Over the past two years our team has been focused on making the Facebook experience better with our Hike Social Apps. We have helped over 100,000 Pages with the simple strategy: provide great content to users. Today, we are excited to announce that we are expanding our focus with Facebook with a new product: dropify.

Plain and simple: We Make Files Social.

We noticed brands were paying a ton of money to get Likes for their Facebook Pages via pure advertising. Long term, this doesn’t make a lot of sense for neither users or Pages. Shouldn’t your energy rather be going into creating awesome content that your users love? The most powerful thing about Facebook is the connections people make. With dropify, we open a new way to connect with fans. We are excited to launch today.

Say Hello to dropify

In the below example we created a Photoshop file that will help anyone designing a Facebook tab. To download this free file Drew liked our Page and the great file is his. Drew is super happy with an awesome file, and we are happy with a new fan.

dropify has integrated with Facebook to make file downloads more social, and to make it easier to discover new files through friends. In the shown example Drew can choose to share the download on his wall, telling his friends that he just got a free file. If you are providing awesome content, your Page numbers should see some pretty awesome gains. Our early tests have been nothing but positive.

“We want artists, brands and other file owners to publish their digital giveaways via dropify, to give them the kind of recognition their work deserves”

What’s most clever about dropify? Your file never gets lost in the shuffle. As long as somebody downloads it, it lives on on Facebook and the viral loop goes in effect over and over again. There’s basically no stopping to your file and Page Likes.

Traditional file downloads have very limited visibility. With dropify, people share the download activity with their friends on their timeline and news feed. With more than one billion people who use Facebook each month, this results in major coverage, while people discover new artists, brands, and other content creators they have never heard of before.

Social activities of dropify’s download flow include commenting on files as well as subscribing to the file owner. dropify’s download experience is fully compatible with mobile devices, expanding its reach to the more than 600 million people who use Facebook on mobile.

Who’s it for?

dropify is for everybody!

dropify is fun. It’s totally easy and with just a few quick clicks you get your promotional file rolling on Facebook.

dropify is a platform. It’s the best of both worlds: A tool for content creators to publish their digital giveaways and a platform for people to discover awesome free files.

Here is a quick rundown on how it works for both publishers and people alike:

For Publishers

• Create a file your fans will love
• Go to dropify.com and drag your file into the upload field
• Connect your Facebook Page
• Publish your file and share the link via your Page, website or ads
• Manage your file via your account and monitor your file’s performance

For People

• Discover awesome files either directly on Facebook or by browsing the archive on dropify
• Like the file publisher on Facebook or subscribe to him on dropify while downloading one of their files
• Tell your friends about the files you discover by tagging them
• Tweet the download to share with more people or pin it on Pinterest

Facebook Actions

We’ve already introduced you to the idea that people downloading your file will share the activity on Facebook. So, let’s have a look at the actions that actually take place:

News Feed and Activity Feed

Whenever someone downloads your file dropify will create a news feed and activity feed post visible for the majority of this person’s friends. Just like with your personal Facebook postings, not everybody gets to see them, but a good amount of your friends will. The huge thing is that not only a link is generated, but a specified download message reading something like ‘Drew Bradley is downloading a free PSD via dropify’, along with a preview image, a link to your publisher profile at dropify, and a description. That said, these news feed postings are very visible and an instant eye catcher to everyone coming across them.

Timeline

dropify’s integration with Facebook creates a Latest Downloads box on people’s timelines, containing all recent dropify downloads. This is like free advertising for you since the box displays your file’s cover image, download count and your brand name.

dropify is now live and you can start dropping your files for free.

Thanks for checking us out. We would love for you to become a fan and follower of dropify. We created this rad file for you to try it out.

Facebook Fan Page GUI PSD

Date: Friday, February 10, 2012
Time: 8:34 pm
Place: Hike office #3 aka Mike’s home office

It was in early February when Chris, Mike and I sat down and decided to spontaneously apply for “Pitch In Berlin” at HackFwd. Hike had just cracked into the TOP 30 on the Facebook Developer Charts, app sales were growing constantly, and we were about to count our 100,000th fan on Facebook. After 7 months of die-hard bootstrapping, we felt that it was about time for Hike to leave the underground and present our “project” to people who know a thing or two about the startup scene.

