Today’s internet consists of three main social networks: Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. This means a lot of people have three very different audiences. In the interest of keeping things simple while supporting the newest network, I will tell you how I cross-post to all three networks from Google+.

• Step One: Connecting your Google+ to your Twitter

  In my search, I found a lot of very bad ways to connect these accounts. One was to make a special Google+ circle for just Facebook and another for just Twitter, using special respective email addresses, but there was a ridiculously small character limit. It’s pointless! Another was to use a Chrome Extension, but simplicity is still the goal. It must be easy and universal—any browser; any device.

  The best way I’ve found is by using ManageFlitter. You just fill in your Google+ account URL (the original kind with all the numbers), then sign in using your Twitter account, and it connects them for you. So now when you post from Google+, it also goes to your Twitter.

• Step Two: Connecting your Twitter to your Facebook

  The second and last step is to make your tweets go straight to Facebook. Go to Twitter on Facebook and just follow the simple instructions. If you’ve already been doing this, then you’re done! Be sure to check your Applications in Facebook for anything that might interfere with this new change. You’ll never have to physically post to Facebook again (aside from commenting/Liking, and adding photos to albums).

• You must use the 140 character limit

  Since Twitter has the tiniest character limit of all three of these networks, we have to keep that limit in mind when posting. If you try to send more than 140 characters from Google+ to Twitter, what will appear in your Twitter feed is a few words and a Google link! People without Google+ will not see the content.

  My method (whether on a computer or on my phone) is to perfect my post in Twitter, to make sure it’s under 140 characters, then copy/paste that into Google+. It’s just how it must be done for now, til Google+ gets a character counter.

• Your Google+ post must be Public

  You can have your Twitter & Facebook locked down, but the only way Google+ will let any posts be cross-posted is if you are sharing Publicly. So any posts that are directed to specific Circles will not be cross-posted.

• You have to be a link Nazi

  There are lots of little opportunities for this method to backfire and give nothing but a Google link. Be sure to keep your links super small as often as possible (using TinyURL.com). And no matter what link you use, you must ALWAYS hit the little “X” at the top right of the Preview that appears… Otherwise your post will be Google-ized. :\

• You have to simplify your way of posting photos

  If you don’t mind a Google link coming up for when you post pics from your Google+ albums, then go right ahead. I personally haven’t gotten used to sending people to my Google+, because I think it requires Google+ membership. My one-off mobile pics are posted to TwitPic.com and I just paste that link into Google+ manually. For posting an entire album of photos, I post them to Flickr and paste the set link into Google+ manually.

Current Mood: Awake