BlogBait Blogger Blog

Google Friend Connect: Googles new weapon in the Social networking wars (follow, friend, contact, connection or network) by Paul Malessa the BlogBait Blogger. We added Friend Connect 05-02-09

The example of the “Google Friend Connect” widget or gadget
above is one from the popular Blogger Buster blog

We follow all our followers. Just follow us through the Google friend connect “follow” button on the Google Friend Connect widget on the left column of this page.

Pointing to the Google Friend Connect installed on the BlogBait Blogger Blog

Then send us a quick email by clicking the button below (just in case we don’t notice the add in Friend Connect), and include the address(es) (URL) of your webpage(s) where you installed the Friend connect gadget.

Note: May, 2 2009 – Google is offering free business cards to the first 10,000 applicants by going here.

You can also network with others by finding the “Google Friend Connect” gadget (on any website that has it installed), signing in via the link on the lower right of the gadget, looking through the pictures, clicking on any picture of interest, and then clicking on the “Add as friend” link besides the picture, adding a message if you wish, and then clicking the send button.

Note: When you choose to follow someone the system will not automatically add that person as your follower in return. The person on the other end (that you followed) will need to go through the same motions to add you, and when they do their profile picture will show up on your own “Google Friend Connect” gadget.

Also realize that when you gain a follower on your website or blog, that follower is only following you on that one blog or website where they chose to follow you in Google Friend Connect. The followers will not automatically be listed as followers on all your other sites (if you have more than one) where Friend Connect is installed.

In our case, we have Google Friend Connect installed on BlogBait Blogger (this blog), American Metal Racing, Chevy Camaro American Metal Racing, Chevrolet C5 C6 Corvette American Metal Racing, Modeling in Motion, Wild Web Women – Modeling in Motion, Wild Web Guys – Modeling in Motion, and the Paul Malessa homepage. Each website would have to be visited independently (and marked to follow) if one wanted to follow them all.

Some use Google Connect for only their actual friends, but that usage is not common because most people will instead use LinkedIn or FaceBook for the more personal connections.

See the useful links section below for more groups concerned with networking and Google Friend Connect.

One of the most common uses for Social sites like Google Connect, Twitter, MyBlogLog, DIGG, the BlogCatalog and all the rest are to build up a network, or connections base, with other surfers in order to discover new ideas and people whom you will probably never actually meet or even talk to “in real life”.

Google's simple description and image of the Google Friend Connect network below:

With Google Friend Connect, visitors to your site or blog can:

Sign in with their Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account.
Interact with other visitors by making friends, sharing media, posting comments, playing games, and more.
Invite friends from other social networks and contact lists to join your site or blog.

If you do not have Google Friend Connect it can be found here. You will find a simple method to implement it on a Google Blogger blog via a gadget install on your sidebar. It also can be installed on any web page (or the popular Wordpress) if you can add a few simple html files to your site.

The official Google Friend Connect YouTube video

Google Friend Connect diagram

Some people build web and desktop applications, to include Google Friend Connect, with Open Social project and Oauth, but we’ll leave that a subject of future articles.

Useful links: