Question: Utilizing Social Media as a One-Way Communication Channel

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I have an unusual question. Social media is typically designed for individuals and organizations to interact on the platforms. However, I am inquiring about the existence of an application that would enable me to send information to various social media platforms without the need to ever visit the platforms. If such an application exists, is it feasible to utilize the most popular platforms in the manner I described, while sharing a minimal amount of personal information in setting up those accounts? For instance, I have no desire to share my cell phone number to establish a social media account. I could utilize a Google voicemail account or a similar method if necessary.

My primary objective is to share information, e.g., articles, without engaging in interactions, responding to comments, or scrolling. My sole interest in social media is this forum due to the expertise and the civility that is almost always present.

Even if this is possible, I’m not sure I’ll proceed. For now, I’m merely exploring the idea.

Finally, I presume no one sees an ethical issue with using SM in the manner I described? I ask, because in could be interpreted as selfish somehow.

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Yes, there are several tools that allow exactly that:

  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite
  • Later
  • SocialBee
    Many professionals, news outlets, and organizations use them for exactly the kind of one-way communication you’re describing.
    Some of them even offer RSS feed integration, so you could automate posting articles as they’re published elsewhere.
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I don’t see an ethical issue. You’d want to state that you’re “announce-only” somewhere, so people aren’t expecting to interact with you.

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I’ve been impressed by the Mac/iOS/iPadOS app Croissant. It’s fairly new and easy to use for cross-posting.

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That looks promising, and how can not one like an app named Croissant? :croissant: :slightly_smiling_face:

I like the pricing model too; especially the lifetime purchase.

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The main limitation is that it doesn’t seem to include posting to the “major” platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, and the like. I’ve just glanced at it but that is what I’m seeing.

Thanks, I’m going to check this out!

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Shouldn’t be a problem using any of these tools for announce-only use.

Just good to keep in mind that using tools like these to professionally manage a social media presence is controversial. Some marketing experts claim that social posts that are generated from 3rd party systems are handled differently by the platform algorithms and given less exposure or push than natively posted content.

Since social media platform algorithms are highly protected trade secrets, proving or disproving these theories is difficult and relies on anecdotal evidence rather than clear analytical analysis.