You have seen this symbol in the corner of the Front Page of the Albert Lea Tribune. It is commonly called a QR code, short for quick-response code.

And it is not all that different from a bar code.

Presently, when a reader is online and comes across a web address, such as the one for this editorial at https://www.albertleatribune.com/2011/08/30/what-are-these-qr-codes/, usually he or she can click on it. But in print, the reader must type in the address. And sometimes the addresses can be long and bulky.

Smartphones — such as the iPhone, any number of phones using with Android operating system or several models by Blackberry — can scan bar codes and QR codes and tell the user handy information.

When a smartphone scans a QR code, it opens the phone’s web browser and takes the user straight to the address that corresponds with the code.

Where do we get these codes? Many websites, such as www.redlaser.com, generate the codes. All a person does is pop in the address and the site sends a QR code via email. Simple.

The best thing about them is they bridge yet another gap between print and online media. Someday, the two will become one.

Feel free to read more about QR codes at Wikipedia.