Kiva.org and Facebook: Posting on the mini-feed

[Guest]

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[sgsilver]

Hi all,

When I first started lending on kiva.org, it would magically post my loan to my Facebook "feed". However, it doesn't do this any longer, and I can't figure out how to do it, or even how it posted to my feed to begin with. 

I've attached a snippet of a screen shot so you can see what I'm talking about. Thanks for any help you can provide! 

Steve

[Diane R]

I saw that change also!  The app seems to have changed from automatic to "only on request" -- what I see now is that, when I make a loan and return from Paypal to the Kiva confirmation screen, in the middle of the page I see a place where I can click and choose to send it to my facebook feed.  Next time I make a loan I will take a snapshot and post it here, if you have not seen it yet, OK?

--Diane.

[sgsilver]

I found it! Thanks! 

[Natasha]

Hi all,

When I first started lending on kiva.org, it would magically post my loan to my Facebook "feed". However, it doesn't do this any longer, and I can't figure out how to do it, or even how it posted to my feed to begin with. 

Steve

I also have been experimenting with it (and love that it updates Facebook), this is what I found in order for it to work...
1. Facebook must be an open application at the time that you checkout to paypal or pay with Kiva credit.
2. It only works when the loan is not fully funded yet (well for me anyway)

A few weeks ago, this only worked when you did checkout payment through paypal account (I found only with credit card), but now works also with kiva credit. As long as it isn't fully funded, then you will get a facebook post button as an option in addition to the e-mail option. When clicked, you should then see a pop up telling you that the story is being sent to Facebook. The pop up should close when finishing sending. You then may need to refresh your Facebook page in order for the mini feed story to appear.

Note: if you pay for multiple loans at checkout, the feed will choose only entrepreneur's name and say (for example) "Natasha supported Margadelene Naluyima and one other item with kiva.org". Both the entrepreneur's name and kiva.org are hyperlinks to the loan/ home page respectively from Facebook.

If others have had different experiences - I will stand corrected, but this is what I found through trial and error recently.

I have also tried the giving tree function on Facebook and list Kiva under "causes I support". But what I would really like is an application/icon on my Facebook that also links directly to my lender page. At the moment I have put a link on my "wall" so my Facebook friends are able to view it, if they are curious, but I think this looks slightly messy.

[Milford]

Um, which Facebook application is this? Where do I find it? Sounds like great promotion, given that it works.

If it's something that magically appears on the "Your Transactions" page after funding a loan, I'm out. That page has been blank for me ('cept the "Your Transactions" title) save for one of my loans.

[sgsilver]

Thanks for the info, Natasha! 

[Diane R]

Facebook does not have to be open in order for this to work.  And it works with Kiva Credit payment now the same as with Paypal payment.

But you are correct that it only works when one or more of the loans you funded in the recent transaction is not fully funded: it suggests you poke the "Post" button for the Facebook feed to "help So-And-So get fully funded".  Here is a screenshot of what it looked like for me tonight:


--Diane.

[Natasha]

Um, which Facebook application is this? Where do I find it? Sounds like great promotion, given that it works.

Which application? Giving Tree? - Do a search on this site and the creators have posted this application.

Causes - you will have to do a search on Facebook and there are literally thousands that you can join which will display under the "causes I support application" (I currently have about six listed but you can have as many as you want).

Mini-feeds - follow the information on my previous post

Thanks for the info, Natasha! 

No worries! Glad you found what you were looking for. Happy to share the information
Diane  - Just saw your post. You are the computing guru and I have no idea how these things work, so I bow to your expertise, but for me, Facebook does have to be open on another page (I have tried it many times over the last few weeks), I am not sure if it is to do with my logins (which are different) or not, otherwise it doesn't work for me. Weird huh?   As I said before, this what I found and how it works for me, if it works differently for others - great! (do what works for you)   Maybe with the improvements with the post button this may have changed?

Will try it out again soon, though I have in all honesty, started hiding all the feeds on Facebook (or not sent the feed) because I think my Friends will be tired with my whole Facebook page that has Kiva all over it! One of my friends jokingly asked me whether I had recently joined a "cult"! LOL maybe I have! This Kiva thing can be pretty addictive

[Milford]

Okay, I didn't quite get this.

In order to successfully use the "Post this loan to your Facebook News Feed" button (given that it'd show up), do I have to have any particular application or cause in Facebook?

I now support the Kiva cause with the most users (there sure were many to choose from), and I've given The Giving Tree a try, but I didn't like it that much, seeing that I can't add people I've actually lended money to, and that I can't remove the woman I erroneously added.

[Diane R]

Just curious if we're using the same Facebook app, Natasha?  Is the info you see on your confirmation screen the same as the image I posted above?  If so, hmm...  maybe has to do with cookies?  I don't think I've ever had Facebook open when I've made a Kiva loan, and I get this notice every times it's a not-yet-fully-raised loan... but I *do* have a saved facebook login cookie.  (And we are now out of the range of my social computing tool technical knowledge area, LOL!)

I guess the answer is for folks to experiment: if it doesn't work for them without Facebook open and they want the feed to happen, they could try to open Facebook before paying for a Kiva loan the next time.    The last date it automatically pushed an update to my Facebook feed without asking me to confirm was Nov. 16th, fyi.

--Diane.
(and with that I really *do* have to try to get to sleep! (it's 2:30am...) stinks being sick...)