Living Outside the Stacks Barcode
Just scan the image with your smartphone's barcode scanner!

Do you have a smart phone?  Have you noticed that little barcode reader app in the App Store?  Well, I did and, honestly, I had no idea what I’d use it for but I downloaded it anyway.  Hey, I figured it’s free so give it a try and if I hate it ~ no harm, no foul.  I heart it!  It’s probably one of my most played with apps.

I use it when I’m shopping and I can’t find the price on something, scan it with the barcode reader and voilá there’s the price.  Or if I run across a book and I want to find out information about it, I scan the barcode and I find out where the book is sold, who published it, how much it costs, etc.  It’s the best thing ever.  I’m like a one woman scanning machine.

Lately I’ve noticed that magazines have been sporting nifty little 2D barcodes that allow you to use your smart phone’s barcode reader to shop instantly. Yessss!  All you have to do is scan the 2D image and your phone’s browser is directed to the online store.  Suh~weet.  No more trying to find the store’s information in the “where to buy” section of the magazine.

Well, now that same technology has been adapted for blogs.  I have my own 2D barcode also known as a QR Code for Living Outside the Stacks.  That means, you can scan my barcode with your smartphone and take my blog anywhere!  You can also share my blog with your friends via email or SMS.  Cool, right?

Would you like to get your own?  It’s easy peasy.  If you’re using WordPress, simply go to the “Appearance” section of your dashboard, select “Widgets” then scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see the “Mobile Barcode” widget.  All you have to do is size it for your blog and change the name.  Easy, right?