Ok, so I found out that as of October 1, 2011, Facebook has a new policy going into effect.
If you have a Facebook Fanpage, and if users have Secure Browsing selected, they may not see your stuff unless the links can be accessed thru https:// instead of http://
In other words, the links must be on a website that has an SSL certificate.
Some say that you can setup to use the shared SSL certificate of your hosting company, if they allow it and if you can determine how to use it. Others say that this method may create issues if your Fanpages were created by a WordPress plugin. They say that it is something within WordPress that causes this trouble when using a shared SSL.
You can buy your own SSL Certificate for around $12 if you shop around. GoDaddy has it for $12.99.
Instructions for installing the SSL Certificate on your domain seems to vary a little from one hosting company to another. Some do it for you for a fee or maybe free if you buy the Certificate (at a higher price) from them. Others allow you to install it yourself, even from a shared hosting account.
I thought that the best option was to have my own and I like to keep control, so I was happy to learn that with my host, JustHost, I could install it myself.
I did have to pay $19.99/year for a dedicated IP address for the domain that I used for the SSL. So the additional cost $32.98/year or only about $2.75/month.
It did take quite a few hours to figure out all that I needed and then to actually do it, but if I had know exactly what to do, the actual time would have been less than 30 minutes for the process, although there is some ”wait” time for the Certificate to be approved.
I documented my process and took screenshots so that it would be easier for others. You can download the free guide from this link:
| http://internet-local.com/How_To_Setup_Your_Own_Secure_Hosting_for_Under_$8_a_Month.pdf |
Hope that it helps someone.
