So of course I've been talking a lot about both Twitter and Facebook, lately, and there's a question that keeps coming up:
How can I find the time to keep up with both my organization's Twitter account and Facebook Page? Can I just post the same content to each? ...And isn't there an app for that?As I've said many times, for a lot of small arts organizations, social media doesn't have to be a financial expense at all -- but it sure is a time expense! There are a number of different ways to link your organization's Facebook and Twitter accounts, but you should think carefully about how you do it.
There are several apps built for either Facebook or Twitter that let you automatically "export" your updates from one as updates into another. (So for example, if I'm using one of those apps, I can type in the Facebook status box, "Michelle is writing a blog post!" and have that message automatically post as my Twitter status as well.)
That certainly saves time! But is it a good idea?
I'll come right out and say that it drives me crazy when organizations -- or people, for that matter! -- use one of these apps to automatically post 100% identical content to Facebook and Twitter. As you might expect, I follow many arts organizations on both platforms, and it's not only redundant to read the same post in both places, but frankly quite annoying. It's one thing to occasionally have to scroll past content that doesn't engage me; it's another to sit there and scroll past content I just read five minutes ago in a different browser tab!
Besides the annoyance factor, it's also simply true that Facebook and Twitter are different platforms with different cultures. You can have different kinds of conversations with your fans and followers in each place. Facebook's character limit is way higher than the 140 you get on Twitter, for one thing. For another, it's much easier to post photos or links with context to your Facebook Page. (Twitter can be great for direct and personal interactions with your patrons... but more on that another time.)
That said, if you're interested in linking your accounts, your best option is to choose an app that lets you post selectively -- that is, one where you can choose whether or not that "Michelle is writing a blog post!" update gets sent out to Twitter or not.
There's a new-ish app that Facebook launched last month, which allows Pages to automatically send their status updates to Twitter. (If you've logged in and looked at your Facebook Page recently, you've probably seen a message announcing it at the top of the page.) The app claims that DOES let you be selective, but as far as I can tell, that claim is exaggerated. While you can choose what kinds of updates to export (status updates vs. links vs. photos...), you can't actually turn it on and off for each individual message.
Instead, I recommend checking out the Facebook app called Selective Twitter Status. It works exactly the way it sounds: When you post a new tweet on Twitter (want a Twitter lingo refresher?), you can CHOOSE whether or not it should become your new Facebook status by appending the tag "#fb" at the end. So:
"Michelle is writing a blog post! #fb" would get posted to Facebook.Pretty simple, very effective. (Note that I am not at all affiliated with the folks who created the Selective Twitter app! Just a fan.) I just think it makes more sense to choose an app that gives you more control over your social media experience -- and more importantly, the experience of your fans and followers.
"Michelle is writing a blog post!" would not.
