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March 27, 2015

Tech Tip: Using Pocket and If This Then That (IFTTT)

By John Flanagan II
Tech-Tip-Using-Pocket-and-If-This-Then-That

If you are like me, sometimes you feel overwhelmed by the amount of content shared with you via social media. In one sitting, I may see a great article I want to read, a video to watch, and a song to listen to. However, I may not be able to take it all in during that session.

Fortunately, Facebook has a “Save” feature I can bookmark in my browser, and “Watch Later” on YouTube. The problem I found was the content I wanted to find later was strewn all over the place and I had to go to each app, browser, etc. to view what I’ve saved.

I got frustrated by this and knew there must be a better way. After feeling let down by Instapaper, I did some more research and finally found an amazing app called Pocket.
It is literally like a digital pocket. At its most basic function, it is a hub in which I can save links to ANY media online. There are several different ways to save content into Pocket. You can copy and paste a link directly into the app itself, use a browser plugin, or share from a share menu in supported apps.

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One thing I really like about pocket is it shows a thumbnail next to the title so I can see quickly what an entry is without clicking on it.

 

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Once your link is saved inside of Pocket, you can use tags to make your content easily found via the search bar.
There is also a “Favorites” function, and you can archive or delete entries after you’re finished with them. There is also an option to view only specific types of content in the sidebar.

 

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Pocket has two different reader views, a simplified, stripped-down view, and the actual webpage view.
There are also other options such as font size and style, and light or dark theme.

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As incredible as this sounds, I’m going to blow your mind even more by telling you that Pocket integrates with If This Then That (IFTTT). So what does that mean?

IFTTT is an internet utility that allows you to automate certain events when triggered by other events. For instance, IF I change my Facebook profile picture (THIS), THEN it will change my Twitter profile picture (THAT.)

But IFTTT doesn't just work with social networks. There are a ton of other services that it works with: Everything from email to WiFi-enabled light bulbs. My favorite way to use it is with Pocket. I have several custom "recipes" setup. One says if I add a video to "watch later" on Vimeo or YouTube, then add it to Pocket.

Now as I see videos pop up in my timelines or that I find organically, I can save them all in one place. It's great. Plus, I don't have to remember which site I found what link on. It's just all in Pocket.

The power of computers, and the power of the Internet is in automation. Some things still need that human touch, but for the menial, repetitive tasks it's perfect. Over the last year I've been leveraging the power of automation to save me time and mental energy.

New call-to-action I still get giddy with excitement when I run an automation that saves me a bunch of time or clicks. Using apps like Pocket and If This Then That can be a great way to get your feet wet with automation. Let us know in the comments how this works out for you. Also be sure to share any great IFTTT recipes you find!

Tags: Social Media Marketing, Social Media

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