I’ve posted before about getting the most out of your web services by creating connections among them whenever possible. Examples such as your blog automatically posting to your social media profiles, a website form sending data to your mailing service AND creating a CRM record…you get the idea. These examples rely on API connections among the specific services, that the developers of those services build into them.
Now there is a new service that allows you to create custom connection “recipes” that use event triggers and actions to create a custom outcome, using a simple “if this, then that” statement. IFTTT is a free service that provides an interface to create an endless array of connections between services, triggered by a specific event.
Examples of IFTTT “recipes”:
- Automatically save all my Instagram photos to my Dropbox account
- Email me all Google Reader articles that I mark with a star
- Call IFTTT’s voice mail and have the transcription & recording file sent to email… and to my Evernote account
- If I’m tagged in a Facebook photo, copy photo to Dropbox
- Send me a text message if the weather forecast contains “snow”
- Email me when Craigslist posts a “antique vase” for sale
In short, IFTTT acts like a digital assistant, seeking out and routing information in almost any way you need. With 49 “channels” featured, just about all your web tools are included.
For more, be sure to check out Carla’s interview with Jeff Tinscher, who did a quick video demo of the service for our Online Biz Insiders videocast.
Are you an IFTTT user? Share your favorite “recipes” in the comments!