Per HackFwd the application window remained open until Friday, February, 11:59 pm GMT. Well, as stated above, it was already 8:34 pm, so we had roughly 3 full hours left to prepare our application video.

After drawing a full-fledged storyboard lame ass scribble that no one else but us was able to interpret, we’ve started to record our 2 minute application video. Though we were already super confident in our product and traction at this time, we felt like the dumbest guys walking this planet, talking to the isight cam, sitting in Mike’s room with a stinking light setup and no proper preparation at hand. Geez, did you know it can take hours to prepare a 2 minute video? After numerous restarts, a little on-screen showcase of our apps and their numbers we’ve managed to cut and paste the sequences altogether. Finished was our SUPER BOLD application video… damn, we already envisioned the people at HackFwd laughing over this one ;) Well, since we expected to never hear nor meet these people in person anyway, we’ve submitted this “piece of art” at 11:54 pm! We had officially applied for Pitch In Berlin at Build 0.9 :D

A few weeks later I was waiting for my flight from Cologne to Hamburg to take off, when a last mail check prior to turning off my cell contained an invitation to Berlin. It was the invitation to Pitch In Berlin at HackFwd. From there on out IT WAS ON like Donkey Kong!

Berlin Calling

Pitch In Berlin was an awesome experience. Not just did we manage to win the jury decision over the other 11 presenters (out of more than 100 applicants); above all it was so much fun being part of this great event and meeting all these interesting people.

We want to take this chance to specially thank Lars, Mikko, David, Stephie, Jana, JP, the two camera guys (sorry, I can’t remember your names), as well as Sebastian Deutsch and all the other cool people we had a chance to talk to. Shout outs to the guys from ScatchApp.

What Does HackFwd’s Investment Into Hike Mean

Joining HackFwd adds fuel to our fire! We are as dedicated as can be and look forward to the challenge of providing you with the best products possible. Working closely with HackFwd and their team of proven experts will enhance the Hike experience in every aspect. Look forward to big things to come!

Thanks to All Hikers

That’s right! We wouldn’t be here without you guys! Almost 200,000 fans and more than 70,000 Facebook Pages utilizing our apps speak for itself. Thanks to each and every one of you! You are awesome!

Some Pitch Impressions

The Facebook Fan Page Timeline GUI by Hike provides all Page admins and graphic designers who care about well designed Facebook Pages with a perfect template to get started with. At the same time, the contained Wireframe mode offers the best and most convenient solution to present a Facebook Page mockup or custom tab design.

Just a few days ago, Facebook introduced Timeline for Pages. Page admins are currently able to test the new interface in depth until all Pages are automatically converted to Timeline on March 30. The impact this switch will have on your custom tabs, has been outlined in detail in our recent article. A general introduction into Timeline can be found over at TechCrunch.

In July 2011 we’ve released our extremely successful and beloved Fan Page GUI for Pages. Today we are presenting you the new Timeline Version of this pixel-perfect Photoshop template.

All the features that made our previous iteration the ultimate Fan Page GUI, are also part of the new Timeline Version., are also part of the new Timeline Version. That includes the all vectorized layer setup as well as the time saving Wireframe mode.

For all those who are nit-picking pixel junkies like us: Yes, it’s 100% pixel-perfect again!

What’s new?

Because of the substantial amount of changes, we have listed just a short summary of the most important aspects of the new Facebook Page GUI:

• Cover Photo (851x315px)
• Profile Picture (125x125px, Upload of 180x180px required)
• Tab Image (111x74px)
• Tab Content (810px width, 800px default height)

How do I get my hands on this bad boy?

The Hike Facebook Fan Page Timeline GUI PSD is 100% for free. You may use it commercially and in any other context imaginable. However, please do not offer it anywhere else on the internet claiming to be the original producer. We do not offer technical support for this file.

