@twitcrit: instareviews
So here’s what I’m trying — and I’m grateful for any help in doing it better:
The idea is that Twitter users can share instant reviews of what they’re watching — TV shows, movies, concerts, anything — by twittering (is the verb form tweeting?) to @twitcrit.
It takes some hacks to try to make that visible, since @twitcrit messages are private and since the RSS feed it spawns requires authentication. Here’s how I’m doing it now: Following Chris Brogan’s example, I’m using a search at Terraminds, which creates an RSS feed of all tweets with “@twitcrit” within and I’m importing that into the twitcrit account on Twitter (so you can follow that) using Twitterfeed and also into a Twitcrit Tumblog. This has problems, though: Tumblr updates only once an hour, Twitterfeed only once a half-hou (and it includes only up to five entries). Arrrggghh.
The goal is simple: We twit/tweet/whatever our nanoreviews using Twitter and then aggregate them so we can compare notes. I’d like to be able to follow everyone’s critical tweets on Twitter and archive them on a web page (blog, tumblog, whatever). I was hoping to start heavy use of it this Sunday watching the season premier of The Wire.
Any better ideas of how we can aggregate our instant reviews?
: Later: Stowe Boyd suggestings using hashtags: #twitcrit. And then I can feed that RSS onto a page. But can I follow a hashtag on Twitter? That’s what I want to do.
Dave Winer in an email exchange asks whether I want the product to look like Club140. Yes. But I also want to follow the nanoreviews in Twitter. Perhaps I want too much.
January 5th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Why not use a #hashtag in Twitter? Then all #reviews would show at #hastags (www.hashtags.org), and that service updates frequently. Each #hashtag gets its own RSS feed, so people could subscribe to #reviews, #movies, or #I+am+Legend. See http://www.hashtags.org/tag/reviews/.
January 5th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I’m working (like, now, in another window) on something like this for ReportingOn - it involves a little bit of code, but mostly of the copy-paste variety, using the Twitter API. When it’s done, I’ll post the most clear instructions I can and the source code.
Check out what foamee.com does compared to hoosgot.com - two different methods. What I’m trying is much closer to foamee.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
If you want to follow the replies on twitter:
1. Public updates will have to be trawled frequently (can’t go over the api limit, but you might be able to get permission from twitter) for the @twitcrit word, or
2. You can ask users to add themselves as followers to the twitcrit account and only trawl those feeds.
3. Either way these will then have to be updated back into the twitcrit account, if you want them to be seen in one place (separate from blog, tumblr, etc).
I’m doing something similar at http://www.HelpWorldClimate.com (and other sites), but taking posts from more than just twitter.
January 5th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Talk to kosso, he’s done these for conferences etc that do exactly what you are after. http://kosso.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/how-i-created-a-twittergroup-for-gnomedex/
January 5th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
The only issue with using #twitcric is that each user must follow @hashtags for their result to get added.
But I like the idea of tagging with hashtags the best.
January 6th, 2008 at 3:57 am
I’ve done this for reviews of places to eat in Ireland.
More as an attempt to build an automated posting system than anything else.
I used Yahoo Pipes to turn the protected feeds into unprotected feeds. Then I combined the Subject heading and first line of emails to a GMail account with a feed of the @Eateries twitter stream.
See http://eateries.tumblr.com/post/3390574 for as much detail as I remember. It was sometime last year, I’m afraid.
January 6th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I like the hashtag implementation, but also like the use of tagspaces which saves on some characters and also lets you sort on what kind of review, or what is being reviewed. By this I mean
REV:MOVIE I am Legend rocked. A bit slow at points, but Will Smith carried the movie on his own soulders
REV:TV The Reaper is pretty much DOA - was hopeful for some inspired comedy, and there are glimmers, but not brightly
Just an additional thought to consider…
January 6th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
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January 6th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Ok, I see the feed. Time permitting, tomorrow I’ll have a crack at doing something useful with it…
January 6th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
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January 6th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
I’ve tried using both your solution (@twitcrit) and Stowe Boyd’s solution (#*) in the same post, trying to adhere to both standards. Considering the experimental nature of both your tests, and your mutual dependence upon Twitterfeed, it seemed to work well.
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