What’s an iFrame you ask?
The word “iFrame” has come up in the last two events I’ve attended—Social Media Michigan and more recently a Facebook Seminar at Sandler Training presented by Meaghan McCann. iFrame was discussed in some detail but I turned to Google to investigate further. Here is what I have pieced together.

In February, Facebook announced an update in Pages (also known as Fan Pages). Businesses can now use iFrames to span images across Pages—this is how I understand it, but here’s a more technical explanation. Long story short, the Facebook Page can now resemble a website page. McCann used McDonald’s Facebook page as an example:

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With the introduction of iFrames is the conclusion of FBML(FaceBook Markup Language)—Facebook’s version of HTML*. Here’s is a glimpse into the web design process:

1.     Build Page Tab apps through HTML, JavaScipt and CSS—all of which are foreign to me, a writer/project coordinator.

2.     Register Page Tab apps as a Facebook “canvas” app

3.     Embed the app on a Page through iFrame

According to a Mashable article,What Marketers Need to Know About Facebook's Switch to iFrames, 
"iFrames is perhaps the greatest challenge and the highest potential for Page owners."

How does iFrames relate to Marketing?
Thanks to iFrames, Facebook Pages can be customized, giving designers more flexibility and businesses a look more consistent with their brand. Plus, as McCann pointed out, your FaceBook page can rank higher than your website and it’s a mobile ready website. Just think, you’re promoting your business through two tools that are consistent with your brand.

What’s your take?
Although this was announced three months ago it still seems like a relatively new concept that many businesses have yet to embrace. My take is that once it catches on, there will be no looking back. What do you think, is this an up and coming trend?

*Existing FBML pages will still work, but new ones can no longer be created unless developed in iFrames.