Well, here it is: Timeline for Facebook Pages has officially been launched. Lots of speculation has been circulating around Facebook’s hottest topic for the past 2-3 months, once it became obvious that Zuckerberg and Co. were going to adapt the user profile look to brand Pages alike. Since yesterday’s surprising “release for all”, each Page admin has instantly become able to update to Timeline. Facebook officially pushes the Timeline button – like it or not – on March 30, 2012. You may already want to activate Timeline for Pages right now, however, there are a couple of good arguments that might want you to hold on for now. People that care about their Page as well as all users of Hike Tab Builder, Hike Video App and those who use other custom tabs solutions should definitely read on …

A General Introduction into Timeline for Pages as well as an Admin Guide (PDF) can be found over at Facebook. All relevant topics relating to Timeline have been well collected at this source.

Three words upfront: Don’t be afraid! It’s all good with Timeline. Lots of stuff has changed for the better, few things for the worse. You probably will feel a little lost at the start, but this ain’t the first update to Facebook Pages and we all know that it just takes a bit of time until everybody feels accustomed to the new thing :) Timeline is an advancement of the 2-year old version of Pages, whereupon the introduction of iFrame tabs for Pages had just recently celebrated its first birthday. Anyway, custom (iFrame) tabs are still available and they most likely will register a “boost” with yesterday’s change. Generally, the Timeline update opens the door for lots of new possibilities, which is why Facebook took that step. All things considered Facebook has become much more consistent – Timeline for user profiles and Pages basically mirror each other now (again).

An Overview of All Changes in Regards to Tabs:

• Wider Tabs
  The new layout enables tab contents with a max. width of 810px opposed to the current max. width of just 520px. The setting can be adjusted in the developer area (“Page Tab Width”) for each app. There is no programmatic feature available yet, recognizing whether a tab is installed in a classic Page or a Timeline Page. That said, most tab apps will likely use the 520px layout until March 30, 2012 – before wisely switching to the 810px version. Reason being: 520px easily fit in 810px, however, it might be tough to place 810px designs into a 520px canvas ;)
• Tab Icon Look
  16x16px tab icons are no longer utilized for the main navigation. Instead the new tab navigation now displays more spacious graphics of 111x74px.
• Number of Tabs
  The previous version of Pages displayed 5 custom tabs underneath each other. By clicking “MORE” an unlimited array of extra tabs could be uncovered. For Timeline Pages the max total has been reduced to 12, including Facebook’s standard apps (Photos, Videos, Likes, …), whereas the Photos tab is mandatory and always in the no. 1 spot.
• Position of the Like Button
  The Like Button is now positioned in the upper right-hand corner and is no longer visible right beside the Page name/title. The Like Button has also changed its a look marginally.
• Tab Link Format
  Tab links changed as follows:
  Old link (via navigation): http://www.facebook.com/Page?sk=app_123
  New link (via navigation): http://www.facebook.com/Page/app_123
  Facebook generated link (still as before): http://www.facebook.com/Page?v=app_123
  We expect Facebook to support the old links moving forward as it would create unforeseen amount of unwanted dead links all over the internet if they didn’t.

Pros:

• More Space for Tabs, Less Distraction
  The tab view now has much more space to breath (810px) and it’s very focused on, yeah, just the tab itself. It’s surrounded by a 20px wide, white border; increasing the canvas width to 850px total. This allows for much more content to be laid out horizontally rather than placing it all over a vertical skyscraper. It opens the door to much more imposing designs and more clever layouts in general. Tip: Red Bull is one of the first major brands to displays what the future holds. By putting the user focus solely on the tab and the small top navigation there is much less surrounding noise (profile banner, tab navigation, about text, stats, page likes, additional links, friend connections, ads, recommended Pages) taking away from your content – the TAB ITSELF! This alone should significantly improve the conversions of campaigns, especially when linked directly to the custom tab. The user gets caught at ease and can’t be attracted by surrounding things any longer. The fact that the header image is missing on tab pages is no shame as it avoids an ugly page fold. Bug: Some of the new 810px tabs are not centered correctly yet. +6
  

