Google Friend Connect Is trying to catch up with Facebook Connect, and just now released its first set of APIs, which will let developers integrate Google Friend Connect more deeply into their sites and applications. Google Friend Connect offers a single sign-on service as well as several data portability features.
The new APIs will allow site owners to use both JavaScript and REST APIs to embed Google Friend Connect directly into the markup language of each site and make it easier for to combine it with their existing login systems. Google has also created APIs for developers who want to create plugins for content management systems such as Wordpress and Drupal. Gadget developers now have better authentication options as well. According to the API page:
Friend Connect API’s enable developers to
- Integrate social flows and data directly within a page’s markup, via the OpenSocial standard specification
- integrate existing login systems, registered users, and existing data with new social data and activities.
- Create social gadgets & services that are embeddable within millions of Friend Connect enabled sites.
Of course, Facebook Connect already has its own set of competing APIs (which are the same ones used by its 670,000 application developers). The Google Social Blog has more info.
Wow, so much Google news in one day!
So if you have a web site which one will you pick and why?
They should add friend connect commenting if they do not already have it.
can you integrate fb connect and google friend connect together? im guessing now it just got a little easier to hack that up. and what about the yahoo version of this idea?
if someone could just mesh all these together the same way meebo mashed IM services – then, i could get a good nights sleep.
Sure, why not. You can integrate with as many “connect” APIs as you wish. First, however, you will just want your existing users to be able to “connect” their logins. The big hurdle is allowing a totally new user to come and join your site, bringing their network along with them to your site.
about freakin’ time
That’s great and all but when are they going to implement a way to track comments? Right now, BackType is the only way, and they are still unreliable.
I think this isn’t a market they’ll ever be a leader in really. Facebook and MySpace have too much of a headstart, and they need to spend their resources on better things than piecing together their own social site.
This is good, I think its one step closer, to google domination of everything online though!
Will this see a deluge of users like Facebook? I have an inkling this will help website owners driving traffic thru Google. Considering there are zillions of Google users (mail etc), integration might be easier and widespread
This is pretty cool news. It seams to be very flexible and it has a very nice to just copy-and-paste the code right in. and some nice open-source plug-ins for WordPress, Drupal, and phpBB.
It will be interesting to see the adoption of Friend Connect…
Google Friend Connect has just been added to BeingEarthly.com Try it out!
Excellent !
Same Google Friend Connect on my site AND on my Blogger blog – -Possible?
I know this might not be exactly the right place to ask this question, but I’ve been googling the solution without success for 2 days and I’m beginning to go nuts.
It’s a simple question – I have GFC on my site
http://www.real-english.com/
It works fine.
I want to have the same Google Friend Connect on my new Blogger Blog
http://the-orig...h.blogspot.com/
WITH my existing members. But when I add the widget to Blogger in the normal way, I am the only member. The other 400 members are not present.
I tried copying my “successful code” used on my site to Blogger, and that didn’t work, so I tried tweaking the code in an attempt to understand the error message
“We’re sorry…
This gadget is configured incorrectly. Webmaster hint: Please ensure that “Friend Connect Settings – Home URL” matches the URL of this site.”
Any ideas? Boy, would I be grateful!
Mike Marzio