Feed Me YackTrack, Feed Me!

In case you have not noticed, this is the official blog of YackTrack. It has been a few weeks, so it is time for another update from YackTrack. We have added TypePad/MoveableType blog support assuming that the comment feed is in the default location. This gives us some support for the three major blog platforms! We have also added support for IntenseDebate, so if you are a DumbLittleMan.com reader, you can follow the conversation from YackTrack.com as well. Disqus support improved some thanks to their team, though we still assume your forum is basically the same as your domain. A few defects that were found by our users were corrected, and some general cleanup was finished as well. The Help page has been updated to better reflect the current state of YackTrack as well.

RSS Feeds and APIs

Yes, that is right, YackTrack now has RSS feeds! Given the type of content YackTrack deals with, the feeds are standard RSS 2.0 but may not be in the best format. The standard RSS format lists each comment from each supported service as an RSS item. This format is not so useful for parsing information, but it should be fine for an RSS reader. You will notice that when you run a query for a URL or a keyword, you now see a subscribe link as the first result.

YackTrack Subscribe RSS

Given that a normal RSS feed is not very useful for a developer, there is a different, extended RSS format for the YackTrack API. So, if you are a developer, you can take a look at the YackTrack API Description to get a better idea of what data is being provided. On the same page you will see that there is also a JSON API! For developers, the JSON API is probably the most obvious, and is very straightforward as well. Given that this is the first version of the API, the only “real” call is a query that replicates the standard URL and keyword searches.

As usual, please let me know of any feedback or questions you may have, just email feedback at yacktrack.com. Also, a YackTrack FriendFeed room has been created to share ideas feedback and stories. I hope you enjoy the new feeds!

9 thoughts on “Feed Me YackTrack, Feed Me!”

  1. Hey, totally shameless plugs are the best kind of plugs. No one is trying to deceive me.

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  3. Your service keeps getting better and better, and you keep coming up with innovative ideas.

    Good on you, man. I hope Yacktrack gets all the attention it so richly deserves.

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  5. @Honest Ape
    Well, the hope is that the service continuously improves. I would hate to see it go down in quality. Again, thanks for the praise as well.

    @Julie
    As far as shameless plugs go, I need to drum up as much publicity as possible for yacktrack. Plus, if I am honest about it, people are more tolerable of plugs like that.

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  6. Interestingly, although I’d noticed the mentions of YackTrack I’d never actually checked it out myself until this post. So the shameless plug worked for at least one new visitor. 🙂

    And given the increasing fragmentation of blog discussion – as has been widely discussed in recent days all over the blogosphere – it’s an invaluable service. I found comment and discussion on some of my blog posts that I had no idea had previously existed. Great service.

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  7. @Robin

    Well, that is the point of the shameless plug 🙂 Also, YackTrack is something that is finally getting to true utility. The previous versions were helpful, but not quite enough.

    I am glad that you found conversations that you did not exist. In all honesty, I use the chatter query to track mentions of yacktrack and I have found other mentions as well. Let me know if you have any feature requests at feedback at yacktrack.com

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  9. I just noticed this article on Mixx! Gave it an up.

    By the way, did you think my idea of making a feedflare to YackTrack was a good one? .. oh, I just now noticed you replied on FriendFeed. Responding there! LOL

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