Buy This (QR) Book: ‘I Live In The Future & Here’s How It Works (Why Your World, Work, and Brain Are Being Creatively Disrupted)’ by Nick Bilton

September 27, 2010 – Atlanta, GA USA – If you own an iPhone or other smartphone, buy this book: I Live In The Future & Here’s How It Works ($25 • $16.50 from Amazon or $9.99 from Kindle Store • Free iPhone and iPad Apps available in the Apple iTunes App Store for previewing this book).

Buy This Book

If you write a blog, tweet, post video to YouTube or check in via FourSquare, buy this book. If you are addicted to Facebook, buy this book. If you have an iPad, buy this book (though ironically, as of today, the book is still not available via the iBook app on your iPad).

If you work for a newspaper, magazine, TV network, cable network or online service – or got downsized from a newspaper, magazine, TV network, Cable network or online service – buy this book.

If you find yourself overwhelmed with information, but still celebrate new media technology,  buy this book. If your Twitter profile includes – tech geek; social media; 3.0; web; love apps; digital; Flipboard Fanboy; paper.li publisher; brands; pop culture; any hashtag; any emoticon; or puppies – buy this book.

And, if are exploring how to integrate two dimensional (2D) scan codes [such as Quick Response (QR) codes, EZcodes or Microsoft Tag codes] into your book, product or service and marketing, buy this book: the first book to integrate scan codes successfully.

[Other books previously using scan codes include: BrandDigital Author  Allen Adamson (Published 4/27/10); HarperCollins's L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad (6/09) and Rough Guide to the World in Pictures, as reported by Roger Smolski in his 2d code blog post (9/17/10): QR code Book Chapter Headings.]

I bought I Live In The Future the first week (8/16/10) it went on sale because I Live In The Future and I predicted two months earlier (6/12/10) in my June 12, 2010 blog post that scan codes would be integrated into books to add-value to the reader’s experience : 101 Uses For Quick Response (QR) Codes: Creating Audience Engagement With The Next Killer US App (see use #14!) So, I wanted to see how Lead Writer and Technology Reporter for The New York Times Bits Blog and Author of I Live In The Future Nick Bilton did with two dimensional codes integrated into his book.

[In the spirit of the I Live In The Future book, I will add my Comments to the book within the book's online community by October 30, 2010. (Get the book.  Scan the codes. Enter the I Live In The Future Community. See Comments.) Or, click here, select a Chapter and scroll down to the Comment section.]

I focus on the use of QR scan codes in this book (and, hopefully, the Author’s next book) below.

The Good News

Book Author Nick Bilton

Beyond being the first book to integrate scan codes into its chapters, Nick Bilton has done a great job (and a great service to fellow authors and publishers by shining a light on the path to the future – or at least as an interim step until many of us get our books, newspapers and magazines via our iPads).

When you scan the QR codes at the beginning of each chapter with your smartphone, you’ll get video that helps with the storytelling; links to related content; and an opportunity to participate (“Comment”) in the Community of I Live In The Future readers.

How To Improve The QR Code Book Experience

Here are my Top 10 Scan Code Recommendations for Nick’s next book (or your book):

  1. Timely, Hyper-Personalization and Instantaneous – Leverage the smartphone experience to provide timely personalized content instantaneously. All of the links in I Live In The Future are static. This chart of people researching QR codes, for example, is (real-time) dynamic. If your book is about buying real estate, you might include a Google mash-up map for real estate using the reader’s city, Zip Code or street address to show timely, hyper-persoonalized and instantaneous housing prices. Perhaps Nick can update his links to include some that are timely, hyper-personal and instant which would be in the spirit of this book.
  2. The #[Book] Daily – leverage the ability to read Twitter as a daily community newspaper with the paper.li service: link to what people are saying today about your book (or even specific topics within the book). Here’s an example: The uSCANme Daily. I set up this free daily ‘community’ newspaper using my uSCANme Twitter account devote to two dimensional (2D) scan codes including [Quick Response (QR) codes; EZcode; and more.  [With paper.li, you can create a community around a specific Twitter account (+ those being followed); a Twitter #tag or a Twitter @list.] [Try this free service using @NickBilton or your Twitter account.]
  3. Menu Please – If you are going to offer multiple items – video, Commenting and links, as Nick Bilton does – from one scan code, please use a menu. Please see the (good) menu example by FOX TV Network when you scan the code you’ll find at the bottom right of this web page. [It's also an example of putting text too close to the scan code (ugh!)]
  4. Manage the Reader’s Expectations – in a non-fiction book, it shouldn’t be a mystery regarding what you get when you scan the code (exceptions, when appropriate). And, for those that don’t have a smartphone (yet), include a short URL with each scan code to give the reader the option of seeing the content on their (non-camera version) iPad or desktop. (Including a short URL is a ‘best practice’ of using scan codes for any implementation in the United States.)
  5. Optimize for Smartphone Screen Size (Mobilize The Landing Page) – No way I am going to read long stories on my iPhone that are not optimized for its screen size. The smartphone experience is different than the desktop experience. (Create separate content for smartphones, desktop computers and iPads. The ‘experience’ is different on each of these devices. If you are using third-party content where you can not re-format for a smartphone, then just save the links for use when I’m on my iMac, Macbook Pro or iPad. On my iPhone, let’s just go to the “videotape” …
  6. Dates – It’s not enough to show a link that says, “Newspaper Association of America, U.S. advertising sales report.” You need to tell me this report was published on 9/7/09. Ideally, link to content that was published after the book was published. That’s ‘adding value’ to the book.
  7. Add Value With Updates Via QR Code – While the book is out-of-date the day it’s printed, the links that the QR codes point to can be current or dynamic. That 9/7/09 report is old news! What’s new since the printed publication date?
  8. Location Location Location – Place the scan code in the appropriate place in the text. It’s okay to use more than one scan code per chapter.
  9. Video – Where are the videos of you interviewing people for the book? A FLIP HD  or iPhone video is fine; it’s about the primary source content: not the production values (though I am very happy with the video I shoot using my FLIP HD and iPhone 4.
  10. Book Jacket – include a scan code that launches a video of you, the author, telling us about your book!

