Author Topic: Calling Web Geeks  (Read 2423 times)

Ed Wenn

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Calling Web Geeks
« on: November 21, 2011, 01:41:08 PM »
Team, I know some of you are Web freaks like I am (if you're not, please move along immediately ...there's nothing for you to see here), so I thought you might have come across IFTTT (http://ifttt.com). It's basically like Outlook rules on steroids, but for the whole Web and allows you to perform a pre-defined action based on a trigger. An example would be something like, "send me an email every time my name is mentioned on Twitter", or "update my Google calendar with my Foursquare checkins", or "update my Google calendar everytime my chosen weather service issues a weather warning"...you get the picture.

So, I was wondering whether we can use IFTTT to improve the FW site? Get your thinking caps on and post here if you come up with anything. If it's a good 'un I'll try and inegrate it into the site. In relation to the building blocks we're using here think RSS, Tumblr, Wordpress, Twitter and Facebook. The forum is run on Simple Machines software which may or may not have a presence on IFTTT already, but even if it doesn't, Simple Machines gives admins loads of control over RSS so we can construct an RSS feed for more or less anything you'd want (e.g. a feed of all new topics and not the replies).

We don't use FB very much, but it would be nice to update the FB page automagically to let people who don't get out much know what's going on in Filmwasters World, so that's one thing I'm thinking of already.
« Last Edit: November 21, 2011, 01:46:11 PM by ed.wenn »

Nigel

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2011, 02:04:22 PM »
Oh, that's very clever! The trouble with a service like that there are too many possibilities! As I'm reading their site, I find myself halfway through thinking of an idea and my brain steps in and says "hold on you could do this, or this, or that ...... ". Stop!   :o :o

I need to take a step back and come at it slowly.  :-\
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein

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Ed Wenn

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2011, 03:20:31 PM »
Heh heh. My reaction was pretty much the same....why do you think I stopped, ran away and then posted my question here? 

:D ;D

This-is-damion

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2011, 03:51:28 PM »
Share some suggestions here.  I keep getting stuck with simply cross posting between social networking apps and getting notified from social networking apps....which they do anyway.

Must admit I wasnt aware of half of this stuff  - but i looked at Chrome the other day and that opened some opportunities between my home PC & Phone and synched accounts.   I still reckon this is all designed by the CIA to tie all our accounts together and keep track of everything we do say and take from the web.

Please ensure you eat this post after reading.


Nigel

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2011, 04:10:51 PM »
Quote
I still reckon this is all designed by the CIA to tie all our accounts together and keep track of everything we do say and take from the web.

Of course now you've mentioned the 'CIA' in an post, they're taking special note of your activities Mr Bond! :) By-the-way have you seen this? https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ I lost most of a working day when I first dived into the World Factbook.

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Francois

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2011, 04:16:47 PM »
Well... if the system could just send automatic birthday cards, I'd be happy :)
Francois

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This-is-damion

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2011, 05:45:37 PM »
There is some sort of app (Apple/Android)  that can send postcards direct from your phone based on Photos you take.   So tie that in with your calender and im sure it could.

The future is now!   (or at least at some point in the future when I get my head around this)

Phil Bebbington

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2011, 06:54:20 PM »
I just registered and I'm scared already. The icons are big. Everything is big.

Man!

I just ran away to think. I can hear the buzz of us all thinking!

Ed Wenn

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2011, 08:22:00 AM »
I'm coming round to BIG icons. I think they rock!

BTW, I've already used IFTTT to good effect to change the way images posted to the Filmwasters.com group on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/groups/filmwasters/pool/with/6371463487/) get pushed onto our blog (http://filmwasters.tumblr.com/). Previously this was handled internally by Tumblr, but their 'Import Feeds' functionality has always been pretty flakey and not all images posted on Flickr made it onto the blog. Even if they did, there was no way to control the information which got posted along with the image.

Using IFTTT I've set up a job which polls the Flickr group every 15 minutes to check for new images. It then pushes any new images to our Tumblr blog and applies some pre-defined formatting (e.g. URL to the original image, the photographer's name and the title of the image).

As of 11:38AM in the UK on Tuesday 22nd November, none of the images on the blog had been pushed to the blog using this new process, but as soon as new images get added to the FW Flickr group I hope they'll start appearing on Tumblr.

Simple, but nice.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2011, 11:40:43 AM by ed.wenn »

Nigel

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2011, 01:26:30 PM »
I accept I'm entirely off topic now, but I've been playing with it and it occurred to me, I wonder by creating huge interconnecting loops of 'tasks' and 'channels' you could generate ever increasing amounts of data that would bring the whole interweb to its knees! Or maybe someone at IFTTT would pull the plug before then.

I'd like to confirm to the CIA that I'm not in any way thinking of doing this, I just wondered!  ;)
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sapata

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2011, 03:03:25 PM »
I'm sure I should've read the small prints before but what the heck ! It's done now...

Yes... everything is big! I though at first my computer had turned on some sort of visual disability help software...
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Mojave

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2011, 03:27:17 PM »
Im all about SEO and conversion rates right now and Im wondering how this place can help with that. I dont understand what this site does yet, though I have an idea, and Im not sure how it can affect SEO and conversion rates for my own photography site and Etsy store, but its worth looking into. Im curious how it works with the FW's blog too.

Thanks for sharing Ed!!
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Francois

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2011, 03:40:53 PM »
And with this post, Erin officially went Digital  :o
Francois

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charles binns

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2011, 05:14:29 PM »
This went right over my head!  I mean way, way over my head. 

LT

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2011, 05:58:18 PM »
This went right over my head!  I mean way, way over my head. 

you and me both Charles.
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Mojave

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #15 on: November 22, 2011, 06:02:54 PM »
And with this post, Erin officially went Digital  :o

LOL!!!
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Suzi Livingstone

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Re: Calling Web Geeks
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2011, 03:38:19 PM »
I wish I hadn't started reading this thread. I've gone all light headed and dizzy.