Six Pixels of Separation - The Blog
October 6, 2007 2:39 PM

Twitter Will Update Your Facebook Status - Here's How...

There have been a lot of people asking me how I am able to use Twitter and have my latest tweet also appear as my Facebook status. I wish I could remember where I first heard about this, but it does seem to be working.

Here's how.

  1. Get the Twitter application installed in your Facebook profile here: Twitter App For Facebook.
  2. You'll notice a link that says: Want Twitter to update your Facebook status? Click here!

That's it.

There may be some time lag, but it seems to be working fine for me. My understanding is that those who really pump the messages out in Twitter may have some of them get lost. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Facebook only checks your Twitter every thirty minutes (or so). I'm not twittering that much to have this issue, so I'm quite happy with this new additional functionality.

The only reason I'm not thrilled with it is that I am having Twitku flashbacks. Twitku allows you to post once and then have the message distributed via both Twitter and Jaiku. I felt like I was cheating, so I dropped Jaiku and stuck with Twitter.

This morning I also realized how bad I was at answering messages left to my Facebook Inbox. There are many Marketers grappling with what they should (and shouldn't) use in the Social Media space. I must admit, managing one's Digital Presence can be time consuming.

Thankfully, I love playing with this stuff.

By Mitch Joel

Find me on Twitter

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Comments
  • Thanks, Mitch. I've been meaning to do that for a while, but never followed up on it. Your note spurred me to consolidate my "lifestream" just a bit more...

    Reply
  • Thanks for posting this! I've recently blogged about Twitter and one of my complaints was why i couldn't just have one status update that propagates to other sites.

    I've had a twitter feed on my facebook for a while, but never actually bothered to click on the application settings to see what other options were there.

    i'm still not completely sold on microblogging as an essential piece of my social graph, but this certainly helps!

    Reply
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous

    It's easy to turn on this feature... but how in the world do you turn it off? Now I've got double-posting to my Facebook mini-feed... one from the Twitter application, and then immediately afterward one showing my updated Facebook status! VERY annoying. I can't find any settings in the Twitter FB app to turn off either one.

    Reply
  • I just wanted to follow up to let people know that I found out how to fix the double-post bug! The answer is here: http://thejoshmeister.blogspot.com/2007/11/twitter-facebook-app-fixing-double-feed.html

    Reply
  • Thanks this is exactly what I was looking for. I even mistyped facbook in google and it found your page! Also thanks for anoymous for posting some fixes.

    Jeremy

    Reply
  • thanks for this ... pretty simple solution eh ...?
    BTW ... love your blog design ...

    Reply
  • This is all well and good, but why do I have to supply my Twitter password to enable this update? The feed is openly available to anyone who wants to get it so why the authentication element for Facebook updates?

    Sorry no external ’system’ get my passwords.

    - J.

    Reply
  • Angela
    Angela

    I had set up the app with my work twitter account, then when I got a personal twitter account I tried to make the FB app work with that . . . now they BOTH update my FB status.

    Anyone know how to fix that?

    Reply
  • Doreen
    Mitch Joel

    Thanks. This is exactly what I wanted to know how to do!

    Reply
  • I have had the exact same problem as Angela. I can't get Facebook to drop my work Twitter and only update from my Personal Twitter. Has anyone found a solution????!!

    Reply
  • robert
    Mitch Joel

    Thanks for the tip.

    Unsure why Facebook is so confusing to get it doing what I want... I can barely make heads or tails of the various "streams", news, profile, wall, photos ... really IMO it should all be one stream.

    Very nice site BTW.

    Reply
  • Thanks for the unbiased info. I'm trying to manage all this as well. Just about to add Twitter as a full-time communication tool and not a once-a-week hobby. We'll see. I'd rather add more sunsets and morning jogs, but instead I add another social networking tool. Hm.

    Reply
  • Well, I'm not even sure I want to twitter, but I do occasionally update my status line on Facebook, so might as well hit more birds with one stone if I can.

    Reply
  • This is all great but... does anybody know how to turn the automatic updates OFF???

    I now use ping.fm and it's so much more convenient to have the simultaneous update only if/when I want it...

    Txs
    Simone

    Reply
  • meeee
    meeee

    Isn't this broken now?

    Reply
  • How do you get facebook to update public feeds without giving a 3rd party your password?

    Reply
  • Well, to solve all the aforementioned problems, check out this dude's tutorial. I've had those same issues before and his solution seems to work:

    http://cogito.faii.net/linking-facebook-to-twitter-tutorial/

    With that you get to solve boththe account mixup and selective updating problems.

    According to him, it doesn't work if your twitter feed is on private/safe mode. Apparently that's true...

    Cheers and hope it helps!

    Reply
  • My problem is that I would not like ALL of my tweets to update my Facebook status. I would rather prefer to hit a button in my Twitter client (ie Tweetdeck or DestroyTwitter) and have selected tweets update my FB aswell

    Reply
  • linda h
    Mitch Joel

    I just had someone hack into my facebook update status with profanity, not only once but twice today.
    I wonder if someone can more easily hack a twitter account for the status update because I believe it would be rather hard to hack into my facebook account.
    Curious.....

    Reply
  • I have a personal page/profile, which I update my status on periodically.

    Under the same account, I have a Business Page (Pedigree Consultants LLC). Now the issue I have is that my twitter account is for my business. I want the twitter updates to update the status on the business page, but NOT my personal profile page. At the moment, whatever twitter app I have used, updates my personal page/profile which is not what I want.

    Any ideas?

    Reply
  • paul
    Mitch Joel

    How do I turn this off or uninstall the app?

    Reply
  • splurt
    Mitch Joel

    I just want my facebook status to update my twitter, and not vice versa

    Reply
    • JerGold
      Mitch Joel

      Same here! I just want twitter to update my fb status... and not vice versa!
      did you ever get it done?
      thanks!

      Reply
  • DW5
    DW5

    To turn it off:

    1. Login to Facebook
    2. Go to http://www.facebook.com/editapps.php?
    3. Click Profile link beside the Twitter App
    4. At the bottom of the left hand column click remove App.

    Like Splurt I decided I'd rather have Facebook update Twitter b/c my tweets are more numerous and not quite relevant to Facebook status updates.

    Reply
  • J Dawg
    J Dawg

    Same problem as Byron.

    How do we update a Facebook Page and not our personal profile?

    Reply
  • Ashley
    Ashley

    Is there any way to update an actual page, not just a profile from twitter? For example, I am creating some pages for three magazines and was wanting to be able to update them via twitter, is that possible without it being a profile or having its own url yet?

    Reply
  • I used to use the Facebook Twitter app, but it falls down if you get into a twitter discussion (even if it handles all the updates it's nonsense for your Facebook friends. Now I use Ping set to update both for status messages but only twitter for 'microblogging' messages. Total control. By default it updates both but I can easily set it to update just one or the other

    Reply
  • Do you know how to turn this off? I accidentally had it feed from the wrong Twitter account.

    Reply
  • Thanks for the post that's a great help.

    To turn it off you need to go to Facebook Applications and edit the Twitter settings Update Feeds.

    Reply
  • Matthew
    Mitch Joel

    Thanks for this info... Not sure if someone has pointed this out already, but the update from twitter to facebook is lagging by only a few seconds now.

    Reply
  • Chris
    Mitch Joel

    I changed my screen name in Twitter last week and since then the integration isn't working anymore.
    I tried everything. Deleting the application in Facebook, deleting all cookies, changing my Twitter screen name back to the old one.
    Nothing works.
    It looks like the application is gone, but during re-installation the application is using the old account information of Twitter.

    The error message I get is during installing the application that the redirection page is pointing to a page which doesn't exist.

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Richtpt
      Mitch Joel

      I just noticed that this morning, Chris. Yesterday it was working fine. This morning I posted on twitter and Facebook didn't update. I looked at the app, tried a bunch of things, it's not working. I'm going to find Facebook's twitter account and ask them what's up.

      Reply
  • i use http://www.isstarting.com to update my twitter AND facebook status with one click. I also see if i got new mail on facebook or twitter.

    works very easy

    Reply
  • Thanks a lot. I Googled this and your post came up. Worked like a charm!

