Create a new task.
Choose the channel where the task starts, also called a trigger ('if this'). Each channel often has multiple action choices. For example, on Instagram you can choose to have an action performed on 1) a new photo that you post, 2) a photo that you 'like', or 3) a photo where you put a certain tag in the description of the photo.
Then choose the channel that will do something based on the trigger, also called action ('then that'). Again, each channel often has multiple actions that it can perform. For example, on Facebook you can choose to share a 1) status update, 2) link update, or 3) photo.
Finally, you still have the option to add certain information to those automated actions ('addins'). For example, do you share your blog posts on Linkedin via an RSS feed? Then you can indicate in your status update that it should start with "New blog post:". A very handy feature!
Useful examples
With thousands of possibilities, you might quickly lose track. IFTTT therefore helps you a little by indicating per channel what the most used tasks are. Even better is that the IFTTT community helps you: you can share your tasks publicly as 'recipes'. These recipes can be found here and you can activate them for yourself with one click.
Below you will find 8 tasks that I often have IFTTT perform:
Automatically share new blog posts via my RSS feed on Linkedin and Facebook .
Automatically buffer new blog posts via my RSS feed , so that a tweet is sent at set times.
Items within my Google RSS reader that I mark as favorites, will automatically be saved as a bookmark within Delicious.
Automatically save Facebook photos I'm tagged in to a Dropbox folder of my choosing.
Automatically share Instagram photos as a photo on my Tumblr blog.
Automatically save Instagram photos to a Dropbox folder of my choosing.
Automatically save YouTube's 'watch later' videos to Instapaper .
But of course there are other tasks to consider:
If it rains tomorrow, text me.
When it's the weekend, I change my Twitter avatar (something Twinout also offers).
If a certain stock that I manage goes above a certain value, send me an email. etcetera, etcetera..
Conclusion
As someone interested in lifehacking/smarter working, I think IFTTT is a great tool brother cell phone list It might take some time to explore all the possibilities and functionalities at first, but after that you can set up the necessary automated tasks within a few clicks. For example, I used the tool for the #socmedprak event to link Delicious and Instapaper to the Twitter account. I am waiting for Google+ and Pinterest to be added as channels: that would be a nice extension.
Of course, automation is not the holy grail : you can choose to keep control over your tweets yourself. In addition, it is important to ensure that you do not have double tasks performed: for example, if you have set your Instagram photos to automatically appear on Facebook, you should not check within Instagram itself that a photo should be placed on Facebook.
What do you think of IFTTT? Do you see opportunities to use this tool or do you have other useful examples? Feel free to share them below!