App Accelerator FAQ at Widgetbox

General

What is a Facebook application and what is all the hype?
How does the App Accelerator help drive users to me?
Do I have to pay for the App Accelerator?
Are there benefits to using the App Accelerator if I already have a Facebook app?
How do I make money on my Facebook application?
I have questions about Facebook, specifically. Who should I contact?

Technical

Are there any requirements to use the App Accelerator?
How do I maximize the use of the viral features and the adoption of my app?
Will I be able to test my application before submitting it to the Facebook application gallery?
Will I be able to edit my application after creating it?
How will users find and interact with my application on Facebook?
Can Facebook users copy the widget from Facebook to other sites across the web?
How do I delete my application from Facebook?
Can I edit comments on my wall?
Why don’t my images show up in my news feed stories?
Why don’t my images show in my profile?
The click-me overlay is cutting my image on the profile page. What can I do?
My flash widget is getting cut-off in the profile page. What can I do?
How do I change the picture of the app that is on Facebook’s About This App page?
Can I remove ads from my Facebook app?
I have other technical questions that are not answered here. Who should I contact?

General

What is a Facebook application and what is all the hype?

Recently, Facebook, one of the most popular social networking sites on the web, opened its platform to enable developers to create widgets for Facebook users. They call these widgets Facebook applications. Most Facebook users have installed applications and many applications have millions of users. The Facebook platform helps widget developers attract users and make a name for themselves. However, building Facebook applications directly on Facebook requires knowledge of special code which can be difficult and time-consuming to learn.

How does the App Accelerator help drive users to me?

The App Accelerator includes news feeds, friend invites, and a comment wall. Additionally, the widget loads into the canvas page which increases the user engagement metric Facebook uses to prioritize apps in their application directory. Finally, anytime users see your widget on the web, they will be able to install it as a Facebook application when they click “get widget”.

Do I have to pay for the App Accelerator?

No. The App Accelerator is free. And, you can actually make money from your application by opting-in to DevShare. With DevShare you can take your cut of the advertising revenue earned on your app. We split the ad revenue earned 50/50. Learn more.

Are there benefits to using the App Accelerator if I already have a Facebook app?

Yes. By using our App Accelerator, users who see the widget you turned into a Facebook application across the web will be able to install it as a Facebook app directly from that widget. They can do so by clicking “get widget”. This means you have more opportunities to reach Facebook users, particularly those who may not have seen your application in the Facebook directory.

Additionally, by using our App Accelerator, you can opt-in to DevShare and make money as users use your application.

How do I make money on my application?

You can take your cut of the adverstising revenue earned on your app by joining DevShare. Once you create your Facebook application with the App Accelerator, there will be a check box where you can opt-in to the program. Learn more

I have questions about Facebook, specifically. Who should I contact?

You can visit Facebook as they have a site for developers (http://developers.facebook.com/resources.php) with a detailed developer FAQ (http://developers.facebook.com/help.php?page=12).

Technical

Are there any requirements to use the App Accelerator?

To use the App Accelerator, you will need:

A registered widget in Widgetbox. This can be a blidget.
A Facebook account

How do I maximize the use of the viral features and the adoption of my app?

After you build your app, you should do the following to ensure maximum adoption.

Add images to your news feeds – Images are powerful in the news feeds. You can do this in the “Profile Setup” and “Viral Settings” tabs in your Facebook app in “My Widgets”.
Be creative with text – Snazzy text is eye-catching, especially in your feeds.
Select “Include App Wall” – Ensuring a wall is included will help engage users.
Ask friends to add your app – Your app needs five users to be found in the Facebook directory.
Create your own news feed events – This is the hardest but most impactful thing you can do. It requires you to do some extra coding in your widget. But, you can take widget interaction information (like high scores in a game widget) and link it to Facebook news feeds. Read the API documentation for more detail.

Will I be able to test my application before submitting it to the Facebook application gallery?

Yes. Once you create your Facebook app with the App Accelerator, it will be fully functional but not submitted to the Facebook Gallery at http://www.facebook.com/apps/ until you are ready to submit. Once you are happy with your app, you can then submit it to Facebook.

Go to “My Widgets” on Widgetbox.
Select “Facebook apps”.
Select the app you want to submit.
Select option 4 “Submit app to Facebook Directory” in the right-hand column “Next Steps”.

Will I be able to edit my application after creating it?

Yes. All details of your application can be changed at any point. You can test images and text to see what performs best.

How will Facebook users find and interact with my application on Facebook?

Users will find and interact with your application in a variety of ways on Facebook including:

The Directory – You can add your app to the Facebook directory of applications.
Attribution – Users will see your name as the developer of your Facebook application.
Newsfeeds – When a user adds, interacts with, or removes your application, a news feed will be sent out.
Left navigation – When a user adds your application, your app will be listed in the left navigation of the user’s Facebook page.
Profile page – You can choose the image you want put in the profile.
Invites – A user of your app will be able to easily invite friends to add your app.
Canvas page – Users clicking on your app on a profile page will be directed to the canvas page to interact with your app.
Help – Users needing help will be able to email you directly.

Can Facebook users copy the widget from Facebook to other sites across the web?

Yes. There is a “get widget” button on every widget that a user can click to copy the widget to other web pages or social network sites.

How do I delete my application from Facebook?

To delete your application, select “Delete” next to the app to delete in your list of apps at http://www.facebook.com/developers/apps.php.

Can I edit comments on my wall?

Yes. To edit comments on your wall, click your app’s link in Facebook’s left-hand nav. You’ll see a “Manage Wall” link.

Why don’t my images show up in my news feed stories?

This can happen with large images or images on slow servers. Facebook caches all images, and if your server doesn’t return the image quickly, it will stop waiting for the image. It can take awhile for Facebook to get slow images, but once they have it will be served.

Why don’t my images show in my profile?

The click-me overlay is cutting my image on the profile page. What can I do?

We are working on a solution to that. In the meantime, removing the overlay will fix the problem.

My flash widget is getting cut-off in the profile page. What can I do?

It is likely that you have not included the parameters plugin.scale and/or plugin.salign in your configuration, but have explicitly defined these modes in the widget itself (i.e. Stage.scale = “noscale”). Please refer to our FLASH widget documentation to learn more how parameters and can be used.

How do I change the picture of the app that is on Facebook’s About This App page?

To change the picture of the app on the app’s about page:

Go to http://www.facebook.com/developers/apps.php
Under the app in question, click “Edit About Page”.
Click “Step 2: Picture”. Change the picture.

Can I remove ads from my Facebook app?

At this time, it is not possible to remove ads on Facebook apps. This is how we can afford to make the service free. By signing up for DevShare, you’ll receive 50% of the ad revenue Widgetbox collects from Ads on the app.

I have other technical questions not answered here. Who should I contact?

Please send an email to