Timeline for Facebook Pages has come as expected today, February 29!
Facebook did pull a fast one and launched it in the wee hours of the morning instead of at their event press conference scheduled for later this morning.
Here's the basics:
We recommend not upgrading just yet. Let the dust settle a bit.
Your Facebook page tabs from TabSite still work just fine!
They are centered in the page tabs which will be 760 pixels which is wider than the now 520 pixel area.
THE BASICS:
1. Yes, your TabSite tabs still work.
2. Default landing tabs are going away (Timeline will be default)
3. Tab width will be moving to 760 px wide (currently 520px). TabSite will be adjusting to this and announcing date. UPDATE: It looks like tab width will be 810px wide. TabSite is planning accordingly.
UPDATE: Pin your top tabs! - hover, then click the pencil icon to "pin" a specific tab to the top.
4.. You can now message fan pages - there is a Timeline manager area on your Page to access this.
5.. Timeline will automatically come to pages on March 30th. You can publish earlier if you wish.
6. You can add a Timeline Cover Image NOW if desired.
NOTES: Cover photo can be up to 851px by 315px but Timeline Cover images may NOT contain the following: - Price or purchase information, such as "50% off" or "Download it at our website". - Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page's About section. - References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features. - Calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends".
7. There is a preview stage where you can see it but the public can't.!
Here's the official Document from Facebook compiled by TechCrunch:
It's leap year and what a better way to commemorate this unique day than with a major leap forward from Facebook, the the biggest social media platform in the world!
February 29 is the day Facebook is set to announce the launching and details of Timeline for Pages.
Business Insider reported in late January that Facebook is in the process of launching Timeline for Brand pages and that an official announcement will be made on February 29th during Facebook's invitation-only Facebook Marketers Council in New York City. We'll be taking in the LiveStream event and you can to, right here.
So what does Timeline mean for your Page and what can you do to prepare?
No one knows exactly what Facebook is going to do regarding Timeline for Pages until there’s an official announcement. However, we can speculate on a number of changes based on the current Timeline for Profiles, and Facebook's own admission that they want to have some continuity and consistency between Profiles and Pages (see Mashable 09/27/2011).
Large Cover Image
This is the most striking visual detail of Timeline for profiles. We see no reason that this wouldn't be central to a Timeline for Pages. Our guess is that this will function just like it does for Profiles, where Page Admins can add/update the prominent image. (See example below of one Timeline cover concept of a fan Page that was developed as an idea and posted on Mashable.)
Custom Tabs
Custom tabs serve as a key piece of the Facebook experience for visitors to fan pages. Companies rely on their custom tabs for encouraging the "Like" of the page, for gathering user data, for running contests and sweepstakes, and much more. It's doubtful that this will change. Custom tabs are important to users, Page Admins and to Facebook.
Why for Facebook? Custom tabs provide Ad space. Facebook's income comes largely from Ad revenue. Will custom tabs change in some other way like size? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
The Wall
Currently the Wall is the central destination and default location set by Facebook for all that have "Liked" a Page. If you compare the present Page Wall to a Profile Timeline, the Wall fails! It's largely text-based, and much less visually stimulating.
My guess is that the Wall (and perhaps the Info tab) will be replaced with the Timeline. Once a visitor has "Liked" the Page, the default destination will be the Timeline that they return to upon subsequent visits.
What About Tab Navigation when Timeline comes?
If the Wall transforms into the Timeline for Pages, obviously the current left navigation for custom tabs will be gone. My speculation, and it's just speculation, is that just like on the Profile Timeline where there are scrollable boxes right beneath the Cover image for "Likes," "Friends," "Photos," etc., there will now be boxes for tabs showing "Fans," "Map," and custom tabs. As well, tabs may appear as "boxes" in the Timeline where it pulls in the tab name, possibly an image (replacing custom icon currently used?), and potentially pulling text from the tab itself.
Obviously this may mean changes and new possibilities for custom tabs. Developers like our team at TabSite are poised and ready to respond and take advantage of the new features that may be added.