• Bolder Tab Icons (Graphics)
  In the past only 16x16px icons could be used for your custom tab navigation. Not only were they small, but it’s also been a pain to get them up on your Page. Plus, they hardly had any visual impact, because it were just 256 pixels collectively. The new tab icons have dimensions of 111x74px for a total of 8,214 pixels. That’s 32-times more space compared to the old icons. Thanks to the new dimensions you are able to already teaser/visualize the tab content graphically, which should result in increased traffic numbers for your featured tabs. +3

• Custom Tab Icons w/o the Need of a Custom App
  The new tab icons (111x74px) can now be defined in the tab settings through the Page admin himself. Gone are the tough days of setting up a custom Facebook App in order to place a 16x16px next to your custom tab… NOT! Not? Yeah, because the new tabbed navigation still displays 16x16px underneath the bold tab icons. So if you care about consistency and branding, you still will want to edit the 16x16px icons, which still requires the old and awkward setup. However, since the small icons are no longer visible at first glance, it’s less important to focus on them. +3

• Unlike Not Possible Anymore (in Tab View)
  This aspect has to be registered as a plus from the admins’ point of view. Those who only care about real fans, will most likely not care about it at all. From an user’s point of view it has to be considered as a setback though. In the tab view there is no longer an “Unlike” link available. Even a click on the new Like Button doesn’t offer an option to “Unlike” the Page again. Instead the user has “to return” to the Timeline to hit the gear icon next to the downward-pointing arrow in order to “Unlike” again. Especially in the next couple of weeks this change will most likely turn a bunch of users into “forced fans”. Our daily Unlike rate is currently at about 4.5 – 6%. We are anxious to see if this level continues. This connects to the next discussion: “What’s worth a fan who ain’t none”? +1

Score: +13

Cons:

• NO Ability to Set Default/Landing Tabs in Timeline
  *Ouch* Yeah, that one hurts! This option indeed seems to be history. However, this does not mean Fan-Gating is not an option, as visibility settings are still alive and working. Rest-assured; there are still plenty of ways to use your Hike apps to entice fans to Like your Page in order to unlock exclusive fans-only content. And who knows, maybe Facebook will revive landing tabs if the community is strong enough to convince them. Let’s try to see the positives of this change: Fan-Gating used to cause confusion, because it 1.) excluded Page admins, 2.) it only worked for non-fans and 3.) it didn’t work at all for a few selected Pages. With Timeline there are consistent “landing” conditions for all. Editiorial content plays a major role and real content is king again. Still this change has to be considered the major blow for tabs in this whole Timeline story. -4

• Less Surrounding, More Space for Tabs
  Advantage and disadvantage at once. No doubt, the tab itself earns much more recognition, however, it’s strong connection to the brand takes a hit. How much of a distraction this is has to be looked at as the case arises. Not everybody will become a fan of it. -2
• Tab Navigation
  Within the tabs, the tab navigation as “custom dropdown” seems far from being highly visible and intuitive. Once in a tab, some users may feel lost. Thus the new navigation has to looked at with skepticism. -1

• Complicated Tab Administration
  The removal and rearrangement of tabs has become more complicated. However, since it’s of pure administrative nature, it’s not that big of a deal. The replacement of an easy drag&drop functionality with an hard to grasp “replace with position x”-menu doesn’t speak for up-to-dateness. We expect additonal support tickets related to that topic once everybody is on Timeline. Maybe Facebook will throw in an update here though, as they improved the old Pages in regards to the navigation several times as well. -1

• No Reload after Like Click
  The Like Button above the tab currently doesn’t trigger a reload of the Page, which makes the classic Fan-Gating obsolete right now. This is a temporary bug though. By using Hike Tab Builder and its free Fan Gating Plus+ you can easily prevent any realted issues completely. +-0 (temp. bug)
• 12 Tabs Total
  For some this may be a disadvantage, most won’t be bothered though. No longer is it possible to install an unlimited amount of custom tabs. You have room for a total of 12 tabs, so select your content wisely. Less is more anyway ;) +-0

Score: -8
Final Total: +5

In a nutshell, the Timeline update has to be looked at positively. Plus, we haven’t looked at the advantages of the actual Timeline itself, because it’s been (and still is) discussed multiple times elsewhere. We, as Facebook App provider, feel confident about what the future holds with Timeline and so should you.

