Peter Fletcher

  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Why I unlinked my fan Page and Twitter account

November 17, 2009 by Peter Fletcher

Chain linksI recently linked my Facebook fan Page to my Twitter account. The thinking behind the move was simple. First the audiences for both my Page and Twitter accounts are similar making the content of the Page post and tweet relevant in both cases. Second, when I update my Page Facebook creates a tweet giving me one less thing to do. Sounds simple enough, but it’s not.

I imagined that any link contained within the Page post would be sent (probably in shortened form) in the tweet.  Instead Facebook send Twitter a link to the post on the Facebook Page (here’s an example), and not the link posted to the Page.

What this means is that users are taken to a page on Facebook  that contains the original post. From there they must then click through to the article. It’s a long way around.

Facebook may be trying to help Page owners by driving traffic back to the Page post and therefore the Page. I’d like to think that’s the case. A more cynical view is that Facebook is attempting to grab a few extra ad-carrying page impressions. Maybe that’s going too far.  Whatever their reasons it’s a clumsy arrangement that doesn’t work well for the end user.

As of yesterday I’ve unlinked my Facebook Page and Twitter account until they get it sorted out.

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurek_durczak/ / CC BY 2.0

Related posts:

  1. How to use Facebook ads to double my web traffic This post is the start of a one month challenge...
  2. The secret formula to building a massive Facebook fan page – and why it’s a bad idea. In this post  I’m going to reveal The Secret Formula....
  3. The web’s Top 10 tips for growing your Facebook Page fan base Just posted to The Real Estate Marketing Maven: I’ve scoured...
  4. Chris Brogan Deletes his Facebook Fan Page Facebook business pages aren’t essential. Chris Brogan just deleted his....
  5. How to use Facebook Page notifications to create a better fan experience Are the interaction levels on your Facebook Page dismally low?...

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: Facebook Pages, Twitter

Comments

  1. Josh says

    November 18, 2009 at 9:00 am

    I’ve had mine linked for a while, but am considering to unlink the two after reading this post. Thanks for sharing.

    I also have my reservations about syndicating content through different social networks. How can you really connect with your followers on one site if you send your content from a different site that is far removed (like pingfm)

    I think it is good for your Twitter network to be driven to your fanpage, but checking out the link page you shared they don’t even give people the option to become a fan. What is the point of this?

    I tend to agree with your cynical point of view Peter, I don’t think it’s going to far to suggest they are grabbing extra page impressions.

    I’m also sure that avid Tweeters are aware when they see a tweet that says ‘from Facebook’ that they are going to be taken to the FB gateway page before actually getting to the content.

    If all your content on Twitter is coming from your fan page does that mean you’re not a genuine Tweeter?

  2. peterfletcher says

    November 18, 2009 at 9:07 am

    Syndicated content also raises the issue of duplicate content Josh. If not handled correctly it can drag search engine traffic away from your site despite you doing all the hard work the first place.

  3. teabrennan says

    November 25, 2009 at 3:06 am

    I haven’t really utilised my Facebook Fan Page at all (really should get better at that!), but with my personal Facebook/Twitter thing, I have basically just resorted to copying and pasting anything I want specifically on both.

    I see Twitter and Facebook, for the most part, as different – for one, you can update Twitter more frequently and it not look too strange… whereas on Facebook people tend to be more sensitive to the whole “filling the feed” thing 🙂

  4. Kirsty Wilson says

    December 5, 2009 at 8:49 am

    I recently unlinked mine also Peter. I now have nothing linked. I am certainly not a fan of seeing tweets on LinkedIn. Each of the big three social media platforms hold their own place and tweets should remain on Twitter; posts for Facebook and Professional Updates for LinkedIn. Well, that’s my philosophy! 😉

About Peter

Speaker, trainer and coach. I write about living, loving and working better. Love a challenge. More...

Subscribe

Get the latest posts delivered to your inbox.

Recent Posts

  • The Perth Property Market: Free Drinks For Everyone
  • Perth Property Market Performance – W/E 22 August 2021
  • Perth property market report
  • Mandating madness: The case against compulsory e-conveyancing
  • PEXA: Stop treating conveyancers like idiots

Location

You can find me at Residential Settlements in Burswood.

5/170 Burswood Road
Burswood WA 6100

Let’s catch up

If you're ready to take your business to the next level, get in touch with me now.

Send me an email using the contact form or call me direct on 0419 538 838.

Connect

Connect with me on one of these social networks.
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 · Agency Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in