How to monitor Facebook Pages with a RSS Reader
Written by Amir Esmann
Most user have over the time several hundred Facebook Pages that they like and would stay informed on various topics. As Facebook rule out with the wall filters most Pages you like will not show up anymore if you don’t visit them regularly. As Social Media Experts and also Journalist some times have to stay informed but don’t have the time to visit all that pages or don’t what to Like several competitor pages. There is a work around i mostly use to get in short time a fast overview on many Facebook Pages. Some benefit you get if you use a RSS Facebook reader . Its free anyway and need only a one time work on it :-) These technique also works for Public User Profile Pages.
The classic RSS reader turn in to the game .
- The offered RSS Link from Facebook is not working for Pages .
- You don’t want to waste time by entering several hundred RSS urls into your Reader.
- You need to read the posting of some Friends, without the Facebook Interface .
- Offline reading of Facebook Pages
- IPhone reading of Facebook Pages while you in a Airplane (Offline)
- Sorting your Pages into Category ,Social media / Austrian / Funny Content Pages ect
The Url scheme for Facebook Pages
The Facebook Page RSS Feed in in Atom Rss format : XXXXXXX is the Page ID .The Atom Feed dont need any additional permission and show only the Admin posts.
http://www.facebook.com/feeds/page.php?format=atom10&id=XXXXXXXXXX
How you find a Page ID
How you find the PAGE ID if the page have a vanity url a custom name . Just go to the picture tab of the page the Number with fbid=XXXX in the url is your page ID .
OPML TOOLS
Opml Generator : Simple Generator you have only to put in the links
Some great Rss Reader
NetNewsWire free for Mac , Ipad and Iphone Syncs with Google Reader.
Google Reader: You need a google account to use thes highly recommended as its sync with many Desktop Rss Reader
Facebook RSS for Page Admins shows User Posts
http://www.facebook.com/feeds/notifications.php?id=208928465156&viewer=764868631&key=XXXXXXXXXXX&format=rss20
To get the Rss link for you own Facebook Page, switch to “Use Facebook as Page” go to notification there you find the RSS Link for your Page you get instant update . On any Page post by your Fans. If you manage more than one Company pages it makes sense to stay upto date what is going on your page. Just a sugestion you can even import the RSS feed into a local WordPress to monitor one one single page all your Fan-page activity.
Facebook Rss for User format:
http://www.facebook.com/feeds/notifications.php?id=764868631&viewer=764868631&key=XXXX-XXXX_XXX&format=rss20
When you go to your Notification menu and expand to show all Notivicatiosn on top is a RSS 2.0 links that allow you to import your Feed goole reader or even share it with some one. shortlinks can be found her
Friends Links http://www.facebook.com/posted.php
Friends Notification : http://www.facebook.com/notifications.php
Friends Notes : http://www.facebook.com/notes.php
Friends Status : mode the Rss url exchange the url part friends_notes.php with / friends_status.php /.…..key….
see the video
! For Security and Privacy don’t publish your key=XXXXXXXXXXX in the URL if you share them anybody can read your & Friends post !
For the more Pages to import your Fanpage Subscriptions.
A other way that works fast is use the public OPML Generator ,Drag and drop the links from your Profile into the generator field.
Now bring the Links into the right format like shown on top in the gray box .
Search and replace you Page ID links
www.Facebook.com/YOURPAGE with http://www.facebook.com/feeds/page.php?format=atom10&id=YOURPAGE ID
These will only work if the page hase no Vanity url .
Some Options to use the RSS feed
To autoupdate a Twitter Steream that is related to the Facebook page
Monitor multiple Facebook Pages without the need to Like them
Build custom mashups