    Reply
  • Melissa
    Melissa

    Thanks for the info! I couldn't find how to update facebook with my twitter until I found your page

    Reply
  • thanks so much for this! you made it simple.

    Reply
  • Posts on twitter are not auto posting to to facebook. I have added this app to my facebook page, but when I click on settings, the page is blank. When I click on connections (in twitter) facebook is not listed. My goal is to autopost from Twitter acct: montecitofire to Govt Facebook Page: Montecito Fire.

    Reply
  • thanks, i'll have to see how this works. but it was just what i was looking for. i dont know why they dont make this easier or a link on twitter itself.

    Reply
  • Mitch Joel

    Hi,

    Same with Byron and J Dawg, we've been trying to find out a way to connect our tweets directly to our facebook page (company page) If there is a solution we'd appreciate it greatly!

    Thanks

    Reply
  • http://apps.facebook.com/twitter/ is, as of this writing, a blank page. It apparently stopped working on February 14, 2010. I can't find any reason as to why yet.

    LUV - www.hootsuite.com lets you simul-post to multiple Twitter accounts and Facebook fan pages. It's incredibly useful (IMO).

    Reply
  • Dhanisa Masora
    Mitch Joel

    just wonderful

    Reply
  • Hey, thanks for sharing this. Really helpful. More power! You rank 1st in Google 1st page using the keyword 'twitter updates on facebook' Great job!

    Reply
  • pokenpinch
    pokenpinch

    An FYI... it's not called 'twittering', the correct jargon is 'tweeting'.

    Reply
  • uzair waheed
    Mitch Joel

    i tried to add this application to my facebook and but when ever i try to login this application through my facebook account it says : " Oops! Something went wrong:
    Invalid credentials Invalid user name or password "

    Please HelLPP

    Reply
  • I was doing this for so long when I just removed it and wanted it back I forgot how I uploaded it in the first place. Thanks a ton! Very easy!

    Reply
  • Alex Soto
    Mitch Joel

    I sthere a way to do the opposite? That my status updates get posted as tweets? because really, I am more of a facebook user than a tweeter.

    Reply
  • Since I use Facebook primarily I use Twitterfeed to update my Twitter status with my Facebook status. It's a totally different process from the one you described but achieves the same ends, only in reverse.

    Reply
  • Tim
    Tim

    This appears to have stopped working in the past day or so. Twitter updates are posted to MY WALL on facebook, but MY STATUS is no longer updated. Oh man.

    Reply
    • chris
      chris

      I noticed the same thing, and I am trying like mad to figure it out ... anyone have answers?! Thanks

      Reply
      • I landed on this page looking for a solution to the same problem as you, Tim and Chris. Apparently the developers of that facebook app just changed the behavior (without any sort of notice, which is so weird) of the app so that it posts tweets to one's wall rather than as a status.

        I've followed other users' advice and switched to another facebook app called Smart Twitter -- so far, so good.

        Reply
  • Faysal
    Mitch Joel

    No comment

    Reply
  • raffaello
    Mitch Joel

    By the way this App won't work with facebook pages...and nobody knows why

    Reply
  • Christian Verano
    Mitch Joel

    Awesome tutorial!

    Reply
  • Lauren
    Mitch Joel

    I am looking to find a way to feed my one twitter account into multiple facebook pages/ accounts. Is this possible? if so, how?

    thanks!
    Lauren

    Reply
  • Hidden Jackal
    Hidden Jackal

    Comment Addendum:

    TWITTER (if you are indeed listening), I just found Smart Facebook's Twitter for Pages app at http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=290374557459&ref=ts .

    It too appears to be broken. I understand you guys are really, really busy having taken over the world and all but An error occurred with Smart Twitter for Pages. Please try again later. http://www.google.com.au/search?sourceid=&ie=UTF-8&q=damn

    Reply
  • Within 3 Hours
    Mitch Joel

    Thanks Hidden Jackal - finally got it to work - your link was SUPER easy. For some reason cannot for the life of me work out how to link FB BUSINESS page updates to Twitter!!

    Reply
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