CC Chapman on Twitter said:
The problem with more and more conversations happening over DM is there is no easy way to search them
Which is more or less true in the native interface. Luckily, RSS comes to the rescue.
From the Twitter API:
direct_messages
Returns a list of the 20 most recent direct messages sent to the authenticating user. The XML and JSON versions include detailed information about the sending and recipient users.
URL:
https://twitter.com/direct_messages.format (requires authentication)
So here’s how you do it. Craft a URL like this:
https://username:[email protected]/direct_messages.rss
Copy this.
Updated: For DMs you have SENT: https://username:[email protected]/direct_messages_sent.rss
There’s a bug in the way either Twitter renders RSS or Google Reader interprets it. Not sure which, but you need to set up Yahoo Pipes as an intermediary to make everything and everyone happy.
Go to Yahoo Pipes and drag a Fetch Feed onto the worksheet. Paste the Twitter RSS URL there. If you’re doing DMs sent, add a second box under the first one and paste the second URL there.
Next, name it, save it, and run the pipe. Do not publish it or the pipe will be publicly viewable! Copy the Get as RSS URL.
Now go to Google Reader. Paste in the Pipe RSS URL.
Congratulations. Now all new DMs will be recorded by Reader and will be fully searchable from the search box.
You’re done!
If you’d prefer all in one using GMail, you can also take the Pipes RSS feed and use any RSS to Email service (feedburner, feedblitz, etc.) and have your DMs emailed to you.
Update: If anyone knows how to implement this feature using OAuth rather than plaintext, please comment!
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This is awesome Chris. Well done. I have a sinking feeling that some noob is only go to half-read this and publish their DMs. <getting out the popcorn>
Follow instructions carefully people.
This is awesome Chris. Well done. I have a sinking feeling that some noob is only go to half-read this and publish their DMs. <getting out the popcorn>
Follow instructions carefully people.
Great job putting this together soo quickly! Very informative and now to work on it.
Great job putting this together soo quickly! Very informative and now to work on it.
This is great. First time playing with Pipes, but it's super easy – and no, Mike, I wasn't that noob! Thanks for the tutorial, Christopher.
This is awesome Chris. Well done. I have a sinking feeling that some noob is only go to half-read this and publish their DMs. <getting out the popcorn>
Follow instructions carefully people.
This is awesome Chris. Well done. I have a sinking feeling that some noob is only go to half-read this and publish their DMs. <getting out the popcorn>
Follow instructions carefully people.
Great job putting this together soo quickly! Very informative and now to work on it.
Great job putting this together soo quickly! Very informative and now to work on it.
This is great. First time playing with Pipes, but it's super easy – and no, Mike, I wasn't that noob! Thanks for the tutorial, Christopher.
This is great. First time playing with Pipes, but it's super easy – and no, Mike, I wasn't that noob! Thanks for the tutorial, Christopher.