More details are on the way so stay tuned…

Here are the basic steps:

1. Sign into Twitter in one tab or window of your browser.
2. Sign into Facebook in another tab or window of your browser.
3. Now go to www.facebook.com/twitter and click the big green button in the middle.
4. Select your page and click the “Link to Twitter” button. If you manage more than one page, you will see all of the pages listed. If you want to link different pages to different profiles, make sure that you are signed into the appropriate Twitter account.
5. You will be directed over to Twitter to authorize the link. Double check that it is the right account, then click the “Allow” button.
6. You will be bounced back into Facebook and you should see the message “You are now sharing your Page updates on Twitter as hyermish,” or in your case, your Twitter account name.
7. Select the options for posts to Twitter (status updates, photos, etc.) and click “Save Changes.”

That is it! Post a status update on the Facebook page, then check Twitter to test, and you should be all set.

Update: If you read my previous post about automating your status, this is the actual exception. Posts to Facebook Pages are typically broadcasts out to your network. People generally don’t “lifestream” on Facebook pages. Just make sure that you are listening on Facebook and Twitter.

No wonder they feel overwhelmed. Here are two quick tips to make this simpler.

Don’t Try to Drink from the Fire Hydrant

Whether it is Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter, don’t try to read every single post there (a.k.a. Drinking from the fire hydrant). Yes, you will miss things, but that is okay.

If you are on Facebook, just scan down the latest news feed and check your inbox for messages, notifications and updates. The first time it might take 10-15 minutes, but then you are caught up and it will take 5 minutes. I typically do this twice a day, once in the morning and once before the end of the work day. I usually update my status once a day, although sometimes more from my iPhone if I’m early for a meeting or stuck somewhere. I like to post comments to other status updates

On Twitter, just scan down the first page or two of posts for people that you follow. Remember that Twitter is “real time” and once something is more than a day or even a few hours, the value drops. I also use Twitter search to follow particular keywords about my interests.

Use a Timer

Whether it is a desktop widget or a kitchen timer, set one. And while this may seem very simple and you will give me the, “I’m too smart or disciplined or whatever to use a timer,” line, this very simple solution will help you enjoy the social networks without feeling like you are flushing your time down the drain.

Here is the simple strategy. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Open Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn. Go to town until the timer rings and immediately close the browser (tab) when the timer goes off.

So no more excuses. Use the social networks to build your connections between people, but don’t drink from the fire hydrant.

My short answer: don’t do it.

If is not that you can’t, but the two are for different purposes, at least in my view.

Consider Lifestreaming

Lifestreaming from Wikipedia:
Lifestreaming is the practice of collecting an online user’s disjointed online presence in one central “location” or “site.”

The idea behind lifestreaming is that you let people in your network know what is happening in your life: what you are doing, what is on your mind, etc. Both Facebook and Twitter (and LinkedIn for that matter) allow users to post their status to their page. Why does anyone care? This could be the biggest debate for people that are not on Facebook or Twitter. For me, it is a way to deepen the connections between people in my life.

But the key is that you want to choose either Facebook or Twitter (or something else) to be your central location for everything.

Why Twitter shouldn’t update Facebook

Facebook: “What’s on your mind?”
Consider Facebook status as connected conversations about anything that your friends might find interesting in any aspect of their lives. It’s like a party line that is suspended in time. Conversations, comments and such can go on for days and weeks. The size and activity of your network and your friends networks are the only limiting factors.

When Twitter is updating Facebook, people get very confused especially if you are a heavy user. Replies (@hyermish) don’t make sense on Facebook. Even worse, if you are having Twitter update Facebook, you probably are paying attention to the conversation on Twitter and ignoring the conversation on Facebook. So if someone from Facebook comments in Facebook, you are asleep at the wheel and miss their comments.

Even worse, an active conversation on Twitter will completely clutter the Facebook news feed. People will start tuning you out on Facebook.

Why Facebook shouldn’t update Twitter

Twitter: “What are you doing?”
Consider Twitter status as disconnected conversations in the open where people beyond your friend networks can and will eavesdrop and perhaps join the conversation. And Twitter recognizes this, showing global trends as part of its interface; the more popular the conversation, the more people will join in. Twitter is really about right now, not what happened yesterday or before.

The difference is subtle, but important. Often on Facebook, I post things that I specifically want certain people to pay attention to; I would never post this way on Twitter. And on Twitter, I post things that I want someone to find useful, even the @ replies directed at a certain person should be useful beyond just them. On Twitter, the posts are there to stimulate the conversation now, this instant.

