Why does my export seem to be missing the most recent post?

PostSnag can miss a post that was published only moments before you scanned, since that post can still be settling into Facebook's own feed at the exact instant PostSnag reads the page. That's the usual reason a just-published post doesn't show up after you export, not something lost during the export itself. Giving it a few minutes and capturing again almost always brings it in.

Worth knowing upfront: "export" means two different things in PostSnag, and this can happen with either one. Export To Dashboard, in the panel, sends the posts you've captured locally up to your dashboard. A file export, from the dashboard itself, downloads a Markdown or CSV file of what's already up there. A missing recent post can affect both, since a file export only ever reflects what was already synced to your dashboard.

Why this happens

A post published very recently can still be settling into Facebook's own feed right as you scan, so a capture pass that runs in the first moments after something goes up may not fully register it yet. This isn't PostSnag skipping it on purpose or an error during capture; the post simply wasn't fully in place on the page yet for PostSnag to read when that pass happened.

This tends to be most noticeable in one specific situation: checking your own or a client's page immediately after publishing, specifically to confirm a post is there. Because you're scanning right at the moment something goes live, you're scanning during the exact short window where this is most likely to occur. A profile you scan later in the day, well after everything on it has been up for a while, doesn't carry the same timing risk.

It's also worth separating this from a simple page-refresh issue: sometimes Facebook itself hasn't shown you the newest post yet either, until you refresh the page, which is a Facebook display behavior rather than anything about capture.

What to do

1. Refresh the profile page first, so Facebook itself is showing the newest post before you try to capture it.

2. Scroll past the newest post again so PostSnag gets a fresh read on it, now that it's fully settled on the page.

3. Click Export To Dashboard again to send the newly captured post up.

4. If you already downloaded a Markdown or CSV file, export that file again after resending to your dashboard, so it includes the new post. A file export only reflects what's already been synced.

5. If you're in the habit of scanning right after publishing, wait a few minutes first. That gives Facebook's own feed time to finish settling before you scroll.

6. If the post still doesn't appear after a refresh and a fresh scan, double check it's actually visible on Facebook itself in that tab before assuming it's a capture issue.

How to avoid it

If you're checking on something you just posted, build in a short wait, even a couple of minutes, before you open PostSnag and scan for it. Get in the habit of refreshing the profile page right before a scan whenever you specifically expect something new to be there, rather than relying on a tab that's been open for a while. If you use file exports regularly, remember to re-download after any new Export To Dashboard sync so the file stays current.

[Screenshot: The panel's Export To Dashboard button next to the Collected count]

Common questions

Does this mean the post was lost?
No. Nothing is lost. Refreshing, scrolling past it again, and exporting picks it up.

Does this only happen with Export To Dashboard, or with file exports too?
Both, in a sense. It's really about the capture, not the export itself. But since a Markdown or CSV file only ever reflects what's already been sent to your dashboard, you need to resend to your dashboard first, then export the file again to see the new post there too.

How recent does a post need to be for this to happen?
Typically only posts from the last few minutes before your scan. Anything that's been up for a while is normally fully settled by the time you capture it.

Will rescanning create a duplicate of the post?
No. PostSnag recognizes posts it already captured by their own link, so rescanning only fills in what was missing.

What if I refresh and the post still isn't visible on Facebook itself?
Then it's a Facebook display timing issue rather than a PostSnag one. Give it a little longer and refresh again; once it's visible on Facebook, a scan will pick it up normally.