ChirpBot Launches, offering on-demand content, games and more through Twitter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New service allows users to access on-demand content, play games, and control web-based software through commands issued on Twitter.

Waterloo, Ont. – June 30, 2009 - ChirpBot, a free service that lets you issue commands through your computer or your phone using Twitter, launched in Beta form today. The service allows users to issue simple commands, called chirps, through the popular microblogging service Twitter.

Using ChirpBot, anyone with a Twitter account can:

• Access several types of web-based content on demand, including weather, sports scores, stock quotes and daily horoscopes
• Play text-based games (like Blackjack) through Twitter
• Access and control web-based software through Twitter
• Retrieve web-based information easily without the headaches of mobile browsing

At launch, ChirpBot will offer a sampling of services that includes:

• Real-time sports scores for any MLB or NHL game
• Local weather forecasts and conditions
• Stock quotes for publicly traded companies
• Daily horoscopes
• Blackjack, a Twitter-based version of the popular card game
• Dreamhost API commands. Use Twitter to access web hosting tools from this popular hosting provider.
• Book search, a quick method for accessing Amazon.com search results on your mobile
• Random quotes from classic literature

The ChirpBot team insists that this initial sampling is a mere fraction of what is to come. “We’ve got a long list of channels we intend to develop,” says Dan Skeen, President of Keyword Communications Group, the holding company for ChirpBot. “Some of them will really surprise people and show them what this service is capable of.” The team also looks forward to extending the ChirpBot service to the developer community through API tools and support, creating the first extensible platform for Twitter automation.

The company’s origin comes from a fairly simple concept, Skeen explains. “My co-founder was looking at the update area for Twitter,” he says. “Where others saw a simple text field he saw a command line.” Building on this principle, the team created ChirpBot.com and set up the service to issue commands using the API of a popular web hosting company, Dreamhost. “Suddenly, a simple tweet could reboot a web server, and that got us thinking about other possibilities,” Skeen says.

About the ChirpBot Team:

ChirpBot, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is the most comprehensive automation service for the Twitter platform available today. For more information on ChirpBot, visit ChirpBot.com or follow ChirpBot on Twitter.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-28

• Check out the new nest at http://www.chirpbot.com – now get stock quotes, sports scores, horoscopes, games and more through Twitter! #

ChirpBot Wins the Early Bird Prize in the DreamHost API Contest

Thanks to Josh Jones and the team at Dreamhost for awarding ChirpBot as the winner of the early bird prize in their “Crazy $10,000 giveaway contest!”. You see, Dreamhost developed a lovely little API a while ago, and to promote it, they set up the following contest:

Develop any application (Windows, Mac, Linux, Web, iPhone, Facebook, Boxee, Firefox Plugin, whatever…) that uses the DreamHost API by April 30th 2009, and submit a link to it in the comments to this post.

We (I) will personally review all entries, and CASH prizes will be awarded to the best apps to the tune of:

Grand Prize: $5,000
1st Place: $2,500
2nd Place: $1,250
3rd Place: $500
4th Place: $750

The final prize winners have been announced and we’re very pleased to report that a $2,000 early bird prize was awarded to the best of the bunch – ChirpBot.

We’re quite pleased with this early recognition, not just because we like people giving us money, but because it’s validation for an idea that we feel has so much room to grow into something bigger.

ChirpBot Delivers Stock Quotes and Finance Info Through Twitter

Getting up-to-the-minute stock info on your mobile device can be challenging. What if you could do it through good ol’ Twitter rather than mobile browsing or installing another mobile application? Now you can, and it couldn’t be easier.

ChirpBot’s stock quotes channel doesn’t require any installation or configuration – it’s ready to go. All you need to do is send an @reply or direct message to ChirpBot on Twitter. In your message use the quote command, then specify the ticker symbol for the stock you’d like to monitor (e.g. MSFT for Microsoft). So, your @reply would look like this: @chirpbot quote msft

And a direct (private) message would look like this: d chirpbot quote msft

Within seconds you’ll receive either an @reply or direct message to your Twitter ID from ChirpBot that includes the latest stock market info for that stock.

Happy trading!

Using @reply or Direct Messages in Twitter

There are some great resources out there for learning how to use Twitter, but we’d like to offer a few thoughts on a matter that’s particularly important to ChirpBot – @replies and direct messages.

In order to send a command to ChirpBot, you must direct that command (aka chirp) at ChirpBot’s Twitter account. This works easiest if you first follow ChirpBot on Twitter – in fact, you cannot send direct (private) messages to ChirpBot unless your follow us on Twitter.

Here are the two methods you can use to direct a message at another Twitter user:

@replies

This method starts a tweet with @ and then a user name. For example,

 @dskeen How did your noggin get so huge? Do you have trouble finding hats that fit?
 10:59 AM May 09, 2009 from web in reply to dskeen

If someone @replies you—note, this means they start a tweet with @yourusername — you will see that in your main timeline in Twitter if you follow the person. But you’ll see it in your replies tab, whether you follow them or not (unless you’ve blocked them). So, @replies are not completely private, but they are also not likely to be seen by your followers. For more on @replies, check out the Twitter blog.

Direct Messages (DM)

This method starts a tweet with d and then a user name, such as d chirpbot horoscope

But you can also send a direct message through one of these methods, in which case the d is not required:

• the “message” link on the profile page of the Twitter user you want to message
• the reply icon attached to messages in your direct message inbox on Twitter.com
• the drop down box on your direct message inbox page on Twitter.com
• direct message options in whatever Twitter client you may be using

A direct message sends a message to a Twitter user that cannot be seen by others. Direct Messages sent to you will appear only in your Direct Messages area of Twitter.com. For more info on direct messages, visit this page in the Twitter forums.

