Cracking the Code

I've always thought of myself as a teacher, a wife, a mom, but never a computer geek (Stop laughing--I'm serious.)...until last night. We were eating dinner at a restaurant when I noticed the QR code displayed on the table. I commented on it being a great idea (the waiter chirped about how his manager had whipped up the idea). When I tried to use it, though, it went nowhere. The reason: The url linking to the site had been pasted into a box that already had "http://" in it, so when the manager pasted his url in (also containing http:// at the front of it), it doubled up. I was able to explain it to the manager, who was grateful but annoyed; he had made a lot of copies of those codes and had them all laminated and placed on the tables in the restaurant. Moral of the story...Make sure your QR code works before distributing it.

 Upon returning to our meal, my husband looked at me and smiled, "Aw...my little geek. I'm so proud."

 My name's Barb, and I am also (apparently) a computer geek

Want to know a little more about QR codes? There's an example of one at the top of this post, and if you don't have a smartphone, you probably don't know or care what they are. However, if you are a business owner or someone trying to promote something, a QR code can be a great tool for you to discover.

Basically, QR codes are usually linked to websites. You can display a QR code in your place of business, for example, and your customers simply take a photo with a QR code-reading app on their phones, and they'll be taken directly to your website/Twitter page/etc. You can choose which page it leads to. Smart business owners know how to connect with their customers (or potential customers) and take advantage of this simple technology.

Making a QR code is so simple, a monkey (who can read) could probably do it. Just copy the url to the site you want yours to go to, and then use a QR code generator site like this one to create your code. [Click on the url tab to make a code for a website.] (You can also make a QR code to lead to a phone number or other stuff I don't know anything about :)  All you have to remember is that if there is already something in the box you're pasting the url into, you should delete that, first. Then, TEST your QR code to make sure it works.

Got something to promote? Think about your target audience and where you can reach them--your business card, bus stops, college campuses, malls, bathroom doors (just get permission first when appropriate). Another idea I just came up with for a QR code is to put one in a Valentines Day card, leading to a special video or something. Wouldn't that be sweet?! In school, we're using them to take kids on virtual scavenger hunts and other explorations.  The possibilities are endless, of course.

Now that I think of it, I suppose the potential for abuse with QR codes is also there. It will be interesting to see where this technology goes. In the meantime, I'm going to have fun exploring.

Friday Fragments: Episode #184

TGIF!! It's time to frag: Unload the randomness from your week and free your mind of clutter.
Thanks for joining us!

***I published I'm Shallow and I know It today and am still chuckling about it. In a scary twist, though, Seth shared the post on Google Plus. If I suddenly go missing, I suggest you investigate the serial killers gentlemen listed in the post, first.

***Well, Kendall doesn't have an ulcer, but we already knew that. The belching continues. We have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in a couple of weeks.

***Speaking of Kendall, she chastised me this week for not blogging often enough and for slacking on my fragments lately. What can I say; I've been at a loss for words!

***As I type this, Mr.4444 and I are watching Infested! on Animal Planet. I'd like to go on record saying that I would rather live in a place that has blizzards and frigid temperatures than live in a place that is cockroach-friendly.

***In a couple of weeks, I'll be presenting a training on Google Docs for my school district as part of an in-service day.  We have an entire morning's worth of technology workshops going on, and every single presenter is a district employee; no need to hire out!  I think that's pretty cool, and I feel blessed to be a part of it.

***For what it's worth, I am soooo over my blog header and background, but we have had barely any snow this year so far, and I don't want to change the header until I can get a pretty shot of my tree in the snow. Keeping fingers crossed...

***WOOHOO! I just learned that I won a $50 Visa Gift Card from @Downy for tweeting during the Super Bowl for their Downy Unstopables #touchdowny giveaway (which I learned about through my involvement in the One2One Network).  I loved Downy before, and I love them even more now :)

***A few days ago, my college sophomore Kyle found himself tongue-tied in the stairwell of his dorm when he encountered a girl he hadn't met yet. They passed like strangers in the night often do. The chip-off-the-old -block couldn't get her out of his head later, so he wrote this on his dorm's Facebook page:

To the cute brunette that I gaped at in the second floor stairwell- I'm sorry, I was distracted. What I MEANT to say was 'hi! we should get coffee some time!' or something clever like that :)
She saw the post and "Liked" it. They have a date planned. (The 4444 charm strikes again!)

***I took nine Difference Makers to a local nursing home tonight. Some of them had never been to a nursing home. One of the little girls was struggling to think of a conversation-starter to use with her Bingo partner.  She left the game for a minute to come and ask me if it would be okay to ask, "What's it like to be so old?"  I suggested, instead, to use "So, do you have any grandkids?".