So, will custom tabs remain after Timeline launches? I think yes. Will users have to rework them? Hard to say, other than perhaps the custom icons for tabs go away and a new size image would be available. Again, just speculation, but this would seem to flow with Facebook's goal of consistency and a "clean" look similar to Timeline for Profiles.
So what can be done to prepare?
There are a number of things Page Admins can do to prepare for Timeline:
Prepare a Timeline - What events and dates are significant to your company? Create a written report with images that you will want to use for those special dates in your company history.
Prepare a Timeline Cover Image - You'll be ready to showcase your brand image and upload it.
Prepare Communication - You can begin preparing blog or news communication for your fans/visitors letting them know you are staying current with Facebook's potential changes and plan to be ready to adjust in order to create a great environment for them.
Keep in touch with us- We''ll be giving out information as we have it on how you can prepare and what shifts you'll need to make. Watch our fan page and blog.
One thing you can always expect from Facebook: innovation. As a social platform, Facebook will continue to evolve and change, just as your social relationships are fluid and ever-evolving. Facebook wants to make the world a more connected place. Timeline for Pages is just a next step in this process!
What are your thoughts on Timeline for Pages? Post below!
Mike Gingerich is the Business Development and Marketing Director for TabSite and Plan Your Post. TabSite powers more than 67,000 small and medium-sized businesses to create and deploy custom tabs and interactive fan page tab actions. Plan Your Post is a Facebook and Twitter Post Planner, monitoring, and social impact measuring tool.
Now Page Admins have more flexibility and power to control how links on your TabSite tabs open.
The HotLink widget is available at all paying plan levels of TabSite and is a great way to Image Map a large image. Simple add a HotLink widget on top of the image, size the transparent box over the area you wish to link, add your url and you're ready!
Now with our recent HotLink widget enhancement, you can choose how you want the url to open when it is clicked on within your custom tabs.
Options include:
Open link in a New Window/Tab
Open link in Same Window (replaces current page with link clicked)
Open in current IFrame - This is the fastest loading option to link to other TabSite tabs or sub-pages because the Facebook page frame is not loaded again, only your new tab content
Open Email - this allows you to link to an e-mail address so when clicked their default e-mail client can load with your pre-determined subject line.
We are pleased to roll-out these additions to the HotLink widget to give you more options for your tabs. To upgrade your tab to have the HotLink widget, simply go to www.TabSite.com/steps.
Did you know? One of the unique features of TabSite is Mobile Friendly Tabs!
As you have likely experienced, the Facebook mobile site and mobile apps for Android and iPhone do not offer a simple ability to access custom tabs on a fan page. Facebook limits you in the mobile version to the Wall, Info, Photos, and Activity. For most apps this means your custom tabs are hidden from viewers accessing the tab on their mobile device.
However, with TabSite this doesn't have to be the case!
When you use the TabSite "Save & Post to Wall" feature, this will post an update to your fan page wall and it will link back to the TabSite custom tab you are posting from.
It is programmed so that if the link in the wall post is clicked, TabSite checks to see if it is a mobile browser, and, if so, we deliver a mobile friendly version of the content to the user. (see image)
This powerful feature sets TabSite apart from many fan page platforms and gives TabSite users ability to post updates to their wall about their fan page tabs that can be viewed by mobile users. With mobile use of Facebook continuing to grow and averaging over 40% of normal daily use, this unique TabSite feature of "Post to Wall" enables you to easily reach more fans and give them access to your custom tab creations!
So, the answer is, "YES!" TabSite gives you a way to reach Facebook mobile users!
Here's the setup process to post to your fan page from the TabSite Manager.
1. From the tab you want to link to, click 'Save & Post" from the Dropdown.
2. Use the pop-up box to customize your Facebook Fan Page Wall post:
You'll get a confirmation message that the post was published to your wall. Below is the mobile view from an iPhone of the Facebook wall post and then the custom tab view aftering clicking the link. The image and "Widget Videos" are linked to the custom TabSite tab.
Here's the custom TabSite tab fully viewable in the iPhone Facebook app.
So go ahead, give mobile users access to your custom tabs by using the "Save & Post" feature!
