How To Maximise The Google Friend Connect Implications For Social Media
71Connect With Google Friend Connect To Be Truly Social
What Is Google Friend Connect
There has been a lot of talk about Google Friend Connect since it was launched as a site socialisation tool by Google. If you're not familiar with friend connect and what it can do here's a quick run down.
Google friend connect was designed to overcome two obstacles preventing the spread of social feautures across the web. First was the need to get over the problem of having to register and add friends to each site a user wanted to join. Secondly, a lot of site owners wanted to add social features to sites to allow friends to interract but found the tools too difficult to work with. Friend connect allows even the most technically challenged website owner the opportunity to add a social tool with the click of a button and with more and more sites incorporating Google Friend Connect by the day users will be able to share the site experience across the web with friends and followers.
If you visit a website using Google Friend Connect you will be able to see, invite and interract with friends within the site turning the site into a social media platform in seconds. But what does this mean for you as the site owner and how can you maximize the google friend connect implications for social media?
How To Use Google Friend Connect In Less Than Five Minutes
Google Friend Connect Implications for Social Media
The truth is that not all websites are, or intend to be, social media platforms and at first glance google friend connect may seem like one more added responsibility for the over burdened website owner. But with more and more people using sites like facebook, Myspace and YouTube and finding friends with similar interests and likes the savvy site owner needs to take a serious look at friend connect as a means of not only attracting visitors to their site but keeping them there once they have arrived.
With Google Friend Connect social feautures such as user registration, members gallery, messaging and friend invitations can be added to a site with a snippet of coding, enabling what was formerly a one or at best two way conversation to be fully engaged across an entire community. This is a great feature and one which will allow smaller sites to compete against the big boys by providing interesting valuable content which site user will be attracted to and in turn will introduce to their own followers.
So the answer is simple; find your niche, find people with a similar interest to yours within that niche, engage them, entertain them and connect with them through Google Friend Connect and your site will soon begin to soar high above its competitors in the social media skies.
Is Google Friend Connect The One For You?
Do We Need Google Friend Connect Or Is This Just A Social Media Fad With No Staying Power?
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Comments
I love the social media aspects of Google Friend Connect - being able to connect to friends, sending invitations or messages - and linking to other websites. It's definitely a party you don't want to miss!
I am just learning about google friend connect so I liked reading your take on it. It certainly looks like it is here to stay so one more learning curve!
Thanks for your hub,
Lela
The more of your articles and videos I read, the more inspired i get to pursue this path of action.
Thank you, Steve
Hey Neil,
Good job explaining the benefits and social features of Google Friend Connect.
It's a very powerful tool, thatw e all need to understand,
Doug
Thankyou for enlightning with the power of this wonderfull tool...
looking forward to utilising it at the maximum!
Cheers and regards
Owais Iqbal
When this GFC gets out of Beta and into full force it will be really intereesting to see how easily it does cross the web. The idea of being able to connect with all my contacts in regards to similar interests is exciting. Google Friend Connect seems to provide some solutions with keeping interested contacts in the loop.
You did a good job of highlighting the benefits and applications of its uses Neil.
Neil
This is great information for the web owners and how to get noticed just by connecting with friends. It's a whole new world with our social networking and it's good to see that it has expanded to web sites and includes the individuals. julianne koritz
Well, that just goes to show you...Rebecca, I thought GFC was ALREADY out of beta! It's certainly feels like it's going like gangbusters to me... Well, like my mother said: A day you don't learn something is a day you die a little. Google Friend Connect is clearly one very viable way to keep on truckin', baby (Anybody remember that oldie?).
Peace and Love,
DeeJay
Thank YOU for this!
I will have to admit as a site owner at first I thought GFC would ad in so much more work that I didn't want I shyed away a bit from it too. The video you embeded though showes so uch the value as a site owner and like you said turning any website into much more then one way communications. I will need to share this artical with others too.
~Expect Miracles
Hi Neil, I really enjoyed your take on Google Friend Connect, especially the fact you included that it's easy to install, so even a technically challenged site owner could get it up and running in no time.
JB.EDBD
GFC is definately the way of the future!
Linda
lm.edbd
Neil, thanks for posting this great info. It really helps me to connect to the technology.
Linda
lm.edbd
Thanks, Neil. The GFC technology is really powerful and truly fills a need. You present some interesting ways of using it.
Any website owner needs to have this widget on their site. Even if the owner of the company is a local business. This would be a great way to create credibility in the city you do business. This is a great way to show potential customer you have a fan base and/or loyal clientell.
