Facebook Distribution 101: Status Updates vs. Shared Links

Posting content to Facebook can be confusing. In a series of blog entries, we aim to explain the many formatting options you have and how you can use dlvr.it to optimize your Facebook content distribution.

There are two primary formats for posting your content to Facebook: Status Updates and Shared Links. Using dlvr.it you can choose which format you post to Facebook. Below we describe each and provide details on the layout options available when posting via dlvr.it.

Status Updates
Facebook Status Updates contain contain text and links, and the formatting is basic. Status updates do not contain images or other media. The format is similar to the bare-bones nature of tweets on Twitter, however Facebook’s character limits per post are higher than Twitter’s. Facebook Status Updates posted via dlvr.it are capped at 420 characters, whereas 140 is the maximum number of characters in a tweet.

When posting Status Updates from dlvr.it, you can select which fields from your items to include: Title, Body and/or Link. The Status Update example below includes the Title and Link of the item posted.

Shared Links
Facebook Shared Links contain contain the title (linked), summary and (optionally) a thumbnail image from the content you are posting. The formatting of Shared Links is richer than Status Updates and Tweets — largely due to a) the inclusion of an image and b) the differing type formats for the Title and Summary portions of the post.

When posting Shared Links from dlvr.it, the Title (linked), Summary and Thumbmail Image are automatically included in the post. dlvr.it users may select the method for choosing thumbnail images. More on thumbnail image selection in our next Facebook Distribution 101 entry.

Setting it Up
You can select your Facebook posting format from within the Facebook Destination editor. Open the Post Content tab and set your Post Style as either “Shared Link” or “Status Update”. The set up process will guide you through additional Facebook configuration.