It's Time to Say Goodbye to Facebook's Static FBML

You may have been redirected to this page from one of our Static FBML articles or tutorials. 

We've decided to terminate the Static FBML tutorials because FBML is increasingly less reliable, which leads to confusion and frustration, and to help encourage users to move on to iFrames before Facebook pulls the plug and your Static FBML tabs and FBML tags cease working altogether. It was a good run, but it's time to move on...

In March, Facebook made it clear that page admins should begin transitioning their Static FBML tabs to iFrame tabs.

Shortly thereafter, page admins discovered they could no longer add the Static FBML application to their fan page and, if they already had it installed, they couldn't create new tabs.

Facebook continues to support existing installations of Static FBML, but users are finding that some FBML tags aren't behaving like they used to and the truth is that the functionality of existing FBML tags will gradually diminish until it's finally terminated altogether.

Page admins should immediately transition to iFrame tabs.

Although creating iFrame custom tabs is technically more difficult, involving creating a Facebook application, using FTP to upload files to a server, and making sure that all the iFrame page assets are hosted in a secure HTTPS environment, a number of free Facebook applications have arisen to help the less technical admins to create custom iFrame tabs without requiring all these skills.

TabPress: a Free Facebook iFrame Tab Application

Here at HyperArts, we developed TabPress, a free iFrame tab application that takes care of the secure hosting of the iFrame page itself.

And using a free secure-hosting service such as Amazon Web Services S3, admins can upload their images and other page assets to a secure server and avoid browsers displaying "mixed content" warnings when both HTTP and HTTPS are used in the iFrame page code.

And instead of having to deal with the eccentricities of using fb:visible-to-connection FBML to create the Reveal / fan-gating feature, TabPress automates the Reveal feature for you, allowing you to enter content for fans in one box and for non-fans in another.

Facebook iFrame Tab Application Tutorials for Coders

For those who are fine with creating Facebook applications and working with Web coding, HyperArts offers some excellent detailed Facebook iFrame tutorials:

• Add an iFrame Application to your Facebook Fan Page - 2011 Edition
• Getting Rid of Scrollbars in Facebook iFrame Tabs
• How to Create Reveal / Fan-gating on your Facebook iFrame Tabs
• How to Use Reveal to Redirect Users to a New Tab after they Like your Page
• How to Deal with and Correct Mixed Content (HTTP / HTTPS) Warnings in iFrame Tabs
• How to Add and Use the Facebook Send Button on your iFrame Tabs
• How to Add a Classic Facebook Share Button to your iFrame Tab Application

Replace your FBML tags with XFBML Social Plugins

Several of Facebook's Social Plugins, originally developed for use on external websites so they could integrate with Facebook's Open Graph, can be used on your iFrame tabs.

Just go to the Social Plugins page, and navigate to either the Like Button, Send Buttonor Comments Box, and Facebook will generate the code you need via a simple interface.

Accept this Change — It's a Definite Improvement

FBML always seemed like a pretty buggy and unsustainable approach to Facebook coding. The move to IFrames takes the load off of Facebook's servers (iFrame "canvas" or "index" pages are hosted off of Facebook), and restoring the ability to use standard Web coding practices is a great relief to developers.

And you can use standard HTML, CSS, JavaScript, , jQuery and PHP to create your custom iFrame tabs, forever leaving behind FBML, FBJS and all the accompanying headaches.

Also, the new fan page layout, rolled out around the same time, has greatly improved the branding possibilities and options for page admins. (Read my Social Media Examiner article about taking advantage of branding possibilities with the latest Facebook page layout.)

Facebook is constantly growing and changing and when you think about it, it's really quite amazing that it works as well as it does! It's a free service, has created an amazing global community, and is approaching 700,000,000 users.

VII. What Does Cloud Computing Really Stands For ?

The next big trend sounds nebulous, but it's not so fuzzy when you view the value proposition from the perspective of IT professionals

By Eric Knorr, Galen Gruman | InfoWorld

Cloud computing is all the rage. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.
As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.
[ Get the no-nonsense explanations and advice you need to take real advantage of cloud computing in InfoWorld editors' 21-page Cloud Computing Deep Dive PDF special report, then go deeper in our Private Cloud Deep Dive. | Stay up on the cloud with InfoWorld's Cloud Computing Report newsletter. ]
Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities.Cloud computing is at an early stage, with a motley crew of providers large and small delivering a slew of cloud-based services, from full-blown applications to storage services to spam filtering. Yes, utility-style infrastructure providers are part of the mix, but so are SaaS (software as a service) providers such as Salesforce.com. Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging.
InfoWorld talked to dozens of vendors, analysts, and IT customers to tease out the various components of cloud computing. Based on those discussions, here's a rough breakdown of what cloud computing is all about:

VI. Cloud Computing Deployment models

Deployment models

Cloud computing types

Public cloud

Public cloud describes cloud computing in the traditional mainstream sense, whereby resources are dynamically provisioned to the general public on a fine-grained, self-service basis over the Internet, via web applications/web services, from an off-site third-party provider who bills on a fine-grained utility computing basis.^[13]

Community cloud

Community cloud shares infrastructure between several organisations from a specific community with common concerns (security, compliance, jurisdiction, etc.), whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. The costs are spread over fewer users than a public cloud (but more than a private cloud), so only some of the benefits of cloud computing are realised.

Hybrid cloud

Hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models.

Private cloud

Private cloud is infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally.

They have attracted criticism because users "still have to buy, build, and manage them" and thus do not benefit from lower up-front capital costs and less hands-on management,essentially "[lacking] the economic model that makes cloud computing such an intriguing concept".