If you’d like, try leaving a comment to see how it works.

For those who want this ability on your site, I’m using a wordpress plugin found here: http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/WP-FBConnect (by Facebook’s Adam Hupp). I’ve modified and written a widget for it that I use here. I’ve sent it to Adam and it should be available in future versions of the plug-in. If you’d like it ahead of time drop me a line and I’ll send you the updated version now.

This post is from Ryan Price’s blog.

Connect with Facebook

The Stock Picking Competition has grown to over 5500 users, with more joining every hour.

This post is from Ryan Price’s blog.

Win $300 by Picking Stocks on Facebook

This meant that I had to make sure my code was as efficient as possible. Last night I took the time out to go through the code to ensure I hadn't overlooked anything. Turns out I had, and it was causing max_user_connections to be exceeded (meaning some people would have problems accessing the game at certain points).

So in order to save yourself the hassle of going through your code like I did, let me help you cut the problem off at the pass and avoid it all together with a few simple rules:

1. Open your connections just before you run the query, and close them immediately after.

I was opening the connection at the beginning of a file, and then closing it at the end. This meant that I was unnecessarily tying up a connection (and I only get 15) while information was being processed.

2. Put your DB connection code in a function

This ties in with the first suggestion. Many people include the connection code in a header file or similar to ensure that the database connection is there when they need it. This is inefficient. Put your connection code into a function, call the function, and return the connection resource.

3. Remember that its not only mysql_query() that needs a connection!

If you're using forms at all, you should be ensuring that they are secure before you use it in the database. What many people don't know is that mysql_real_escape_string() needs an active connection to the database to work, so make sure that you have an open connection before using this function.

This post is from Ryan Price's blog.

How to Avoid Problems with max_user_connections in PHP/SQL with 3 Simple Rules

I have been working many hours over the last couple weeks making a stock picking competition that runs on Facebook's platform.

The game is simply called Stock Picking Competition. Although there are many other features I plan on adding, the general idea is as follows:

You install put the application onto your Facebook profile. Then you choose which competitions you want to enter. For each competition you join, you are given a portfolio with the stated starting amount of cash. From there, you can buy and sell stocks whenever you want (although trades are only executed during market hours).

You can view your standing in the competition, and your profile will show your portfolios to friends. Go ahead and try the stock picking competition.

Let me know what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like to see added, etc.

This post is from Ryan Price's blog.

Facebook Stock Picking Competition