Google Friend Connect is Unleashed!
I typically don’t get too excited over google product releases much because I’m simply jaded by their sheer volume and library.
But I’m excited about this one.
ChurchCrunch has finally gotten whitelisted as a Google Friend Connect BETA tester.
Essentially, Google’s Friend Connect makes it possible for even more deep and rich experiences for those that come to your site.
By adding simple social features members and visitors can instantly see, engage, and connect with others unlike anything that they’ve done before.
Test it out on the right side of the blog, sign up, and drop a comment.
These two modules are only the beginning of what I believe to be a revolutionary approach to social networking online.
Why? Because it’s genius: By leveraging a medium that everyone on the digital planet already uses they’re instantly creating community based on a pre-existing and widely used technology: EMAIL.
We all use it… and the vast majority of my peers and friends all have Gmail accounts already.
This means, they can all be a part of the social network here at ChurchCrunch. But, again, this is just the tip of the iceberg folks… Get excited, because the possibilities of leveraging this are extensive and deep.
Try it out and let me know what you think.
Buzz it!
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19 Responses to “Google Friend Connect is Unleashed!”
Facebook Connect Launches - I Cry - ChurchCrunch
[...] question, these types of services, like the Google Friend Connect, will increase engagement. The screenshot of the amount of comments on that particular test post [...]
Use Google Events for your Next Tweetup - ChurchCrunch
[...] Google Friend Connect Event addon is something to see, and is definitely something I think I’d consider if I was [...]
churchcrunch (churchcrunch)
New blog post: Google Friend Connect is Unleashed! http://tinyurl.com/5ezdnu
human3rror (human3rror)
YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT: GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT UNLEASED!!!!: New blog post: Google Friend Connect is Unleashed! http://tinyurl.com/5ezdnu
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hey look. my mugshot made john's post. i'm honored.
that's what made it "epic".
Do you think Google Friend Connect will be more successful than Facebook Connect, once Facebook fully rolls that out (which is already beginning to happen)?
Facebook is already a social network where many, many of my friends are already connected and accustomed to interacting online. Google/Gmail is just that — email. Will it really translate into other forms of online interaction? I'm not so sure at this point if Google application users will have the same interactions that Facebook friends are already accustomed to having. Just a thought/question.
My money is still on Facebook, frankly, but they've gotta get Facebook Connect rolled out more broadly (and fast!) or else Google Friend Connect will saturate the market, so to speak, and Facebook might get shut out. It'll be interesting to see, anyway …
Steve,
Great thoughts here and I'll weigh in "slightly" before I find myself monologuing into nothingness…
Facebook connect, in my opinion, is still unproven (as google's friend connect) and has promised the world but completely underdelivered… facebook is still a service of choice, rather than a service of necessity: you will always need email… you do not always need facebook (and i have somewhat abandoned my post there… i know i should give it more attention and love…)
perhaps that is why google connect excites me more because it combines social aspects with an already established community. i can't even guess how many gmail users are out there… but the social aspect is untapped…
until now.
although email is old guard, facebook's internal messaging has yet to reaach critical mass to the point of abandoning email entirely.. and that will never happen.
with facebook connect, you know (for the majority of cases) who you're talking to. With google, theres no identity authentication.
true. gotta check it out too…!
I don't know how successful it's going to be, but so far I really like it. It's awesome to know who your readers are and be able to interact with them regularly.
yeah, who knows, right? but, we'll just have to wait and see…
I got whitelisted the other day two.. Contemplating adding it to my personal blog. Do you see this as more of a tool for a community oriented site (such as this) or a personal site?
both.
Guess it can't hurt to 'connect' on as many fronts as possible!
definitely not.
I am excited to see how Friend Connect is going to evolve over the next few months. Google made it so easy to implement that I wouldn't be surprised to see more Friend Connect enabled sites than Facebook Connect sites in the coming days.
Facebook Connect is getting easier now. GFC is good because it supports OpenID. I created a Bible Quiz using GFC. Please take a quiz on http://www.vietchristian.com/kinhthanh/en_quiz.as... .
very cool!