Rachel Levy: Job Search & Social Networking - Latest Comments in To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

michelletripp — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:43:26 -0000

I totally agree, Rachel. Great post! I've been on the fence lately as I watch more and more Linkedin contacts posting frequent updates into their stream. But I'm glad you wrote this post because it just confirms what I was leaning toward: Keeping social media channels focused and relevant. Overwhelming your contacts with too much information (or the wrong kind of information) creates a time suck, and ultimately decreases your value to them. Thanks again for a great post!

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Plankmatsnmore — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:52:54 -0000

I like the differentiation, I kind of use SM as you outlined but your explanation helps to have it defined more succinctly. I do wish my friends would use either medium more. You did bring up a point of FB & "HIDES",I would like some settings so that Friends or Fanpages who tend to be one track posters, could be infrequently updated, sometimes they do go off track, admittedly not that often.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:08:37 -0000

Thanks for your comment. I see your point that most people don't check
LinkedIn for status updates. But, given that most of us on Twitter post
updates that are not business updates as well, do you still think that's
appropriate. For example, today I posted on Twitter that I was taking my
dog to the vet. Seems OK on Twitter, but wouldn't that be odd on LinkedIn,
given the very business culture on there?

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:06:18 -0000

Thanks for the comment Judy. You can use #in to post certain tweets to
LinkedIn (a great option in my mind!). Sorry your "friend" called you out
like that... it should have been done anonymously.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Judy Dunn — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:02:05 -0000

Rachel,

A timely topic. I just realized that my twitter updates were going automatically to my LinkedIn profile. I'm changing that because it just doesn't make sense. Now I need to figure out the hashtag thing so I can send selective ones there.

Just had a (seemingly) friend point out what I was doing on his blog, using me as a "bad example." (Screen shot of the twitter stream, my face, my LinkedIn profile and all!)

A little off point, but kind of irritating. He now is a self-proclaimed "social media expert" (as of four months ago) and is trying to build his rep, I guess.

I do not send any of my tweets to Facebook. My friend there are just that—my friends. I get tired os seeing people's tweets again on Facebook. There's enough noise out there as is.

Thanks for starting this discussion. Will be intersted in what others have to say.

Judy
@CatsEyeWriter

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

leanneclc — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:56:39 -0000

Rachel -

I agree for the most part. But I think it does depend on your audience. I really feel my twitter and my LinkedIn audiences are very similar so I do double post those.

Also, I believe LInkedIn is not used like Twitter. It's a tool you go into now and then when you need something. Not one you have open much of the day. So most of my linked in contacts never even see the updates to my status. But it's nice to have them there to give a little more business information out.

I also have a Facebook business page that I have linked to my business twitter account. This is simply all about business and so are my audiences there.

So, having been in marketing for many years, I agree - it seems odd that some people double post to very different audiences. But sometimes it's simply a way to not have to duplicate efforts and interact a bit more with similar audiences.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:20:46 -0000

Great quote. I couldn't agree more! Thanks.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

TPapi — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:03:40 -0000

Was just reading a post from Chris Brogan on Ways to Be Human at a Distance and came across this tip with is apropos.

Make each conversation unique to the platform – By this, I mean that I prefer individual conversations on Facebook that aren’t cloned into Twitter and/or back again. I believe it’s more authentic to be in one place at a time. Even if you say similar things in both places, I prefer it that way than to blanket automated clatter.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Jim Storer — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:41:34 -0000

I saw this last night via Mike Langford's tweet, but I was on a self-imposed "no social media" for my anniversary evening so my response had to wait.

I'm totally on the fence. Rachel - love you post and appreciate your perspective, but there are two things that have been pointed out in the comments that are important to highlight.

1. Everyone uses these tools differently. Your use case for FB might be completely different for my use case, including frequency and types of posts, audience, etc.
2. These tool are all opt in. If someone doesn't like the way I use them they can stop listening. It's a bit harsh, but it's true. I had a friend in real life who started following me on FB tell me he wasn't sure he could be my friend on FB because of the volume of my updates. We remain friends both in real life and on FB to this day.

I'm on the fence because I see some amazing conversations start on FB from something I typed into Twitter... and sometimes it includes people who actively use Twitter. They don't seem to have the same volume of friends on FB, so it makes it easier to see something I've said (my guess). I haven't tried the relatively new convention #in and #fb on Twitter and might, but I'm very conscious about what I say on Twitter that's going to end up in FB. I send so many @replies on Twitter that never make it FB. I haven't started feeding into LinkedIn yet, so I can't comment there.

So, I don't have a lot of answers, except it's all evolving and we need to be constantly looking at the way we use these tools. I remember when I first started using Twitter @pistachio and @chrisbrogan where a major % of the tweets in my stream (sometimes annoyingly so)... as I've grown my followers and they've evolved the way they use the tools it's no longer an issue.

I don't feel like sharing Tweets on Facebook is noise, given the way I've chosen to structure those tools for my use. YMMV.

Jim | @jimstorer

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Derek Peplau — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:39:29 -0000

Good post, Rachel. I don't think it's one size fits all for this. As a reasonably heavy user of twitter, I don't mind seeing the Twitter updates of the few people who engage in this cross-posting while I'm scanning facebook activity. I don't catch every tweet from my A-Listers on Twitter (of which you are one!), so I often catch them in the relatively slower stream of Facebook.

That said, most of the people I'm friends with on facebook don't roll w/ Twitter. I tried doing it for awhile, but I *personally* have opted not to cross-post. When friendfeed is working, (most of) my tweets can be seen on my profile page, so if people really want to see my tweets in facebook, they can go there to see them.

For people who use Twitter more for business than personal reasons, it makes more sense to peg one to the other as your audience will probably appreciate them more. But you are correct; tweets can be gibberish to those who don't use Twitter.

Depending on how you use Twitter and who your friends are, cross-posting may work (in large part) for some. But I don't think it's a black and white social media faux pas to do it.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Jim Spencer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:59:06 -0000

I saw the tweets about this post.
I cross post Twitter to Facebook. My Twitter account is me, meaning neither business nor personal, but both really.

Why do I cross post? Because I am me and I post in a pretty well rounded fashion, meaning not limited to business or personal or anything else. The concept of having multiple Twitter accounts is a real challenge for me. Maintaining different personas across many sites would make me schizophrenic, which I am not. Everyone gets to see it all. There are so many good things in life demanding my attention that this is the best that I can do. Besides I hate using Facebook because the user interface is very poor.

I see the different social media properties (twitter, facebook, linkedin etc) as outposts where people gather. I am there, where they can find me or block me. ;-) My only regret is for those friends to follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Sorry people.

Should Nordstroms do what I am doing. No, they should not. They should have a dedicated account giving away 50% off coupons.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:19:35 -0000

I definitely didn't mean to say Facebook users are unsophisticated at all.
It's just very out of context to see Twitter language on a different tool.
With all marketing tools, we need to take into account who our audience is.
So, if our audience isn't a Twitter crowd, speaking to them in code doesn't
make sense. Sure, they can understand it if they want to, but why make them
work for it?

The other issue I raised in the post is the VOLUME issue... tweets are
usually at a much higher volume than Facebook. They overwhelm people's
streams more than on Twitter, where many people are tweeting a lot. Again,
it's just out of context/culture.

You're right, you ARE a brand... I didn't mean to say that the way I did
above. But, there's a way to establish yourself as a brand (let's say,
"someone who knows about social media and owns a company called Tweetworks")
without giving everyone all the details that they might not care about. So,
to be specific, do your non-Twitter friends need to know much more about
your social media brand/company than that's just who you are, and be
occassionally reminded of it and what's going on in your world? Do they
need to see 20 tweets/day to know that? I'd argue no! :-) Is updating them
occassionally about a particular blog post or your Tweetworks anniversary
important? YES! But, that's being selective.... and not funneling
EVERYTHING through to facebook. On my personal facebook with business stuff
occassionally - I update with my blog posts, when something exciting
happens, events I'm promoting, etc., but not every tweet.

