Digital Media

How to Use a QR Reader

Newsweek is employing QR codes to point readers to online videos in the latest issue of the magazine. Here's a quick "How To" guide for the amateurs.

In this week's Newsweek feature on the 10 Most Important Artists of Today, we included a funny-looking square-shaped bar code beneath some of the artists' profiles. When scanned, using a simple smart-phone application, that bar code will redirect users to videos we're hosting on The Daily Beast.

But how does one scan that bar code? Don't worry, you're not alone. We'll walk you through the steps.

Step One: Go to the app store in your camera-enabled smart phone.

Step Two: Search for "QR" or "Scanner" and download the highest-rated, or cheapest, app. RedLaser or Scan are two good ones. But there are many.

Step Three: Open that app and follow the instructions to scan. This likely includes aiming your camera at the bar code featured in Newsweek. If the app has you aiming your camera anywhere else, we'll confidently say, "You're doing it wrong."

Step Four: If it works, the app should do one of two things—take you directly to a video on The Daily Beast, or display a link for you to click. If the latter, click the link, and enjoy the video.

Lastly, if for any reason you can't figure it out, feel free to send a tweet to @thedailybeast or @newsweek and we'll walk you through the process.

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