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Facebook Applications Hosting – what is important?

January 13th, 2010 By: THN News

Dedicated Content Sponsored By: Softlayer

Many companies and individuals are creating Facebook applications nowadays. These fun and popular applications often become “viral”, getting passed from tens of thousands of people across Facebook within days if not hours. It seems like there are Facebook applications for just about every interest, hobby and passion. Companies are easily seeing the appeal of a great Facebook application and the benefits of creating one. This is a great way to reach so many people easily on Facebook, all while they are having fun with something they enjoy! But you can have the hottest, coolest Facebook App and it won’t make a bit of difference if you don’t have effective hosting. How do you know you’ve found the right type of hosting for Facebook applications?

Do they speak “Facebook”? Not every hosting company can do everything. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your hosting company can provide hosting for Facebook applications. At this point there are quite a few different types of hosting available, you need to be sure they do this exactly the right thing for your needs. Not to try to do it only for you and to make some mistakes on your App because they don’t know what they are doing. You need to find a company that provides specific hosting plans for Facebook applications. So be sure to ask them the “Do you speak ‘Facebook’” question.

Make sure they have programmers on staff. It is critical that your Facebook applications hosting company has programmers on staff. This can help them address any “bugs” that may occur when running your Facebook application. Without skilled programmers, your Facebook application simply doesn’t stand a chance. Before “hiring” that Facebook applications hosting company, ask them if they have programmers on staff and whether or not they have experience working with Facebook apps. Ask them what type of apps they’ve worked on.

One of the most challenging things companies and individuals face when finding a Facebook applications hosting company is that it seems like new hosting companies are popping up all the time. That’s very true – because social media, Web 2.0 and everything is still fairly new! The technology is constantly changing and some of the best people are stepping out into the forefront. Check out a company carefully before doing business with them.

Make sure the company you choose is up to date. Many people who are looking for a Facebook applications hosting company don’t realize that their “app” actually runs through the hosting company they hire and not on Facebook. The hosting company that doesn’t stay up-to-date with technology can damage your chances of having a successful Facebook application. Without the latest innovations in software and frameworks, your Facebook application often won’t run well or sometimes even at all. Be certain your hosting company is dedicated to updating their software in order to stay current with Facebook’s needs – or you’ll be left far, far behind in the dust.

Ask if your Facebook applications host if it can manage the bandwidth, not every host can handle the bandwidth needed for your specific Facebook application. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell what to expect, especially if your Facebook application is brand new. But if you have an established site or blog and know you can expect a lot of traffic, this can give you some estimated numbers to work off of. If you belong to Facebook already, this can also give you some numbers to start thinking about. Be sure to ask your Facebook applications host about its limits on bandwidth because you don’t want your application to be offline because you have used up too much bandwidth. This would be a great disappointment and very counterintuitive to its success.

Have an efficiently programmed Facebook application. The way your Facebook application is programmed can greatly affect how it is hosted. Aren’t sure how this is going to work with your Facebook application? Work with a skilled programmer who has worked on Facebook applications before and he or she will understand how to scale down your Facebook application for success. If you can streamline your Facebook application, it can make a great difference in the way it is hosted. While this takes a bit of time on your end, just imagine how much of a difference it will make overall. It is very much worth it for so many Facebook app creators.

Find out what happens if you hit the “max”. Many hosts have a maximum limit when it comes to system resources and each hosting plan is different. Find out exactly what this limit is and what happens. It is important for you to have this number in mind. You never know what type of Facebook application will go viral – we hope yours does – and part of your success is being prepared to manage everything when it comes to the hosting side of things.