Weekly Tech Tip: If This Then That

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IFTTT (IF This Then That) is a service that allows you to connect certain web applications together to automate the web and eliminate busy work for you. For instance: IF you are tagged in a photo on Facebook THEN have that photo saved to your Google Drive.This is just one of many possible connections that you can create. One helpful connection or recipe, as they're called on IFTTT, is being sent an email when a new Craigslist ad is posted that fits a specific search critera. This is useful as a real estate agent because it will help you be notified of fraudulent postings, for example: a scammer posting your listing as a rental.

Step 1:

Create your account on IFTTT.

Step 2:

Once you have signed up, you will be directed to the main menu or Dashboard. At the top of your tool bar select "Create".

Step 3:

Select "this" for a list of applications or Channels to drop down. Then select the Craigslist icon:

Step 4:

Click on the "New post search" box and a space to enter the URL of the search results on Craigslist will drop down (see next step).

Step 5:

To get the URL, search for your listing's in Craigslist, IE: 123 Main. For best results, do not use terms like Street or Avenue as they can be abbreviated and may not show up in your search. Once the search results appear, highlight and copy the URL of the results page.

Step 6: 

Paste the URL into the search results bar and then select "Create Trigger"

Step 7:

Select "that" for another list of Channels to drop down. Then select the email icon.

Step 8:

Click on the "Send me an email" box and a draft of future email notifications will appear. You can change up the Subject to show the property title if you wish. Once you are done customizing the email notification select "Create Action".

Step 9:

Select "Create Recipe" for final completion of your recipe.

Step 10:

You'll then be brought back to the dashboard where you'll select "My Recipe" at the top of the tool bar.

Voilà! You have just created your own recipe on IFTTT.

When an ad is posted that matches your search criteria, you will receive a notification email:

IFTTT has many recipes pre-created to help you automate your digital life. Click on Browse to see what's already available, as well as for inspiration on other ways to use IFTTT/

Learn More: https://ifttt.com/dashboard

Use IFTTT on the web or download for iOS: