Arts and Graphics: Pebrero 2016

Lunes, Pebrero 22, 2016

Trane RTM Aux temperature sensor

This will probably seem like a silly question but I don't usually have to deal with the HVAC system anymore; we have an HVAC tech on site but he is fresh out of school and doesn't know. We have an intellipac which is showing an error for the RTM Aux temp. What temperature is it actually sensing and where is the sensor generally located? I cannot find it even mentioned in the book or schematics. Our unit seems to be running okay; I just don't like having errors from sensors. Thank you,

Need help in removing this door knob

Hi!

I'm trying to remove this commercial schlage door lock/knob however once I took off the cover plate on the inside, I'm not able to remove the door knob on the other side. Any ideas on how to remove this?

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Mayor John Tory will pitch Toronto to L.A. film studios

Mayor is scheduled to meet with executives from 11 studios on three-day trip to sell them on filming in Toronto.

Linggo, Pebrero 21, 2016

combustion analyzers

anybody use TPI analyzers or know much about them?

Help: Nest Installation/2 wires humidifier

Hi,

I just purchased a Nest 3rd Generation, now, the diagram for the thermostat for my heating system is easy, but I have a 2 wires humidifier with a orange and I guess brown wire (not completely sure of the color on this one).

Nest does not provide any info on that I pay a professional installation will bring the "final price" of this thermostat out of my reach.

I need help, please, so I can do the installation by myself.

Thank you

Sabado, Pebrero 20, 2016

Was the Trane XR13 ever offered as straight A/C?

Or has it always been a heat pump?

Water pipe heat cable for pex

I had a frozen pipe which is used for heating. Pipe was routed outside and goes up to 2nd floor. Froze pipe was copper and that section was switched with a PEX pipe. I wanted to know if i can use the heating cable with copper and PEX mix.

I have two shark bites on two ends with copper on one side and pex in the middle.

City, outside workers reach tentative contract deal; inside workers extend their deadline

Announcement comes hours after midnight deadline for strike or lockout had passed. Inside workers say their talks will continue on Saturday.

Biyernes, Pebrero 19, 2016

How I Made the Old Tapatalk Work

I have an Android phone running 4.4.2. I hate the new versions of Tapatalk... it's all gooped up. I really liked the old version 2.4.13. So, here's how I got it to work:

- install new Tapatalk, create an account in Tapatalk *** very important ***

- look up your forums, log into them, and make sure they show up in "Accounts"

- remove new Tapatalk

- install your preferred version of old Tapatalk

http://www.apk4fun.com/history/866/

http://www.apkmirror.com/uploads/?q=tapatalk-inc

Or search the internet for the specific version you want.

- dont try to search for the forums. The old versions wont find anything

- log into your Tapatalk account and your forums should appear in the Accounts column

- log into your forums

- tweak settings

That's it!

Be warned that not all versions will work with newer Android OSs. It's trial and error.

City, outside workers reach tentative contract deal

Announcement comes hours after midnight deadline for strike or lockout had passed.

Generator/invertor and bonded neutral

Hello

I am planning a backup system to power my ?boiler? during a power outage. I?ve done a lot research. The wiring is figured out and I have the load requirements of the boiler. I am trying to install the most versatile system. I have yet to purchase a generator or inverter, and the transfer switch. The only issue I have left deals with the bonded/floating neutral. I would like to be able to use a generator [b]or[\b] inverter. Generators may or may not have their own bonded neutral, depending on model. Inverters may or may not have their own bonded neutral, depending on model. (It seems most inverters have a bonded neutral, and is complicated if a GFCI is used).) Some generators can be configured either way, or a ?bonding plug? assembled by connecting the ground to the neutral and plugging it into the outlet on the generator. I plan on using a pure sign inverter as the boiler does have a circuit board and processor (and pure sign inverters seem more versatile, better made, output 120 VAC on the hot rather than possibly 120 split between hot and neutral). The house load center is bonded neutral. I will be using a single circuit transfer switch. Per code there can be only one bonded neutral in a separately derived system. If the transfer switch only switches the hot, the generator/inverter side of the transfer switch cannot be bonded. If the transfer switch switches both the hot and neutral, the generator/inverter side of the transfer switch must be bonded. I plan on using a short extension cord to connect the generator/inverter to the transfer switch (or power inlet box). Backfeeding will not be considered.

The transfer switch is the issue. Switches such as the EZ Generator Switch can purchased either way - switched or non-switched neutral. I believe the switched version could be quickly rewired so the neutral bypasses the switch, thus allowing for a single bonded neutral if a floating neutral generator/inverter is used.

Thoughts? I am missing something? Again, my goal is to create the most versatile system that is independent of the type of generator or inverter.

I know the bonded neutral and generators and inverters issue is not new. If this has been answered before, please point me to the correct thread.

Huwebes, Pebrero 18, 2016

Small Nail/Staple Guns Electric VS Air

I want to get a couple of small Nail/Staple guns.

First project to be used on:

Replacing plyboard around eves of my shop. My existing plyboard is getting really bad around the eves of the shop so I want to remove it & replace it with 1/4 plyboard. So, I need a small nail/brad gun that will shoot 1" or so nails/brads, whatever as well as staples. Now, I say that cause I have a little electric nailer/stapler thing that shoots both but I don't really like it. It doesn't seem to be strong enough for its purpose. So, that's what I am kinda looking to replace. To be honest, I dont know that I would use a stapler that much so a 1" nail/brad gun would be ok.

I also do little piddling things like bird houses etc with 1/2" plyboard. So, I kinda need something that will do these little small projects.

I have an air compressor so that's not an issue & of course we even have electricity around here. I'll be honest in that I probably wont use this thing a lot. Especially on a weekly basis, sometimes on a monthly basis. So, it could be 3 or 4 months between uses.

With that info, would you suggest an electric over air? I think I would prefer an air gun but, I am not opposed to getting an electric, but I've heard, you need to keep an air gun oiled or maintained even when not in use for periods of time, otherwise the seals etc will dry out & you'll have to have them rebuilt or something.... whatever.

I buy most of my hardware & project supply's at Home Depot.... but, I sometimes check Lowes too. Name brands? Other tips?

So....... Yes? No? Maybe? Air? Electric? What to you say?

York YDTJ (That daggum bb)

Recently I rebuilt a YT. I found out the hard way that I have to install the steel ball into the low speed thrust cover. Wondering what the purpose of the steel ball is? Thank you

City of Toronto and workers deadlocked as strike deadline looms

Thousands of City of Toronto workers could legally go on strike after midnight.

Everything You Need to Know About The Latest Twitter Features (And Some Thoughts on Its Future)

Over recent months, there has been a lot of debate about the future of Twitter.

Growth has halted, share prices have fallen, and some are even saying #RIPTwitter.

With all that in mind, the future of Twitter still feels extremely exciting, though. It feels like something big is afoot. And in order to kickstart growth and get people excited again, Twitter has been rolling out a range of great new features and updates.

In this post, I'd love to give you the lowdown on Twitter's newest features and also share some thoughts on where it may be heading in the future.

Let's get started! BlogThis!Ibahagi sa X Ibahagi sa Facebook Ibahagi sa Pinterest

Miyerkules, Pebrero 17, 2016

Today's wine cellar

Got a call to look at a wine cellar split. Found 7/8 and 3/8 line sets. Should be 1/2 and 1/4. Customer doesn't want to change lineset because it worked before. He wants a compressor. Another company just installed one six months ago. Breezair wksl 4000.

Cap tube Evap. Site glass outside.

134a. 65 degree ambient. 65 in wine cellar. 35/120. 1 degree compressor sh. Subcooling 24. Was confused with the cap tube and site glass combo. Cap tube should be critical charge charge. Really basic system. Complaint is it won't keep up when hot.

Am I missing something? I say correct line sets then check out system again.

Any advice on site glass with cap tube?

Brampton asks provincial Ombudsman to probe downtown deal

Request from council may be stymied by ongoing legal issues.

Bathtub Tiling

Hi, I have a couple general questions about tiling the wall around my bathtub. The bathroom remodel sticky suggested not posting there, so I'm taking a guess at where this post belongs...

I have experience remodeling all the rooms in my home, but I've never installed a new bathtub. Currently, the walls around the tub are fiberglass. We want to take this out along with the tub and replace with tile to go with the new tub. I will be having help with this but need to generally lead the project. So a couple questions I had...

Do I need to waterproof the cement backer board before putting up the mortar? I've seen conflicting answers. If so, what product do you recommend?

Do you just choose from the same tile that you would use on a floor?

Is there a general distance you need to have between the top of the tile and the ceiling?

Are there alternatives to using the tub drain removal tool? I'm willing to save a few bucks here and there if it doesn't hurt the end product.

Any other suggestions are welcome also. Thanks!

Martes, Pebrero 16, 2016

Residencial hvac heating problem (water based)

I had a new ac built to order that replaced my old one 3 years ago. Right after warranty was off (2 years in) a/c started to act wierd. During winters from time to time, it starts to blow cold air and with no reason goes back to normal. During summer, all is ok though. This year again same thing happened. I manually overrided actuator to open position few times. After sometime spring inside it broke, so i bought new unit (erie ag13b020) and replaced whole head, hoping that problem will disappear. After 24h however, problem came back. During the day a/c blows hot air, stops automatically and starts right back working all good, but at night though set unchanged to 80 degrees, will start blowing cold air continiously. Only way to get hot air, is again manually opening water walve, which again will make it work great during the day, but fails at night though untouched. What seems to be the problem? Also what's that part on the pripe near erie looking like oversize "watch" battery seen on last picture? Can it be responsible for the on and off cold air?

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evaporator need cleaning?

Hello all, i have a had a somewhat funky odor in my house since moving in last summer. It is an older home but has a 90% gas furnace. I opened the housing on the Skudder humidifier and found that the pad was pretty well gunked up with mold and mineral deposits. I replaced pad and cleaned housing but now I am wondering if the mold was limited to just the humidifier or if it might possibly also be growing on the evaporator coil. There is no access panel that allows me to take a look inside so I'm wondering if I should get someone out to cut a door into the plenum so we can take a look at the coil and clean if needed. Any advice is appreciated, thanks, jeff

Lunes, Pebrero 15, 2016

Need flare tool

Looking for a good flaring tool. Heard there is not many that are good now days, even the name brand ones. Came across Hilmor's orbital flare, looks pretty decent and read decent reviews. Any recommendations?

Gord Perks takes on his toughest challenge yet -- Toronto's budget

When the budget under Mayor John Tory goes for final approval at council, its chief critic will be the Parkdale-High Park councillor.

Universal or DIY Washer/Dryer Stacking Kit

Hello.

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a universal type washer/dryer stacking kit. I purchased a Kenmore set which comes with an LG stacking kit; however, it does not fit and Sears is not help.

I've seen some kits for European models that appear to be a plastic seat for the top of the washer and then a belt that wraps around both units.

If I end up having to improvise a way to stack these units I'm thinking I'll just get some rubber pads for the dryer feet on top of the washer, but what kind of belt/strap would I use to secure the units together?

Thanks.

Suite remodeled and new install of power vent for class 2 hood. Arizona Rain cover..

I seen this today troubleshooting a issue for the property management,

The renter has a GC do a remodel is getting air balance and outside air certified for occupancy but is missing a unit after they send for the air balance company the discovered it..... I gonna install new heat pump in day or so but this is example the work being done over there..

Most of Toronto's newest police don't live in Toronto

The issue of where police officers live -- and whether it matters -- is a hot topic south of the border.

Just had one of those "hmmm" moments...

Just finished doing my daughter's tax return (yeah, I still spoil her) and needed her routing number and account number for the direct deposit on the refund. Dropped her an email. About 15 minutes later she called me to give me the numbers as she did not want to send them via email. I'm thinking she should be running for President as she at least knows the meaning of the term comsec.

Covered up junction box above ceiling mirror

The previous property owner had put in this elaborate mirrored ceiling with wood framed in sections.

Only problem is, there is a junction box above this ceiling that's covered up.

I would like to access this junction box somehow.

This is the junction box from above in the attic. As you can see there are several EMT conduits connected to it and there is no easy way I can turn it around and make it accessible from the attic side.

Any ideas?

Do I measure carefully and cut the mirrored ceiling from below then put in an ugly box cover? Assuming I don't end up cracking the mirror and once I do that there is no avoiding taking the whole thing down. :help:

Or is there a way I can do something in the attic? :confused:

Aprilaire 700 humidifier does not raise humidity.

It was installed 24hrs ago by a local AA certified contractor. 700 was their recommendation, initially we thought of 400 and then they called saying they think 700 is more adequate. Considering the price was the same I went along with it.

Initially it was set to auto. I set it at 5. My humidity in fact (it is cold in NJ) went down and is fluctuating between 25-27% on the hygrometer and 30% on the control panel. I set it to 7. Same. Midday today I switched to manual, keeping it at 7. No change. It is 25 at hygrometer and 29 at the panel.

I see the water going in, I can both hear it and see the water meter rotating.

I also hear the fan.

It is installed on the return.

What gives?

Come Monday I will call the contractor but it will be warm Monday so I am not sure how they will troubleshoot.

Program 5808w3 loop 3 as ZT12

I have a Vista 20p. I'm trying to get a 5808w3 smoke loop 3 (low temp) to program as zone type 12. I can't get it to work correctly. I can program it as zone type 8 and it works but I want it in as ZT 12.

Does anyone know if this can be done?

Thanks.

On transit, big change coming down the track -- at last: James

It won't be quick in coming, but the broader, busier, more integrated transit system we need is being envisioned at city hall right now, writes Royson James. But it has to be fought for.

Excessive heat rise in an Amana AMVM960603BX modulating furnace

Temperature in the supply plenum rises above what the manual says is the max...pretty quickly. I've been trying to figure this one for many months and it's a mystery. Any insight much appreciated.

Communicating modulating Amana AMVM960603BX furnace with three zones controlled by an EWC Ultra-Zone board. One communicating 'stat, two regular 'stats. The dampers all work. Manometer says total static pressure is less than 0.5 no matter how many zones are open (summing measurements at fan intake plenum after filter, before AC coil with the coil panel open and a hole drilled thru the cover plate, and after the coil). For example, with all zones open and fan speed about 1200 cfm it's about .15 before the fan, about .22 before the coil, and about .12 in the supply plenum. And my anemometer says about 1200 cfm airflow thru the supply plenum. Looks like the air is moving as designed.

The manual for the furnace say an OK temperature rise is 20 to 50 degrees. But no matter how I set the zone board to stage the furnace, the supply plenum temperature gets above 120 degrees within five minutes of heat-on call (return air is about 70 degrees). It looks to me like the core problem is the fan speed is set according to the gas flow: For example, if gas is 100% of maximum then the fan runs at 100% of the speed chosen on the dip switches; 50% gas means 50% fan, and so forth. That is, I can't tell it to run the fan faster than the gas percentage.

What works OK is to set the dip switches so the furnace fan is at max for any given gas percentage, and set the target target temperature on the zone board at 120 degrees and then have the zone board overtemperature cutoff at about 130 degrees. The zone board calls for max heat at startup until the supply plenum gets near 120, which means the fan runs fast. Then the fan and the gas slow down, but there's not enough air to keep it below 130%, so the zone board cuts off the furnace while keeping the fan running, waits three minutes, and starts the cycle over again.

So, I'm letting the supply plenum temperature go 10 degrees above what it says in the manual, but on a cold night, say 10 degrees outside, the thing can barely keep up because the gas is off almost as much as it's on.

And it bugs me to be using a safety to operate the system.

Anyone know of a way to jigger the furnace control board to give me a way to set the fan speed separate from the gas flow?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks!

The problem:

Freezing pipes

Hey all you DIY masters- Maybe you all can help out with this one.

Literally every time the temperature seriously drops, I end up with the water line coming into my house freezing. At least, this is where I think its freezing. Pictures may help more- I'll add them for reference.

The pipes seem to be freezing underneath my front door entrance. It is the raised area behind the brick wall out front. My laundry room does get very cold- this year I left the heater vents wide open in there to add heat to prevent the freeze. However, last night, the filter on my furnace got too clogged and shut down my heat, and it took almost no time for the pipes to freeze. I presently have a space heater and heating pad in the laundry room to try to thaw the line, but its been hours and I still have nothing. All the pipes I can reach with my hand in the wall feel pretty warm, so it must be frozen solid elsewhere.

I have no water flowing anywhere with the exception of my washing machine, which seems to have a separate supply. Does anyone have any tips for preventing this, or solving my problem right now? I would be willing to tear into the wall in the laundry room, though I imagine cutting through studs to access the cavity beneath my walkway would be structurally bad. Any advice or ideas? Thanks guys! Name: 20160214_205008.jpg<br />
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Miyerkules, Pebrero 10, 2016

Trane rtu with ddc - no heating no draft motor

Am wondering if anyone has dealt with an issue where the Trane rtu yhc048 will not cycle on the heating during auto cycle test (or at any other time) due to the venter motor contacts not closing in the ignition control board? I checked all the burner high temp limit switches and for continuity in the wiring, switched with a known working ignition control board, as well as a working main control board with no success. Seems really odd when known working main board and ign control boards do not work in this unit while all other test functions work in the auto cycle, the unit worked exactly the same before and after swapping the boards. The venter motor works fine when voltage is applied. Am wondering if it may have anything to do with the Lon talk board interfering... But I would think for the auto cycle test it shouldn't. The Lon board appears ok by the way the lights are blinking although I haven't tested it beyond that.

Flaking Pain On Metal Window Frame

I am renovating my basement and noticed the 2 window frames have a metal bottom frame that have metal flaking off. My idea to resolve the issue is to use a small hand sander to remove the flaking paint and simply use a paint brush to put a new layer of paint. I have a few questions:

1) Why would metal be used?

2) Why is it flaking? I don't notice any moisture nor do I see any damage to the sheet rock

3) Can basic interior paint be used (e.g. ceiling / flat paint)?

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Cabbies cancel UberX protest for NBA All-Star weekend

Toronto taxi drivers are angry the city won't launch an injunction to shut down the ride-sharing service, pending new regulations.

Martes, Pebrero 9, 2016

How to Add and Manage Multiple Accounts on Instagram

Instagram has now released one of its most requested features.

The ever-popular photo sharing app announced that following the release of version 7.15 for iOS and Android users will have the ability to switch between multiple accounts.

This news is sure to make power users and social media managers jump with joy as managing multiple accounts for brands (or your pets) has been a time-consuming task up until now.

Here's a super-quick guide on how to add and manage multiple accounts on Instagram.

pablo (16)

Adding and switching between multiple accounts

Once the feature is live (it's being rolled out to all users gradually this week), you can manage up to 5 Instagram accounts without having to login and out to switch between each account.

To add an account, head over to your profile page, click the settings cog in the top right corner and look for the 'Add Account' option:

add-account

From here you'll be taken to a login screen to connect another account. Once you have multiple accounts connected, you can switch between them by tapping on your username at the top of your profile screen and then tapping on the account you'd like to manage:

switch-accounts

You can also switch between accounts by holding over the profile icon in the bottom right of the screen from anywhere within the Instagram app:

account-button

Once you hold down the profile image, you'll then see a list of your connected accounts, and from here you can choose which account you'd like to manage:

select-account

Instagram will show the profile photo of the account you're managing throughout the app to make it easier to see which account you're active on at all times.

How to remove an account

To remove an account, first switch to the profile you'd like to remove and head over to your account settings and tap Log out of [username]: log-out

Bonus: A new way to engage with images

This update also brings with it a great new way to like and comment on images as well as share their them via DM.

When you're looking at a post in the grid view (on someone's profile or search results), you can tap and hold to expand the image and also like, comment and share:

insta-pic

Over to you

Do you manage multiple Instagram accounts? If so, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. How much time will this update save you? How had you been managing all your accounts previously?

The post How to Add and Manage Multiple Accounts on Instagram appeared first on Social.

Gas smell direct vent gas fireplace

We have a Vermont Castings direct vent gas fireplace (converted to propane) in our living room. Every time I am in that room, I smell propane down by the hearth. I don't have to be close to the pilot to smell it. Three (yes three) different gas and fireplace technicians have come over, checked the fireplace and lines and insist there's no leak. I still smell it; it's not subtle. Some details:

We have a gas oven as well, and I never smell propane there.

I smell it whether or not the fireplace is lit.

The only way to get rid of the smell is to turn the propane to the fireplace off completely, under the unit itself (which I have done).

The smell persists regardless of how much propane is in our tank--it is currently 3/4 full.

The fireplace is about 13 years old. I first noticed this last winter.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be causing this and how I can get it repaired? We'd really like to use the fireplace, but the chemical odorant in the propane is quite distinctive, and I'm not willing to gamble with my family's lives. Thank you so much.

Gas boiler won't stay fired up, pilot stays lit

So the boiler won't stay fired up yet the pilot stays on. If I pull out the big red cable in the 3rd picture, from the "Honeywell S86E Intermittent Pilot", the pilot does not go out, however once I plug it back in the boiler suddenly fires up.

Sometimes I do that once and it'll stay going fine for the rest of night or even several days. Other times it takes a few times.

Let me know if any more information is needed. As you can tell from my technical lingo, "big red cable", I have no idea what I'm doing.

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Information watchdog reminds politicians about email transparency rules

Elected officials and civil servants can't hide from public freedom of information requests by using private accounts like Gmail or BBM.

Lunes, Pebrero 8, 2016

The Best 5 Minutes We Spend on Ads: See the Daily Ritual We Use to Boost Traffic to Our Best Posts

The world of paid ads can sometimes feel a little overwhelming, especially if you're new to the game and wondering where to even start.

Wouldn't it be nice to find a nice and easy (and effective) way of dipping your toes in?

I'm only a few months removed from this post exploring paid ads as a total noob, which I remain, and I've done my very best since to be a sponge for all the paid ads experiments and strategies I can find.

We just so happened to come onto a neat one here at Buffer.

It's simple and quick, powerful and effective, and I'd love to share it with you to get your thoughts.

If you only have $5 to spend ...

A simple tip for maxing your social ads

Details are below, fully written out with the complete strategy here. I thought I'd also add things into a quick video as sometimes it's a bit easier to see someone step through things!

Here's the gist ...

Check out your most recent day/week's posts, looking specifically for impressions and engagement.

Gawk in wonder at the ones with high engagement + low impressions.

Boost those!

Here's the complete detail

How to find the impressions and engagement data for your posts

On Facebook

One of the big challenges for marketers on Facebook is the question of reach: Where's it all gone and how to get more? One of the nice benefits of this conundrum is that we all know -- perhaps know too well in some cases! -- where our reach currently stands.

Facebook makes it easy to see Reach.

And Facebook Reach is the same as impressions.

To get the engagement data on a particular post, you can click on the "xx people reached" link to see lots more data. After clicking, a popover will appear with all the vital stats from your post, including a total for engagement of likes, comments, and shares, as well as data on clicks. You can combine these two numbers (in the example below, it would be 23 plus 150) to get your total engagement.

Then to calculate engagement-per-impression, take the total engagements and divide by the number of people reached.

In the example above, it would be 173/3,299, for a total of 5.2%. (Not bad!)

To check these per-post stats in bulk, you can navigate to your Facebook Insights at the top of the screen (available for all page admins). The Posts tab has all the data on each of your posts, and you can run some quick math or cast a quick eyeball to see which posts fall into the "low impression, high engagement" window.

You can also get this data from an export and run the calculations through a spreadsheet.

For Buffer users, all this Facebook info is available automatically in your Buffer Analytics.

Free users can scroll through post history, looking at engagement stats and reach.

Business users can export all this data and calculate the engagement-per-impression rate with a simple formula:

(Here's a sample spreadsheet.)

On Twitter

Twitter impression stats (a relatively new feature) appear in the Twitter Analytics section of the site. All users can access this for free by clicking on Analytics from the drop-down menu at top right.

Once inside analytics, click over to the Tweets tab.

The Tweets tab shows all your recent tweets in a big long list, along with some quick stats beside each. Impressions live here, as well as an Engagement Rate, which Twitter calculates by dividing total engagement with impressions.

Voila! Just what we're looking for!

To dig a little deeper, you can click for details on any tweet to see the precise breakdown of engagements: how many clicks, retweets, likes, profile clicks, media plays, follows, and tons of other minutiae.

