A2Z Computer Services Inc

Corporate I.T. Solutions, Computer Repair and Web Design in Henderson, KY

Static FBML, We Hardly Knew Ye

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Facebook Page Upgrades: A Quick Overview

Today is the day, the last day that Facebook page owners will be able to install the Static FBML application on their page. Facebook announced last month that they would be upgrading pages to a new layout while adding many new features. Facebook has a history of making updates and changes to their site that catch both personal and business users off guard. These changes however have probably been the most accepted and anticipated changes that Facebook has ever released to date.

Up until today page owners have had the option to keep their current page the way it is or go ahead and upgrade to the new layout. Many have taken advantage of the early upgrade while others have been unaware of the changes and what would happen to their page once they clicked “upgrade”. However after today all Facebook pages will automatically be upgraded, but rest assured that these changes are good and offer you many new options for connecting with customers, other businesses and simply creating a greater user experience.

The End of Static FBML and What it Means for your Business

FBML stands for Facebook Markup Language, essentially it is Facebook’s version of HTML. The Static FBML application has been used by many businesses in order to add more customization to their Facebook page. Static FBML has allowed page owners and marketing agencies to develop additional tabs to Facebook pages that are completely customized using their own images, content and design. There are many companies that have been started in the last two years whose biggest asset has been using the Static FBML application for their clients. Does the death of Static FBML mean the end of these firms or the end of offering a great Facebook experience to your customers? Absolutely not.

With the end of Static FBML tabs Facebook has brought something bigger and better to the table, iFrames for pages. With the use of iFrames companies will now have less restrictions when it comes to having their Facebook page customized. Videos and Flash objects will no longer require being clicked first in order to be activated and you can use applications that have been developed using HTML, CSS and Javascript. These languages are more well known to developers than FBML and FBJS, meaning companies that offer Facebook page development, such as ourselves, will be able to offer more to page owners to help grow their online presence and draw more individuals to their page, their website and most importantly their business.

In Conclusion…

If you are a page owner please keep in mind that these changes are in fact good. Social Media is fluid and to succeed in Social Media we all have to be fluid and accepting of change, especially when change translates into being able to offer more to customers. We have not posted a blog going into detail about each change that has been included in the Facebook page upgrade but there have been many others who have so why reinvent the wheel? Click here to read about all of Facebook’s changes to pages from Social Media Examiner.

Please also keep in mind that we offer many solutions for your Facebook page and online presence including development, design, consulting, training and even promotion management. Have fun exploring all of the new features that Facebook has to offer and let us know if we can be of assistance to you.

Smart Phone Repair Service

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iphone repair

We at A2Z Computer Services, Inc. are pleased to inform all of you that we have recently added Smart Phone Repair to our continually growing list of services offered to Henderson, Evansville, Owensboro and the rest of the Tri-State area.

As technology becomes more mobile with the use of iPhones, iPads and other various smart phones and tablets, the issues that we all have with technology will also become more mobile. We understand that having your phone and device in working order is just as important as having your computer in working order. For a list of phones, devices and services we offer please visit our Smart Phone / Device Repair page. There you will find pricing to go along with your repair needs.

If you have any additional questions regarding our Smart Phone and Device repair services please give us a call at (270) 830-9590 or click here to contact us via email.

New Faceboook Features Revealed by Mistake

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Yesterday afternoon many of may have noticed that Facebook went down for a short time. What you may not have seen however was Facebook’s accidental revealing of some of their new features. The features weren’t active for very long but many people, including us, had an opportunity to see the new features for  a short time before Facebook went down.

After all of this took place yesterday afternoon Facebook tweeted “Also, some internal prototypes were exposed to people and resulted in us disabling the site briefly. It’s now back to normal.”

Below are a few of the new features that we were able to see and also have since read about for other various sources. If there are any features that you were able to experience yesterday please tell us about them in comment feed. Enjoy!

Facebook Pages

New Facebook Pages

One of the biggest changes seen yesterday was the new layout for Facebook Pages. Instead of the tabbed navigation at the top of the page the menu had moved to the left column underneath the profile picture. This of course resembles the look of Facebook Places as well as the new profile layouts.

Another useful feature for many page admins that was seen is the Questions / Poll feature which will allow pages to run polls directly through Facebook as opposed to using comment feeds, third party applications or links back to your website. One change that people were unhappy with was the default landing tab setting for non-fans was gone. We believe however that this feature will still be available once the new Pages go live.

