16 Facebook Applications to Boost Popularity of Facebook Fan Page

Do you know there are over 20 million people join as fans of Facebook Fan Pages daily? Forget about restricting Facebook as a private network. If you can get 5% of those people to land and join your fan page, the impact will be significant. Time to boost popularity of your fan page with the right Facebook applications.

Facebook Applications to Boost Fan Page Popularity

Quit feeling comfortable with the basic fan page layout. You are gathering supporters to form a community. Make your fans proud with a decent fan page and give first-timers something to talk about. Get your coffee ready for we’re going on a Facebook app expedition. Check out what you can do to your Facebook fan page tabs and boxes with:

Media to Enhance Fan’s Participation & Engagement

1. SlideShare

One of the must have applications if you’re into slide presentations. Don’t limit your slides on SlideShare , integrate your account into fan page (limitation of one account per fan page). Import existing or selected presentations based on relevancy and you fans will love you for it.

Suggested Read : How to Design Effective Slides

2. NutshellMail

NutshellMail is originally a management tool to sum up your social network activities and have them sent to you via email. Its integration allows the page owner to update status, reply to comments easily from within the email:

But that’s not all.

NetshellMail has recently provided Facebook Fan Page admin the efficiency tocreate automated email newsletter for fans to subscribe! Now fans can decide what and when can they receive emails highlighting latest updates based on delivery preferences. A wonderful feature to assist busy fans to follow up and comment on wall posts through email directly. (Note: Does not support Discussion Board updates)

3. Reviews

Reviews are similar to testimonials. Now you can request your fans to review your blog, service or product to build credibility. Give new visitors some ideas about your branding. However, placing the ‘reviews’ tab meaning you are open to all positive and negative comments, kindly be aware of that. Here is an example of the review I did for my blogger friend, Luci on her fan page:

4. Poll

A fun and non-stressful way for all fans to participate. Insert a customized poll and have your fans select their choice of answer(s). Send an update to them about the poll will double the effect (be moderate with messages, not TOO frequent). Tweet about it, anything to get the message out. Fantastic way to collect data and monitor responses. Notify your fans the final results and request opinions. Here’s an example:

5. YouTube Video Box

Video sharing can never be easier in Facebook fan pages. Say if you’re a blogger, showcasing self-made YouTube tutorial videos on WordPress customizations can both be helpful to your fans and own reputation. Or, import your favorite videos to share with fans depending on your page niche. Even humor can be an effective ice-breaker sometimes.

Tip: If you intend to upload videos from other video hosting sites, you can copy and paste the given video URL using the Link application. Alternatively, you can record and upload own video straight to Facebook using the Videoapplication.

6. RSS Graffiti

When we talked about autopost from blogs to Facebook Fan Page, integration tools and NetworkedBlogs are among the favorites. Thanks toHartley’s recommendation, I tried and fell in love with RSS Graffiti immediately – the updating is almost instantaneous! You can even configure a prefix to your latest blog post to be shown with the thumbnail image and post excerpt.

7. Static FBML

Here comes my favorite part of this article. For all bloggers you should be familiar with HTML codes for blog customizations and such. Well, now you can fix up a desired tab in your fan page according to your likings with Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language). This advanced feature allows page admins to modify or add extra info to their fan pages using the HTML or FBML, for example setup a landing page, displaying social media profiles etc.

When you’re in my fan page, clearly you can see some added tabs above the Wall posts. These are just some of the examples you can get out of Static FBML:

i) Landing Page

ii) Member of the Month 2010!

The reason I setup this tab is to Give Back. Our fan page has started Weekly Post fr Member since launch, but now we will be featuring some really cool members monthly (starting March, 2010) based on their participations in the fan page. I do encourage fellow visitors/ readers to head right over and see how you can take part as well. A free promo tab been setup just for YOU !

