I’ve been on Twitter now for nearly 3 years.  On day 2, I linked them.

So what I said on Twitter, I also said on Facebook.  Why would I not do that…it’s a no-brainer, right?

Killing two birds with one stone.  With one text message, blasting the exact same message on Twitter and Facebook…it seemed that this was a great idea!

But over time, I’ve realized that it wasn’t.  It actually could have damaged my brand if I’d kept them connected much longer.

“Oh…who cares about my ‘brand’?” you ask.

“Everybody that follows you on Twitter and Facebook do.”  If they don’t care about your brand (who you are as a person/organization as represented online), they’ll quit following you.  It’s as simple as that.

Here’s why I un-linked Twitter and Facebook

  • People on Facebook get angry. Especially when you post all of the time.  They’ll block you…then start dropping passive/aggressive things like this in a conversation they have with you in person, “Can you believe how often some people post to Facebook?!?”  My response: “Yeah…it’s hard to believe…”  And inside I’m thinking, “If you only knew how much I decided not to post…”
  • People on Twitter (largely) don’t mind how often you post. There’s an over-the-top level where you can wear people out, but I don’t think I’ve reached that level yet.
  • People on Facebook don’t understand Twitter lingo. The whole RT, @replies, and #hashtags don’t translate well into Facebook.
  • Facebook became more personal. For me, it seemed to be more about sharing pictures, stuff that’s happening in my family, and things going on locally here in Clarksville.  I’ve seen more and more trivial things posted on Facebook.  That’s not a slam…just an observation.
  • Twitter became more business/sharing-focused. For me, I began seeing Twitter as a way to share thoughts, ideas, resources, and other sites and articles.

At the end of the day, Twitter is more about sharing and giving.  Facebook is more about connecting people to my personal life.  And, from time to time, those mesh.  But most of the time, I’ll keep my thoughts separate.

What about you…have you connected Twitter and Facebook?

Or decided to un-connect them?