Over the past month, Facebook has not so smoothly transitioned third party content from boxes to tabs on your Facebook profile page. This is best explained by example: if you had a music box on your profile page, displaying what music you’re listening to, then that box is now gone. Instead, you have the option of creating a tab for music. This works the same way as a web browser tab, opening a new page when clicked.
However, this means that fewer people will see your music updates – because it’s hidden behind a tab. I for one think that’s a shame. Nevertheless, tabs are where it’s at now. So in this post we suggest 10 Facebook tabs that you might like to add to your Facebook profile.
The difference between boxes and tabs (a more detailed explanation)
Firstly, if like me you were wondering how to find and add new tabs, Facebook recently added a search feature to the ‘Add a new tab’ option. As per the screenshot below, enter the name of an application in the search box. If there is a tab available for that app, then it will pre-populate. You can also add any of the 10 tabs below by entering the name (auto-suggest will help you).
One hopes that eventually there will be a directory of Facebook tabs, to make the process of finding new tabs easier. There is a directory of apps, but not all apps have tabs.
10 Facebook Tabs to Check Out
This list is in no particular order and we welcome your own suggestions in the comments.
1. Last.fm
Nice simple two column layout. Features a list of your recently listened tracks, alongside top tracks of the last 7 days (as measured by Last.fm, at least). Facebook also offers its own tab called “Music”, powered by iLike.
2. Goodreads
Did we mention that when Facebook removed boxes, they also reduced the the width of tabs from 760 to 520 pixels wide? Many apps have clearly not updated their design to accommodate this – Goodreads being one of them. This is the disappointing thing about tabs as they currently stand. Many third party providers have decided not to put any effort into optimizing their content for Facebook’s new tabs.
3. Causes
Lists out the causes (charities, advocacies and more) that you support.
4. Flickr
The FlickrTab by Tabfusion is nicely implemented and perhaps shows the way for other third party apps. Worth getting this app if you’re a regular user of the photo sharing service Flickr.
5. Questions
Facebook Questions, the Q&A service that Facebook launched at the end of July, has its own tab. You’ll want to add it if you use Questions often (as our own Marshall Kirkpatrick does).
6. Slideshare
Slideshare is a service where you can upload and share slideshows. The tab is a good way to showcase this content.
7. Art Gallery
Like Goodreads, this tab has not adjusted to the reduced tab width dimensions. However if you’re a fan of art, this is the best app that we know of on Facebook (let us know in the comments if you know of a better one, because Art Gallery really isn’t that good to be honest).
8. YouTube
If you’re a frequent YouTube user, as uber-blogger Robert Scoble is, you’ll find the YouTube tab to be relatively well designed.
9. NetworkedBlogs
This app has been around for a while, as a way for Facebook users to add content from their blogs into their profiles. The tab isn’t aesthetically pleasing, as is the case with much of Facebook’s content, but it’s a start.
10. myPersonality
If you’ve taken the Myers Briggs personality test on Facebook, then this tab displays the results for all to see.
Tell Us Your Favorite Facebook Tabs
Those are our 10 picks for Facebook tabs. Let’s be frank though, it’s slim pickings at this point in time. Facebook launched a development platform to great fanfare in 2007, but not many third party apps have created a compelling experience inside Facebook. Partly that’s due to tabs being an inadequate way for third parties to showcase their services. And as noted above, few people will click on tabs on their friends profiles. Indeed, many people don’t even visit their friends profiles after the initial friending.
But we have to make do with what we have. So what are your favorite Facebook tabs?
Update: Facebook plans to scrap tabs from profiles too, as well as boxes. “…due to low usage rates, we will remove application tabs from user profiles in the next couple months. Application tabs will continue to be supported on Facebook Pages.”
