Create a Voting App by Customizing your Submit buttons!

Create a Voting App quickly  with TidalWave. One idea is to have your resident Mixologist dream up a few holiday cocktail recipes, snap a few images of these awesome recipes and have your fans and customers Vote on their favorite. Then, offer the favorite as a drink special on one of the holidays.  You can apply this App concept to any business, replace cocktail with your item of choice.  TidalWave makes it easy for you to create your own custom Apps without the need for an Apps Specialist.

1. Navigate to TidalWave.
2. Click the Create New App button. Select Contest from the subsequent dialog.
3. Provide a name and description for your App, then select 2 Column from the Layout drop down and any Color Scheme and click OK to create your Voting App.
4. You are now in the App Editor. Double click on the banner to upload your own banner or select from existing images in your albums. Tip: The default width of a banner image for a Tab App is 520px. The default width of a banner image for a Canvas App is 700px.
5. Next, you have the option to set a background color for your App. Click on the Background button on the toolbar and select a color from the palette that appears.
6. Modify  any of the default fields by clicking on them and changing the text in the Settings tab, deleting or moving them up or down via the toolbar.
7. Now, add your images, click on the Image button from the palette in the Forms tab, this adds an image placeholder in the left hand column. Click on the placeholder and either upload or add an image.
8. Now add a radio button from the palette and edit the name. This adds a radio button just underneath your image. Edit the field by clicking on it and adding parameters in the Settings tab .
9. To add an image to the right hand column, drag and drop the image onto the right hand pane. Double click on the image placeholder and either upload or add an image.
10. Next, add a radio button to the right pane by dragging and dropping a radio button to right hand pane. Edit the field by clicking on it and adding parameters in the Settings tab.
11. Last, customize the button field to your form. Select the button in the right column and in the Button Text edit control type Vote! Tip: You can change the submit button to say anything you want.
12. Save and Close your App.  Click the preview button to see your App in action.

Check out our other blog posts to see how to publish and promote your new App!

Create an Event App for all your Holiday Festivities!

Have a Holiday Party coming up? Whether it be for the office, your club, or even your personal house party you can create an invitation that is creative and interesting with TidalWave for Facebook.   Facebook events are so last year:) Try something new this year and use TidalWave to create a ‘spruced up’ invite to your holiday party.

You can include a comments field so that guests can talk about the party and upcoming plans! You can then see at a quick glance who is attending.

Another benefit to using TidalWave,is you can create a followup App that allows your guest to upload photos from your event, then create an album in Facebook sharing these photos as a Thank You for attending! Pretty nifty! Click here to see how to create a photo contest. Don’t share it until just before the party and then encourage all those Instagrammers and Iphoners to click and upload pictures to their hearts content!

1. Navigate to TidalWave.
2. Click the Create New App button. Select Event from the subsequent dialog.
3. Provide a name and description for you App, then select 2 Columns from the Layout drop down and any Color Scheme and click OK to create your Event App.
4. You are now in the App Editor. Double click on the banner to upload your own banner or select from existing images in your albums. Tip: The default width of a banner image for a Tab App is 520px. The default width of a banner image for a Canvas App is 700px.
5. Customize the text for your App by putting in the correct information for your event.

• Click on the Who field, you are automatically switched to to the Settings tab. Enter the correct information in the Field Label edit control.
• To change the font, color and style of your text, apply the changes from the Label Style drop downs. Repeat these steps for the rest of the fields.
• Repeat these steps for the remainder of the fields.

6. Next, you have the option to set a background color for your App. Click on the Background button on the toolbar and select a color from the palette that appears.
7. Now, you can add a festive image that embodies the spirit of your event! Click on the Image field in the Fields tab, simply click on the default image to upload a new image or add an existing  Image. In the Settings tab, make your selection of S, M, L or Original for Image Size. Add text for the Image label or simply delete it.  
8. Add a Comment plugin, so your friends or fans can comment on your awesome Event app. Click the Comments button on the Fields tab. Next, click the View button on the toolbar, TidalWave launches a new tab or window, copy the link from the browser and paste it into the Comments URL edit control in the Settings tab.
9. Add the correct location for your event, by clicking on the Map that is provided. Replace the link in the Field Label edit control! Go to Google Maps, enter your location and select the link button, then copy and paste the link in the ‘Paste HTML to embed in website’ edit control.

Check out our other posts, to see what other features you can add to your Apps!

Facebook releases a new ‘Year in Review’ feature

We think this new feature by Facebook is too cool not to share!

Facebook introduced a new feature today, that highlights your  year in 2012! It provides a collage of photos, posts and events that comprise the most viewed photos, posts and events from your timeline for this year!

Simply, go to https://www.facebook.com/yearinreview and click the Share button!  This posts a message to your Timeline highlighting your entire Year!

Now the question is ‘Can they do this for Fan and Business Pages!?’

Gain exposure by sharing your TidalWave Apps with Facebook Groups

One effective method of promoting your App at no extra cost is posting a link to your App in a Group.  This is a quick way for your App to be seen by a larger amount of people (outside just your friends and fans) who have a shared interest in your promotions and Apps.  Not only will you get to see  updates from a Group  but you can share your Apps where relevant and get exposure quickly and easily.

You can join existing groups or start your own, Facebook even gives suggestions for Groups to join based on your friends activities.

Love going out and dancing or seeing live shows, create a group for your Club or a group for your Theme Nights!

You can even start your own group, love soccer?  Create a local soccer group and  create an event App for pick-up games.

