Library clips

Steve Rubel is always posting on useful productivity hacks, and this time it’s networking using email.

His post mentions how he sends/recieves content on Twitter and Facebook (status) without having to go to these sites…I posted a while back on using Facebook without having to visit their site, and Fuser has even catered for this need into a full fledged offering.

Send

Just like Steve I use TwitterMail to post Tweets by email, I use email on my phone, so TwitterMail is a must have.

But till his post I hadn’t yet realised a way to do the same for Facebook status updates…I can update photo’s, video’s and notes to Facebook by email, but not status.

The Facebook alternative to update your status is by SMS only, but now we have been told there is a way by using an email to SMS gateway, if you send an email to Teleflip, ipipi, and others, it will auto-forward that email to SMS, and presto you have updated your status.

NOTE: if I’m on the go, sending an SMS update to my Facebook status is just as effective as using an email to SMS gateway, but if the email to SMS gateway is free, then this would make a difference…not sure if the 3 linked services above are free…I’m a web 2.0 spoilt brat

[ADDED 03/10/07: Since Facebook have altered their API, the Twitter App on Facebook now allows you to check an option so your Tweets will post as your Facebook status updates, see more.
You can now create a new Twitter account for your blog and auto-post it via an RSS feed using TwitterFeed, then your blog post titles will appear as Facebook Status updates as well.]

Receive

TwitterMail also handles getting updates on your friends, just send an email with “Friends” in the subject line, and you will be emailed back the last 20 tweets from your friends. A similar service EmailTwitter even lets you specify a friend and the amount of tweets.

Steve’s post mentions another handy service called TwitterDigest, this basically allows you to follow a batch of users, where you get emailed a digest of Tweets.

TwitterMail will also send you emails when you have a @reply, so it’s all sweet…prior to this I was using a Terraminds search feed for @johnt and running it through R-mail to get these replies on email.

Updates of your friends Facebook status is a no brainer, from your user space just get your friends status update feed and convert it to email.

Friendstream

Steve goes on to mention some Gmail filters and labels in organising this content…he mentions any social network output in RSS or SMS can be converted and managed in email, which becomes your central network hub.

This means you can use Gmail as a friendstream…go to your friends blog and grab the feed, do the same for their bookmarks, presence blog, podcasts, etc…then mix these feeds at an RSS remixer like Feed Digest, then convert this feed to email using R-Mail or RSSfwd (there’s plenty of these services).
If your friend already has a lifestream, then most of the work is already done.

You can skip the remixing part and subscribe to each feed on it’s own in Gmail, and filter each one to go to a label with your friends name.

Related:
Gmail RSS Reader hack!
Getting the Most Out of GMail
10 Ways to Pimp Your Gmail
Turn Gmail Into Your Personal Nerve Center