Assuming these fragments are enough for Kendall, that's it for me! Your turn:

I'm Shallow And I Know It

I have to preface this post with this message: I love Google Plus. I have made many friends there and I love that I can always find inspiring, interesting, humorous, educational posts with a click of a mouse, any time. I've learned a ton over there about a multitude of topics and consider it a rich resource. Like any place in this world, though (our jobs, our neighborhoods, schools, Facebook, the mall, the circus), we're going to find some people who make us feel uncomfortable; we just have to learn how to avoid them.

Also, here is a little background on G+ to help you

*On Google+, you can post to Public, which means the whole world can see what you wrote.
*You can also post to a particular person or circle you created (just family, only people you work with, etc.)

So, you're in complete control of who sees what of yours on G+.  If you don't want strangers to see your posts, you don't add them to your circles, even if they have added you to theirs.  If someone adds you to a circle but you aren't interested in seeing their content, you can block them (the old-fashioned way) or "Ignore" them (You won't see their content any more, and they won't know that.)

***

Recently, on Google Plus, I commented that I don't just circle anyone who circles me. In fact, I'll put it right out here and admit that I am shallow when deciding whether or not to share my content with someone.  Just because someone has added me to one of his/her circles does not mean I have to reciprocate. I'm not just going to flood my stream (like a Facebook wall) with random crap from strangers. And because I don't have all the time in the world, I often cut-to-the-chase and simply click Ignore, rather than clicking through to the person's profile to see if I wanted to circle them back. On what do I base this trigger reaction? Profile pictures.

For example, here are a number of Plus profile photos of people who circled me and inspired me to click "Ignore" almost immediately, without even visiting their profiles:

Now, let me add that I don't fault people for appearing unstable, but I do fault people who don't have the self-awareness to know that their photo makes them look like a serial killer does not make the best first-impression.

This guy looks normal, no? That's what I thought, until I saw his name:

 

"---- Is Single" 

Who does that?! 

(besides that guy, I mean, and yes; I took out the letters of his name)

Then there was this guy...

Again, I'm not judging the appearance; I'm judging the self-awareness thing. (That suit is hideous!)

Camera angle is everything in a profile photo. 

It can mean the difference between friendly and fiendish....

"Hi" and "High"

And then there's this guy...

 

I'm not even going to get into the profile pics of scantily-clad women in suggestive poses; I have enough of my own photos like that. (just kidding, lol!)

So, yes; I'm shallow, if shallow means happily-married, sober, and discerning.

If you are the owner of one of these profile photos, feel free to message me for a free consultation on how you, too, can give the appearance of being normal in your profile pic.

While writing this post, I made a point of actually looking at the profiles of these plussers, and I stand by my  decision not to circle them back, and not because any of them actually are serial killer; we just don't have a lot in common.


Update: Today, I was added to this guy's circles (in case you're curious, the circle is called People with a Sense of Humor, or something like that).

Masterfully, Seth's profile photo demonstrates "creepy, but in a silly way." I'm happy to report that I checked out his profile, he seems normal, and I have added him to my "Seems Normal" circle.

Not "Chill" Enough

image source

Kendall has worked at Dairy Queen Grill-n-Chill four nights, so far. Yesterday, she offered this observation:

"We had a dinner rush tonight, with lots of senior citizens. Old people are a lot crankier, which is kind of surprising, since fast food was probably a lot slower back when they were young; you'd think they'd be more patient."

Here's hoping you have a sweet, chill Monday :)

Friday Fragments: Episode #183

I feel good. Who doesn't feel good on the cusp of a weekend? I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and full of fragments to share. [Not sure how to share your fragments? Click on the FF tab above and/or visit this week's other fragmenters; I'm sure you'll get the hang of it! :)] 

In case you missed it,  Rebecca and Tracie are the lucky winners of my cakepop giveaway!  

***

Our middle schoolers took  the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in school today.  The anonymous survey is designed to identify areas of...well...risky behaviors our students might be involved in so that we can address them and thus improve the health of our students. One of my very innocent boys on the autism spectrum called me over to his computer and told me that he didn't understand a particular question, so I read it aloud to him:

Have you ever smoked marijuana? Marijuana is also known as "grass" or "pot."  [check Yes or No]

He screwed up his eyebrows and thought about it for a second,

"So, like chewing on grass or something?"  

He pondered a moment longer (Apparently, he has chewed on grass a time or two.),

but I cut him off:

"Just check 'No,' Honey."

***

The girl with the smallest veins on the planet (Kendall) is getting a blood draw tomorrow (to look for causes of the mystery belching, which hasn't abated). I actually called ahead to be assured that the phlebotomist feels confident that she can do it without poor Kendall having to get stuck over and over and over again. She assured me that she can. Wish Kendall luck!

That's it for me! (I know--It's shocking, but it is what it is. Be grateful.haha) Now it's your turn! Link up your  FRIDAY FRAGMENTS post below (All others will be deleted.) Thanks!