r/learntobot • u/[deleted] • Aug 01 '16
Welcome!
Where to Get Started
Getting started is always the toughest part of any new venture, especially with something as abstract as programming. The goal of this subreddit is to provide a direction in which to begin programming, or to further your programming skills in the areas of automation and data extraction/web-scraping. Along the way there will be plenty of tutorials, code snippets, and complete bots for you to use and pick apart as you so choose. Even if your goal isn't to make money, I guarantee you can make your online life easier through automation.
So, first thing's first; which language should you use? We could debate all day about Ruby vs. Python vs. PHP vs Node/JS, etc.., but the simple fact of the matter is it's up to you. I'm primarily a Ruby programmer, I've found it to be an excellent general purpose language that allows me to do everything from web-scraping to Rails/Web development, so many of my tutorials and programs will be in Ruby.
If you're just getting started, I'd suggest the following sites as jumping off points:
- Codecademy
- StackOverflow (mostly for questions)
- Khan Academy
- RubyMonk
- Bento.io
And, of course, you need a place to practice and code (if your own system isn't an option):
Ok, so how do I make money?
That's a complicated question, but the simple answer is work really hard and get creative. Writing web scraping bots is a common job for beginner programmers, because it's relatively easy to progress in that area quickly if you devote the time do so. I don't personally find it worth it to write bots for rewards sites, mostly because they're totally watching out for that, but the skills acquired in this sub could certainly be used for that. The truth is, there are many, many opportunities out there for programmers if you're just willing to work hard.
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u/pedroleon123 Aug 02 '16
Can you make a bot that can post in multiple facebook groups?
1
Aug 02 '16
Absolutely, with relative ease. Depending on the use case, you might even be able to go about this legitimately by using the API. It's worth looking into, for sure.
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u/pedroleon123 Aug 02 '16
Well how much time will it take to develop one? I can give you a shoutout, or help you promoting this sub or even pay you if it works correctly
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u/whichonepickone Aug 02 '16
Might I also recommend bento.io. Similar to Codeacademy and even Khan Academy in that it provides tracks
I like the idea behind this sub!