Lets kick of 2012 with a cool new online business tool which was a tad late for inclusion in the recent launch of the Disobedient Directory, and too good to wait until the next edition.
Introducing Ifttt, an acronym for, If This…Then That.
I came across a reference to this online business tool early last month, which I’ve since discovered has been in beta testing for the best part of last year, before launching to the world in September 2011.
Well, in the last couple of weeks I’ve been checking it out and all I can say is….Holy Toledo Batman, it’s Frickin Awesome!
So What Is It Exactly?
Ifttt is a productivity tool which allows you to program automatic tasks across your online channels.
Now before the purists out there cringe at the mention of automation, let me give you a few examples of why you would want to check this particular tool out.
- Lets say you change your avatar on a Facebook…wouldn’t it be good if then you could change your avatar automatically on twitter at the same time.
- What about making sure that every image you upload to Facebook, automatically copies across to your Dropbox account.
- How about using google reader to add specific tagged posts to Evernote for future reference.
Ifttt is the tool that will allow you to do these things by setting triggers on one platform which then perform actions on another.
I’ve only begun to experiment with potential uses, but so far I’m pretty damned impressed.
It’s not at all difficult to use, and there are a whole pile of “done for you recipes” that you can activate for your own needs.
Ifttt currently has just shy of 40 channels in its dashboard, including all the major players like Twitter, Facebook (profiles & pages), RSS, Gmail, Evernote, Tumblr, YouTube, Dropbox, etc.
You choose the services you want to activate, then just set the triggers and actions you want to automate.
If you are looking for ways to alleviate regular tasks that you perform in your online business, then Ifttt may have the answer for you. I’d recommend you give it a test drive and see for yourself.
Go check it out and leave your comments below.
Please share this post if you found it useful.
Looks interesting Jackie and anything to make life a little easier is worth a look.
Thanks for letting us know about it.
Susan Oakes recently posted..Smart Marketing Strategy, Give Complexity The Flick
It’s definately got some great potential, thanks Susan.
I have never heard of this tool before Jackie. I know you’re not one to recommend a tool without vetting it first. So, I’ll definitely look into this. 2012 is definitely the year when I am eliminating time consuming tasks. So, this could be a great tool for me to use. Thanks for letting us know about this.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Balance Traditional and Social Marketing Strategies
Thanks Sherryl, I think you’ll like it. I’ve already set up half a dozen tasks, and am playing around with some other combos. Let me know what you think once you’ve had chance to take a look.
Hi Jackie. Thank you for sharing this tool. It will make social media update easier and less time consuming.
I’m sure you’ll find it very useful
Thanks Jackie! This will save me a huge amount of time! – Mike
Hey Mike, thanks. Always on the look out for new and useful tools. Glad you found it helpful.
Hi Jackie – Well that was cool! I suspect that the conditional logic of the recipes will make for truly unlimited tasks. There are a few bookmarking sites on the service – I wonder if the service can be set up to post new blog snippets to social services like OnlyWire does. Thanks for the share!
Michael recently posted..Increase Web Site Traffic With a Call to Action
Hi Michael
Yes, absolutely oodles of combinations. I’m sure that if you popped over to the Ifttt blog and left a suggestion they would take a look. I know that they’re planning to bring more channels into the mix, it will be interesting to see what gets added…oooh the mind boggles
Hi Jackie.
Found a link to your post at Sherryl Perry’s blog. I must admit that I’m not one for automation but this looks pretty useful. Going to check it out right after I read your post and see why I’m wasting my time reading your blog. lol.
Steve Hippel recently posted..How To Set Up Google Authorship Markup On WordPress
Hi Steve
Automation’s not such a bad guy, when dressed in the right super hero outfit. Ifttt isn’t your standard social media feed tool, its got a lot more going for it. Lord knows we can do with some time savings here and there….speaking of which, I hope you didn’t waste too much time here on the blog
Thanks for thanks for stopping by to check out the post. Nice to see another @keepupweb consumer…Sherryl has some great posts.
Catch you around the interwebs no doubt
Doesn’t matter that it’s a tad late – it’s the quality that counts!
SEO recently posted..City of Angels, or City of SEO’s?
Thank’s Jackie. Reading good information and meeting good bloggers is never a waste of my time. Rest assured, I will be back for more, even if you did advise me not too. lol.
Steve Hippel recently posted..Using A Presonal Profile For Your Business On FaceBook Will Get You Kicked Off
Thanks Steve, much appreciated