In the age of the internet, things have become much easier and challenging at the same time. Easier because we can do so much more, and challenging because there is so much more. Enter IFTTT – if this, then that. IFTTT is an app that takes automation to the next level and puts the internet to work for you. FYI IFTTT stands for if this then that.
Challenge: Do you find yourself sharing images on Facebook that you have already shared on Instagram, or searching for that one tweet you forgot to favourite? You have so much info to keep track of and wish your online life would become simpler.
Solution: Say hello to IFTTT which as the name suggests follows simple if this then that recipes. IFTTT has hundreds of apps that you can use to create recipes for both IOS and Android phones. If you are feeling uninspired or don’t know where to start, head on over to their recipes section to see what others have created. Recipes range from all thing social media to the downright creepy.
Some of the most popular are:
Social Media: track any trending hashtags on Twitter, which will automatically be added to Google Drive.
Creepy: If anyone takes a picture that is tagged in my neighbourhood, send me a push notification. (Hello Big Brother).
Weather: if it rains tomorrow, send me an Android notification.
This is a recipe that I use all of the time, if I post a pic on Instagram, then my Twitter followers also get the same image, but as a native Twitpic and not as an irritating Instagram link.
One of my personal favourites, which seems to exemplify the type of world kids grow up in, is this:
If the liquor cabinet opens, call me.
My teenage years would have been very different if my parents had this. The old only take a little liquor out of each bottle or dilute it with water, would not have worked at all.
Data costs: the same as visiting a website, and best of all once the recipe is set up, you don’t need to worry about it. You can also switch recipes off and on.
Tip: The team at IFTTT recently launched DO, which focuses on specific recipes for the world around you, photos and notes.
IFTTT is also a great way to automatically share your blogger posts to social media. We’ve written a piece on how to do this. Read it here.
We want your feedback. Let us know about the IFTTT recipes you create, which ones you use all the time and what you think of Do?