Important Note to Embed YouTube Video: 

To copy & paste the embedding code straight from YouTube video won’t work in Static FBML. Kindly follow the general FBML coding as shown below with minor adjustments (free to adjust the color, border size at will ; width and height can refer to the dimension for that particular video’s embedded code):

For example, If the Video link :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abcdef     (width=”425” ; height=”344“)

The FBML coding for the video will be: 

 width='425' height='344' />




Suggested Read : 9 Ways to Enhance Your Facebook Fan Page with Static FBML




8. Extended Info

Ever felt like never been given enough space for your personal, company, service details in fan page? Extended Info solves your problem by providing a wide range of selections you can choose for insertion: videos, images, tags, categories, FBML block, with or without links. Position them in tabs, boxes or even info section to spice up your fan page.

Remark:  Extended Info vs. Static FBML

a) Extended Info

• Able to customize both personal account and Facebook Fan Page;

• A wide range of info styles to choose from;

• Unable to rename ‘Extended Info’ tab.

b) Static FBML

• Only works in Facebook Fan Page;

• Flexibility to rename your tab or boxes.

9. More Extended Info

No catch here. It works exactly as #8, enables you to add a clone or an extra Info tab whenever necessary.

Extra Tip: Profile HTML

This application is not grouped within fan page applications, but since we’re here talking about added info, I’m going to encourage you to include Profile HTML to your personal account. Make it a call to action: a sign up box, a display of your popular blog posts etc. For me, I publicize my fan page so friends can join if they like to:

10. Memorable Web Address

Ever came across this notice when you’re navigate within Facebook?

We do not know when will this happen, as I am currently using an awful lot of box tabs on my fan page, setup a memorable web address seems like a smart thing to do. Why regret later? Don’t forget to make your web address easy to find and memorable. Inform your fans about the new assigned URL for extra info.

11. Discussion Board

Discussion Board is normally ready on your tab when you setup Facebook Fan Page. Discussion Board is a mini forum for you and fans to hang out and help one another. Remind them about this tab frequently, encourage active discussions to build engaging relationship among the fans.

Suggested Read : How To Receive Notification for New Responses in Facebook Discussion Board

12. Notes

Another well known Facebook application that already placed on your tab when signed in. Most people use Notes to import their blog posts while at the same time using NetworkedBlogs or Social RSS for the same purpose. Actually we can diverse the use of Notes for special announcements instead. Notes has a ‘share’ button that can be used to get the message viral. Don’t limit the good news within your fan page. Encourage your fans to share the note if they find it useful.




Applications to Display Social Media Profiles




Information that will help boost your online profile is a must:

13. My Account (is @ Twitter)

Showcase your Twitter account on fan page, at the same time you will able to find out who else on Facebook is currently using this application. Connect him or her to extend the network further in Twitter. Create a Twitter list and monitor them from time to time.

Another bonus given by this application is a Twitter badge for your sidebar:




Social Media Profile on Admin’s Facebook Account





I was feeling puzzled earlier why these applications allowing ‘Add to my Page’ but showing the customized tabs on admin’s personal account? Then it struck me thatadmin is also an important factor for a page’s popularity. If we can master thecommunication and community management, our networks will reap from the benefits:

14. LinkedIn profile

LikedIn profile offers you badges with multiple size range. You never know who you might meet and chances are, somebody who appreciate your talent is dying to cooperate with you professionally. Why throw away that chance to get acquainted? You may gain more supporters in your fan page out of a successful collaboration.

15. Skype Me

If you’re into real time conversations, Skype Me is a good option. This application puts a tab on your personal page that allows you to be contacted easily. Talk to your fans or setup a group chat on your network.

16. Web Profiles

If you have more social media profiles to be included, don’t limit yourself. Web profiles app amazes me with hundreds of embedding buttons, all we need to do is type in the username and voila! A link is placed for each social button chosen.




You don’t have to use all 16 but pick the suitable ones that will help instead of burdening your page with distractions. Review and improvise your fan page accordingly, request opinions from your existing fans on what they hope to gain from your fan page. Never stop Promoting your Facebook Fan Page outside the network, enhance it with FBML. Apply Fan Box Widget on your website and make it visible to all visitors.

