Overview
This article addresses common reasons for discrepancies between Leaderboard data and social media interactions when using PostBeyond. It explains the limitations of data capture due to platform constraints, such as time limits for pinging servers and the inability to track certain types of shares, as well as issues caused by unlinked accounts or rapid sharing. Additionally, the article touches on the impact of Twitter bots on engagement metrics and provides resources for further assistance and learning.
Information
Learn why your individual Leaderboard data may be inaccurate. Sometimes you may notice differences in interactions with posts shared to social media and the PostBeyond Leaderboard. This could be the result of a bug, but often times, this is a result of expected platform behaviour.
In this article, we will go over the different cases where you may see expected data inconsistencies between your Leaderboard and social media interactions.
General Considerations: Delays & Data Cap
Below are a few considerations to keep in mind:
- Data from your social media accounts takes time to transfer to PostBeyond, so you will not see interactions immediately.
- PostBeyond only captures 5 days of data for LinkedIn and 48hrs of data for Twitter and Facebook (with the exception of clickthroughs). Therefore, after these timeframes, any interactions (likes, re-shares, comments, etc.) you received will not show on your Leaderboard. The only interaction that we track without a time limit is click throughs.
Why is there a time limit on capturing Interactions?
PostBeyond has to ping social servers for data around engagements on every post. To ensure that we are not blocked or cause errors, we can only ping LinkedIn's servers a number of times.
From our data analysis, we have mapped out an optimal timeframe for each social network to capture the vast majority of interactions. If we were to stretch out this timeframe, we would have to delay our data retrieval from these sites, and this would create a gap in accurately capturing points for the leaderboard.
NOTE: We can track clicks without a time limit because the URL shared is PostBeyond's, so we can track that data indefinitely.
Ever notice your Facebook sharing and interaction data is not correct? This could be the result of one of the following reasons:
No Linked Facebook Account
You do not have a Facebook account linked to your PostBeyond account. Solve this by linking your Facebook account to PostBeyond.
Issues with Linked Pages
If you have a page linked to PostBeyond but you share anywhere that is not that page (i.e., sharing posts as a direct message or to groups on mobile), we cannot capture the data for those shares. We will only capture the share and interaction if you share to the timeline linked in your settings. To share to a business page and capture that data, link a business page to PostBeyond.
If you have a business page linked and selected, and you try to share to your personal page, please ensure that you have the correct page linked throughout the process.
Rapid Sharing on Facebook
If you share to Facebook multiple times in quick succession, we cannot identify which share to associate engagements for PostBeyond. Please make sure to leave at least 1 minute between shares to ensure that the share and interaction data is captured correctly.
Have you ever noticed an unexpected surge in your Twitter engagements and interactions that seem off? This could likely be due to Twitter bots.
This article will discuss Twitter bots, their nature, their effects on analytics, how to spot a bot, and most importantly, how to report Twitter bots to PostBeyond.
What are Twitter bots?
Bot traffic refers to non-human traffic on a website, generated by software applications executing automated tasks. Bots can carry out repetitive tasks at speeds unattainable by humans. On Twitter, they are capable of imitating all forms of human user behavior, such as clicks and likes.
To learn more about Twitter bots, please read Twitter Bots & Blocking. The article provides insights on identifying bots and eliminating them.
Helpful Resources
Explore these resources to get more out of the PostBeyond platform.
FAQ
Why is there a time limit on capturing interactions on PostBeyond?
PostBeyond pings social media servers to gather engagement data and must limit the frequency to avoid being blocked or causing errors. An optimal timeframe is determined for each network to capture most interactions without delaying data retrieval.
What can cause inaccuracies in Facebook sharing and interaction data on PostBeyond?
Inaccuracies can occur if you don't have a Facebook account linked to PostBeyond, if you share posts outside of the linked page, or if you share to Facebook multiple times in quick succession without leaving at least 1 minute between shares.
How can Twitter bots affect my engagement metrics on PostBeyond?
Twitter bots can imitate human behavior, such as clicks and likes, leading to an unexpected surge in engagement metrics that do not represent genuine human interactions.
What should I do if I notice my Leaderboard data doesn't match my social media interactions?
Ensure that your social media accounts are correctly linked to PostBeyond, avoid rapid sharing, and be aware of the limitations of data capture. If issues persist, contact PostBeyond support for assistance.
How can I identify and report Twitter bots to PostBeyond?
The article "Twitter Bots & Blocking" provides insights on identifying bots and the steps to report them to PostBeyond. It is important to report bots to maintain accurate engagement analytics.