Monday, January 24, 2011

Static FBML To Make Your Custom Fan Page

By Michael Williams


Facebook, the wildly popular social networking site has millions of users and is being used more and more often by businesses to interact with customers and brand themselves. Unfortunately, the average Facebook page is not very distinctive and can be difficult for users to express their personality and businesses to get their message across. However, Static FBML can help customize Facebook fan pages and delivering the company message much easier.



The first question most people ask upon encountering this markup language is what is Static FBML and how is it used? Facebook markup language is an application that allows static HTML code to be inserted into a Facebook fan page. It must be enabled for the Facebook page and then enabled for the tab it is to appear on. Additionally a business might choose to make a tab their landing page, insert images, videos from Youtube or another site and deliver their message to visitors in a unique way.

Adding images to a Fan page and then making them clickable with a link leading outward is also possible using Facebook markup. Adding the basic html code to the box and then linking it outward was formerly impossible on Facebook. The static FBML application however is perfect for the fan page where news is hosted on the main site or product photos can be linked to descriptions on their site.

Static Facebook markup language is an option for some users on Facebook who understand or want to learn basic HTML or who have custom CSS they want added to their page. With this application the raw code without any extra characters must be put into the FBML box. Facebook markup language however is easier to use than HTML because no page headers or meta tags are needed.

While this markup language is an excellent addition to any user who wants to individualize their fan page, there are a few things to remember when using it. Facebook columns display at a fixed width so it is important to make sure the videos and images are not over 560 px wide so they fit into the page. Videos and jpegs should be resized to fit the space. Facebook markup language will not allow javascript and although the code can be inserted it will not work.

How images are named is also important and while windows will permit an image to have two words separated by a space, it can cause problems in display when attempting to insert it into Facebook. If an image has more than a single word name then the words should be separated by a hyphen and not a space. There is no restriction in how high an image might be but it is wise to remember that the larger an image is the slower it is to load and scrolling down the page is usually annoying to the visitor.

Simple HTML will usually work well in the FBML markup box. It is important when pasting code in the box to close the tags being used and allow no extra spaces. This markup language for Facebook is not much harder than regular HTML but it does require clean code without the extra characters WYSIWYG editors might insert.

While Facebook was created originally for the personal user, Facebook markup language has made configuring a business page much easier. Any business that wants to stand out from the crowd, deliver their message with interactive media such a videos and make their site unique will probably utilize this application on their Fan page. Static FBML is an application that is only used on business pages for the personal or group pages.




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