Facebook Rolls Out New Pages Layout

Facebook has confirmed the availability of new features for page administrators, including a redesigned layout, the ability to add iframes to tabs and a way to comment on the site using your brand identity rather than as an individual. Readers have told us about some of these features over the past few weeks, suggesting that the social network had quietly tested them in separate pockets before making today's formal announcement. We'd heard about page administrators commenting on Facebook posts using the identity of the page rather than their own names. I tried this myself and discovered that if I post a comment on the AllFacebook wall, it no longer shows up with the name Jackie Cohen but rather the name of our brand. Now we know this is an official feature. Pages have also undergone redesigns that make them more consistent with the recently upgraded profile layouts -- you can feature photos of your most recent experiences at the top of the page, highlight other pages you are connected to and also show which people are managing your page. Additionally, administrators have the ability to set up keyword-based spam filters for wall posts, which we'd covered earlier today. The site also suggests possible spammy postings by highlighting them in grey, a feature we'd pointed out last week. Something we didn't know about until today: Page administrators now have the ability to create page tabs using iframes rather than only have the choice of the Facebook markup language; this is part of an overall plan to move away from FBML. The new tab options also allow integration of social plugins and the social graph application programming interface. Facebook explains: Enable iframes by editing the Facebook Integration settings on the Developer App. Specify a tab name and a tab URL that is loaded when the user selects your Tab on a given Facebook Page. Finally, to add the app to a Page, an admin of the Facebook Page must navigate to your app's profile page and select "Add to my Page." You can see step by step instructions in our guide. Facebook has also updated its signed requests for securely exchanging information between third-party applications and the site itself. Like the social network's developer blog states: When a user lands on the Facebook page, she will see your page tab added in the left-hand menu. When a user selects your app in the left-hand menu, the app will received the signed request parameter with one additional parameter, page, a JSON array which contains the ID of the Facebook page your tab is hosted within, a boolean (liked) indicating whether or not a user has liked the page, and a boolean (admin) indicating whether or not the user is an 'admin' of the page along with the user info array. If a user has authorized your application, the signed request will also contain an access token for the current viewing user so you can personalize your application for them. Facebook has certainly announced a lot of new features for page administrators today, and has also hinted that more are coming. We wonder what they are, and would like to know what you think they might include. While we're at it, readers, what do you think about the new page administration experience on Facebook?

Social Pro Daily

Facebook Rolls Out New Pages Layout

Facebook has confirmed the availability of new features for page administrators, including a redesigned layout, the ability to add iframes to tabs and a way to comment on the site using your brand identity.

Jackie Cohen

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