Facebook Fan Page Changes Coming Next Week
On Monday, August 23, Facebook is making changes to its tab pages on profiles and fan pages -- changes which will effect just about anyone who has custom tabs. The changes are: boxes are going away, including the Boxes tab, and the width of custom pages are narrowing to 520 pixels.
Removal of Boxes
Personally, I welcome this change as I never liked the Boxes tab in the first place. It was little more than an ad hoc collection of apps, RSS feeds, and assorted other items which Facebook would include by almost by default anytime such content was added. Frequently, I found myself deleting the Boxes tab, almost as if I was swatting flies.
Neither was the term useful in letting users know what to expect once they clicked on the tab. It reminded me of those grab bags you find at yard sales that contain random items. Perhaps those bags provide a bit of unexpected serendipity and even some excitement as sort of a game of chance, but clicking the Boxes tab never had the same effect. For me, the tab was little more than an annoyance and I'm glad to see it go.
Not only is the Boxes tab going away, but boxes themselves, including those in the left-hand sidebar that many page admins used to highlight specific information. In fairness, I could see where some would view this as a drawback.
Custom Tabs Narrowed to 520 Pixels
Any custom page that can be accessed via a tab is undergoing this change. That will affect a lot of companies who took the time to create such pages. For some, this means additional expenditure on top of what may already be thousands of dollars in outlay for elaborate fan pages and custom apps.
Formerly, Facebook allowed custom pages to be 755 pixels wide and many took advantage of that space allotment. Fortunately, Facebook is allowing page admins to preview what their page will look like under the new size restriction.
For example, our sister site, Ecommerce Developer has a custom page that exceeds the new width. Here's a screen shot of how it looks in the preview mode. You can see that the right-hand side of the image is cut off.
This page is going to be redesigned to resemble the Practical Ecommerce version, which recently underwent changes to fit the new standard.
If you have a custom tabbed page, Facebook recommends that you visit it now for a preview of how your content fits in the new layout.
Thoughts from Application Providers
Everything I've referenced up to now comes from the perspective of page admins. One can only imagine the headaches application providers are suffering as a result of these changes.
One such provider, CommerceSocial, suggests that some will not be ready in time. "From what we see with current Facebook 3rd-party shopping applications is that the majority are all designed to be used in Tabs that extend beyond the new 520 pixel standard," said Ariel Wada, CommerceSocial CEO.
"Facebook's ever-changing 3rd party app policies and poor notification procedures have many companies bitting their nails on an ongoing basis. We were able to identify this change early on because our lead developer is a Facebook junkie and literally hangs out in their developers forum," said Wada.
Heath Black, public relations director of Appbistro, sees the changes as largely positive. "Though only slight, this change will clean up the appearance of tabs and the Facebook layout all together," observed Black, who advised page admins to "make sure to contact your tab developers to remind them to make the change."
Dean Alms, VP of marketing for Milyoni, a Facebook shopping cart provider, takes a long-term view. "Facebook is an evolving and ever-changing platform. Sometimes these changes come as a surprise, sometimes its scheduled like this current change. Its imperative for a Facebook application provider to accommodate changes with dynamic sizing capability and other flexible architecture features," said Alms.
"What is critical for Facebook’s long term success is enabling and enhancing the conversation among the 500 million people that have come to rely on this platform. Applications that tap into the conversation can survive any technical adjustments Facebook enforces," Alms added.
Design Considerations as a Result of Changes
One thing the preview reveals is that the left-hand column containing the profile banner will be seen on every tabbed page, including the custom pages. (See the Practical Ecommerce page example above.)
If that's does prove to be the case, it behooves page designers/developers to possibly reconsider the use of 200X600 pixel profile banners, which have become standard, as they may conflict with the design of the custom page itself. It's better to think in terms of creating something that compliments instead, which is what we have attempted to do with Practical Ecommerce's page.
Facebook Framing Itself as a Tool for Business
While this may come as news to many, Facebook first announced the changes back in October of 2009 on their developer blog. The updates are designed to "simplify navigation for users, reduce complexity for developers, and enable [Facebook] to build the next generation of tools for growing your business with Facebook," according to Facebook.
It's pretty obvious Facebook is fashioning itself to be more of a business tool and these are changes it deems necessary to accomplish that goal. So, ready or not, they happen in less than a week.
(NOTE: In order to stay apprised of further news regarding these changes, I advise subscribing to the Facebook developer blog.)
4 Comments
jvdz says:
Spotted this article on Dell's Social Media page on FB - it's a really useful post, particularly from a Page Admin point of view. Thanks Paul
Voiyk says:
Nice article Thanks Paul!
Paul Chaney says:
Thanks everyone. Tomorrow is the big day! I wonder if we'll hear groans, wailing and gnashing of teeth from page admins who either weren't aware of these changes or who put off redesigning their pages until the last minute.
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