The most important thing to understand about the QR code you see on various eTourChatham promotional material is that you DO NOT need to use read code in order to use eTourChatham on your smartphone or tablet. The QR code is simply a shortcut, which you saves you typing the letters “etourchatham.org” into your device browser.

A QR code, or “Quick Response code”, is similar to a barcode, but contains more information. A smartphone or tablet with a camera can be used to “scan” the QR code, which reads the information embedded in the emblem. The program used to scan the QR code is typically called a “scan app” — there are many available, often for free. Some devices may come with such an app already installed, while for other devices you need to download an app from the appropriate vendor store.

The QR code for eTourChatham takes you to the home page, or starting point, of the eTourChatham website. After that, you should navigate using the Site List, or the map, or by touching Next or Prev buttons. Other Smartphone tours you may encounter elsewhere are what may more accurately be called “QR Code Tours,” because at every stop, there is a QR code posted, and at each stop you scan the QR code to see the information for that stop. In Chatham, QR codes are not provided at each stop, except at one or two stops.

If a QR code is provided at an eTour stop in Chatham, it is for extra convenience only; you can still find the site’s information page on eTourChatham using the Site List or map. The presence of a QR code is simply an extra signal to people with smartphones, who may not be aware of the existence of eTourChatham.

Even if you use a QR code to visit eTourChatham initially, it is recommended that you then open the website in the normal browser, and then bookmark etourChatham. Most scan apps have a very easy “Open in Browser” button.