For a large-scale look at engagement and impressions, Twitter offers an export, which contains columns for each of these major stats.

Here's an example export along with a simple calculation to find the best engagement-per-impression rate.

(I added a column in peach that calculates click rate, in case you're particularly keen on click stats.)

Note: Twitter has thus far held its impression data pretty tight to its chest. We'd love to get this into your Buffer Analytics just as soon as we can!

How to boost a post on Facebook and Twitter

On Facebook

If you've ever visited your Facebook page when logged in as a page admin, you've likely seen how easy Facebook makes it to boost a post.

Scrolling through your feed, each post has a blue "Boost Post" button at the bottom.

When you click this button, you'll see a popup that shows all the different settings for targeting, budget, timeframe, and more.

Audience: Choose to boost the post to 1) your fans, 2) your fans and their friends, or 3) a custom audience or segment.

Budget and duration: Choose how much you'd like to spend and how long to run the campaign

Tracking conversions: To see purchases and signups on your site that started made from this ad, you can install a Facebook tracking pixel and select it from the list (more on tracking pixels here)

Payment

You can also quickly boost a Facebook post from the Facebook Insights section, right from the default dashboard. All your recent posts are listed in a table, with a big blue Boost Post button to the right.

On Twitter

Twitter's Promoted tweets options are available from within the analytics dashboards and not, like Facebook, shown on the updates in your timeline.

Once you've identified a tweet you'd like to promote, one that has high engagement and low views:

1. Click the "Tweet Activity" link underneath any update on the Tweet stats page

2. Click the blue "Promote your Tweet" button that appears in the left column.

From here, you can customize a handful of high-level settings for your tweet: Location targeting for your local area, country, or worldwide; and budget, along with an estimate of clicks you could expect to receive. (And then the payment info of course.)

Impressions: One of our favorite stats here at Buffer (and why)

One of the early lessons I learned on social media -- and I learned it the hard way -- was in making a distinction between followers and reach.

Followers (and fans) are all those folks who have clicked to like or follow your profile.

Reach is the number of folks who actually see an individual post that you share.

For example, at Buffer we have 47,000 likes on Facebook and our posts reach an average of 1,600 people. We reach 3.4% of our audience!

Knowing about this difference in fans vs. engagement, it's made a big difference for me in the way that I analyze campaigns. Instead of comparing every result to the number of people who've liked or followed our profiles, the more accurate data is going to come from assessing a campaign based on how many people actually saw it.

We're experimenting with ways to increase our reach, too. Here're a couple of early thoughts:

Get more followers! Sounds a bit counterintuitive in this context, right? The idea here would be that if we reach 1,600 people per post (3.4% of our fans), then we'd theoretically reach 3,400 people per post if we could get to 100,000 followers.

Pay for reach. We're looking to learn fast with paid ads on social, and we'll love to pass along our takeaways!

Encourage organic, viral boosts. We'd also love to find ways to make content that people will love to share with others: reshare on Facebook, retweet, repin, etc.

What if you're not into total engagement?

The paid ads strategy we've outlined here is quite dependent on a certain performance stat: engagement.

And I recognize that not everyone might be into total engagement!

It's completely fine to adjust this to whatever stats best suit your business and your goals. If clicks is most important to you, then perhaps clicks-per-impression could be a good route to try. If you're hoping to build brand awareness and positive sentiment, then maybe likes or reshares matters more.

In general, the idea behind this ads process is a data-tracking, goal-setting method called Intriguing Metric. It sees metrics as fitting into one of four buckets:

High traffic, low conversion

Low traffic, high conversion

High traffic, high conversion

Low traffic, low conversion

The first two buckets are the ones where you'll find the biggest opportunities for growth. Bucket No. 3 isn't half bad either. Bucket No. 4 is best to be left alone.

In the case of the particular ads strategy we've laid out here, engagement represents the high conversion square and impressions the low traffic square.

You can run through this matrix with anything -- social ads or otherwise.

Would love to learn if you happen upon any neat metrics to chase!

Over to you

What have you been experiment with for your social advertising?

Does this method ring true for you? Anything you'd change or alter?

I'd love the chance to discover more here and to get any tips on ways we could improve. Excited to continue the conversation in the comments!

Image sources: Pablo

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