I wrote an AppleScript for NetNewsWire that allows a user to subscribe to the Technorati cosmos for any individual item within NetNewsWire. Users now have a quick and easy way of staying informed about the latest information related to items of interest from the convenience of NetNewsWire. You do not even have to be online to subscribe to the cosmos!
This code is the second AppleScript I have ever written — the first was to export my feeds as OPML and FTP the to my server. I almost did not submit it to the Technorati developers’ contest but I won a runner-up prize!
NetNewsWire 2.0b10 added support for Yahoo! News as a special search engine subscription feed. I thought Technorati should be added to that list too, but the issue of 500 daily queries per API key might impede implementation and user experience. So I hacked my own solution.
Code
Download the AppleScript, decompress, and place the file in under the NetNewsWire scripts directory: Application Support > NetNewsWire > Scripts. You should now see “Technorati Cosmos” in NetNewsWire’s AppleScript menu.
When you first run the script you will be prompted for a Technorati API key. If you have any problems with the persistence of the key you can edit the AppleScript and enter the key directly.
This AppleScript has been tested with NetNewsWire 2.0b10. The code is available for modification, integration, and reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution License.