Re using Twitter as a google replacement... good thought. I have thought
about that before, but continue to do it because it makes up a small portion
of my tweets, it gives people an opportunity to help and interact, and I
prefer the personal recommendations/answers!

We may need to keep this up over a drink, or should we continue here? :-)

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Mike Langford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:16:44 -0000

Hmm...I would love to see how many clicks this post got from Facebook. :)

One subtle subtext I'm hearing here is "Facebook users are unsophisticated and incapable of digesting information from an outside source." I'm just not sure that is true. People have the opportunity to ask questions or to simply skip over the post.

Do you really think that people on Facebook who do not use Twitter can't read the above tweet and understand what it means?

I think the personal branding folks like Dan Schawbel and Gary Vaynerchuk might disagree with you that I am not a brand. We all are. On Facebook, as elsewhere, I am Mike Langford and Tweetworks is a part of who I am and what I do. It's one of the major things going on in my life and those people who are interested enough in me to connect on Facebook are given the opportunity to share in my excitement about everything. When I tweeted a few weeks ago that Tweetworks was celebrating its one year birthday I got a few congratulations from people on Facebook who have never been on Tweetworks. They care because they care about me.

I'm always leery of absolute proclamations of "This is how it's done because this is how I like it." Which carries with it a "I am smarter than you, that's why." connotation. Who the heck are we to tell other people how to use social tools? I still think it is laughable and moronic that people get all heated and start spewing self righteous BS about auto-DMs on Twitter. My argument is that maybe it is you (the person morally offended by the auto-DM not you Rachel you) that needs a lesson here. Why on Earth would you follow someone you weren't interested in and then get mad because they had the nerve to DM you? Maybe you should pay a little more attention to whom you are connecting.

Everyone uses these tools differently. I've noticed you use Twitter as a replacement for Google even for things that would show up on page one of the results. I personally tend to go to Google first and then turn to Twitter either for sentiment or for help after I've exhausted search. Neither approach is wrong if it works for you.

In the end, you are never going to like everything your contacts share on social channels. Some people share too much, some share too frequently, some share stupid stuff and some pimp a little too hard. It's my belief however that if the connection is genuine you will focus on the stuff you like and overlook the stuff that doesn't interest you.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

sarahwallace — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:16:19 -0000

For my clients, they have a business Twitter and Facebook fanpage.

For me, my Twitter represents me both personally and professionally and I think I find a nice balance in my posts.

For Facebook, I have a personal account which is just my close family and friends and then I have a professional account which is anyone I've met through business or networking. With the second account, I make friendly comments but mostly post about my business and my business blog.

If you find FB to be so difficult, you try two accounts such as I did. Hope this helps. - Sarah

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:01:29 -0000

Thanks for yout comment A few key words in what you said ... Not
automatically and client. Yes, I think selectively cross posting is
fine. Also , if you're talking about a business account and a fan
page, I think cross posting is more appropriate, but still raises 2
questions for me. Is the VOLUME appropriate for facebook? Are personal
updates on a business Twitter account also the culture on facebook? In
most cases, I'd argue no on both.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

sarahwallace — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:47:29 -0000

As someone who ghost blogs, tweets and Facebooks for clients in a variety of industries. I do cross-post but NOT automatically. I post the same news on Twitter or FB but I post them differently. Twitter only allows 140 characters whereas FB allows much more of an explanation.

And, the reason for cross-posting, why not? Many people of FB aren't on Twitter or some prolific Twitter users hardly check their FB. There's nothing wrong with redundancy.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:07:49 -0000

I agree with the example tweet you noted below... as it's not specific to
Twitter or Facebook. But, taking a look at your Facebook stream... "Caught
episode 22 of @QuicknDirty tonight. @AaronStrout & @MediaPhyter gave my
@NomX3 cohost @JeffCutler some props. http://is.gd/504nW" - do you think
that's something Facebook people understand? What are these @ symbols? etc.
It's very Twitter focused.

Yes, there are tons of brands on Facebook, but you're not a brand...
TweetWorks is. I am friends with Mike on Facebook to see Mike the person,
not Mike the business. Does every one of your friends in real life care
about Tweetworks? If they're not on Twitter, they probably don't care! (no
offense).

