Not seeing your social media posts in the Feeds element or module? There can be several reasons why. Keep in mind that each Feeds package has different refresh rates, so it’s possible your latest posts just haven’t synced yet.

Here are some other steps for troubleshooting missing posts.

Feeds element

Is the desired source selected in the element settings? If you recently added a new source into Feeds, then you also need to select that source to display in a Feeds element. If you have deleted a source and added it back in, then you also need to select it again in the element.

Have you posted recently on that source? Note that the Feeds element displays a certain number of recent posts from the total number of sources selected. Let’s say you chose to show Twitter and Instagram, then set the element to show 10 posts. Your school posts several times a week on Twitter, but it hasn’t posted on Instagram in a month. In that case, you may not see any Instagram posts in your Feeds element, since your recent posts are all coming from Twitter.

Are you looking for hashtag posts? Social media companies have made many changes to their APIs (application programming interface) in recent years, and hashtags are much more restricted than they were in the past. Please see our article Missing hashtag social media posts in Feeds to read more about why this is.

Is your Feeds element set to the “Custom” format? The Custom format is sometimes used by Finalsite when we design styled mashups because it allows greater ability to customize the output. However, this can also mean we have to specifically define in the code which social media sources show. You may not be able to change which sources are selected in the Feeds element Custom format. Please reach out to Finalsite Support for assistance with Custom Feeds elements.

Feeds module

Do you have moderation turned on? If the Moderate and Filter tab says ON, then posts may be awaiting your approval in the moderation console before they will show in a Feeds element on your site. Posts can be approved either individually or in bulk. 

If you have the “Prevent Duplicate Posts” checkbox selected, any post with matching text from a different source will be sent to the moderation queue. This means that, if you post exactly the same text and photo on Facebook and Instagram, then you might only see the Facebook post in your public Feeds posts and the Instagram post will get moved to moderation. Be sure to uncheck “Prevent Duplicate Posts” if you don’t want this to happen, or just change up the text a bit when you make the posts.

There are several steps required to turn off moderation. First, click the “Send All Posts to Moderation” tab on the moderation screen to set it to off. Then, make sure the two textboxes for “Disallow posts with these words” and “Only allow posts with these words” are empty. Finally, uncheck the “Don't allow posts with profanity” and “Prevent Duplicate Posts” checkboxes. Save your filters, and then reload the Feeds window.

Do you see expired Facebook/Instagram connections, or are you trying to add Facebook/Instagram account sources? This is one of the more frustrating changes that occurred from social media companies in recent years. In order to use either platform in Feeds, you must first Connect the Facebook account or Connect the Instagram account. These connections must be refreshed periodically. If you run into any issues, please submit a ticket to our Support team.

Did you add your source to Feeds? As previously mentioned, Facebook and Instagram must first have the relevant accounts connected, but it is a separate step to add the source into Feeds. Platforms such as Twitter and YouTube do not require a connection first, and you can directly add the source.

Conclusion

With so many moving parts, it can be tricky to determine why a particular post isn’t showing up on your site. Our Support team is always happy to help you navigate these issues, but you can get a head start and save time by investigating these common scenarios. And always remember--it may simply be a matter of time before your missing post is synced to your feed.