In theory, FBML (Facebook Markup Language) is slowly being phased out, but while the official cut off for installing applications using FBML has passed (in theory it was March 18th) you can still actually use it – in fact I installed it onto a page only last week.
So why the move, and why the delay? Well it’s a good question. Many developers liked the development model firmly routed in php, and visual controls certainly load more quickly via FBML. Having said that, there is a dependency on Facebook, and overloaded servers result in slow running apps. Applications built on FBML also only allow allow FBML, so you can kiss goodbye any opportunities for JavaScript, Flash or Ajax. The other bain for developers is that there is no option for a local test environment as such. You can’t set up a local host and therefore quickly run tests to see what works and what doesn’t, which makes the development process far longer and unsurprising more frustrating.
On the other hand iFrames, as you may well know, load content from your own server, meaning these factor becomes irrelevant. Being completely independent of Facebook, this also means that you could, probably after a little tweaking, transfer the application to another platform.
Strangely I have heard a few people say they like FBML as it makes the platform look more like Facebook. Of course this is a bit of a confusing argument as the content of an iFrame can look exactly ow you want it to with a bit of decent CSS.
The bottom line is, iFrames make more sense, and if anything open up the market to the less technically gifted. Plenty of people these days are capable of throwing together a basic website, even if there design skills or advanced technical knowledge is lacking. iFrames allow them to give it a go too, making it accessible to small businesses without the budget to hire an agency. Just remember, if you are to go down this route, Google the basic principles of a Facebook page, such as width requirements.
My hope is that this move makes social media more accessible to businesses, and can provide richer experiences to the end user.
