take the photo yourself or it might do it automatically. After the QR Code is decoded, your browser will be directed to a page with a confirmation message. Congratulations. You have scanned your first QR code. 72 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2010 downloading READER CODE QR

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