Love seeing the viral kitty videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GbycvPwr1Wg), this one had us laughing.  Join one of the many many kitty groups out there:)

This article assumes you have already created an App using TidalWave.

To Create  or Join a Group on Facebook:

1. Click the Add Group link on the left hand side of your Facebook News Feed.

     

2. You are presented with a list of suggested Groups, click the Join button next to a group that piques your interest. (If the Group has a closed membership, an invite will be sent to the Group).
3. Click the Create a New Group button if you want to start your own group.

   

4. Enter a name for your Group, add members by typing in the first letter of friends, and select the privacy level for your Group.
5. Click the Create button.

   

6. You can then choose from the variety of icons that Facebook provides (where are the doggie and kitty icons? hmmm). Either skip this if you don’t want one or choose one and click the Okay button.

   

To Promote your TidalWave App to a Group:

1. Navigate to TidalWave.  Right-click on the App you want to promote and select Promote from the subsequent menu.
2. Select the ‘Post using Facebook “Share this Link”’ radio button and click the Promote button on the toolbar.

   

3. The Facebook Share this Link window will open. Select ‘In a group’ from the first drop down.
4. In the second edit control, begin typing the name of the Group you want to post to and select the Group from the list that appears. (availability of groups will depend on the privacy setting for a particular Group)
5. In the third edit control, enter your promotional message.
6. Finally, click on the Share this Link button.  Simple as that your message and a link to your App has been posted to the Group.

   

Showcase: TidalWave for Facebook Apps

Need some inspiration to jazz up your Facebook Page with some cool new Apps? Get the ball rolling with your social media marketing strategies and check out the cool Facebook Apps our customers have been building with TidalWave:

Travel:

Travel Mexico Club

Clubs & Entertainment:

Bacardi Vacation Contest

Education:)

University of Bristol Netball’s Club Calendar

Shoes:

Beauty:

Nivaeh Boutique Wine Wednesdays

All I want for the Holidays… is a Wishlist App for Facebook!

Now, that the Holiday Season is truly in swing, it is time to build a Wishlist App for Facebook using TidalWave.  Find out what your fans and customers really want for the holidays. Encourage them to share your App among their friends and family using the Referral field. Once you have an idea of what your fans want, you can then create a coupon App offering them deals towards their Wishlist items.  (Check back soon for a posting on this:)

You can promote your App via Twitter and stay on trend with one of the top trending  hashtags, #5ThingsOnMyChristmasList!

1. Navigate to TidalWave.
2. Click the Create New App button. Select Survey from the subsequent dialog.
3. Give your App a Name and Description and select Ribbon for layout and Red for color theme, let’s keep it festive! Click the OK button to create your App.
4. In this example, we will replace the text in the left column, with a holiday image! Candy canes are my favorite but you can put images of the items or services you offer.
5. Click on the text and hit the Delete Field button on the toolbar.
6. Next, click on the image button in the Fields tab or drag and drop it anywhere on your form.

• You can upload a new image, select one from an existing album or use an Image URL.
• Tip: If you don’t have your own images, do a Google search for free images and right click on your chosen image, select Copy Image URL and simply paste it into the Image URL edit control in the Setting tab. If you host images on your website you can use this method as well to add images to your form.
• Size your image and update the Image Label, if you don’t want your image to have a label, just clear out the edit control.

7. Add a Referral field so that Users can share your App with their friends. Click on the Referral button in the Fields tab or drag and drop it the desired location.
8. Now, update the rest of the fields with your text/questions.  Simply, select the field and in the Settings tab make your changes.
9. Once you have finished customizing your fields, click the Save and Close button.
10. Click the Preview button on the toolbar if you want  to review your App.
11. Next, right-click on the App you want to promote and select Promote from the subsequent menu. The Promotion dialog opens.
12. Select  the ‘Twitter Posting’ radio button.
13. Enter a message in the ‘Promotion Message’ edit control.
14. Next click the Promote button at the top of the dialog.
    • This will open a connection to your Twitter account.  If you are not logged in already, you will be asked to do so.
    • You will then see a preview of your message, if you are satisfied, click the Sign in and Tweet button.
    • Your message has been successfully posted to your twitter feed, with a link to your Wishlist App.

P.S. Thanks Andreas for the inspiration, hope Santa brings you those Star Wars Legos!

How to use Facebook’s Open Graph to publish Actions on your TidalWave Apps.

Facebook’s Open Graph enables you to publish Actions with your fans and people in a more effective and communicative way.  Using OpenGraph with Actions in your TidalWave Apps pushes engagement with your fans beyond simple Likes and to the next level by invoking verbal cues on how a user responds to your App.

For example, if you add this feature on an Event app, when a user responds to your App, a post will appear in the Activity section on their timeline stating that they will ATTEND your event. Their friends can see this activity and have the opportunity to click on the link and user your App as well.  TidalWave makes this possible with one click!

This article assumes you have already created an App in TidalWave.

1. Navigate to TidalWave. Double-click on the App to which you want to add this functionality.
2. The App Editor opens. Click on the App Tab within the editor.
3. Check the ‘Post to User’s Timeline’ check box. Simple as that!
4. Click the View button on the toolbar to see a preview of your App in action.
5. Fill out and submit your App and then navigate to your Timeline and look at that Activity section, you will see a posting with the open graph action a link to your TidalWave App.
   

The table below shows the TidalWave App Type and its corresponding verb/action.