Setting Up Your Fake App
How to install and configure simple applications that will generate revenue
This document will guide you through the process of installing and customizing the 'Fake App' script that is included in the package. In order to utilize the script, you will need a host to serve the files from.
The first thing you must do is add the Facebook Developers application to your Facebook account if you haven't already. You can add it by going here: http://www.facebook.com/developers/ Please note that you must be logged into Facebook to access the app.
After adding the application, look for this button and click it:
This will bring you to this screen:
On this screen, you'll have to choose a name for your application. It can be nearly anything you want, short of including some punctuation marks and or the word 'face'. As you can see, we used the title
'Find Out'. After you've chosen and input a title, select 'Agree' to agree to the Facebook Platform TOS
and click 'Save Changes'.
This will bring you to a screen like this:
You will notice several sections highlighted in green on the image. Let's review them from the top, as these are the fields you will need to input your data to.
API Key/Secret Key: You will need to copy and paste these keys. You will have another opportunity to do so in a moment so you don't have to do it quite yet, but be aware of them. The Keys are what allow your 'application' to connect with Facebook's servers.
Callback URL: This is the location on YOUR SERVER where the files for the Fake app will be located. As you can see, for ours we simply used the domain http://thefbguru.com and created a folder named 'findouttest' on it for our copy. We have uploaded the files there. So the full Callback URL we will input will be http://thefbguru.com/findouttest/. Do not forget to put a '/' on the end of your Callback URLs or the application won't load. Input your Callback URL.
Images: Here's where you have the option to upload an icon and a 'logo' image for you application. Icon images are what will show up when users bookmark your application.
Email: This is self-explanatory.
When you have completed filling out these fields, do not click 'Save Changes' yet, instead look on the left side navigation and click on the 'Canvas' link.
This will bring up this page:
On this page, there are only two fields you must fill out. First, you will need to choose a Canvas Page URL. This is the address at which users will access your application once it's running. It can be anything you'd like, provided it's available. The field below this is the 'Bookmark URL'. If users Bookmark your application and click the Bookmark, this is where it will send them. Simply fill in the full Canvas Page URL. You should also copy the text, as you will be needing it again right away.
After you have done this, look for the 'Authentication' link on the left side navigation menu and click it. It will bring you to this page:
There is only one field to fill in here. Simply input the full Canvas Page URL or paste it if you copied it
on the previous page. Now you can click 'Save Changes'. You will be sent here:
This section gives an overview of all the vital information about your application in one place. As I mentioned, you can copy the API and Secret Keys from here as well. Do this now, as you will need them.
The next step is to setup the files of the application correctly before uploading them. To do this, navigate to the folder /upload/. This folder contains the files you will need to modify and upload in order for your application to run.
The first file you'll need to open is “index.php” Open the file in your PHP editor and it will look something like this:
You will see spaces to input your API and Secret Keys. Do so by pasting the Keys into the file from the
Developer app like this:
You will also need to input your application callback URL where it says “YOUR DOMAIN HERE”. When you are done, it should look something like this:
Now save the file and close it. Next open the file “index.php”. You will see something like this:
There are two URLS that will need to be edited here, they are underlined in Green. The first URL is for the header image, you can either use the included header image or create your own. The second URL is optional, it's included to give you an idea of what is possible. It's setup to link to a simple page with an opt-in box. We have also included the “report.html” file if you would like to gather email addresses with this method, although you will need to configure your mailing list yourself. If you do not want to use this feature, simply delete the HTML code for it.
After you have edited the URLs, you are free to edit the content of the application as much as you'd like. Nearly any HTML code will work there, you can also use FBML tags found here: Facebook Developer's Wiki. You will also need to replace the sample Ad code with your own. You can sign up
with any ad network you'd like, although we recommend using either Rock You Ads, or Cubics Ads. When you are done editing the content of your application, save the file.
You will now need to upload the files “appinclude.php”, “index.php”, “facebook.php” and “facebookapi_php5_restlib.php” to the folder on your server where you will be serving the application from.
That's it. Now, return to the Facebook Developer app and bring up the details page for your app. You need to look for the 'View About Page” link here. It looks like this:
Click this link to open up the 'About Page' for your application. You will be sent to a page that looks like this:
Click 'Go To Application'. You should see something like this:
Click 'Allow' and now, if you've done everything correctly, will see this: (if you edited your content it may look different)
And there you have it. If you've faced any issues with the installation process please retrace your steps and make sure you followed all directions thoroughly.
DISCLAIMER:
Using this script as-is may eventually result in getting in trouble with some ad networks. If you want to play it safe, try putting a small sentence between the Step and the ad beneath it, or rearranging things another way. That being said, we have never had any trouble. You can of course use the script in other ways you see fit as well, perhaps something entirely different. The beauty of the script is that it allows you to easily create a simple Facebook app if you know HTML, so be sure to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Now it's your turn. Get out there and make some money!
The FB Guru
For more great Facebook Marketing guides, lessons, Video lessons, and more, check out:
http://thefbguru.com