All I'm saying is that every update deserves a *decision* if to crosspost,
if not it's just mass marketing, ignoring audiences and culture.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Mike Robert — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:01:09 -0000

Hey Rachel- Great topic! Surely something all marketers have pondered at least once ;)

I think the biggest considerations are: who is your audience? what content do you share?

If your Facebook/Twitter audiences are the same and your content is too, then sure why not cross-post.

If your audiences are not the same, I think it's best to tailor the content you share. In this case, automatic cross posting seems less genuine -- more like link-dumping on a Twitter account with no engagement.

However, that's not to say you couldn't post those tweets over to Facebook -- it might just be more appropriate to @reply some friends in the status or keep it to a Facebook message :)

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Mike Langford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:59:14 -0000

I break it down to a little more basic level. I use social media tools to engage in conversations that are relevant to me and my business. I cross post tweets to Facebook because the audiences are largely different. There is a large number of my friends who do not use Twitter but with whom I love to engage in online conversation.

Example: The other night I tweeted "Question for non-vegetarians: If you had to do without beef, chicken, or pork which would it be?" I ended up having fun and lively conversations on both channels.

I'm not sure it's a valid assumption to state that the audiences are different so the tools must not commingle. Increasingly the lines between work, family and play intertwine and people are getting better at digesting the information that is relevant to them when it is presented. Heck there's a reason there are so many brands on Facebook right?

Lastly I think it is important to remember that all of these tools are opt in. If someone doesn't think the content you are sharing is worth seeing they can simply unfollow on Twitter or hide your on Facebook.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:21 -0000

I agree when it comes to business related tweets. But, how about a personal
tweet from a business account? (i.e. Going to walk my dog now -- it's
beautiful out) The culture on Facebook Fan Pages is NOT to have those types
of updates, but it IS on Twitter.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

SouthLemon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:27:32 -0000

I selective cross post twitter to Facebook those activities I think mainly friends and family are interested in, concerts for example. This way my local twitter people might use it and others for example might check it out when that band comes to their town. I don't do any twitter business and I do not cross post politics, science, sports, ie general news items unless I'm in the news (not very often).
Nothing from LinkedIn goes back or forth to twitter/Facebook.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Brian DeKoning — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:25:39 -0000

Great post. I agree with a lot of what you've said. I think businesses using twitter and facebook fanpages should automatically feed tweets to FB. I think showing up often in the FB feeds of fans is acceptable and wise given that people rarely look through older posts and you never know when you're going to catch someone checking FB. Thanks for the advice in this post!

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Jayna — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:05:37 -0000

Great post! I have two friends who cross post on Facebook and Twitter often. But neither work in Marketing - so their perspectives are very different.
One does use Twitter as a Marketing tool, but is a photographer and I find her volume of "tweets" to be lower than an average Marketer. When she does cross post, she gives us content that is engaging, personal and appropriate for either audience. I do think her business, one that is socially oriented (what's more personal than cherished photographs), lends itself to cross-posting. The other uses Twitter socially, as he does Facebook. So he's got content that works in a similar manner than the photographer. It was an interesting insight because as a Marketer, I agree with you completely. Having these two friends engaging in the channels, I find I was able to get a different perspective on how the tools are used when their core competency is not Marketing.
All that being said, these two individuals are very rare circumstances and anyone using these tools as part of their day-to-day business strategies, needs to be mindful of how to use the tools. Your thoughts on this are a great guideline for using these tools.

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

JonMichaeli — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:04:21 -0000

I agree each channel has a different purpose, but as a result, there is relatively little overlap between my friend/follower/connections lists across the networks. Unless an update is specifically geared to say my friends or business contacts, I find cross-posting to be valuable. Of course, sometimes I modify the post to fit the medium (longer than 140 characters, less use of hashtags on Facebook, for example).

Re: To Cross-Post or Not to Cross-Post

Rachel Levy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:40:46 -0000

Thanks for the comment Dough. Yes, thinking is key :-) I'm glad you left
the dark side!