How ChirpBot responds to @replies and Direct Messages

In some cases ChirpBot will respond via email, but when it comes to tweets, ChirpBot will respond using the same method in which the original request was sent.

If you send an @chirpbot message, chirpbot will respond with an @yourtwitterID message. If you send a direct message, Twitter will send back a direct message. It’s important to keep this in mind so that you’ll know where to look for ChirpBot’s responses.

Get your Local Weather Forecast on Twitter with ChirpBot

We know, we know – there’s already several ways to get weather info on your mobile device. You might use mobile browsing and navigate your way to the info you need … eventually. Or you might go through the sheer joy of downloading and installing another smartphone app. Now how about this option: use ChirpBot to request your local forecast as a tweet, anytime you need it.

It’s quick and easy to use. Visit ChirpBot.com and configure the weather channel. Just a few quick settings – choose your local city and choose between celcius/fahrenheit and you’re all set. From this point on, just send a tweet to ChirpBot (using an @reply or a direct message), and use one of these chirps:

• weather – this one delivers both the forecast and the current conditions
• forecast – this one retrieves the weather forecast for the next few days
• conditions – this one retrieves current weather data

So, for example, if you wanted to send an @reply, your tweet would look like this: @chirpbot weather

It’s that simple. May the sun shine gently upon your shoulders.

ChirpBot Delivers the Latest Sports Scores Via Twitter

Play ball, chirp-nation! Our sports scores channel keeps you up-to-date with on demand sports scores delivered through Twitter. With a simple chirp to ChirpBot, you’ll receive the latest sports score for any Major League Baseball or National Hockey League team (more sports leagues coming soon).

You don’t need to do anything to configure this channel – it’s ready to go. Simply send a tweet using your usual Twitter interface. Send either a direct message or an @reply to ChirpBot on Twitter. Then add the league abbreviation, either mlb or nhl, followed by the team you want to track. You can specify a team by city name (e.g. Boston), abbreviation (Bos), or team name (Red Sox).

So, the message you send through Twitter might look something like this:

@chirpbot nhl penguins or, to send a direct message:  d chirpbot nhl penguins

ChirpBot’s favourite teams: Orioles, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Penguins of course.

Play Blackjack on Twitter using ChirpBot

Let the games begin! If you thought ChirpBot was all business – rebooting web servers, sending weather forecasts, sending sports scores, etc. – think again. ChirpBot’s got the visor on and he’s dealing blackjack right now. It’s the first of many Twitter-based games you’ll see from ChirpBot.

The game itself is pretty simple. You don’t need to do anything to configure the BlackJack channel. When you’re ready to play send a direct message or an @reply to ChirpBot using the bj-deal chirp. Your tweet should look like this: @chirpbot bj-deal

Or, if you don’t want your message and response to appear on Twitter, send a direct message like this: d chirpbot bj-deal

This simple command tells ChirpBot that you’re ready to play and he will deal you a hand of cards. Within seconds, you’ll receive a tweet from ChirpBot that tells you the cards you have been dealt, as well as the card currently showing for ChirpBot.  It should look something like this:

You ($0): Q,8 Dealer: A,?

The dollar value in parenthesis is your running total of how much you’ve won/lost playing blackjack. The betting value for a hand is $10 (of course, no real money is involved), so you’re starting at $0. Next you’ll see the cards you are holding, in this case a Queen and an 8. In blackjack scoring, a Jack, Queen, or King are worth 10, so the total value of your cards is 18, pretty close to the perfect score of 21. You can see that ChirpBot is holding an ace, valued at either 1 or 11 as per blackjack rules. The dealer’s other card is hidden.

At this point, you’ve got two choices: hit or stay.

If you want another card, use the bj-hit chirp (e.g. @chirpbot bj-hit). If you don’t want to risk adding another card, use the bj-stay chirp (e.g. @chirpbot bj-stay). Using our example, let’s do that. ChirpBot then responds with another tweet:

You ($10): Q,8 Dealer: A,2,K,Q Dealer bust…you win!

For anyone who’s played blackjack, this is pretty straightforward. ChirpBot (the dealer) drew cards that totaled over 21, and therefore lost the hand. The running total of your winnings is up to $10. Keep it up!

Now let’s say you lost track of a game and want to see what cards you’re holding. Use the bj-status chirp for an update on your current hand.

If you ever want to reset your totals (hey, who doesn’t want to start over after a bad run at blackjack?), use the bj-reset chirp and you’ll be back at $0.

Have fun!

ChirpBot’s Sending Horoscopes Through Twitter

You can request your daily horoscope at any time using Twitter and the horoscope channel from ChirpBot. The easiest way to use this channel is to specify your zodiac sign using the horoscope channel on ChirpBot.com. Once it’s set, all you need to do is send the horoscope chirp.

If you want your horoscope to remain private, send a direct message to ChirpBot, like this: d chirpbot horoscope

If you want your horoscope to appear on your Twitter page, send an @reply, like this: @chirpbot horoscope

But what good is fortune-telling if you can’t see what the future holds? If you want to get your horoscope for tomorrow, just use the chirp horoscope-tomorrow

Now, if you want to see the horoscope for another sign, or if you haven’t configured the horoscope channel, you can use the horoscope-for chirp. To get a private reading for a virgo horoscope, send the following tweet: d chirpbot horoscope-for virgo

May good fortunes find you.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-07

• Just added the newest DreamHost API calls: mysql-list-dbs, mysql-list-hostnames, mysql-list-users, mail-list-filters, & post-announcement #