Once you have connected your Channel, Social Media Management will work with the applicable network’s (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) API to retrieve your data and make sure you have the correct access to the Channel.

On the rare occasion that a network API encounters technical issues with a connection you’ve created with Social Media Management, your Channel may become disconnected from the platform. Follow the guide below to make sure you’re in the best position, and limit the chance of any future Channel disconnection.

1: Maintain Channel Access

To connect a Channel to Social Media Management, you will (at the very least) need to have access to it natively. In other words, you will need to be able to log into the social network directly and manage the account you’re trying to connect to Social Media Management. In many cases, you need to have Admin access. Please make sure to check the full list of requirements necessary for Channel connection by network here.

While your Channel is connected to Social Media Management, you should never attempt to change your access to the account, for example by reducing your permissions from Admin to Editor, or removing your access. Any changes in your access may result in the native network forcing the Channel to become disconnected from Social Media Management.

2. Don’t Use Shared Logins to Connect Your Channels

If your team is accessing your social accounts via shared logins (e.g, if multiple people are logging in using a shared email/password), it is recommended that you do not connect your Channel to Social Media Management using this login information. Rather, you should connect Channels using login information which only you have access to.

Provided a shared login has the correct access to the social media account, you may be successful in connecting it to Social Media Management. However, once the social network becomes suspicious or concerned with the security pertaining to the shared login information, the Channel could become disconnected unexpectedly. Similarly, if the shared login was used to connect multiple Channels, they could all become disconnected.

3: Maintain Social Media Management Permission Settings

While connecting a Channel, you will be asked to confirm that you agree to share data with Social Media Management. In addition, if you have access to more than one Channel on the same network, you will be asked to specify which Channels Social Media Management can access.

Once access has been granted and your Channel has been connected, these permission settings will be saved. By logging into the social network and viewing your settings, you can usually view - and have the option to adjust - these settings.

However, any changes to your permission settings may result in the network API forcing the Channel to become disconnected from Social Media Management, no matter how trivial the adjusted setting may have been.

4: Refresh Channel Connections Regularly

If your Channel has been connected for a long time, Social Media Management’s connection to your Channel (via the network API) may become faulty. In such cases, your Channel may not instantly become disconnected, though you may experience minor issues such as publishing errors or missing comments. Over time, your Channel may eventually become disconnected.

To avoid any issues, it is strongly recommended that you regularly refresh the connection to your Channel - In other words, reconnect it to Social Media Management again, even if it’s still showing as connected.

To get started, any user with a user role of Admin or Team Leader can click Settings > Channels > Add Channel to begin the Channel connection process.

Refreshing the connection to your Channel allows us to establish a brand new connection. You can find the full guide to refreshing Channel Connections from our Channel Management article.

How often?

There is currently no strict guidance on how often you should refresh your Channel connection. However, it would be recommended that you aim to refresh the connection of your Channels every 3-6 months to best avoid connection issues.

5. Refresh Channel Connections in Bulk

As mentioned above, pro-actively refreshing the connection to your Channel will reduce the likelihood of a Channel becoming disconnected over long periods of time. However, you do not need to refresh the connection to each Channel individually.

Instead, save some time by connecting multiple Channels at once. While refreshing the connection to any of your Channels, you will be asked which Channel(s) you would like to connect.

At this stage, you can select multiple Channels. However, please bear in mind:

• You may only select from other Channels on the same social network (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn).
• You must have the correct Channel access on each Channel you would like to connect.

6. Have Multiple Users Connect Channels

When a user connects a Channel to Social Media Management, a token is created by the social network’s API. A token is a unique code which gives us permission to access your Channel via the network API. You can find out a bit more information about the relationship between Social Media Management and APIs here.

While this token is unique to the user who connected the Channel, this means Social Media Management will only have one way to access the Channel. If anything goes wrong with that connection, the Channel will become disconnected.

However, if a second (or third, or fourth) user creates a new connection to the channel, there will be more connection opportunities for Social Media Management to fall back on in case anything goes wrong. Any users with the correct access to a Channel can refresh the connection, creating an additional token.

7. Refresh LinkedIn Channels Every 60 Days

Unlike other networks, LinkedIn’s terms of conditions specify that Channels may only be connected to third-party apps for a total of 60 days before a new connection is required. As a result, your Channel will become disconnected after 60 days. You can find out more from LinkedIn's documentation.

When a LinkedIn Channel becomes disconnected, you will be notified by email. You will also be able to reconnect the Channel immediately. However, you do not need to wait until the Channel disconnects - Instead, you can reset the clock as often as you like.

Aim to set a reminder of when your Channel was last connected. At any point before the 60 day mark, you can refresh the connection to your Channel while it’s still connected. Your 60 day countdown will start again from when the Channel is successfully connected, meaning it will never have to become disconnected.

8. Be Alert when Changing Passwords

If you have connected a Channel to Social Media Management, the native network will remain conscious about your account’s security. If the network believes your account security has been jeopardized, it may cause any Channels you have connected to become disconnected.

Of course, you should be encouraged to change the password to your social media accounts as often as typically recommended. However, please be aware that changing the password to any social media account which was used to connect a Channel to Social Media Management may cause that Channel to become disconnected.

As such, if you are planning to change the password to any of your social media accounts, please aim to refresh the connection of your Channels afterwards, or reconnect should they become disconnected.

9. Check for Disconnection Errors

Should the worst happen, you can follow the steps to reconnect your disconnected Channel. However, it might not always be that easy. When a Channel becomes disconnected, it’s usually for a reason. You can check out our common reasons for Channel disconnections for ideas of what could happen.

However, to find out what happened and avoid it in the future, you can use the Audit Log to view a connection history of your Channel, find errors, and act on any concerns.

For example, errors regarding your access to the Channel may prompt you to log in and confirm your access. An error regarding security concerns may prompt you to change your password or contact the social network.

10. Contact Support

If you are following the above steps to keep your Channel connected but you’re still seeing frequent disconnections, it should never be expected - please contact the Support team. You can reach out via email or chat, though in instances where troubleshooting may be necessary, it is recommended that you reach out via chat.