Suggested Read: Learn another 15 applications more here at 31 Facebook Applications to Enhance Your Facebook Page!


Monetize your Website or Blog with BidVertiser

Read More

Access GOOGLE at Arsh2.tk

Read More

How to make an awesome logo

In this tutorial, I will start and finish a logo while documenting the entire process. I encourage you to open up photoshop and follow every step, it will help you learn a lot more than just reading it.

I've used the technique I will be teaching to develop a lot of logos. Here are just a few:

Adobe Photoshop

I will be using Adobe Photoshop CS2 to design this logo. Many swear by illustrator, but I believe for the purposes of making a tutorial, it'd be best to use photoshop as it will cater to a wider audience. More people have used photoshop than Illustrator. Besides, I've created 95% of all my logos in Photoshop, so take what you will.

Let's Start : The Project

A buddy of mine runs a gaming website, bluelaguna.net, and he has wanted a new logo for some time, so I agreed to do it for this tutorial. So let's take a look at the current logo:

(Note: The image above isn't a logo, it's an entire header. The actual name bluelaguna.net along with the slogan is the actual logo. I thought it would be a good idea to show the entire header though to see how it reacts with the overall design.)

One of the most important things this logo lacks is readability. When a user visits a web site, or visits any medium in which a logo is displayed, the first thing that hits them should be the logo. And for some reason or another, the first place us humans look is the upper left hand corner of a site. The current logo is placed in the middle of the header and the small font and the dark blue in "BLUE" is hard to read.

There's also nothing exciting with this logo. For a logo to be effective, it has to "brand" an image, it needs to stick in your head. All this logo is is times new roman on caps lock.

Now that we've gone over why their current logo is not suitable, let's begin with the actual tutorial.

Gathering Information

It's important to always know the specifics of what you or the client is looking for before you start. Generally for most projects, I only need to ask the client 5 questions:

	1. Name of the service/product:	BlueLaguna.Net
	2. Any slogans to use?:	"Your #1 Source for RPG Media"
	3. Any specific color schemes in mind?:	Match the current design
	4. What are you trying to convey through the logo?:	Serious game-related site.
	5. Any other specifics:	You don't have to use the current header design. Get crackin'

Pretty straight forward, now we know what we have to work with.

1. Setting up your Document in Photoshop

• Once you have photoshop open, go to File -> New. Then specify the name of the logo, and a width of600 and a height of 500.
• Then click "OK" (Refer to the screenshot below).

After you click "OK" Your setup should look like this: (I'm on a 1600x1200 resolution.) For the menus on the left, I have the layers view, and the Characters in view.)

2. Experiment with Font Selections

As a starting point, I always experiment with a font that I think will work well with the logo. You have to develop an eye for what font will or will not work, with the specifics of the project in mind. Since for bluelaguna we're trying to focus on a serious yet gamer'ish feel, a serious font selection might be the best bet. Having yourself an arsenal of fonts is very important. I have several thousand myself.

Select the Text Tool on the left menu: (As shown on the image to the right) Adjust the settings on the Text Properties at the top to match these settings: In the character window to the right, set AV to -60 as shown below: (This simply shortens the space between each separate character, I like starting out with this setting, I don't know why :) Type "BLUE LAGUNA" in the document space (First, be sure that the background is white, you can use the fill tool for this. And I've decided to go with all caps to start out with, since all caps is generally deemed more serious). With the type tool selected, and layer 1 selected, select the font list menu (where it says Arial): You can do this next section in either three ways. - Hit the "Down" arrow to change the font view of "BLUE LAGUNA". - Hit the Down Arrow of the Font List to see the list of available fonts with a tiny preview of the font. - Download a font viewing program. I personally just use the first method, although I sometimes use a font viewing program. Our goal here is to find fonts that might work with the logo. Once you come across a font that looks like it could work, you should Duplicate the layer in the Layers Window to the right, and then hide the previous layer (The layer you right clicked and selected "Duplicate" from. This way, you've saved that font selection (the hidden layer), and you have a new layer to find more fonts from):

3. Good and Bad Font Selections

Since our goal with this particular logo is to be serious, we need serious looking fonts. It simply takes time to develop an eye for what is serious and what isn't.

