How to Use IFTTT to Automate Your Online Activities {Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge}

Updated March 15, 2014

When I first learned about IFTTT from Samantha, I was intimated by it. There were so many options and you have to really dial in to get recipes to work just the way you want them to. But the more I used IFTTT, the more comfortable I got. And now I’m currently up to 37 recipes. It’s addicting and habit-forming.

What is IFTTT?

IFTTT is an acronym for ‘if this, then that’. The image above pretty much explains what components make up an IFTTT recipe. The recipes you use and create will help you automate your online activities.

• A ‘trigger’ (the THIS part) would be something like “when I post a picture on Instagram” or “when a new post on my blog goes up”.
• An ‘action’ (the THAT part) would be something like “post my picture on my Facebook profile” or “create a photo post on Tumblr”.

I recommend you check out IFTTT’s About page for further explanation and information. Go on, I’ll wait for you.

TIP: Personal Recipes check for new Trigger data every 15 minutes. Some Recipes have “Quick Triggers” that will run as soon as they receive Trigger data. Quick Triggers can be identified by a lightning bolt icon.

How to Use IFTTT

IFTTT is free to use and it’s easy to create an account. Once you create an account and start creating recipes of your own (or selecting pre-made recipes to use), you’ll be prompted to activate the Channels involved, like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.

TIP: There is no need to activate a Channel (e.g. Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, etc.) until you are prompted to do so during the process of creating or using a recipe.

The number of recipes you can create/use are endless. And IFTTT is coming up with new Channels all the time. Here are some pre-made recipes to give you an idea of what you can do with IFTTT:

 And you'll definitely want to add this recipe to your collection:

The recipes above are ones that have been created by IFTTT members (like myself, or someone else) that you can use yourself. You can also browse pre-made recipes or create one from scratch.

Here are some more recipe examples to get you going:

• Blogger > Tumblr: When a new post goes up on my Blogger blog, create a photo post on my Tumblr. (I use the photo post option for Tumblr so as not to clutter my Tumblr space.)
• Blogger > Facebook Page: When a new post goes up on my Blogger blog, post an image from my post to a designated photo album on my Facebook Page (or Facebook profile).
  
  
  TIP: Use the photo album option for Facebook so that it show an image on your wall instead of just a link. Photos get more ‘likes’, comments, and click-throughs.
  
  
• Twitter > Facebook Page: When I tweet, update my status on my Facebook Page.
• Date & Time > Twitter: On this day and time, tweet this message. You can create a recipe to tweet a specific message once a day, week, month, or year. I use this recipe for my weekly #BackUpFriday reminder tweets. You can also use this type of recipe to tweet yearly holiday messages (like Happy New Year!) or even for your #FF shout outs.

And I’ve only just touched the tip of the iceberg in regards to what sort of recipes you can use and create.

TIP: There's an IFTTT iOS app. For Droid users, IFTT has said that an Android app is in the works.

The Challenge

1. If you don’t already have one, create an account on IFTTT.
2. Create a recipe from scratch. While you can use pre-made recipes on your own, you must create a recipe from scratch to complete this challenge.
3. Come back to this post and leave a comment telling me about the recipe you created. I want to know (1) what your trigger is, and (2) what your action is. Tell me which variables you used (i.e. for Twitter, tell me if you used: (a) new tweet by you, (b) new tweet by you with hashtag, (c) new link by you, or (d) new favorite tweet by you).
4. Once you have completed the challenge, enter the giveaways via the Rafflecopter forms below. (You can enter to win one or both of the giveaways below.)

 

*If you have any questions about using IFTTT, leave a comment below. I will be around most of the weekend to help people out and check out the recipes you create.

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One lucky mini-challenge participant will receive a $5 (USD) Amazon Gift Card.

And thanks to the lovely Amanda from On a Book Bender and The Path of Least Revision, another lucky mini-challenge participant will receive a digital copy of her ebook Blog Events: The Secret to Engaging Your Community, Growing Your Network, and Establishing Your Expertise. (Amanda is also hosting a Bloggiesta mini-challenge, Link Love: How to Give Good SEO Permalink, so be sure to check it out.)

• No purchase necessary.
• Must be 18 years old or older to enter.
• Giveaway open Internationally, as long as I can send you an Amazon Gift Card from my amazon.com account. Void where prohibited by law.
• Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.
• See Rafflecopter form for information on how to enter this giveaway.
• Please read TBV's Giveaway Policy before entering.
• Giveaway ends 9:01 pm (Pacific Time) on 9/22/2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway