Tutorials

Jun 26 2010

From iPhone to your blog to Twitter and Facebook in three taps

This is a little trick I showed to my buddy @JamesProps a little while ago that has allowed him to quickly take pictures with his iPhone, have them posted to his blog at JamesProps.com and then out to Twitter and Facebook.

It’s so quick he only has to launch an iPhone app, take a picture and tap send. Then the system takes care of the rest.

It is so easy to set up that I explained the whole process to him over a series of Twitter direct messages and a couple of emails. Here’s how it works:

Set up your custom domain—<yournamehere>.com

First you need to register a domain. You can get a domain rather inexpensively at GoDaddy.com ( Domain Sale! $6.89 .com at GoDaddy ), just be sure you only get the domain—don’t bother with the hosting or anything else.

Sign up for a Tumblr account

Next you’ll want to sign up for a Tumblr account and start a blog there.

While you’re logged into Tumblr.com and click “Customize”. In the Customize window, you can change the theme of your blog really simply and there are a ton of themes to choose from.

When you’re done customizing everything else, click the “Info” tab and tell Tumblr you want your blog at the domain you just registered.

You’ll also want to look under the “Services” tab and add your Facebook and Twitter accounts. This will announce every post your make to your Tumblr blog to your Twitter followers and your Facebook friends.

Point your domain at Tumblr

Now, you’re going to have to tell GoDaddy.com that you want traffic to your domain to go to your Tumblr blog. So, log into GoDaddy.com, go to Domain Management, click on your domain in the list of domains.

Once you arrive at the Domain Manager page for your domain, click “Total DNS Control”

(Almost there!) Click the little paper & pencil icon under A (Host) in the @ row…

Then plug 72.32.231.8 into the “Point To Ip Address:” field and click OK.

Now, give it a minute or two and then go to your domain name …it should now be your Tumblr blog. Free website with your own custom domain.

The app that makes is simple by making it Quickr

There is a free Tumblr app which is pretty great, but there is also a 99¢ app called Quickr from Basil Apps that makes posting pictures to your page a much simpler procedure: Launch, snap, (type a description if you like) and post—DONE!

The thing I love about services like Tumblr is they integrate so well (and evolve to continue to integrate well) with other social networking and web services. A lot of people trying to establish a “personal brand” make an over-the-top “Hollywood” website that they can’t maintain themselves and they’re often too complicated to update often enough to build an audience. A simple, free Tumblr site kicks their ass.

You should also go to Tumblr’s Goodies Page and drag the “Share on Tumblr” bookmarklette into your bookmarks bar on your browser.

Then, any time you’re on a super awesome website reading an article, click the “Share on Tumblr” button in your toolbar and a little window will pop up and help you post a link to that article any way you would like (text, photo, video, quote…whatever!)

I’m really liking Tumblr. Let me know how this process works for you.

What online services do you use to express yourself and reach your friends…your audience? Please tell me about it in the comments.

By RickMacMerc • blogs, Featured, iOS, iPhone, Social Networking, tutorial, Tutorials • 2 • Tags: address field, amp, blog, buddy, click, com, custom domain, customize, domain, domain management, domain manager, facebook friends, followers, info tab, iPhone, lt, Page, pencil icon, Share, tab, taps, Tumblr, twitter