By Zebble
The debate about how best to convert our FBML pages on Facebook into the new iFrames format continues. In a previous post a couple of months ago, I showed you how you can create a new iframe tab using the “Static html iFrams Tab” application. This was one of the first apps to emerge following the changes that Facebook introduced on the 18th March 2011, and, with a current following of over 25 million, it is standing the test of time, as more and more new apps and products flood the market. Now that’s what I call Social Proof!
But the number of products and apps being launched that will allow us to create a custom landing page with apparent ease continues to swell. The ready made Apps are hosted for us, but some products need to be be self hosted, such as the numerous WordPress based products that are emerging. So in this post I am going to look at the issue of secure hosting for facebook pages and why it does matter.
Why do we need to concern ourselves with the issue of hosting?
Well, in a nutshell, since early 2011, Facebook has been giving its users the option to use secure browsing (https://…….instead of http://……) . As a result, anyone using Facebook’s secure browsing option will not be able to see any Facebook Page tab that has been hosted on a non-secure site that does not have an SSL certificate, unless they temporarily disable their secure browsing.
Let’s backtrack a little
With the old FBML custom pages, the hosting was taken care of by Facebook. Now, with iFrames, we have to essentially create our Facebook Page outside of Facebook, have it hosted and then import it into Facebook via an application, or use an application that does it all for us.
Secure Browsing Within Facebook
To switch to secure browsing within your Facebook account, click on
–>Account –> Account Settings –> Account Security
and you will have the option to use Facebook using a secure browser (https://…as opposed to http://…..).
Many Facebook users, especially those using Facebook over a public network, such as in a coffee shop or an airport, are opting to use this additional security for their facebook account. And what this means for our Facebook Pages is, that any content that is not being hosted on a secure server will not be visible to those Facebook users, unless they are prepared to temporarily disable their secure browsing. I believe many will give up at this point and if they do temporarily disable their secure browsing in order to view your page, the only way to switch back to secure browsing is by signing out of Facebook and then signing back in. Inconvenient to say the least!
Hosting Options For Facebook Pages?
Using Ready-Made Apps
If you are using a ready-made app, the hosting is going to be provided for you. So the only thing to check is whether or not the app is using secure hosting. (If you are not sure, switch your settings to secure browsing and test out the app for yourself).
My favourite two free apps are “Static html Iframes Tab” and “Static iFrame Tab”. Both of these are using secure hosting.
But unfortunately the story doesn’t quite end there. There is one additional thing to watch out for. If you are using images or video, you are likely hosting these on a third party site, such as YouTube or, for images, I use Photoshop for example. Some of these sites are not providing secure hosting and once again, these will not be visible to anyone using the secure browser option. YouTube now gives you an option to get an https iframe embed code, so make sure you use that facility if you are hosting your videos on YouTube. But in summary, make sure your videos and images are hosted on a secure site also. The best option I have found so far is to host images and video on Amazon’s S3 server, which meets the secure server requirement.
So, to recap…
Find an application that is using a secure server
Make sure your videos and images are hosted on a secure server, such as Amazon S3
WordPress Based Products
There are a number of WordPress based products emerging that allow you to create your Facebook tabs within wordpress. Although not quite as simple as using a straightforward ready-made application as described above, if you are familiar with wordpress, these can be a great option. They offer greater functionality and levels of customization, and in some cases they include templates for landing pages. Most also allow you to create a menu within a tab, that would look something like this.
But, in order for Facebook Pages created using such products to be visible to those facebook users using secure browsing, you will need to ensure that your worpress hosting is secure with an SSL Certificate. If you already have such a certificate, you are ready to go, but if not, this is something you will need to organise, or risk your page not being visible to those using Facebook’s secure browsing option.
And since I have shared my favourite free apps with you, it only seems fair to also share my favourite paid WordPress product. This has been developed by Jason Fladlien and it is called WPFanPro. The wp template includes a number of basic templates for landing pages and allows you to create a fully customised menu within your tab.
If you are looking at creating Facebook Pages for clients, I suggest signing up for a reseller account with secure hosting and SSL certificate from a company such as Hostgator.
Going It Alone
If you are creating your Facebook landing page yourself, without the aid of a WordPress based product or a pre-designed app, and you are creating your own app, then again, you need to ensure your hosting is secure, just as with the Worpress based product.
_____________________________________________________
I just wanted to bring this topic up, because I have come across a number of products that are omitting to mention the need for secure hosting. And in one case, I even asked the question, only to be told quite emphatically that I do not need secure hosting. True, the product will still work, but my tab will not be visible to anyone using Facebook’s secure browsing and I don’t really see the point in having an invisible Facebook Page 
I’d love to get your feedback on your experiences so far with the new iframes and please feel free to share any tips you have regarding the hosting issue!
P.S. Please note that the links ot WPFanPro and Hostgator are affiliate links. However, you will not pay any more for your product by using my links and I appreciate your business
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Great info Louise … I literally just got off the phone to Hostgator asking about how to go about changing over to having a SSL certificate on my blog, or any future client blogs I create. They charge $50 per year on a reseller account plus $2 per month and suggest loading up the cpanel and wordpress before changing over to SSL.
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Thank you Jodie….that’s great to know. I haven’t yet organised my SSL certificate, but it is on my to-do list. Good to know it’s not going to cost an arm and a leg
Louise
Yup hostgator is a decent company to go with. I have SSL certificate with them and they guided me from the start to the end with the setup even I thought I won’t be able to config it myself.
Preston Livingston recently posted..How To Repair Laptop Hard Disk
That’s awesome Preston. Hostgator are known for their user friendly customer service, so it’s good to hear that confirmed.
Louise
Twitter: suejprice
June 20, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Wow Louise this is becoming a minefield. Thanks for staying on top of the facebook world for your readers. I am very grateful.
You have done an excellent job here of explaining this and also explaining “why”. That is always so important.
An excellent post as always Louise.
Sue
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Thank you Sue…yes it is a minefield and I have since learned that the situation is more urgent than I thought. I was aware that Facebook had plans to make https browsing the default setting for everyone, but apparently at some stage we will no longer have the option to switch off our https to view non-secure pages. So these pages will be totally invisible! Louise
Great information Louise. My FB page is still in the old format – but I know that’s going to go away all together sooner rather than later. I purposely delayed setting up a new page because I wanted to let the dust settle after the initial hoo ha over the changes – and I’m glad I did because the options make much better sense now. Thanks!
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Waiting was a wise move Marquita. As you say, the dust is finally settling after all the initial hoo ha and we are getting a much clearer view of our options. Also, many of the bugs have now been ironed out, making our lives much easier.
Louise
Hi Louisa,
What great information you have on FB. I really need to do more pages on my FB account and your posts are so packed full of some much information and guidance. I will be returning to follow your excellent instructions.
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Thank you for your kind words Joyce. Let me know if you need anything further.
Louise
Hey Louise… FABULOUS job highlighting a very important issue we’re all facing — internet security.
If your readers become proactive with all this highly valuable info that you’ve laid out, they’ll be a step ahead of the game. They should rest easy at night knowing that their online presence is protected pretty much as far as they can take it without more highly specialized (and costly) solutions.
It was just a short time ago that I was faced with making a decision on the merits of using a secure state ALL the time. Now it’s not even a question… benefits far outweigh any associated cost of implementing and maintaining a system. So what are you waiting for. Be SMART… if you’re not safe on the net, follow Louise’s guidance into the safe harbour of happy blogging and just know that your protected.
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Thank you Chris…yes I agree, internet security in general is becoming increasingly a must for us all. It is difficult to keep up with all the changes all of the time, but it’s good to know that Facebook is at least doing its bit to try and keep its users safe. And it’s up to us to make sure our pages display properly for all users, including those using Facebook’s secure browser.