TabSite is pleased to announce the release of a number of new enhancements to give users more power and flexibility within the TabSite fan page platform!
SUMMARY OF TABSITE NEW FEATURES:
Unique URLs per Sub-Page. Now each sub-page has a unique url so you can link directly to any sub-page per tab from anywhere!
New 1 click 'Copy URL' button per sub-page. When you go to "My Sub-Pages" in the TabSite Manager (next to Save Button) and click "Open Sub-Pages" you will now see a "Copy URL" button. Simply click it and the url is copied to your clipboard!
Unlisted Sub-Pages - THIS IS POWERFUL! - Not only is TabSite one of the few providers to offer sub-pages per tab, now you can create sub-pages in the TabSite Manager but not have the sub-page in your tab top navigation. Then use our "Copy URL" function and include the url link on a page and it will open this "hidden" page. This allows you to (a) create customized navigation within a tab however you wish and use the sub-page urls to have those sub-pages open upon click. (b) Include this "hidden" page in your form thank-you message so that they only get access to this page after submitting their information. Allow you to link to a coupon sub-page that is only accessible via a button graphic on tab page you create. And more! Be creative!
Look for more details on the uses of Unlisted Sub-Pages coming soon.
Try TabSite FREE or Buy today to customize your fan page easily with our powerful suite of tools!
From the beginning, starting with our Free Plan level, TabSite allows you to add other Admins to your TabSite accounts per fan page for ease of collaboration.
This means you can assign one team member to have access to edit the TabSite custom tabs for fan page "A", and another can be assigned to have access to the TabSite tabs for fan page "B", etc. Are you a designer doing work for a client? No problem. You can create the account and assign them Admin access, or vice versa.
QUICK GUIDE:
1. Make sure that the person you are adding is an Admin of the Fan Page on Facebook. (They need to be in order for them to Add new Tabs.)
2. Then login into the TabSite Manager and click on 'Account Information' in the left navigation bar.
3. From the options on this page, choose Administrator Manager.
Enter the email address of the person you want to make an admin of your Facebook Fan Page, then choose Standard Admin or Master Admin from the drop down box. The admins you add will show up at the bottom of your Administrator Admin tab.
The difference between a Stand Admin and a Master Admin is that a Standard Admin can only edit content and add Sub-pages to existing tabs. A Master Admin can add new tabs to the fan page, add Sub-pages and edit content. (The Master must also be set as a Page Admin via the Facebook Page Admin as well.)
As Facebook Fan Pages become even more critical assets for businesses to engage with their audiences, TabSite will continue the development of new tools and capabilities allowing TabSite users to have a simple way to expand their Facebook Fan Page.
TabSite adds "Tweet" button functionality to the Twitter Widget!
TabSite is pleased to announce the roll-out of an additional social feature to help fan page Admins build more interactive tabs and create more fan engagement.
Available to all Gold Plan TabSite users, the new Tweet tool within the Twitter Widget gives Gold Plan TabSite users yet another easy tool to boost viral sharing.
Studies have shown that the "Tweet" button is one of the most commonly used social sharing buttons on the web. Users are quite quick to press the button and share content from the page they are on. Now with the ability to easily add this to your fan page custom tabs, it's a no-brainer to add the Tweet button to your TabSite tabs!
All TabSite tools, including the new Tweet feature, are easy to use and require no coding knowledge! Simply drag the Widget to your tab in the TabSite Manager and then select the Tweet This feature.
TabSite Admins can then select the Tweet button to have a horizontal, vertical, or no count displayed. As well, the Admin can specify the url and text to be included in the tweet.
See images below for easy setup:
1. Select Twitter Widget
2. Select 'Tweet This' tab to start setup within the Twitter Widget. Enter url to Tweet, enter text to be in Tweet, and select the style of Tweet button to display.
3. Press Accept and then position the Tweet button exactly where you want on your tab. Save and publish your tab. Done!
Again, the new feature within the Twitter widget is available to all TabSite Gold Plan users at the affordable $15/month plan which gives you access to a full suite of powerful tools for your fan page!
Thanks for the great turn-out for our October 27 TabSite Features Demo webinar!
For those who were not able to attend but want the full scoop, we've got a video and slides for that!
This webinar was all about going through the features and tools in TabSite to empower you to build awesome fan page tabs! From an explanation of each and every widget, to the finer points of customizing your tab properties, we covered it all. The webinar covered details such as how to set background images, how to increase your fan page tab height and how to customize your tab icon that appears next to the tab name on your fan page.
All TabSite features were covered, please refer to our pricing page for the breakdown of which widgets come with each TabSite Plan.
To Keep current with recent Facebook API changes we have updated our Tab Install Process.
Recently we had some isolated scenarios where some tabs were not showing on the fan page (gone from the navigation) but all content was in the TabSite Manager. To prevent this from happening again, we have updated our tab install process for all custom named tabs.
When you login to the TabSite manager and add a new tab or update a tab you will be prompted to install a updated App. This is a one time process.
Step 1:
You will be prompted to setup a new app.
Step 2:
Click the Facebook "Okay".
Step 3:
Click "Follow this Link" to open Facebook App Page (Make sure Pop-ups are enabled so this Page can load).
Step 4:
Grab App Secret and copy
Step 5:
Paste App Secret and click "Setup App"
You will get a "Success!" confirmation message. Simply proceed forward. This is a one time process on updating apps.
That's it! This ensures long-term stability of your tab pages.
NOTE: If you had a custom icon you will need to reload it.
If you have any issues, feel free to submit a ticket on our website.
TabSite | Fan Page Platform Video Tutorial Updated 12/22/11
Like-Gate from TabSite - Easy Fan-Gating with Power!
TabSite's Like-Gate exponentially improves upon the existing 'reveal tab' image option for Fan-Gating. The non-fan, Fan-Gating feature allows TabSite users to go beyond just loading an image and allows users complete access to the TabSite suite of tools and widgets to customize a Reveal Tab (fan-gating tab) to display to new visitors who have not yet "Liked" the Page.
The feature radically advances past the current Non-Fan Fan-Gate image option so much so that we gave it a new name, "LIKE GATE." The NEW Like Gate is available to all Gold Plan TabSite users and is the recommended solution to create custom content only shown to new visitors.
All features of TabSite are available to use in the new Like-Gate!
This means you can add a video if you wish, a special text message, images, or use other widget tools like a PhotoShow for just the Like Gate. This exponentially expands the capability for TabSite users to give a custom message to new visitors via a reveal tab (Fan-Gating).
The Like-Gate (for Fan-Gating) is accessed in the page manager area under "My Sub-Pages." It is the first selection in the dropdown. See image below.
Fan-Gating is setup "per tab", meaning you would need to open a tab in the TabSite Manager and then click "My Sub-Pages" to access the Like-Gate for that tab. This would open a Like-Gate content area for you to add/create the content for your fan-gating Like-Gate for that tab. Click "Save & Publish" from the
You can also access the Like Gate per tab by going to My Sub-Pages, then "Open Sub-Page" view and "Like-Gate" link is at the top of the box as shown below. This is also where you can turn on/off "yes/no" the Like-Gate to be active or not active.
Click the "Like-Gate" link to open this "Like-Gate" page where you have access to the full suite of TabSite widgets to build your page that non-fans will see first.
Create your Like-Gate reveal tab with any of the TabSite features you want! This gives you great ability to create a powerful presentation to new visitors to engage them to opt-in to "Like" your page! Fan-Gating will never be the same again!
Reminder: Like-Gate is available to Gold Plan users of TabSite and replaces the older, simple Fan-Gating feature.
Just ahead of the pending Facebook IPO, here's a great infographic from AllFacebook showing the history of Facebook in "Timeline style" perspective....
It's leap year and what a better way to commemorate this unique day than with a major leap forward from Facebook, the the biggest social media platform in the world!
Mike Gingerich
TabSite Manager (next to Save Button) and click "Open Sub-Pages" you will now see a "Copy URL" button. Simply click it and the url is copied to your clipboard!
