Web editors Shawn Kellmer and Arthur Dowell say the QR codes present an opportunity to increase traffic to thehighlandernews.org, the newspaper’s newly redesigned website. Both  editors feel this addition will draw time-crunched students to the web and also increase readership of web-exclusive content.

“Although the QR codes do not guarantee traffic, it help gives the author of a web-exclusive story more of a chance to be noticed. The amount of traffic that can possibly be brought to the site with the web-exclusive articles and other web only items, like the profiles of athletic stars, is really exciting. I feel that people will like what they see and keep coming back regularly,” Kellmer said.

QR are similar to bar codes commonly found on grocery items, but they store much more data.  Users can scan them with a smartphone or iPad device, and users instantly access the web.

“It’s a win-win situation, our hard work get noticed and our readers can access web content faster and easier than ever before,” Dowell said.

The codes will be located throughout the print edition with a focus on web-exclusive content.

“Hopefully someone who utilizes the QR code for an article will take a look around the rest of the website and get to see everything that it offers,” Kellmer said.

The Highlander is the first collegiate newspaper in the region to utilize QR codes in a print edition.