170 Spoons

Update Facebook via Text Message using Twitter

If you are on Facebook and you tend to update your status line and you like to text message people, there is no reason you shouldn’t also be on Twitter. Let me explain why and how.

I’ve talked before about how I feel the new Facebook design is better for communication (not necessarily layout of extra stuff). The main reason is because there is a better flow of communication and interaction on the site.

Notice in these two images the same status message is on both Facebook (first one) and Twitter (the second one)

Why?

One of the limitations of Facebook is the only way to publish and consume its content is to be inside Facebook itself. At this point you can not update your status line via text messaging (SMS). But you can update Twitter via SMS. And you can link Twitter to Facebook status. Therefore, once set up, you can update Facebook via text messages.

The biggest motivation to do this would be so that you can let your Facebook friends know where you are, what you’re up to, or what you’re thinking about from anywhere. The bonus is that by using Twitter, you can also have a new community of people to interact with.

How?

It’s actually easier to set up than one might think. First you need a free Twitter account from twitter.com. We can talk about building that community later, but for now, just create the account and fill out the simple account information (please!).

Next head over to your Facebook page and install the Twitter application. When you install it into your Facebook profile it will ask for a few settings to link it with Twitter. There is an option to have Twitter updates automatically update Facebook status. Let it do it and you’re set.

Now what?

So now you have Twitter plugged into Facebook. If you post an update on Twitter.com it’ll copy it to Facebook. Now go back to Twitter and link your mobile phone to twitter. Once it’s hooked up, simply send a text message to 40404 and that message will double-post to Twitter and Facebook!

Now that everything is plugged into each other, I hardly ever enter a status line inside Facebook. I just publish it to Twitter instead and let Twitter update Facebook.  This way both communities will get the update - and Twitter offers many more ways to update.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter.