QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional bar code) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. Bar codes are optical machine-readable labels attached to items that record information related to the item. It was initially patented; however, its patent holder has chosen not to exercise those rights. Recently, the QR Code system has become popular outside the automotive industry due to its fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square grid on a white background. The information encoded may be made up of four standardized types (“modes”) of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte / binary, Kanji) or, through supported extensions, virtually any type of data.

A QR code is read by an imaging device, such as a camera, and formatted algorithmically by underlying software using Reed-Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. Data is then extracted from patterns present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image. As a variety of industries utilize the QR code today, the applications for use can vary from product tracking, item identification, time tracking, document management and general marketing purposes (Wikipedia)

So in essence the main use for QR codes is to make life easier for you – the user. No more long-url typing on a small keyboard and a mini input window (I get so frustrated with this sometimes). Just hold the phones camera up to the code and whooop there is your page.
But few know that there is much more you can do with a QR code.
You can (after scanning):

• Send a Text Message
• Send an Email
• Display Contact Data
• Send an Event to Calendar
• Direct the user to a Phone Number
• Give WiFi access

• Display a YouTube Video

• Display a Google Maps Location

• Link to Social Media

• Download an APP

• Display an iTunes Link

• Dropbox Location

• Start a Skype Call

• Link to Paypal

Just let your imagination run wild with all the possibilities.
QR codes are also a great mixing tool with traditional marketing. Think about all the saved space on an expensive magazine ad.
Put one or more on a flyer.
Stick one on your car, van or truck.
Display them in your shop window
etc. etc. etc.

Here are some really good QR apps for your phone:

1. i-nigma (fast, reliable and the quickest to load)
2. QRReader
3. ShopSavvy (also scans barcodes, give you pricing and sale info on products)
4. Scanner

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My involvement in the development of the entrepreneur initiative for Moore County, called Moore Forward, has expanded as of late. I have stepped up to serve temporarily as Co-Executive Director for the initiative until a permanent person can be found.

There are a couple of key components we are working on: the Entrepreneurs Club & Co-Working Space, the Mentors Council, and Programming.

Moore Forward has slowly been adding on new entrepreneurs into our ranks. One of them is our firm, Tangram Media, we will be moving our office from Seven Lakes into the co-working space in the Magnolia Place bulding in the Village of Pinehurst. We got our first set of keys yesterday and will be transitioning over with the hope of being fully in place by April.

Moore Forward will be having its first meeting of mentors to map out how the program will work later this month. Right now the plan is that mentors will be paired with entrepreneurs and students (more on that later) as needed. In addition, mentors would be a resource for speaking panels for Moore Forward events.

Some of the programming for Moore Forward that is being worked on is the Sandhills Entrepreneurial Summit on April 10 at Sandhills Community College where half of the content will be focused on Moore Forward with speakers and panelists. We are also planning a co-after hours event in May with several business organizations in Moore County and our first Entrepreneur Series event with food and panel discussion.

I admit, until Thursday last week, I didn’t have the slightest clue that this word existed at all. Since I’m German you might give me the credit of a severe language barrier but so far none of my American friends has been able to come up with the right answer either.

But first things first: As a co-sponsor of the “9th Annual Spelling Bee for Literacy” organized by the Moore County Literacy Council Tangram Media got tickets for this wonderful and very entertaining event. We joined the audience and welcomed 19 teams consisting of three brave contestants each, all ready to face the spelling battle. The first round was more like a “warm up” with relatively easy words and all teams made it safely to the next level. And I guess that was where I lost i! While “persiflage” was among the words I could spell, the term “furfur” didn’t ring a bell. Actually, I first thought of “hairy” animals like bears but later learned that this expression means “the formation of flakelike particles on the surface of the skin, as of dandruff”. So far so good and just when I thought my English wans’t too bad after all, the word “gimcrack” came up and showed me that I was about to learn another foreign language, on top of the English I already knew …

Since you have so patiently been waiting, here is the right spelling and the meaning of “gimcrack”. According to dictionary.com a “gimcrack” is: “a showy, useless trifle; gewgaw”. And just in case you want to know what a “gewgaw” is … “something gaudy and useless; trinket; bauble..”

If you actually knew what a “gimcrack”, a “furfur” or a “gewgaw” is, please make sure you get a team together and register for next year’s “10th Annual Spelling Bee for Literacy”. Count on me in the audience but please, never ask me to join your spelling adventure – unless you decide on a GERMAN Spelling Bee.

