TECH - Have the internet work for YOU, find parts, save time!

How would you like to know instantly, the moment a 32 ford is listed ANYWHERE on craigslist, without doing ANY searching or manual work? Looking for that oddball part? Collect "Vintage hotrod parts"? Spend waaaaay to much time checking websites hoping updates?

If you are like me, you have a list of about 10 (ok maybe 100) oddball/rare things you randomly search for on EBay and Craigslist, on top of about 100 websites/blogs you check daily (ok, hourly) to see if there are any “updates”. Rarely, does that part show up in a search, but boy what a great feeling when it does…and some of the coolest blogs aren’t updated frequently, so you waste time and time again, hitting that “refresh” button in hopes of an update.

Looky Looky


This TECH will show you how to use “RSS feeds”, coupled with Google Reader and a few other internet technologies, to have the internet do the work FOR you and save you TONS of time.
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Most of your favorite websites have a “subscribe” feature or RSS/Atom button that allows you to "add" them to Google reader, or subscribe and be notified through google reader, of updates, without actually visiting the site.
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If it doesn’t make sense, read it through and try it out....you'll get it.
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First step, sign up for a gmail/google reader account at
http://www.google.com/reader or if you already have a gmail account, simply use that.

<o></o>Click on “Create account”

Great, now you have a Google Reader (Reader) account. Reader is home base. You should use it right next to your email.
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In the first part, we will tackle specific parts searches accross multiple craigslist sites , and in the second, we’ll cover favorite website updates.

Google reader is kind of like email, but you get emails when websites/searches are updated...automatically. For instance, rather than searching everyday for “widget” on craigslist in 10 different states, and weeding through hordes of honda civic rims, you can narrow down searches so that updates will show up shortly after your “widget” has been listed. Kind of like “ebay saved searches” if you are familiar. (albeit, not daily, but almost realtime!)
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So let’s setup some searches for you. Let’s pick “32 ford” for this tech’s sake.
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So you regularly search the entire west coast for 32 ford on craigslist. Doing so manually could take hours and yield ZERO results.
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Aha, but you found http://www.crazedlist.org but even that site, takes time to weed through manual search results daily and pick out the goodies that rarely yield results.
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What if you could be “alerted” everytime someone posts “32 ford” on ALL of craigslist?
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Ok, next step. Go to http://www.crazedlist.org and put in “32 ford” check off titles only and in the area dropdown, choose the region you want to be alerted from. Or, if you only want a few states, check off the appropriate boxes. Then click the big GET RSS FEEDS button.


Then, right click the link picture below and click “save as”
what you are doing is saving a file that will then be uploaded to Google Reader so that Google Reader knows to alert you whenever a 32 ford is posted for sale on the states on craigslist you choose.




Great.
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Next, open up Google Reader again and click on settings up on the top right, then click import/export.
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Click on “Browse” and choose the 32ford file you had saved off crazedlist and click upload.




Now 288 or so subscriptions will show up. GREAT. But before we get to see the magic, lets organize a little. Hit the “ALL 288 subscriptions” link….and in the “Add to a folder” drop down menu on the right, pick the first one…and choose new folder and label it “32 Ford”

Since this only changed it for the AK Anchorage folder, we have to choose the “more actions” drop down on the top, and choose add tag, 32 ford to put all of those subscriptions in the 32 ford folder.



Now hit the “Back to Google Reader” link on the top. MAGIC.
If you are familiar with Gmail, it will have a similar layout, only with new items listed instead of emails.
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Click on the 32 ford folder on the left, and in the upper right click on “LIST VIEW” (just makes it easier on the eyes.
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Now, right now, “89” things came up in my search….of course, I could have narrowed it down a little to only search in Autos section, and been more specific, but just used 32 ford as an example. Feel free to get as specific as you want or as broad as you want.
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So let’s review real quick:
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-we signed up for a reader account<!--[endif]-->
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-we downloaded an “automatic search file” from crazed list<!--[endif]-->
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-we uploaded it to reader<!--[endif]-->
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-we created a 32 ford folder in reader<!--[endif]-->
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So now we have a bunch of things that are “unread”….well after you have read them all, click on “mark all as read at the top (this is equivalent of delete).

