How to link your Twitter and Facebook accounts

By Joan Stewart

One of the most frequent questions we get is how to link your Twitter and Facebook accounts so that your tweets automatically feed into your Facebook status updates, or vice-vesa.

Another is how to save time when doing social media tasks.

You have three options which will solve both problems. Whichever one you choose is personal preferance.

Option 1: Use Ping.fm.

Create an account at Ping.fm, a simple and free service that allows you to send messages or status updates to multiple social media sites at the same time. If you choose this option, make sure the update is fewer than 140 characters so it fits on Twitter. Ideally, it should be closer to 120 so your followers have space left to retweet it.

Also, be careful about sending the same messages to LinkedIn that you post to Twitter and Facebook. LinkedIn is strictly for business networking. Your connections there may not care about personal information you share on a site like Facebook.

I started using Ping but then stopped because I want to customize my messages, depending on which social media site I’m on. But others love Ping because it’s a huge time-saver.

Option 2: Feed selected Twitter updates into Facebook. (This is the one I recommend.)

Use Facebook’s “Selective Tweet Status” app. Go to http://apps.facebook.com/selectivetwitter/ and follow the directions. When you tweet, it will automatically go into your Facebook status update if you type #FB at the end of your tweet.

I like this, because when I tweet several dozen times a day, it can annoy my Facebook friends. This solves the problem because I choose exactly which tweets should feed into Facebook.

The other reason I like this option is because my blog automatically feeds into my Facebook Fan Page. When I post to my blog, I try to write an enticing headline on Twitter to pull people over to the blog. In that case, I do not type “#FB” at the end, because Facebook already has the blog post.

Option 3: Feed Facebook into Twitter

First, add the application to your Facebook account.

Log into Facebook.

Open a second tab and log into Twitter. On Twitter, click on “Settings” on the top right. Go to “Connections.” Click to allow Facebook access. Facebook will ask you to confirm. Now your Facebook status updates are automatically fed into Twitter.

Once you choose a platform, be consistent. Don’t use more than one option or you’ll end up with a tangled mess, including duplicate posts.

Which is your favorite way to link your Facebook and Twitter accounts, and why? Do you link other accounts to each other? If so, which ones?