Allen LaRose

I found this article very helpful and informative. Tho I will admit, I have been guilty of some ‘broadcasting’, but I’m learning.

Twitter, Google+ And Facebook – 5 Reasons Why You Should Never, Ever Cross The Streams – AllTwitter.

Social media comes with a ton of benefits, but to make it work you need to invest heavily, and the most important investment is your time.

For brands and marketers that are already overextended, syncing up your Twitter updates with Facebook, your Facebook updates with Twitter, and your Google+ updates with Twitter and Facebook – and vice versa – before mass-broadcasting your message seems like a smart idea on paper, but it’s actually the worst thing you can do.

Here are 5 reasons why you should never cross the streams.

1. Twitter Isn’t Facebook Isn’t Google+

Twitter, Facebook and new kid on the block Google+ are each very different social networks with different communities, expectations and norms.

To maximise the ROI on each platform you need to be sure to tailor your brand presence accordingly. While some things should stay the same – notably any logos and avatars you use, and the ‘voice’ of your brand – mass-repetition of your message is a sure-fire way to poison the well and diffuse the interest level of your community. If you have lots of the same people across each of your social channels, there are few quicker ways to irritate them than seeing the same robotic updates from you everywhere they go.

2. All Status Updates Are Equal (But Some Are More Equal Than Others)

Facebook status updates have a limit of 420 characters. On Twitter the limit is 140. Google+ has no limit whatsoever – you can publish messages of any size.

This means that unless you’re intentionally writing for Twitter on Google+ and Facebook and ensuring all your updates are 140 characters or less – and, really, who does that? – your longer synced messages will be cut short on Twitter, ending with ill-advised (and decidedly ugly) ellipses.

Syncing messages from Twitter to Facebook or Google+ is even worse, as functions such as @mentions and #hashtags that work brilliantly on Twitter don’t work (and look very out of place) everywhere else.

The only time it’s okay to cross the streams. And even then you should probably think about it.

3. Put The Social Into ‘Social Media’

By adopting a ‘copy and paste’ approach to your message you quickly give the appearance of broadcasting (as opposed to engaging), which cheapens the experience for you and your audience.

It’s the equivalent of rotating 360 degrees on the very top of a skyscraper, using a megaphone to ‘connect’ with your customers.

Read the rest of this great article at AllTwitter, a great resource for all things Twitter. Twitter, Google+ And Facebook – 5 Reasons Why You Should Never, Ever Cross The Streams – AllTwitter.

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