Mar 2008
Auto-Tumbling your Favourite Tweets
11/03/08 19:48 in: Web 2.0
Let's say you're on Twitter and something deeply hilarious pops up (say, this tweet by John Moltz or (shock horror) one of my own posts such as the rant here). Would it be great to post it super easily to Tumblr? Sure, you could simply open Twitter, find the tweet, click the bookmarklet, check it's all OK and click submit.
But doesn't that sound like just a little too much hassle? What if, through the wonders of Tumblr's RSS integration (which if you're not familiar with, you ought to be) and your favourite Twitter application, you merely had to favourite that tweet, and it would just appear in Tumblr? At this point, I should point out that the underlying RSS stuff is not exactly earth shattering - Tumblr's had this forever - and that with a little guesswork, people could work it out. But hey. Here goes....
If you're curious as to how this is working, then it's currently in action on my link-blog.
Disclaimer: This method does store your username and password in plain text in the Tumblr DBs (hardly ideal). If, as a result of this tutorial your Twitter account gets hacked, I cannot be held responsible. You may want to change your Twitter password to something unique to protect your passwords.
But doesn't that sound like just a little too much hassle? What if, through the wonders of Tumblr's RSS integration (which if you're not familiar with, you ought to be) and your favourite Twitter application, you merely had to favourite that tweet, and it would just appear in Tumblr? At this point, I should point out that the underlying RSS stuff is not exactly earth shattering - Tumblr's had this forever - and that with a little guesswork, people could work it out. But hey. Here goes....
- Go to your Twitter page and choose Favourites. [Alternatively click here if you're signed into Twitter]
- Grab one of the RSS links from that page (either through viewing the source, or clicking the relevant RSS button in your browser)
- Now, we head over to Tumblr's RSS page and enter the copied URL into the box shown. Do not, however, click 'Start Importing this Feed'.
- 'Why not?!' I hear you cry. Basically, Twitter's 'Favourites' feeds require authentication. So add the following to the URL (after http://) username:password@. Now, this may be the bit where you think 'why am I handing over my credentials to Tumblr' - Tumblr doesn't publish them (obviously) and simply uses it to import your content from it. I'm happy with it like that, but if you're unhappy telling Tumblr your Twitter credentials, then that's understandable.
- Now click that magic button, and then watch as your favourites get imported at the next scheduled RSS import!
If you're curious as to how this is working, then it's currently in action on my link-blog.
Disclaimer: This method does store your username and password in plain text in the Tumblr DBs (hardly ideal). If, as a result of this tutorial your Twitter account gets hacked, I cannot be held responsible. You may want to change your Twitter password to something unique to protect your passwords.