I’m still skeptical, but Roger, the editor of http://2d-code.co.uk/ wrote to point me at the impressive Japanese experience with QR-codes – apparently 51% of Japanese mobile phone users use the barcode function.

Looking through his site, I liked the idea of linking the QR-code to a mobile facebook page and was inspired by this Harrods ad to create a QR-code for a Twitter sign-up SMS. Here are examples of each:

Another option is that QR-codes may be used for the VCF files used to exchange addresses between phones.  This article suggests linking to one of these files on a website – but I’m not entirely clear why you wouldn’t just put the whole address file into the QR-code as follows?

Are these ever likely to take off? Should we start printing them on posters or business cards? I doubt it – but here’s a test image with a hidden message which you can use to send me your views.