Now from now on, everytime a 32 ford is listed on craigslist, it will pop up in reader….no searching needed!

Another thing I like to do is simply “subscribe” to ANY motorcycle that is listed in my area (central NJ).

To do this, I go to craigslist, go to motorcycles…and scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the RSS feed button….and subscribe to it via google reader. Now instead of constantly going to craigslist and being distracted by the Erotic Services section, Newely listed motorcycles in my area simply just show up in google reader.
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Another tidbit is getting an RSS subscription to the HAMB classifieds!!!! Be alerted whenever something new is added to the classifieds!!
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To go this, in google reader, click on add subscription and past this in there….
[FONT=&quot]http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/external.php?type=rss2&forumids=7

[/FONT] Now, anytime a new car is posted, BAM (like emeril) it shows up as bold and a new item.
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P.S. You can do this for ANY of the Jalopy Journal forums for new “threads” (not posts) just change the ID number of the forum.
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Below is an example of how I have things organized in google reader.


You’ll notice I have classifieds section. In it, I’ve subscribed to the HAMB classifieds, Jockey Journal, and a few other general classifieds websites
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Then I have a Craigslist Searches section…this is where I tag all of my craigslist searches for things that I normall search for (no…not w4m)
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The next couple of sections are my subscriptions to various blogs and news sites that I check every day. Let’s get into that. Make a list of 10 websites you visit on a dialy basis that aren’t particularly message boards. My bet is at least HALF of them offer RSS feeds you can subscribe to via google reader.
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For instance.
[FONT=&quot]<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" oreferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <vath o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:431.25pt; height:324pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\TimkoR\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.png" o:title=""/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]-->
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see that "Syndicate" section on the right?

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Click on RSS or RSS2 and subscribe via google reader and now you’ll never miss a front page article!!!

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http://www.cnn.com/services/rss/<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" oreferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <vath o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:431.25pt; height:324pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\TimkoR\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.png" o:title=""/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->
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some other RSS feeds
http://chopperdaves.blogspot.com/
http://chopperdaves.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default - FEED
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My blog:
http://randallpmcmurphy.blogspot.com/
http://randallpmcmurphy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
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You can even subscribe to peoples MySpace blogs!!


Pretty much any site that you visit daily for news/blogs/articles, etc. has a feed so instead of checking every 15 minutes to see if there is an update….relax and be notified when it updates!
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Google around, you can even subscribe to peoples Flikr and Photobucket accounts to see whenever they upload a new picture….all sorts of internet stalkery! Yahoo Groups and EBAY searches too……..Most message boards can be RSS feeded so that you get an update whenever a new THREAD is posted…this is useful for those not-so-frequented message boards where only 1 or 2 threads a week pop up. Hell I have a folder I made called “check when bored” that I only read when …well I’m bored…that has about 1000 different oddball sites subscribed!
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If anyone has any questions on how to add something to google reader, or how to add a subscription to Google Reader, please post in this thread and I’ll try to help. Please don't PM me, post to the thread as I'm sure many other people on the site can help as well.



Next time you visit a site....look around for an RSS button!!!!!!!


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Some other things I "subscribe to" so I won't ever miss something....

Nad's MySpace Blog
http://blog.myspace.com/blog/rss.cfm?friendID=41307855

and you can also be alerted, I forgot to mention, whenever a specific person uploads a new video to their YouTube account.

 

Thanks Caffeine I will try this when I get home.

 

great information!
Thanks for taking the time to share it!

 

Neat trick but now all of the HAMB knows it

 

eh, such is life. Can't horde all the parts....

 

would this work for porn as well?

Just asking for a friend...

 

actually, yep. haha

http://www.rssporno.com/

 

Good write up, man. I'm an RSS fiend. I just switched to Google Reader from Bloglines a while back.

