• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 21, 2009

Facebook has added a new feature that will let brands and other Facebook Page owners automatically syndicate updates to their Twitter feeds. Through the new application, users can have status updates, links, photos, notes and events linked directly to the microblogging service.

"Twitter was a natural next step to link to Facebook Pages because it's a powerful tool for broadcasting short messages widely. Posts from Facebook Pages are already public to everyone on Facebook and with this feature, now will be public to everyone on Twitter," said the company in a statement. The new syndication tool, however, does not extend to exporting posts from personal profiles on Facebook to Twitter.

The move follows other efforts by Facebook this year to allow users to make updates and the stream of profile information more widely and quickly available. Recent steps include letting people share status updates with everyone rather than just friends, and launching real-time search to help keep pace with Twitter.

Until now, Facebook users have been able to import Twitter updates to the site, but not vice versa. Now Facebook could potentially become one of the biggest outside sources of updates flowing into Twitter. In addition to being able to control the types of content sent to Twitter with the new feature, Facebook Page owners can also decide whether to share each update and link to different Twitter accounts, if they have more than one.

"Public figures, musicians, businesses and organizations of all types who've created Facebook Pages often want to share a status update, a photo or an event with as many of their supporters as possible," wrote Facebook's Michael Gummelt on the company blog Thursday evening. "Celebrities may want to share personal news or charities may want to put out calls for help to both their Facebook fans and their Twitter followers, all at the same time."

The company did not indicate in its announcement when -- or if -- the new Twitter tool will be extended to all Facebook users.

A Facebook spokesperson on Friday did not rule out the feature being expanded to personal Facebook profiles. But to date, only Facebook Page administrators had pushed for the ability to syndicate updates to Twitter, since they are already sharing information broadly. Depending on how things go with the Twitter app on Facebook fan pages, the company may consider opening it up to individual users.