Integrating scoop.it with wordpress … as much as I can, with a free account…

Update 2017/04/02 : Scoop.it apparently changed something in their publishing scheme. I don’t have the time to debug/update/nor I use this service anymore. I will simply deactivate the page on this blog from now on.

I am using scoop.it as a content curation platform, mainly when I don’t have the time or think that the news is not enough to publish a full blog post.

I don’t want to blend my “curated content” with my “written content” in an indistinct way, so the obvious choice was to integrate the entries on a separate WordPress page. To do that on a tightly integrated way, you need to get a paid account (worth several hundred bucks), or if you don’t mind tinkering a bit you can :

  • use the RSS feed, my choice,
  • use the API, but this one is out of my reach. I am busy enough to not scatter more than I already do:-)

So to “integrate” your scoop.it entries within a WordPress page, you need :

  • your RSS feed address (you can get it on the apps section, choosing  the “Scoop.it Topic Widget”,
  • a WordPress plugin able to warp a Feed in PHP or shortcode.

I use RSSImport, and the Shortcode parameters below give an output like what you can see here.

  • html=true
  • before_date=”<p><small>Scooped on “
  • date=true
  • before_creator=” by “
  • creator=true
  • after_creator=”</small> “
  • display=10
  • feedurl=”http://www.scoop.it/your-rss-feed/rss.xml”
  • displaydescriptions=”true”
  • use_simplepie=”true”
  • truncatedescchar=350
  • truncatedescstring=” …”
  • after_desc=” <a href=’%href%’ target=’_blank’>show insight</a> <p>”]

The plugin’s page is full of description and samples, about how to use it.

It’s not perfect, nor the first way I imagined it, but it’s there … Ideally, I would like to extract my insight from the feed entry and print it right below each bullet.

Any sugestion or help from a more talented coder tinkerer than me (no so hard …) is welcome!