have fun, be creative

While busy online communicating, let's take a break and draw a stickman! :) This is an inspiring little game that will surely give wings to your creativity, just be careful about the animals sticking around :D And don't forget to check the gallery under 'menu' to see fantastic pieces of art other people created. Have fun!

QR code

Probably, most of you have already heard about QR codes. However, if you belong to those who haven’t, then here is a blog entry for YOU.

In the last couple of weeks, I bumped into these little (or not that little) signs basically everywhere and I had no idea about their function. I saw them on the last page of leaflets, on the bottom corner of posters/billboards on the streets or in the underground stops. I even saw one - in extra large size - on the side of a house. So, I became curious what they could be good for. 

First of all, let’s make this acronym clear for everybody. ‘QR Code’ is the short version of Quick Response Code. These codes are similar to a simple barcode that you can see on packages and labels of every single product in shops. The difference between a QR code and a barcode – besides their appearance – is the capacity of information they can hold and share. As for the exterior, a barcode is a linear one-dimensional code and its capability goes up to 20 numerical digits, whereas a QR code is two-dimensional matrix barcode that is able to store thousands of alphanumeric characters of data.

They look like this:

QR code

The code was invented in Japan in 1994. Originally, it was designed for automotive industry (for Toyota’s subsidiary, Denso Wave) but nowadays they are used worldwide  in consumer advertising and packaging.

Now, let’s have a closer look how they work. To read a QR code, you need to have a camera-enabled smartphone. If you’ve already had one, then you only need to download a QR code reader that is able to scan a code like that. (You can download one from the website of i-nigma or kaywa). From this point, the whole process is just a piece of cake. You enter your ‘camera function’, let your QR reader scan the code and hop! you are on the advertiser’s website immediately. Once, the code is on your phone, you can have the latest information straight from the horse’s mouth. You can obtain relevant details about the given business or get the direction to there. Or you can find an URL link which you can click on to see a movie trailer. In other cases, you can get a coupon which is consumable in shops. The list is endless.

A card company, for instance, uses QR codes in business:

You can use QR codes in a number of ways. Here is a video for brainstorming:

And now, probably you get some ideas what for you would use a QR code. Then, this is the time, I guess, to generate your own code. You can do that using kaywa again or studying a bit closer Google’s tool here. 

Ok, so now you can easily grow your own business! ;) Go ahead!! 

PLN

PLN is the new buzzword in social media, it stands for : Professional Learning Network.

People who are eager to learn and train themselves even outside of university courses, degrees, and conferences, participate in professional online discussions. They are looking for like-minded professionals and engage in conversations about professional issues, events, trends, etc. They do it by following colleagues on Twitter, friending them on Facebook, or maybe sharing a beer with them in a pub if they are lucky enough to live in the same city.

Read this article on How Twitter can be used for professional development. Feel free to comment.

Let's put a smile on that face!

As next week's topic is going to be Twitter, I thought I'd warm you guys up by sharing one of my favourite Twitter accounts/profiles/whatevers.

Here it is!

It's very informative, register and follow now!

tl;dr

This has been a quite fine day,
I just got home now,
Hope this entry is not long.

Shameless pimping

Our sweet darling newborn, also the subject of our wonderful future joint case study and presentation, both with my good friend and colleague, Miss Ági Csóka. May I present you:

TÁSKARÁDIÓ

a new Hungarian music blog with great tuneage and amazing visuals

Find us on Facebook!

Another type of text message

We've discussed the language of text messages and how they differ from normal language, however, there is a special type of text message that requires an even more sophisticated encoding system, and this is the drunk text message.Here is a collection of messages sent after or during hard day's nights (attention! not always delicate and sophisticated), and here is the Hungarian version which I'm sure you have all heard of.