Help embedding a simple twitter feed...

[Vonder_Van_de_Veer]

Hello all,
I would like to try using Twitter as a quick and simple way of adding information to our website which can be easily updated by other members of staff. For example, I could put it on the website front page and the head/admin could post a 'tweet' if the schooll is closed for any reason.

I have tried Twitter's own widgets and none are quite right.
The nearest is the plain html widget, but this adds information of when the tweet was made and thus makes the area look cluttered and ugly.
The flash based ones have Twitter logos on them and I don't want anywhere that can be clicked to website users to go to twitter and our feed.

I have tried using an rss feed from twitter but it does not show up in the free rss widgets I use - I think it may be something to do with the feed wanting a username and password before it can be viewed.

Does anyone know of any good gadgets or siilar I can add to my website which will just show the tweets, without any graphics, timestamps etc?

cheers

VVdV

[morganw]

The easiest way to get the data direct is to code something or use someone elses scripts to download from:

http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/username.rss

Then you'll have to process the download to pick out the bits you want to display. I use a Joomla module to do the same thing but it's based on the same principle as I had to modify the code slightly while troubleshooting it.

Something like this Use PHP to add your Twitter feed to any page

[mossj]

Do you have the feed set as private?

[morganw]

No, it's a public feed.
The code in the joomla module would also support sending credentials, but I'm pretty such they are sent unencrypted so I wouldn't do it. Don't you want the feed to be private though? It sounds like you are using it for the same purpoe we are, you still need to authenticate to post to it. Would be easiest to get the head to send updates via SMS.

[mossj]

Don't think you need to login to twitter, to see rss feeds... mine works without being signed in Twitter / leicestertalk

You are using the basic RSS module suppplied with base joomla? Bare in mind it only updates at X interval.

[rlweb]

Most easiest way is to use javascript so nothing server side needed..

jQuery plugin for Twitter – blog – coda.coza

[Vonder_Van_de_Veer]

Thanks all
I actually managed to do it by embedding one of Twitter's own gadgets. Setting all the borders etc to white and covering some of the bits up with white objects.

Seems to work ok!

here

VVdV