Page admins also had an option to “Switch Accounts” and “Login as Page”. The “Login as Page” option raises many questions for us such as whether or not this the page admins will finally be notified of new comments and likes as opposed to manually checking the page. We also wonder if page admins will have the ability to Message individuals as the page. These of course are just speculation but worth keeping in mind.

A Facebook spokesperson also stated that page admins were notified of the changes before they take effect. This is very comforting considering the time, money and energy businesses put into Facebook as part of their marketing and communication plan. All of us at A2Z Computer Services, Inc. personally cannot wait for that announcement to come out.

Pages weren’t the only ones to get a sneak peak at the new changes that will be coming to Facebook. Personal profiles saw new features such as Memories which will allow users to go back and photos, statuses and new friends grouped by years. The much anticipated lightbox UI for Facebook Photos was also seen and enjoyed by many for a short time.

What features are you either looking forward to or dreading the most?

Christmas Computer Special [PROMOTION EXPIRED]

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Intel-Based Core 2 Duo 2.93Ghz Computer System

System Specifications:

ATX Mini-Mid Tower CASE w/350W P/S
INTEL DG41TY Mainboard
INTEL CORE 2 DUO ES400 2.7Ghz
1066MHz System Bus
VIDEO / SOUND / LAN
2GB DDR2 800MHz PC2-6400 Memory
Seagate 500GB / 7200.9 SATA HDD
Microsoft Optical Mouse-PS/2
Microsoft Internet Keyboard / PS/2
Norton Anti-Virus 2010 12 Month License
Windows 7 Home Premium
Logitech S120 Speaker System

Monitor NOT included

Christmas Special

$649.99

(plus applicable sales tax)

Add $249 for 19″ LCD Monitor

Call us at (270) 830-9590 for more information or to place your order. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Thank you and have a great holiday season!

This offer is only valid until December 24, 2010. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Facebook Contact Back Up Process & ‘Fan’ page resizing requirements

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Many people have begun to wonder what would happen if their Facebook account was deleted, hacked or simply lost all of their contacts / friends.  It would take a great deal of work to recreate it as an individual and even more so for an organization, group or business.  All of those ‘friends’ (aka. contacts, vendors, clients, potential customers and friends) would be lost and extremely difficult to get back completely.

Well there is now a solution.  There is a way and in fact there may be several ways to do it; but I’ve got one that is simple, easy and doesn’t require software or costs.

I would like to say we created the process, but I would be lying.  As with everything in social media, it is a collaborative effort and a great atmosphere of sharing among individuals in the social media market.  With that said, below is a step-by-step process that
mrashdi (from the Google ‘Help’ Forum) came up with and it works.

There are several variables to the process; but the most straight forward one requires that you have a Yahoo account and if you are trying to download the contact list to your G-mail account, you can, but will need the Yahoo account to process it.

Here are the steps:

NOTE:  NO software or installation needed.

1. You must have a Yahoo Email, if not, create one (even if you are transferring it eventually to your Gmail account).

2. Login to your Yahoo Mail.

3.  Go to ‘contacts’  – then choose ‘import email from Facebook’.

If you use Yahoo, you are now done.  If however, you are using Gmail, then proceed to the following steps.

4.  ‘Export’ Yahoo csv. download/save it (I used Excel format to save mine).

5.  Login to your Gmail

6.  Upload the csv file to Gmail contact.

That’s it.  Yes, that simple.  There are some other variables and accounts you can utilize and export to (such as Microsoft Outlook and Netscape).  But no matter what your particular preferences, at least there is a way to save your valuable Facebook contact list.

On a sidenote as a reminder to everyone with a Facebook ‘Fan’ page, today was the scheduled day for the required resizing of ‘Fan’ pages.  ‘Fan’ pages have been 760 pixels width and Facebook made the change to 520 pixels width.  Facebook says that if the pages are not resized in advance that they would resize them automatically.  There have been rumors that ‘Fan’ pages that are not resized before the deadline might be cut off and unreadable or even rendered unusable and unviewable.  If you are an organization that has not made these changes need to move quickly to avoid a potential problem.

Mad Skillz Marketing is a social media service provided by A2Z Computer Services offering social media development, training, consulting and support for organizations, groups and businesses of all sizes and types.