Perhaps one of the best use of RSS feeds is keeping up with the HAMB!

Subscribe to this feed if you want to read new threads as they come up:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/external.php?type=rss2&forumids=5

Be warned though that it isn't unusual to see over 100 new threads EACH DAY. But I can skim them much quicker in Google Reader than going straight to the HAMB. This feed only updates when new threads are posted, so you don't see replies to old threads or anything.

I used to subscribe to the classifieds too, but it got to be too much to keep up with

 

Damn you! Now i'm looking at PAGES of things I can't afford in record time!


Seriously though, thanks for the tech.

 

If you're into RSS feeds, checkout yahoo "pipes" http://pipes.yahoo.com

For instance, I wrote a little iGoogle widget that displays a pipe that runs on craigslist in the seven state area for TIG welders... it works slick.

Ben

 

and it works for porn i see , me like!

 

Great info, thanks.

 

This is awesome!!!!!!!!! +10 points for Caffeine!!!! Can you be really specific in your search like on ebay? Like for instance: (1949, 1950, 1951) Ford ?

 

.....And, of course- Google wont upload your file as it's not "properly formatted" I HATE COMPUTERS...

 

O.K.- Here's a couple DON'TS for Crazedlist; Don't use quotation marks in the search box- it will corrupt the file you save. Don't use a hyphen in the search box. Example; Y-Block. because then it interprets Y-Block as 2 separate words. Google reader will then spit out every damn ad with a "Y" or the word "block" in it. I love computers

 

good call, didn't know that, thanks.

 

I like this, alway looking for different parts.Going to give this a try.Thanks for post this.

 

NAAAH, Caffeine, PROPS TO YOU. I'm a neophyte when it come to this kinda stuff. I've always wondered what that RSS bug was for. You started me off on a new learning path ( a big deal for an old guy) I appreciate your time/ knowledge/ post. I'm anxious to see how this works- Thanks Bud-

 

Thanks you Douchebag......Now I can be more efficient at spending the money I don't have. We'll ALL be broke soon! Let me guess.....this is your conspiracy to get all the PackRats to blow all their money so we can't afford to get to the Jalopy Showdown so that YOU can get the sweet camping spots for yourself. Yeah, thats it....your after US you douchbag!

Thanks for the great info anyway........gotta run.....just got some some rss hits on my sheep, mayonaise and latex searches.....err, I mean my '29 Ford steel searches.

-Bigchief.

 

hahaha. I use it actually more for blogs/news/favorite website updates than for classifieds and craigslist.

but...the using rss to efficiently find deals is far more beneficial than my Perez Hilton/TMZ rss feeds.

 

Me too! I've wondered about the RSS and had no idea who to ask.

Thanks Caffeine!!!

 

wow this is effin crazy....i never knew what the hell that RSS stuff meant....i found 331 hemis all over the damn place..you effin rock for this....if you see a fat black man stalkin you its me lookin for ya to give you a hug...okay that was sick but thanks anyway

 

Great thanks for the post!

 

great post! Thanks for the info!

 

I will be looking into this too, thanks!

 

Nads has a blog?

Rich

 

Great post, thanks. I set up my usual CL searches in the reader. One way I search through Ebay, CL and Kijiji (never heard of it? check it out) by using Google. In Google, put in the service you want to search, then use specific keywords. So if I were looking on Kijiji, I'd type "kijiji hemi intake", or "craigslist stromberg 97"
It's not as easy as the reader, but I've found things this way that I never would have any other way.

 

Hopw about the words "tool box" or "hundred Bucks"...any of them get a match?

Spike

 

Thanks for the tip. I set up some of my usual Craigslist searches in the reader; but I quickly exceeded the capacity of something(?) When I get to about 700+ searches the reader becomes very sluggish, unresponsive, and error-prone. This may sound like a lot of searches, but with 288 or so lists to search, that is really only 3 searches! Anyone else having this problem? Is this a limitation of the site, my cable connection, my hardware, or what do you think?