Keep buzzing,

Carmen

Everything changes right?!?
Well it really does and in this high tech world everything changes even faster. What was hip, cool or industry standard a year ago might already be dead or unrecognizably altered today.

Same holds true for “ABOVE THE FOLD”. Designers wanted websites – especially Home Pages – to reveal their entire message right there on your screen. Scrolling was not an option. It was frowned upon … in severity. So we crammed everything possible “Above the Fold”, Sites were centered on the page with expanding “Sidebars”.

Here it comes: Personal computer (desktop) sales have declined in 2012, the first full year since 2001!
Mobile is on the rise. Tablets are stealing the show: 100 Million are exprected to be sold this year, thus outperforming PC Desktop sales.
So, users are being reintroduced to scrolling – yes with their fingers but scrolling nonetheless. They do not care as much anymore, plus of course your mouse now has scrolling integrated. When you look at an Apple Mouse it even does not have a scrollwheel anymore but is operated by TOUCH.

The second reason is found in the fact that there are so many devices out there and designers had to take action with Responsive Design. Responsive Desing makes it possible to display one website design on all devices (more than 600 and climbing) currently on the market. The site is constructed flexible and adaptive thus eliminating the need for different sites for different devices (Read also: 2013 IS THE YEAR OF RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT). The responsive design makes it necessary to scroll cause your content is organized in boxed sections to adapt for different screen sizes.

So get used to scrolling thru websites again and heat up your mouse-scroll-wheel. Lets see how long this trend lasts

Organizations that don’t act may find themselves behind the curve:
You have a website! Is it ready for mobile? Is it ready for tablets – btw more than 100 million will be sold this year! Is it ready for more than 600 different devices?
Yes, indeed this is what your user expects from your web presence. The site has to adjust and even present different content depending on what device he/she uses. Just a year ago the answer was individual designs for all devices. So in essence a new development for every instance. Everyone can imagine that this meant keeping up at least two if not more sites. Very involved indeed.

Consequently, just a few months ago the newest solution was born: Responsive Design.Why is this all so important? Remember when the first iPhones came out? Everybody was really happy that we finally could view websites on our phones. So nobody was ticked off at the srcolling and zooming – we actually loved it. But only a Couple of years later consumers expect more. Scrolling and Zooming is out and the industry adjusts quickly. Suddenly subdomains with m. in front of the original url appear and depending on the device which is used, the browser dishes out the adapted version. NICE, BUT involved – plus more and more devices push into the market: Androids, Windows Phones, Samsung, LG etc. Everytime some new technology emerges, web presences have to be adjusted.

Responsive Design Desktop Size

Responsive Design Tablet Size

Responsive Design Mobile Size

The “secret”: A single website design that adjusts itself to every screen size out there. Also called Flexible Design it resembles the look of the late 90′s with their “fluid” way of displaying content. Until responsive design emerged the constantly changing text columns and images were frowned upon. The centered design was hip and thrived. Nonetheless problems with mobile devices emerged quickly and the situation was remedied by above described solution.

So here we are Responsive Design is taking the web by storm. Major players have adapted and every day more follow. In short: this is the way to go.
You can check it yourself. Goto Nike.com and resize your browser window (this is the easiest way to check whether a site is responsive). You will see that certain content disappears whiles images “magically” fall into place and navigation changes its look and feel. Use your smartphone or tablet and notice the differences.

If you have a mobile version for your site you are safe for now. On the long run the search engines are going to penalize “m. domains” by ignoring them though. So it is time to start planning and changing the programming of your website.
Ask your web designer / programmer when and how you can GO RESPONSIVE.

However, there are some places and occasions where we don’t want to be disturbed or called. For me one of these places is Sunday morning in church. So, usually I switch my cell phone off and put it back into my handbag. Usually ….

I remember a Sunday morning in early summer, church had already started, the sunlight reflected in the beautiful stained class windows of the sanctuary and everybody was listening to the sermon. It was such a peaceful and quiet atmosphere and I wished I could stop time – just for a tiny little moment.

And there – all of a sudden – into the silence of it all broke that shrill and loud sound of a whistle blowing-train! Since our church is far away from any railroad tracks it was kind of an unexpected noise. The next thing I noticed was the proximity of the whistle and then it suddenly dawned on me that the “train” was running in my handbag and that it was my text messaging system informing me that someone was trying to get in touch with me.

In a state of panic, I tried to reach for the phone but couldn’t grab it fast enough to avoid another loud and intriguing whistle. For a moment I wished I was invisible. Luckily, our church members are very understanding and extremely friendly people. Some of them turned around so see where the sound came from, started smiling and gave me the look  of “been there, done that”. No need to mention that I felt embarrassed anyway and switched off my phone as fast as I could. Since our pastor has a good sense of humor he pretended it never happened and I’m thankful for that to this day!

