This article explains why hashtag posts may be missing from the Feeds module, including privacy and indexing limitations set by social networks and duplicate handling between account and hashtag sources.
đź’ˇQuick answers
- Why are some hashtag posts missing from the Feeds module? Feeds relies on each social network's API, so it cannot pull a post if the poster's account has privacy settings enabled, the post hasn't been indexed for that hashtag, or the network otherwise blocks API access to it.
- Can Feeds retrieve hashtag posts made before the source was added? No, posts made before you created your Feeds ID or added the hashtag source cannot be retrieved, due to limitations imposed by the social networks.
- Why does a hashtag post only show under the account source? If a post from an account source you already track also uses a tracked hashtag, only the account source version pulls into Feeds; the hashtag source version is flagged as a duplicate and excluded.
- Is there a time limit on importing Instagram hashtag posts? Yes, Instagram only allows hashtag posts from the last 24 hours to be imported, which is a technical limitation from the Instagram API.
- Why does Instagram or Twitter show more hashtag posts than Feeds does? This discrepancy is expected because Feeds can only import what each social network's API makes available, so it will typically show fewer posts than the native platform.
Chances are, you will see a greater number of hashtag posts listed on the Instagram or Twitter platforms than in the Feeds module.
If you're running a hashtag campaign, please be aware that Feeds will probably not be able to obtain all of the posts that use your hashtag. There are several reasons why, but these all come down to what is made available via the API of each social network.
Feeds can't obtain a hashtag post if:
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There is any sort of privacy setting enabled for the poster's account.
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The post hasn't been "indexed" by the social network for that hashtag.
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The social network has prevented API access to a post for another reason beyond our control and knowledge.
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The posts are from before you created your Feeds ID or added the hashtag source, which is because of limitations by the social networks.
- Your hashtag source has posts made from an existing account source. For example, if the @Your School Instagram account source makes a post using the #Graduation2022 hashtag source, you will not receive two copies of the post. Only the version of the post for the @YourSchool account source will pull into Feeds. The second version for the #Graduation2022 hashtag source will be flagged as a duplicate.
Additionally, Instagram only allows us to import hashtag posts from the last 24 hours. This is a technical limitation resulting from changes with the Instagram API.
Due to these factors, you will likely see a discrepancy between what's listed on the network itself and what appears in the Feeds module.
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