Facebook Social Plugins
Keep in mind that once someone becomes a fan, he will see your posts on his Wall. Unless, that is, he decides that his Feed is too cluttered with your posts and he hides your feed or Unlikes you.
If he hides you, you keep the fan count but lose his attention. This is worse than his Unliking you. At least then you would not be talking to air.
In order to avoid having fans tune you out, you need to keep them engaged. Within your Fan page on Facebook, there is a section called Resources (see Figure 10.4). This section has tools that let you see what your friends have Liked, commented on, or shared on sites across the internet.
Figure 10.4: Facebook Resources help you get even more social.
To get to your resources follow these steps:
1. Go to your business page.
2. Click See All in the upper-right corner.
3. Click Resources in the right column.
These plugins give you an opportunity to reach fans outside of Facebook when they visit your website.
 | DEFINITION |
A plugin is a piece of software that changes the behavior of a website.
The following plugins give you an opportunity to reach fans outside of Facebook when they visit your Facebook website.
The Like Button. The Like button lets fans share pages from your website back to their Facebook Profile. When the fan clicks the Like button on your site, a post appears in her friends’ News Feed with a link back to your website.
This is a highly engaging tactic to use on your website. Try to keep this button near the top of your site if you choose to use it.
The Send Button. The Send button shoots a private note to a fan’s friends. Fans have the option to send your website in a message to their Facebook friends, to a group Wall, and as an email.
This is reminiscent of the popular Send to a Friend option that used to appear on websites. This new functionality takes the sharing to a new level by automatically opening your Facebook contacts.
 | FRIENDLY ADVICE |
Combinations work well. If you want to use both the Send and Like button on your website, you can access a combined version of them from the Resources link.
Login Button. The Login button enables Facebook users to sign in to Facebook from your website. The plugin also shows pictures of your fan’s friends who have already fanned or friended your Facebook page.
The Login button grabs users’ attention on your website and sends the message that your business is forward-thinking and integrated with Facebook. It also shows them actual fans. Social proof says it all.
Social Activity
Social activity plugins make it easier for customers to comment, post, or otherwise interact with your Facebook page. They also allow deeper interactions, like registering for lists and suggestions for your related pages.
Comments. The Facebook Comments plugin enables Facebook users to comment on content on your website. It even has a personalized moderation/distribution option. When a user engages in the Comments Box on your site, a post appears in her friends’ News Feed with a link back to your site.
Activity Feed. The Activity Feed plugin shows users what their friends are doing on your website. It displays the most recent activity on your site, such as when users Like content from your site, share content from your site in Facebook, or comment in a Facebook Comments Box on your site.
When a user is logged in to Facebook, the plugin highlights content from their friends. If the user isn’t logged in to Facebook, the Feed shows recommendations from your site and gives the user the option to log in to Facebook via a link on the Feed. This is a powerful plugin that pulls in a lot of activity from Facebook to your website.
Recommendations. The Recommendations plugin gives your website users suggestions for pages on your site they might like. It works by looking at all the social interactions from your site. A user who is logged in to Facebook sees pages his or her friends have engaged on.
Think of this as a “you might also be interested in” feature to get users to visit all the popular areas of your website.
Registration. The Registration plugin enables users to log in to your website with their Facebook account. When users are logged in to Facebook already, they are presented with a form that is pre-filled with their Facebook information.
This is a great way to pre-fill in as much information as possible on a form on your website. It’s a usability factor that makes your checkout process for e-commerce that much easier for your customers.
Social Streams
Social streams compile all your Facebook activity into an easier-to-navigate page. You can use them to quickly assess who is on your Facebook page and how to reach them more effectively.
Facepile. The Facepile plugin displays the Facebook Profile pictures of users who have Liked your page or have signed up for your site. It’s a simple tool to show the users the faces that support your business.
Like Box. The Like box enables users to Like your Facebook page and view its stream from your website.
This is a great way to get people to Like your Fan page from your website. This is similar to Facepile, with some added options for showing a stream and header. It’s a matter of personal preference in design as to which one you use. The one-click feature to become a fan is the greatest value of this tool.
Live Stream. The Live Stream plugin lets users share Facebook activity and comments in real time as they interact during a live event.
As businesses are conducting more meetings online, this plugin is likely to grow in popularity. It’s an excellent tool for live streaming video in e-meetings such as webcasts and webinars.
The Least You Need to Know
• Keep your Facebook posts short. The shorter the posts, the more engagement.
• Most people engage on Facebook before work (7 A.M.), right after work (5 P.M.), and late at night (11 P.M.). That’s when you should plan to engage with them.
• Always use a third-party service to run a contest or promotion on Facebook. If you violate Facebook’s rules on promotions, you could be banned from the site.
• Facebook plugins give you an opportunity to reach fans outside of Facebook when they visit your website.