When Facebook is updating Twitter, people on Twitter lose the connected conversation. Simple. And if you are paying attention to Facebook and ignoring Twitter, any @ replies on Twitter will be missed.

Compromise

I agree that there are some things, many things that work well on both. Often these are things that are shared from something else entirely, like your blog, social bookmarks or Flickr feed. And there are tools that will allow you to have all of your blog posts automatically show up in Facebook or Twitter. (Like this one probably did.)

And you can use TweetDeck to write a post and selectively choose which network (or both Twitter and Facebook) to update. It isn’t automated, but since you are paying attention (except for the Facebook comments on the status update) on Tweetdeck, it will save you a few keystrokes.

But my point is simple: Twitter and Facebook are different. So the posts should be different.

And the reason not to automate is that you won’t be around to have the conversation when it happens. And the point of the social networks is to create and deepen relationships with other people, and that you cannot automate.

And I’m finding myself using it less because of that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn and I consider it the best business social network. But the latest changes have less to do with business and more to do with copying Facebook.

The problem is this: if LinkedIn gets to be too much like Facebook, then I’d rather just use Facebook.

So if I were LinkedIn, I’d be looking for the ways that I’m not like Facebook, and amplifying those features. For example, I’d play up the “Answers” section and let the community rate the posts as a way to combat spam and or junk answers. Don’t just let the person asking the question mark answers as best, let the community vote for the best answers.

What are your suggestions?

1. Miles Davis – ‘Round Midnight
What a way to get introduced to jazz music. As a kid I remember my father playing this for me. At first, it was the sound of the muted trumpet, but the improvisation with all of the instruments… well, if you know this song, you know.

2. Chick Corea Elektric Band – Rumble
I think this was the ultimate wake-up call for me. After hearing this song with Chick Corea, Dave Weckl (drums) and John Patitucci (bass), I think that I knew I was going to be going way beyond the radio. And I knew I wanted to write music like this someday or play in a group like this. Or both.

3. Sting – Fortress Around Your Heart
I had always been a fan of The Police and then Sting, but this song became a bit of an obsession. First I learned every possible nuance of the drumset part and practiced it until the record was toasted (ah, vinyl). I remember then purchasing the sheet music and working out all of the parts on the piano. Rhythmically, harmonically and structurally, this song just perfectly balanced everything.

4. John Adams – Harmonium
When my father played this for me in preparation for singing this with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, it was like nothing I’d ever heard, and I related so much to the sound landscape. Much of my writing still calls back to this piece of music.

5. Joseph Schwantner – …And the mountains rising nowhere…
I was fortunate to have played in a great high school wind ensemble at Cherry Hill East under the direction of Bruce Yurko. (Side note, Mr. Yurko, thank you!) While we didn’t play this piece, I distinctly remember him pointing me in the direction of this piece when I started getting serious about my writing. And then I was fortunate to get into Eastman School of Music, and study with Dr. Schwantner, which in itself was amazing.

6. Peter Erskine – Boulez
Okay, so you have never heard this piece, I’m sure. But as a drummer and a composer who wrote my music using computer sequencers, notation programs and such, this song was a 3 minute encapsulation of so many influences. Cue the drum solo.

7. Dave Matthews Band – Grey Street
This track from the Busted Stuff album is a rhythmic feast. And of the modern rock artists, Dave Matthews Band is clearly my favorite. (Apparently a few others like him too.) Rarely do a loop one single song, but this would be it.

Now it’s your turn to write about the music that changed your life…

And just FYI, this is posted on Facebook as well, so feel free to copy the idea and post to your own Facebook profile.

Just because you can join Facebook or Twitter, doesn’t mean that it is appropriate for your business.

Instead of the typical bandwagon approach, take two steps back and gain some perspective.

• Who are your customers?
• What are the conversations around your product or service or expertise?
• Where are the conversations happening?
• How can you shape these conversations to benefit your customers and your business?
• Why will your actions be relevant to your business?

Knowing the basics does not equal doing the basics. So talk with one of your favorite customers and really focus on listening. Let them direct the conversation and you might learn where the opportunities really are.

Then you can start developing your social media strategy.

But something has shifted over the last 10 years. The customer demographic is more technologically savvy than the business owner demographic.

So how do you tell someone who has brilliantly run a business for 30 years that online social networks are relevant to his or her business? And to make matters worse, they still aren’t totally sold on the effectiveness of the Internet.

Seriously, how do you help someone who is brilliant see the online world through a 27-year-old’s eyes?

Post your suggestions below, or @hyermish me on Twitter.