View Twitter Updates in Excel and Google Docs Spreadsheet

After seeing SpreadTweet which is a twitter client disguised to look like an excel spreadsheet, I was wondering whether you can actually use Excel or Google Docs to see your twitter updates. Turns out you can!. The caveat is that your updates should be public and in the case of google docs, there may be a delay in updating the statuses.

First, you need the RSS and XML feed links for your updates. The format is

http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/username.rss and  http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/username.xml. For example for example http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/boundlessdreamz.rss and for example http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/boundlessdreamz.rss

Using Google Docs SpreadSheet

• Create a new blank spreadsheet. In the column A2 enter  =ImportFeed(“http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/boundlessdreamz.rss”,”items title”,false,20). Replace boundlessdreamz with your twitter username. 20 is the maximum number of updates you can see at any one time. The updates are cached by the google server, so you may see some delays.
• You can also  view your friendfeed updates using the same technique, in colum B2 enter =importFeed(“http://friendfeed.com/boundlessdreamz?format=atom”,”items title”, false,20) . Replace boundlessdreamz with your friendfeed username
• You can view the spreadsheet I created at http://spreadsheets.google.com/

Using Excel

• Create a blank spreadsheet. Select Data -> From Web
• This should open the New Web Query Window. In the address field enter http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/boundlessdreamz.xml (Replace boundlessdreamz with your twitter username) and press Go. Excel will now fetch all your twitter updates. After the fetching has finished click on Import.
• Now, you should have an excel sheet with your twitter updates. To fetch new updates, select Data -> Refresh All

Screenshots

Excel Too Bar : Select Data -> From Web

Excel Web Query Window

Twitter in Excel

Get Updates via Email

April 17, 2009 | Share:                      | Tags:excel, google, tips, twitter

About The Author

Manu is a Ruby on Rails developer,blogger, amateur entrepreneur, Mac and Linux enthusiast and a technophile. Read more ››

Get Updates via Email

Get Updates via RSS feed