All posts in Social Networks

Thumbnail Options for Shared Links on Facebook

By Kirkland | June 30, 2011 | Social Networks | 9 Comments

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Every Facebook account has a “Wall” for comments, links, videos, pictures, etc. In the screenshot below of NerdWarehouse.com’s Facebook page you can see the link to the Wall (left-hand side), and where you can leave your own images, videos, links, and comments (top center) on their Wall.

When you are writing a comment on a Wall you have a few different options; status, photo, link, video, etc. When you select the “Link” option Facebook will prompt you to type the full URL of the webpage you are trying to share.

After you enter the URL Facebook will generate a short preview for the page you are linking to. Facebook will also allow you to leave your own comments about the link.

As you can see from the screenshot above you also have the ability to select a thumbnail image. In this example there are three thumbnail options. So here are the big questions… where do the thumbnails come from, can you customize them, and what thumbnails show for links to your website?

The thumbnails come from the webpage that the link goes to, and only the owner of that website has the ability to make different images available for the thumbnail.

If you’re a Website Tonight user then chances are the only option for the thumbnail when someone shares a link to your website is the Website Tonight banner (shown to left). Here’s what you do…

How to Add Thumbnail Options for Facebook Wall Posts

Log in to your Website Tonight account.
Navigate to the page of your site where you want to add a FB thumbnail option.
Click the Page tab (top center).
Hover over the Properties icon (top center under the Page tab).
Select Meta Data from the drop-down menu.
Click the Add Meta Tag button (bottom left).
- In the Name field type og:image
- In the Content field type the full URL of the thumbnail, starting with http://
- Repeat step 6 for each thumbnail you want to add to this page.
Click the Apply button (bottom right).
Use the Pages drop-down menu (upper right) to select another page.

Repeat steps 6 & 7 for each thumbnail you want to add to this page.

Repeat steps 6, 7, and 8 until all the thumbnails are added to all the pages.
Publish your Website Tonight project.

If the thumbnails still aren’t showing on Facebook as options when you post a Link comment on a Wall then make sure that you have published your Website Tonight project and double-check the URL of the thumbnail to make sure that it is correct.

If it’s still not working then Facebook is probably only showing the images they memorized last time they scanned that URL (aka: their “cache”). To force Facebook to update their cache put the URL you are creating a link to in Facebook’s Debug Tool and click Debug.

If it’s still not working ask for help by adding a comment below.

How to Add Google +1 to Website Tonight

By Kirkland | June 18, 2011 | Marketing, Social Networks | 3 Comments

To learn more about Google +1 (pronounced “Plus One”) before adding it to your website read What is Google +1 (Plus One) & How Do I Use It?

Adding a Google +1 button to your Website Tonight does require that you copy and paste code, which might scare you at first. However, you do not need to change the code or understand it. All you have to do is follow these instructions step-by-step.

Part 1: Choose the Button Size

Each size option is shown below with a preview and the corresponding code (red text). Only pick one size. You will use the code in step number 10 of the instructions.

Size	Preview	Code
Small		<g:plusone size="small"></g:plusone>
Medium		<g:plusone size="medium"></g:plusone>
Standard		<g:plusone></g:plusone>
Tall		<g:plusone size="tall"></g:plusone>

Click here to visit the Google +1 Advanced Customization Tool.

Part 2: Add the Button

Log into Website Tonight
Hover over Design (upper left) and select Launch Page Designer.
Hover over the Properties icon (top center – Page tab) and select JavaScript.
Add the code below to the box titled JavaScript for <head>. If there is already code in the box do not delete it. Simply add the Google +1 code beneath it.

Click the Apply button.
Click the Okay button.
Click on the block where you want to add your Google +1 button, so that you are in the “edit mode” (you should be able to type into the box).
Click the Insert tab (top center).
Click on the Script icon (top center under the Insert tab).
Erase all the code you see and paste the code you selected from Part 1 above.

Example: <g:plusone></g:plusone>

Click OK.

Optional: Repeat all the steps above for each page. This is not necessary if you put the button code in a shared block, such as the “Your Title Text” box.

Now that I’ve helped you add a Google +1 button to your Website Tonight, do me a favor and +1 this webpage. The +1 button can be found at the top of the right-hand sidebar. Or you can click the button below to +1 the home page of Pro Site Tonight.

Thanks! :)

What is Google +1 (Plus One) & How Do I Use It?

By Kirkland | June 18, 2011 | Marketing, Social Networks | No comments

If you already know about Google +1 and just want instructions for adding the button then read How to Add Google +1 to Website Tonight.

Most people would agree that they are more likely to trust a business or try a product when someone they know recommended it. Now you can leave your recommendations and see recommendations from all of your friends, family, and business acquaintances directly in Google’s search results – all with the click of a single button. Google calls this new feature +1 (pronounced “Plus One”).