Louise
Twitter: msrelief
June 24, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Louise,
You’ve created another awesome post, filled with very useful information! I love the way you “hold my hand” through it all!
Linda
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Thank you Linda….hope it all makes sense
Louise
Louise,
You have a done a great job of making this murky mess very clear. I can relate to one of your points exactly. I have found that on more than one occasion when I’ve gone to someone’s business page to have a look that I get asked to switch my browser to the FB unsecured http:// Well the first time I thought OK, I’ll do that so I can see their page. It was at that point I realized how I had to go back to the more secure https:// version. Having to log out and log back in is a waste of time. Not to mention the Page I went to check out I really didn’t care for so it wasn’t to my benefit. Now when I get this message I typically just skip it and keep on with my business. I’m glad you made this point of secure hosting for Facebook pages so we can all be in the know.
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Thank you Don…as you know it was our discussions the other day that inspired me to write this post. I can totally relate to your experience having to leave facebook’s secure browsing to access a page and then having to sign out and back in to go back to secure browsing. I had the very same experience and I have now switched off my secure browsing, since I am using fb at home over a secure line. But that is no solution for anyone accessing fb on a public wireless connection.
Louise
Twitter: lynnjonesie
June 25, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Louise, I so appreciate that you are sharing this info with us. I consider myself as an un-techy, so I love any help I can get. So, thank you so much!
your friend,
Lynn
Thank you Lynn….I too am a non-techie person, so I know where you are coming from
Louise
I will try my best to follow these instructions for my personal blog/ facebook fan page. It’s tough, I don’t want to mess it up
I’ve been learning a lot listening to you here, thank you
Twitter: ywdtips
June 29, 2011 at 12:29 am
Great post. We’ve literally just updated our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com.yourwebdepartment) using our own tool to generate and maintain the content for a couple of tabs that use FB’sstatic IFrames. I’m now interested in investigating how our clients will be able to use our CMS to “marry” it with Facebook pages, and SSL is certainly something to take into account. Your article provided useful info, thanks.
Hi Flavio…..yes, I agree, secure hosting is definitely something to take into consideration for your clients, especially as I understand that we will in the future not even have the option to leave secure browsing in fb to view non-secure pages. As I understand it, they will be totally invisible.
Louise
Great overview on the external hosting options now available for Facebook. The security seems to be an interesting catch-22, secure hosting seems to be a must, but you can potentially lock some of your friends out of your Facebook. Just have to be careful with your options!
Yes absolutely Lauren, but you will only potentially ‘lock’ people out of your facebook page by not using secure hosting.
Louise
Hi Louise,
Your post couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I’m just about to launch a page and had no idea why so many pages I was visiting were asking me to browse ‘insecurely’ if I wanted to view the content. And you are right in that many people will turn away here. I did on many pages until I found one I absolutely had to view lol!
So given that so many people are using software to build templates externally (that do the hosting for you,) I’m guessing the best way to cover yourself is to ask them if they use secure hosting?
Thanks for the awesome update, I’m glad I found this tonight!
Thanks Michaelé….I went through the exact same process, wondering why I couldn’t view all these pages. So I delved a little deeper
In the end I just switched off my secure browsing in fb since I was working from home and that made life so much easier. But that is not a long term solution to the problem. As you say, the best thing is to ask if the hosting is secure if using external software programs to build custom tabs.
Louise
Hello Louise, this time again you come up with something really of it’s kind. Thanks a lot for blessing us with such an informative content. Though, was always wondering to know some tips to keep secure facebook ID, but after going through your content, wuhoo, seems it is all done. Thanks. Keep it up.
Twitter: chungtang
July 10, 2011 at 5:19 am
Funny when you’re looking for a hosting solution and have questions you always happen to land on someone’s blog who answers not 1, 2 but all of your questions regarding the question you need answered to immediately (my case is hosting fan pages)
One of the best and more in-depth post I’ve seen.
Thank you.
p.s. I found your site via Carol Poole
Twitter: lsaul
July 11, 2011 at 8:17 am
Facebook changes have always been difficult to understand. It seems as if there is a lack of information regarding their updates…or perhaps I’m just out of touch with what they do post.
