Having designed the HTML, CSS, and FBML Facebook fan/like pages for not only dominoGuru.com, but also the official IBM LotusKnows and IBM Lotus Technical Information and Education team... the news that Facebook is changing their Fan Page layouts just adds yet another item onto my to do list!

The changes, scheduled to go live August 23rd, 2010, are being shown to Page Admins when they browse to their page:

Get Ready for Your Streamlined Page

Starting August 23, we'll be simplifying your Page to make it easier to browse: 1) Boxes are going away, including the Boxes tab; and 2) All custom tabs will be narrowed to 520 pixels. If you have a custom tab, we recommend you visit your tab now for a preview of how your content fits in the new layout -- please make adjustments as needed. The rest of Facebook will see the old tab width until August 23. Read More

The HTML, CSS, and FBML markup that I used -- of course -- relied on the larger screen real-estate, and as far as I can tell the CSS overflow is set to none... which makes the screen appear cut off, and otherwise looking like crap.

Perhaps this is a good thing, as it gives us all an opportunity to revamp the welcome/default landing pages.

I'll be in talks with the IBM page admins of course to see if they have any ideas, but I'll give you guys first crack at it: what would you like to see on the dominoGuru.com, IBM LotusKnows, and IBM Lotus Technical Information and Education team Fan/Like Pages?

The good people of IBS Bulgaria and Bulgarian Lotus Communty Portal have kindly donated some of their awesome Lotus Knows t-shirts as giveaways for dominoGuru.com readers. Since I'm not at Lotusphere 2010, good friend and Lotusphere 2010 attendee David Leedy will be bringing back the proverbial booty.

As David is taking a holiday right after Lotusphere 2010, it will be a week or two before he returns to Pennsylvania. Once I get together with David, I'll be holding several giveaways on the site where you can win some sweet Lotus Knows swag.

This and the upcoming RESTful Java Web Services (from Packt Publishing) review/giveaway are just a few of the upcoming giveaways, contests, and events you can expect from this site!

As always, if you have any suggestions on giveaways, contests, and/or events, feel free to leave a comment!

Excellent viral-style video from IBM featuring Paul Van Chenko, IT Analyst (Industry Pundit, Well-known social software talking head, man about town...) discussing what Paul Van Chenko apparently knows best: social networking behind the firewall with IBM Lotus Connections...

Right now, PaulVanChenkoKnowsBest.com only points to the above YouTube video... but I'm hoping they run with this idea and create a whole micro-site for this persona.

Scott Laningham and Turbo Todd Watson discuss not only their upcoming Twitter, Facebook, Weblog, and podcast coverage of Lotusphere 2010, but share what they'll be looking to take away from the week-long IBM Lotus collaborative technology conference.

While Scott's a Lotusphere vet, this will be Todd's first Lotusphere (surprisingly), so expect to get coverage from both attendence experience levels.

If you're not already subscribed to the My developerWorks podcast, check out ibm.com/developerworks/podcast.

Also, at the end of the episode, Todd mentions the following Twitter tags that any yellowbleeder should make sure they tune into for the latest as-it-happens coverage during Lotusphere:

#LotusKnows
#LS10

Lotus Knows - the latest IBM Lotus Marketing campaign - is in full swing: not only via a totally revamped, media-centric website at www.lotusknows.com, but also hitting the major social networking sites in the consumer landscape - on Twitter as @LotusKnows, on YouTube at www.youtube.com/lotusknows and now with an official Lotus Knows Facebook Fan Page!

Facebook members can become a fan of Lotus Knows by clicking through the above URL, but Facebook also allows you to show your fandom outside of Facebook with Fan Boxes. Facebook Fan Boxes are social widgets that allow Fan Page Admins to drive fan traffic from non-Facebook, external websites (read: your blog). And I've grabbed the markup for a Lotus Knows Fan Box here:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.ak.connect.facebook.com/js/api_lib/v0.4/FeatureLoader.js.php/en_US"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">FB.init("a07f17ca51935c7a147a4a3f4afc7442");</script>
<fb:fan profile_id="115592692916" stream="1" connections="10" width="300">
</fb:fan>
<div style="font-size:8px; padding-left:10px">
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lotus-Knows/115592692916">Lotus Knows Facebook</a>
</div>

Simply copy and paste the above markup into your own weblog or Lotus-themed site, and help spread the word: Lotus Knows Facebook!

And check out the Facebook Developer's Wiki, where you can customize Facebook Fan Boxes.