To-Do List for Page Admins:

• Creation of tab icons (111x74px)
• Preparation of tab contents for 810px width
• If you are using Fan-Gating: Maybe hold on till a fix has been released (reload after click)
• If you are using landing tabs: Preparation of Timeline as “Welcome Page”, adjustment/removal of old landing tabs
• Train social media team
• Analyzing active tabs/ads/campaigns and cautious migration
• Briefing of designers: 810px width (new position of Like Button, if you still want to point to it via arrow)

To-Do List of Hike:

• Bold Default Tab Icons, 111x74px (completed)
  So far, Tab Builder users had been able to choose from 15 small tab icons. We will create an updated set of icons (based on the old ones) to match the new look of Timeline tab icons.
• Tab Builder Version for Timeline (completed)
  Most likely, we will release a “Timeline Version” of Tab Builder in the upcoming days, which will be able to make use of the new canvas width. However, It’s not set in stone yet, as we 1.) don’t want to create confusion and 2.) rather guarantee a perfectly smooth transition for the official Timeline switch on March 30. Since even most of the big name launch partners of Facebook are still sporting their 520px tabs (see Coca-Cola), most of you should confident in what they have on their Pages for this short transition period. That said, don’t rock the boat! Sit back and relax until things have settled in. This friendly advice is good for the whole Timeline switch. You should rather test it in depth in preview mode or even better an unpublished demo page. It’s not just us who advise to do so ;)
• Fan Page GUI for Timeline (completed)
  We have already started working an updated version of our loved PSD template. Expect it to be available next week. This will give you enough time to start preparing great designs for your Timeline launch.
• Timeline Switch of Hike Facebook Page
  As soon as the “reload after click” issue has been resolved, we will switch our Facebook Page to Timeline with a new header and profile image. Tabs will also be redesigned to fit the 810px width. Your Hike Tab Builder and Video App won’t yet be affected by it.
• Tab Builder and Video App Adjustments (Free, Pro and Agency customers)
  Of course you want to try out the new width ASAP and utilize our apps for it. We WILL NOT adjust existing apps until March 30, because we can’t distinguish between Classic and Timeline Pages. We will continue to use the 520px tab mode until Facebook forces all Pages into Timeline. Once that moment is here, Tab Builder and Video App will make the best possible use of 810px. Therefore you should all prepare your contents and designs for an April 1 Timeline launch. Should we release the “Timeline Version” of Tab Builder in the next couple of days, you will be able to manually switch, however, you won’t have to.
• Hike Agency Center Adjusments (for Agency customers only)
  We will integrate the changes of tab handling (sorting, icons, renaming) into Hike Agency Center till March 30. So far, Facebook hasn’t performed any updates to their API, which forces us to wait until we can proceed. Worst case you will have to perform certain changes directly in Facebook if you already switched to Timeline with your Pages. Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to use the support in Agency Center at any time.

How do you feel about Timeline for Pages? Have your planned tabs and campaigns been damaged by change or even become obsolete? Which Pros and Cons do you value differently than we did?

Seven months ago we’ve launched Hike Tab Builder. In the meantime we’ve published probably the best Video App Facebook has ever seen. Along the way we’ve rolled out a strong services package for agencies and introduced the Hike Market Analyzer.

Today we just wanna say “Thank You”

Your Love Fuels Our Motivation

Today we are happy to welcome the 100,000th fan to the Hike community. Almost 50,000 new Hikers joined us in just the last 30 days :)

As the icing on the cake, we made it into the TOP 15 of the worldwide Facebook Developer Ranking with more than 18M active users. Even if you go down the list of the TOP 100 there can’t be found another “App Developer for Facebook Pages” representing Germany. More than 50,000 Facebook Pages are benefiting from the active use of Hike apps – with strong tendency to rise.

To visualize things, here’s a little diagram:

Besides the pure “numbers”, we might also present you more than 3,000 user comments and ratings, however, to keep things simple, here’s a small selection of some of the biggest “motivators”.

We value every comment, so please keep sharing. Together we can look forward to an exciting year of new developments for Hike.