Alltop.com

Sorry Ben Parr and Mashable. Maybe it’s me, but your instructions for integrating Twitter and Facebook into Gmail weren’t easy to follow (but thanks for providing the basics). Here are more detailed instructions “for the rest of us:”

1. Sign into your Gmail account
2. Go to Gmail Labs (not Google Labs)
3. Scroll all the way to the bottom to get to “Add any gadget by URL” and click on “Enable”
   

4. Click on “Save Changes”
5. To add Twitter: Go to Gadgets and paste in this address: “https://twittergadget.appspot.com/gadget-gmail.xml” (copy the address, do not click on it)
6. Click on “Add”
7. Refresh the page
8. Click on the “+” in front of “Twitter” in the left column
   

9. Click on “here” to connect to your Twitter account
   

10. Authenticate Twitter by clicking on “Allow” (assuming you’re signed into Twitter)
11. You might see a screen for Twitgether which threw me for a loop but you can just go back to your Gmail account
12. Click on “Twitter” to see all the good stuff like your timeline, direct messages, @ messages, and to search
13. To add Facebook: Go back to Gadgets and paste in this address: “http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/104971404861070329537/facebook.xml” (copy the address, do not click on it)
    

14. Click on “Add”
15. Refresh the page
16. Click on the “+” in front of “Facebook” in the left column
17. Authenticate Facebook much like you authenticated Twitter
18. Refresh the page

When you’re done, the bottom of the left column should look something like this.

More Twitter news and tips.