QR Codes

[Jxff]

Excellent responses. For the OP, most people have no problem using a CR but I don't like them partly for the reasons you listed. Lots of no good and sometimes bad things can be embedded in them. May I suggest putting a tasteful small disclaimer under the CR code and the URL where it points.

 

[ardgedee]

Excellent responses. For the OP, most people have no problem using a CR but I don't like them partly for the reasons you listed. Lots of no good and sometimes bad things can be embedded in them. May I suggest putting a tasteful small disclaimer under the CR code and the URL where it points.

There is no point in putting a label or disclaimer under a QR code. At best it creates a false sense of trust, it's analogous to asking somebody if they're being dishonest. The honest person will say "no", the dishonest person will also say "no". Somebody intentionally posting a malicious QR code will be certain to tell you that it's not malicious.

 

[Modulus 96]

Just use the qr code. People who are familiar with it will use it. Those who are not won't. If it doesn't work because a person is tech- challenged or whatever then it's no skin of of anyone's back... These things don't degrade gracefully, either it works or it doesn't (app or browser launches). But, it makes sense to print the band website on the leave behind IMO.

Friend of mine had these cards made that had qr codes to YouTube videos of the band. (Brief, like 10 seconds of a song). Band website is printed out.

 

[Jxff]

There is no point in putting a label or disclaimer under a QR code. At best it creates a false sense of trust, it's analogous to asking somebody if they're being dishonest. The honest person will say "no", the dishonest person will also say "no". Somebody intentionally posting a malicious QR code will be certain to tell you that it's not malicious.

IF I just enjoyed a set by a band and they had a CR code for me to conveniently access more information about them, I for one would appreciate the URL listed above or under the CR code. Possibly with a simple sentence... "Please check us out here at www.yourband.com or use the CR code below". I understand what you are saying and agree.

 

[SoCal80s]

I appreciate everyone's responses. What brought this up is that during gigs I often get people asking if we are on Instagram. That is a hot lead, so I want to make sure they go there and follow us. I have been telling them "yes, we are [name]" and 2 minutes later they come back because they found someone else with a similar name, or misspelled the name, or threw in an extra space, etc. But if I can instead say "yes, just scan here" that's much better. And if it actually opens the app and takes them directly to where they can click follow, that's even better.

 

[overit]

Might have been mentioned or not but a good website has all your social links or even the IG feed or FB or Twitter posts directly on the site.
Perhaps you already do this and that’s great. It also simplifies the issue of where a QR code needs to go. While it could be extra click for the user to get to the app, as mentioned, the feed could also be embedded. Also, for those that don’t use social media, it gets them to the content on your site.

One of the biggest myths is many people think a website is no longer necessary because everything is on their social media. While that might seem logical if you are regularly using social media, it includes those that aren’t and doesn’t limit users to a specific social platform - i.e. you send someone to an FB link and someone only uses IG.

Just my .02 as someone who works as a visual designer in marketing. While I’m on the graphic end of things, I’ve been in tons of meetings listening to a bunch of this stuff, whether I like it or not.

 

[HolmeBass]

Good point!

So what I want is for the person to open the QR for our facebook page and it opens our page in their facebook app. But, if they don't have the app then it should take them to our facebook page in their browser.

I think opening in the app is the part that is complicating things. But if you just use the facebook url (facebook.com/bandpage) it tries to open in my browser and asks me to login to facebook. I am not logged in to facebook in the browser because I use the facebook app, and I imagine most people have the same situation, maybe?

This will be hard for you to fix - this is Facebook’s issue. I don’t understand why the FB app doesn’t have good hooks for their pages, but it doesn’t.

The best it seems to work on my phone is once you logon in the browser the app realizes and offers to start up - but not every time.

It might depend on settings in the device (phone/tablet) but you can’t do anything about that.

Unless someone else has some deep know-how I think you are stuck with the way the phones and FB handle these URLs.