Here are a few examples of bad font selections for this project: The first logo (the top), has a very laid back, fun / unprofessional tone to it. The second logo is simply "goofy" looking, and it's generally always bad to select a logo that has an inherent shadow. The third logo is way too "ragged" with its frills all over the place, definitely a no go. Calligraphy logos are generally outdated, especially ones with weird "drops" coming from them. The last logo you can hardly even read. Remember, a logo should be easily readable.

Here are a few examples of good font selections for this project: All of these logos with the exception of 4 and 6 are pretty much similar. #1, 2, 3 & 5 are all very simplistic and serious in appearance. Logo 4 still appears "serious" even though it is significantly different from the rest. I chose this just in case I want to experiment with piecing together fonts for the word "Blue" and "Laguna". Logo 6 is a very bold / italicized logo that says nothing but serious.

4. Finalizing a Font Selection

Once you have some possible font selections, each in their own layer, you further analyze them and see which works. With logos that have more than one word, most of the time it is good to separate the appearance of the words from each other. Since this particular project has two words, "Blue" and "Laguna", we're going to want to separate them by possibly choosing two different fonts. You can also separate words from each other by keeping the same font, but changing the color. So I'm going to experiment with the 6 good font selections above.

This is what I've come up with: Although I didn't use one of the 6 fonts I selected initially for the word "blue", I simply used an unboldened version of "LAGUNA", which keeps a consistent feel but also allows for separation of the two words.

5. Adding in a symbol

Sometimes logos work well with only the use of fonts, but most times adding in a relevant symbol of some sort will really make a logo stand out. When I say "symbol", I mean any part of the logo which isn't actual text. So let's start with the first font selection from above:

Now here is where having an eye for design and experience is a really big help. We need to begin contemplating ideas of what exactly we can add to this logo to make it awesome. So, the first thing I do is just sit there and stare at the font selection and think of what exactly the product/service/site is all about. Well, BlueLaguna.Net is about gaming, more specifically speaking, it's a site that offers RPG media (Role Playing Game) media. Therefore, we have two things to work with: RPG and Media. What exactly can we associate with both RPG and Media? Well, we don't necessarily have to convey both RPG and Media through the logo (if you try to get too complex, the logo will become cluttered). We can choose one or the other if we want. I think it'd be most logical to focus on the whole RPG aspect, as you can find media all over the place and it isn't an entirely unique concept.

So let's do some research on Role Playing Games. We need to figure out a symbol which can really represent RPG. The current BlueLaguna.Net features a 3d female, perhaps that has something to do with RPG? Well, let me do a search on images.google.com for "RPG". The results turn back a few different female characters, Hmm! The first few results, keeping in mind the 3d female character on the current header of bluelaguna.net, seem to suggest that depicting a female in the logo might be the best bet. It also seems that weaponry / mystical environments are associated with RPG as well.

Now that I know what I can associate with RPG, I can come up with some possible ideas for a symbol. I think maybe featuring a face of one of these RPG'ish females with maybe a hint of mysticism.

The Pen Tool is your Friend

The most important tool when it comes to logo design is the pen tool. If there is one tool to thoroughly understand, it should be the pen tool. The pen tool allows you to create any shape(s) you want, and maintain vector format (which is very important if you ever want to size your logo up n' down (for professional print or whatever.)

It's always good to draw your logo by hand without copying over a picture (vector tracing), but if you aren't very talented and don't have much experience, it might be your only option. So for the sake of making the biggest impact on this tutorial, I will teach you all an awesome technique for creating great looking symbols for you logos.