Just to make me feel better, let me mention that two weeks ago another whistle blew through the Sunday service. No, it wasn’t me! I changed the sound of my text messaging system long time ago …. to a typewriter ..

We all know how stressful Christmas shopping can be once in a while and this is exactly why I decided to look at it in a less serious way. However, when collecting information for this latest blog I have come across a couple of interesting facts and funny quotes.

First of all the good news: Researches have found out that shopping has a direct effect on the brain’s pleasure centers. It can flood the brain with dopamine, similar to the way a drug addict experiences a fix. But wait – does this mean that Christmas shopping is a threat to your health? Definitely not. Statistics suggest that on average, it takes five trips to the mall to complete all holiday shopping. That is a lot of walking, carrying bags, and climbing staircases. Not to forget the challenge of finding a parking spot on a crowded parking lot or in a parking garage. Dave Barry, a humor columnist, once said:

“Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.”

I’m not quite sure if you reward yourself with a Christmas present too but if so you are in good company. Statistics, again, show that the average holiday shopper is spending  $107.50 on themselves. That sounds a lot but most probably people are spending way more on gifts for their kids and grandkids. Unless you handle it like Bernard Manning: “I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.”

ANd don’t bother about the Christmas tree! Larry Wilde found out: “Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall”. One problem less to think about.

Happy Christmas Shopping!

PS Oops, I nearly forgot … Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.” (Johnny Carson)

For more facts about Christmas just go to:
http://facts.randomhistory.com/holiday-shopping-facts.html

Working in the office for Tangram Media with Elesa, Jeremy, Carmen and Sven was a great experience that I wouldn’t want to miss. I learned new things, got to be creative and help out where ever something was needed. Although some days might have been a bit tougher than others all in all there was always a very nice, relaxed atmosphere.

Living with “the boss” and the family was a lot fun too. Come rain or shine (and there was definitely more shine than rain) we always had a great time together with some good laughs, crazy ideas and nice conversations. We visited Mount Mitchell, the beach, Wilmington, Charlotte, Charleston and I saw so many things that were, in a way, new to me.

Right from the first day here I was welcomed very openly and warmly by everyone I met. It made it very easy for me to sort of blend in and not feel left out in any way. I was instantly included in all sorts of groups and that is something I am very thankful for.

When I leave tomorrow, I am going with a tear in my eye and a smile too. Because although I had a great time and never felt homesick, it is always nice to come home. But I am sure that this won’t be the last time you see me around here

Everyone I met made this trip unforgettable and very special to me; so thank you all for that; especially the guys in the office here and my “host” family.

See you around next time, Kate

Normally I would be sitting in my living room in England where it would rain or maybe even snow. It would definitely be colder than it is here right now. This is, at least to me, what a Christmas feeling is sort of about: cold, grey weather, you sit at home with your blanket and your steaming cup of tea starring into the crackling fireplace.

No such luck this year. This is probably the reason why I’m not really in the Christmas mood.

But that changed yesterday when we went to the Festival of Trees hosted by The Carolina Inn in Pinehurst.

For those of you who are not quite familiar with this, I’ll quickly explain the “tradition”.

The Festival of Trees is a showcase of over 200 decorated holiday trees, wreaths, gift baskets and gingerbread houses displayed throughout a winter wonderland. It is on from November 6 up until November 11 and it will include a silent auction, live entertainment, a Holiday Benefit Gala, Festival Marketplace and more. Admission is by any monetary donation only, so you can chose for yourself how much you want to give. All proceeds will go to benefit the Sandhills Children’s Center.

You can find all kinds of different themed trees: golf, universities (NC State, UNC, Duke), children’s games, and so much more. There is a tree for everyone in the family. And the highlight for the little ones is the Candy Cane Lane where the kids can visit Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Although some of the trees might be a bit to extravagant to actually put up in your own living room, they are all very creative and detailed. You can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit when you see all those beautiful trees (even when it is warm and sunny outside).

I can only recommend to go see this  festival, especially if you’re not quite feeling the Christmas spirit yet. (I can assure you, afterwards you will.) You can have fun exploring all the different trees, go visit Santa Claus, bid on the items if you feel like it and it’s for a good cause; what’s not to love? It is a real spectacle not to be missed!

In case you want to know more about the Festival of the Trees, go to their website: http://www.sandhillschildrenscenter.org/trees/