Either way your article has been tremendously helpful, so I thought I’d stop by and say thanks. You helped provide a clear path to deal with the transition and saved me a great deal of time and frustration.
I signed up for your newsletter and look forward to keeping up with your excellent content.
Thanks for the informative post.
Twitter: jbennett2020
July 21, 2011 at 3:54 am
Wow, I didn’t even know that Facebook had secure browsing and this bring’s up a good point about facebook pages and tabs…. I know that the team that put together my training tab has a secure version when I set up the tab on my page, but it never occurred to me why….
Thanks for keeping us informed!
Best,
James
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Thank you James….Glad to hear your training tab is on a secure hosting site. I have heard on the grapevine that as of October all browsing will be secure withing Facebook, with no option to switch it off, so it’s good to be prepared.
Louise
Hello Louise, great article. The truth is that most of us already have SSL certificate for free! It’s just a matter of finding the right URL as it’s explained here: http://scalingexcellence.co.uk/secure-facebook-ssl-hosting
Hi and thanks for your comment. If you are creating your own app, then this might be an option, but for people using pre-existing apps, then they need to make sure their images and videos are hosted somewhere that has secure hosting.
Louise
Louise, lot of people are unaware of these things, not even the ‘https://’ setting in Facebook. When it comes to hosting we must always concern about the security as internet is not a safe place yet. So you have done a great job by sharing your experiences and it is highly appreciated.
Hello,
Great content. Very informative. Facebook and other networking sites are usually the cause of problems like invasion of privacy but every person that signing-up should know the risk. Almost all people from all over the world have facebook account or know about facebook. Reading this blog will really help them when it comes to secure browsing.
Regards,
Ibyang
Thanks for the great article, need more like this t keep up with the changes!
I notice in your post ‘ The best option I have found so far is to host images and video on Amazon’s S3 server, which meets the secure server requirement.’ does that mean the iframe html code can be hosted elsewhere and the images/video fed from Amazon or is the whole lot stored on there? not used Amazon S3 before, but keep getting recommended it.
I have read today that the https option will probably be here to stay from the 1st of October, so need to start getting some options in place
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Hi Justin
Thanks for your comment. You would only host your images and/or videos on Amazon S3 and then use an application, such as Static htm iframes tab to ‘import’ your html into facebook. This is an option for people who do not have their own secure hosting.
If on the other hand you were creating your own app, you can host everything together, but it needs to be a secure hosting site. Hope that makes sense.
I too have heard that secure browsing on facebook will be compulsory after Oct 1st, so as you say, we need to address this issue sooner rather than later.
Louise
This is a great information for me Louise. My Facebook page is still in the old format , but I know that’s going to go away all together sooner rather than later. I purposely delayed setting up a new page because I wanted to let the dust settle after the initial having over the changes
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Very helpful article. I just want to clarify that I don’t need to do anything in Amazon S3 other than upload the images or video in order to satisfy Facebook’s HTTPS requirements?
Derek
Hi Derek….no, the only purpose of uploading your images or video to Amazon S3 is to get them hosted on a secure server. Just make sure you make them public in Amazon S3 though, or they will not be visible. Hope that helps.
Louise
Thanks Louise. That’s exactly what I wanted to know (you wouldn’t believe how many searches I’ve done to try and find this information). You have greatly simplified a complex problem for me.
Thanks again,
Derek
Valuable information as always, Louise. Just bookmarked it. Thanks!
Louise,
Thank you so much for the enlightenment! https:// means you are secured and https:// not secured. The nice thing here is that Facebook has settings that can easily turn off or on our secure browsing. I believe secure hosting is essential for every Facebook page. Great info here.
Louise, you did an excellent job! Your article is really very informative and interesting for everyone. I do think that when we talk about any social network or Internet in general, we should think firstly about security, because a great number of problems can appear So that’s why your article is very urgent. Thank you.
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