Twitter API – Up and Running Review
Twitter is one of the hottest web properties these days. It’s growing so fast even its founders are struggling to keep up. But what’s even more exciting than talking with your tweeps on Twitter is playing with some of the apps that have been written for the Twitter platform. Twitter is truly a data goldmine, and a lot of talented developers have taken advantage of Twitter API to write sophisticated tools that can analyze the data and give you actionable information. Now you can do your market research, trend analysis, brainstorming, product research, and brand promotion all with the help of top Twitter applications. But you don’t have to wait for others to write Twitter applications for you when you can learn to do it yourself by reading Twitter API – Up and Running.
I have been a fan or O’reilly books for years. If you want to know about the most cutting edge technologies out there, there is no better place to refer to than O’reilly publishing. Twitter API: Up and Running is the latest O’reilly book that is written to help you get started with Twitter API fast. The platform is expanding fast, and there is no reason you shouldn’t play a bigger part in it. Whether you want to make money from your application or just provide value to Twitter community with your apps, this is the book that you are going to need to start writing those killer apps.
Who’s This Book For
Simple answer: for anyone who’s interested in doing more than just tweeting all day. Twitter is full of great information. Twiter API allows you to get more out of the platform by enabling you to develop killer market research, trend analysis, friend management, and account management apps. I was impressed with how easy-t0-read this book was. Kevin does not try to go over your head and assuming anything about your web development knowledge. It’s probably necessary to be familiar with how web apps work, but you don’t have to be an expert in CSS or PHP to take advantage of what’s presented in this book.
Twitter API – Up and Running gets you started with a Hello Twitter chapter that familiarizes you with various Twitter concepts. I strongly recommend everyone read this chapter before moving ahead. It’s a great read and builds the foundation for you to get a better understanding on how Twitter applications work. The second chapter takes you beyond theory and familiarizes you with a few top Twitter applications available on the market. The more you study Twitter apps, the better you can figure out the unfulfilled needs and wants of the community. And in case you are not comfortable with web programming, you are going to get a crash course in the third chapter.
The rest of the chapters walk you through everything you need to know to write sophisticated Twitter applications. But, what I was most excited about this book was the task automation chapter. I don’t know about you, but I rather outsource non-core Twitter activities, and what a better way to do that by writing an app to get the job done. I am not suggesting that you should use task automation to add a massive number of friends on the go, but there are simple tasks that can be automated. In this chapter, you learn how to do just that.
The Sample Applications chapter is another great one for those of you interested in doing things the practical way. Kevin will get you familiar with various applications to help you build a better understanding of how to write exciting apps using Twitter API. You can read theory all day, but if you are more interested in actually doing some coding instead of reading theory, this is a must read chapter.
Overall, Twitter API – Up and Running takes you from beginner to pro in a flash. You should take time to familiarize yourself with MySQL and other web development technologies to write killer apps, but this book teaches you the concepts and provides you with sample codes to get you started. And it helps that it’s one of the most addictive technical books on the market (once you pick it up you don’t want to put it down!). If you are tired of just tweeting all the time and want to get your hands dirty with some Twitter API coding, reading this book is a great place to start. Another smash hit by O’reilly!
*don’t forget to check the book’s official page for more information.
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