Finding a suitable picture

If you're going to trace, I always suggest using a site like istockphoto.com to find the image and pay for it. This way you won't be using copyrighted images to trace over. Or taking your own picture to trace over. Unfortunately though, istockphoto has nothing with RPG or "anime". So I just went on images.google.com and found a picture which I think is suitable, here it is:

When I came across this picture, I got the idea that I can vector trace over her face and hair to create what I want, and then integrate it along with the font selection in some unique way. So once you've found the picture you want to trace (if not the same one), save it to your hard drive, open it up in photoshop, CTRL-A, CTRL-C to select it and copy it, and go back to your main logo document and CTRL-V. Now you've imported this picture into your logo document. Once you've imported it, with her layer selected, you can cut off the bottom half of her body. (Select the first tool in the upper left corner of the tools menu, Rectangular Marquee Tool), select the bottom half of her body and hit the delete key. Your screen should look something like this by now (You can hide the text layers behind it).

Vector Tracing

Now select the magnifying glass in the tools menu and select around the girl, it will look like this zoomed up to about 400%:

Now select the pen tool in the tools menu:

Make sure that the foreground color (the black square at the bottom of the pic to the upper right ---^) is the same dark blue color of the text we specified.

In the layers window to the right, select the little round circular > icon on the upper right corner of the window, and click on "Create New Layer" in the window that comes up. Hit "OK" and then in the layers window, with the new layer selected, change the Opacity to 0%. We do this because once we start tracing over the image, we don't want the dark blue color hiding the picture of the girl below.

And with the pen tool selected, click a point somewhere on the outline of the hair (at the top), and then click to make another point somewhere on the hairline where the line will begin to form. You can hold down and "direction" the angle of the line to create a certain type of curve. It takes awhile to get the hang of, but it's very easy once you get the hang of it. After plotting points of an entire section of hair, yours should look similar to this: (Note: I've lightened the opacity of the girl to illustrate what your lines should look like so far)

(opacity 100%)

It's not perfect, but for now it's a good start.

Now I'm simply going to continue creating more shapes, like the facial features. After 15-20 minutes or so of creating the different facial features and the face itself, here is what I have come up with:

As you can see, I specified a different color for the face (light blue). And by now I have around 15 different layers. There's a separate layer for the top portion of each eye, the bottom portion of each eye, the middle, and the small glare. There's also a layer for the face background, and the ear. So let us continue and add some shading...

After about 20 more minutes of shading, this is what I've come up with: There are a total of 3 different layers for the hair. It's somewhat of a tedious process to do hair shading simply because there's a lot of strands of hair! But you have to just condense them and get the general idea of the shading and it will work out well. Then I did some light shading work on the face and the neck. Now I consider the actual draft of the symbol complete. Let's make our initial text layer visible and see what we can do to integrate the symbol with the text.

First, you will want to select the very last to the very first vector layer that you created (you'll have a couple dozen or more), hold down the shift so you can select them all. Then in the layers window click the little circular round button and select "New Group From Layers". This will put all of the layers of the girl, into one easily manageable layer group. This way, you can move around the one group and it will keep all of their positions together so it won't break up her face.

Now this actually doesn't look too bad, in and of itself. But the proportion of the anime head is too big, in relation to BLUELAGUNA. So we will want to scale down the head. Let's try moving it over to the left, and adding the slogan + the ".net" text. This is what it looks like:

Now it looks pretty damn good eh? The only other thing I did, was with the pen tool, I added a white shape over the "B" in "BLUE" so that the face doesn't collide with the B.

Unfortunately I messed up and didn't design this over the dark blue'ish background that the bluelaguna.net has. So I'm going to change the colors of the logo to fit a background of an appropriate header for the site.

As you can see, simply changing colors around can really change the look and feel of a logo. I'd consider this logo a winner.

6. Conclusion

I can pretty much guarantee you that if you're a first time user of the pen tool or photoshop for that matter, it won't turn out so pretty like mine did. It takes some time and patience to really get the hang of it. It's all about getting a little creative and working at it for awhile.

Here is my new blog's LOGO www.webretina.com

Monetize your Website or Blog with BidVertiser

Read More