Here’s how it works; when you search Google and find a website that you like you can click the +1 button next to the search result (images below). Then when someone related to you (ex: friends, family, business acquaintances, etc) does a Google search that has that same webpage in the results it will show them that you clicked +1. This is your way of saying, “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out”. Of course you will also see what they’ve recommended when you’re searching Google.

What if the +1 button does not show in my search results?

As of now (June 2011) the new +1 feature is still “experimental” according to Google, but it will be added to the standard search results soon. You can jump in early and turn on +1 by visiting Google Experiments and clicking Join this experiment next to +1 button. I highly recommend that you do this. You will have the option to turn off +1 if you want but only until Google makes it part of the standard search results, at which time it will be permanently turned on for everyone.

Google +1 Button v.s. Facebook “Like” Button

Google’s new +1 button is like Facebook’s “like” button on steroids. The big difference is when the recommendation is seen and who gets to see it. Facebook’s like button shows everyone what you “like” when they’re on your Facebook profile or on the webpage that you “liked”. With Google +1 only your network of friends, family, and business contacts see your recommendations, which makes each recommendation more personal. And you see their recommendations right when you need them most, when you are doing a Google search. Next time you are searching Google for a new dentist, an auto dealer, instructions for working with Website Tonight or anything else, you might find that someone you trust has already given one of the search results their stamp of approval.

Google +1 Privacy

As of now (June 2011) Google only allows your Google contacts to see what you +1. Obviously that means you must be logged into your Google / Gmail account to use +1. To see who is on your Google contact list first login to your Google account, then click this link: Google Contact List. This eliminates a lot of spam “likes” and narrows down the recommendations to just people that are similar to you in some way.

Plus One recommendations are only shared in related Google searches. For example, no one will see if you +1 this website unless they do a Google search for “Website Tonight” or “GoDaddy website builder help” or something else that ProSiteTonight.com is a result for. This keeps the recommendations relevant to what you and others in your network are interested in at that moment.

Google +1 and Page Rank

You’re probably wondering if getting lot’s of people to click the +1 button on your website will improve your search rank. Well, clicking the +1 button won’t immediately improve the rank of a webpage, but it does highlight it within the business network / social circle of the person that clicked +1. Because personal recommendations are a highly successful form of marketing the +1 will ultimately improve the click-through-rate of the webpage in the search results, which does contribute positively to page rank.

Add +1 to Website Tonight

Click this link if you are ready to Add Google +1 to Website Tonight.

Now that I’ve helped you understand Google +1, do me a favor and +1 this webpage. The +1 button can be found at the top of the right-hand sidebar (on every page). Or you can click the button below to +1 the home page of Pro Site Tonight.

Thanks! :)

Social Network Links

By Kirkland | March 7, 2011 | Social Networks | No comments

Creating social network links on your website is easy and it allows you to market your website to thousands of potential customers for free. Take the buttons at the bottom of every article throughout this website for example. With them you can print the article you are viewing, email it to a friend, or add links to our website directly from some of the most popular social networks (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc).

For social networks where you create a public profile you typically just need to link to your profile. You can do this with a text or image link. Image links are often more appealing.

Find Your Social Network URL

The first thing you need to know is the URL to your profile with the social network.

Go to your profile (Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, etc).
Copy the URL from the address bar at the top of the screen (example below).

Social Network Icons

The second thing you need to make a social network link is the icon. There are hundreds of free social networking icons available online. To find them simply search Google for “Free Social Networking Icons” or click here. Once you find the icons you want to use download them to your computer and then you are ready to create a social networking link. Just make sure that the set you download has an icon for each of the social networks that you want to use.

Create a Social Network Link

Login to Website Tonight
Navigate to the page where you want the social network icons to appear.
Click on the content block you want the social network icons to be in, so that you can type in the content block. (This is called “edit mode”).
Make sure the Insert tab is selected (top center).
Hover over the Images icon (top center).
Select Images from the drop down menu (this will cause a popup window to appear).
Select the Uploads tab from the top center of the popup window.
Click Browse and find the image on your computer.
Click Upload

Now the image you are going to use for your social networking button is uploaded to your Website Tonight, but it’s still not on your website. At this point there should still be a popup window on your screen. To insert the image…

Check the box to the upper right of the image you uploaded.
Click Okay

The image should now be showing in your content block, but it’s still just an image and not a link to your social network profile.

Use your mouse to click on the image.
Make sure the Options tab is selected (top center of screen).
Click the Create Link icon (upper left).
Check URL from the left hand side of the popup window.
Paste your social network profile URL
Click the Okay button in the bottom right of the popup.

That’s it, you’re done! You now have a social network icon on your Website Tonight website.

Don’t forget, you always need to publish when you are done making changes because otherwise the change will only be in the Website Tonight designer and not live online.