When you use scan codes, you must add-value to the reader’s experience. Here are the Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Integrating Scan Codes.

[If Nick used dynamic scan codes - rather than free codes generated on the internet - Nick (or you) could still change the URL pointers after the book is published! Nick: did you use free static scan codes or dynamic codes that you can still change the URL that the scan code points to?]

Bonus Idea 1: In the Notes & Sources section of I Live In The Future, while it’s nice to see the entire URL, I would also like to see: a) short URL that I can actually type. Any, while you’re at it, use trackable short, vanity URLs. For videos, include a scan code too. b) Give me a webpage that includes the Notes & Sources that includes hyperlinks to the appropriate content. That’s value-added.

Bonus Idea 2: Create a community around the book’s bar code. Encourage reader’s  to add-value by posting photos relevant to the content of the book via the one dimensional (1D) barcode using the Stickybits app.

Bonus Idea 3: Publishers: Engage a Two Dimensional (2D) Code Expert – It is rocket science! Just because QR Codes work in Japan it does not automatically mean that the different smartphone technology in the U.S. will work fine with your scan code. For example, dense QR codes that can be read in Japan with an auto-focus smartphone can be difficult to read on a non-auto-focus smartphone camera in the U.S.  An expert can help you fast-to-market and help save you from scan code implementation mistakes.

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Bonus

Here are daily online newspapers about scan codes:

  1. The @uSCANme #QRcode Daily published by @uSCANme (@smigrod)
  2. The QR Media Daily published by @QRmedia
  3. The Qr-Codes Daily published by @QRmedia
  4. The #QR Daily using the Twitter hastag: #qr
  5. The qr code Daily published by @waynesutton
  6. The #qrcode Daily using the Twitter hastag: #qrcode
  7. The #qrcodes Daily using the Twitter hastag: #qrcodes
  8. The qr Daily published by @tppowers

For more daily online newspapers about scan codes, please click here.

Two Dimensional (2D) Scan Code White Papers and Studies

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Subscribe to the Free Daily Online Scan Code Newspaper From GREAT!

That’s GREAT! Quick Response (QR) Scan Code Resources

1.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 Ideas for Using QR Codes
2.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 ‘Pointers’ for Using QR Codes
3.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 Major U.S. Brands Using QR Codes
4.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  50 Major Media Companies Using QR Codes
5.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Using QR Codes
6.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Best QR Codes Uses in the U.S
7.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) ‘10 Reasons Free QR Codes Will Bite Me In The Tush’
8.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) What’s the Return on Investment (ROI) on QR Codes?
9.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) – 2011 is the Year of the Quick Response Code
10.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Multiple Choice:  (2010) (2011) (2012) is the Year of the QR Code
11.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 300 Must Read QR Code Articles
12.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 150 Must Read QR Code Articles
13.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  How Newspapers Can Use QR Codes to Delay the Demise of Print
14.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  QR Code Book : ‘I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works
15.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Reasons EZcodes Are Better Than QR Codes
16.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: The 10 Commandments for Marketers
17.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: How to Use QR Codes to Promote Your Business
18.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: An Introduction to QR Codes
19.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Product Camp Atlanta: 25 QR Code Ideas in 10 Minutes
20.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Follow Dan Smigrod’s QR Twitter Account: uSCANme
21.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Free Daily Online QR Code Newspaper (The uSCANme Daily)
22.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  All ‘That’s GREAT!’ QR Code Lists, Videos, Articles and Resources

Bonus: GREAT! ScanLife Promo Code (“Invitation Code”) = great (for small, medium, large businessesand agency/resellers so you can play with a robust, paid scan code platform (For example: generate free QR codes to practice with and generate usage reports for these codes). When you are ready to use the scan codes commercially, please request a quote from ScanLife or email GREAT! CEO Dan Smigrod.

Disclosures

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Short URL For This Story

*Though Quick Response (QR) brand scan codes are a registered trademark of Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave, Quick Response Code (QR) are commonly – and incorrectly – used generically to refer to all Two Dimensional (2D) mobile barcodes: including ScanLife EZcode brand scan codes; Microsoft Tag codes; datamatrix codes; and still other scan codes that are scanned or photographed on a smartphone such as an iPhone 4. Saying Quick Response code or QR code is like saying that you TIVOed the TV show when you actually used the Comcast brand digital video recorder to record the TV show.