I love the google friend connect widget! It is a must have if you want to keep up with future trends and especially when Web 3.0 is fully integrated.
Neil - GFC has definitely changed the way for users to connect simply. With a click of their mouse, you can easily join mutiple sites (all without re-creating your profile over & over again). Sites that you want to connect with your friends and others who share your interests and passions. It makes joing the party easy & fun. ~Debbie
I created a wordpress blog for my husband's site, integrated it and GFC all in about 2 hours! Too late tonight to add all of his friends, but definitely looking forward to that tomorrow! Love this! So easy!
Neil, I'm glad you mentioned that Google Friend Connect is not for every site. It's true, not all sites are created equal, but for the sites that are very Nich Specific, Google Friend Connect is a very valuable tool.
Neil,
GFC is the wave of the future and very simple to use. Even a dummie like me can use this very valuable tool. Thanks ah.edbd
I have to say, "Thank You Neil!" After reading a few of your hubs I was inpsired to create one of my own., hopefully the first of many.
Neil, I agree with you. The ease of installation makes it that more attractive to website owners and visitors alike, inspiring more traffic and quality social sites.
Leave it to Google to come out with something as powerful as Google Friend Connect and practically keep it a secret. It is truly one of the easier applications to install as well.
Great site Neil. Socially engaging and informative...I think you've got the touch. namaste, Pierre
I love the way the power of GFC is explained.
jce.edbd
It's convenient, practical, gives exposure! It's fantastic.
Michele
Hi Neil...good explanation of the gap it's filling! thanks. Anne
Thanks for introducing me to this service. That Google...they're always up to something.
G|M
Congratulations Neil for this hub being a HUBNUGGET nominee! Check it out: http://hubpages.com/hub/HubNuggets-Overloaded
And calling all hubbers out there, if you love this hub, please vote by clicking on the link I posted. Help Neil spread the word about Google Friend Connect. :-)
Just added GFC to one of my blogs within the last week and must say it gives the place a whole different feel. I guess I always did like standing in the kitchen at parties and GFC has given me my own small room within the social media carnival.
Hi Neil - Great Content indeed.
I have never used The Google Friend connect in any measure although I am a member - i sure need to get going - Many thanks for mapping it all out.
Take Care
Thank you for helping us all who are new to Google Friend Connect because learning to use all these new social sites and being able to use them to their full potential can be quite time consuming - or even frustrating... :)
I love ALL of your posts. You rock!
Thanks for sharing Neil
Cool post, Neil! Keep it up!
I've wanted to know more about this! Thank you.
Thanks for the comments on the hub!
GFC is a really useful tool and will be essential to your social media marketing plans over the next few years, so get on board and install one into a site of your own to get the hang of how it works.
Let me know when you do and I'll drop by and say hi!
This is very interesting as I'm not familiar with hub pages and how they work - nor am I too familiar with GFC so thank you for sharing both of these great tools.
Ellen Feinberg
How does one generate the code??? I am going crazy trying to get the two files' codes but I only get the files as blank webpages and nothing comes up..pls help.
How does one generate the code??? Trying to get the two files' codes but only get the files as blank webpages and nothing comes up..pls help.
I'm learning new things from your knowledgeable insights and internet savy. Thanks Neil!!
good idea.... I like this ....thanks
Thanks for the information!
Great info Neil! I too have signed up for, but have not yet really maximized use of this seemingly powerful tool.
And that's a key word - TOOL
Social media is a tool, not THE answer...
Remember that and you won't be left wondering
why you keep missing the wave!
Cheers - Rick
great idea....I think i might use this ,..really smart ,...
I agree Rick - social media is another marketing tool to pull out of your bag with each online marketing campaign you plan and action. It's not the only way to build your business online and is not the answer to your marketing prayers either.
But it is essential to understand that web 2.0 has changed the way we use the internet and will use it in the future. If you don't get this you will miss every wave that comes along and end up drifting at sea.
Sounds interesting. I guess I should take a better look into it sometime.
Thank you very much for this hub! It's really very useful.. I appreciate it very much and will follow your advice!
Very nice hub and very useful informations.
You did a good job but can u tell me How do I use it on Hubpages ?
Hi Ten Blogger,
You can add friend connect to a Squidoo lens using the html script but not Hubpages - atleast not right at this time. Who knows though, if Google keep connecting people across social media sites at the rate they are currently moving at my answer could be wrong in a year's time or less..
Thanks for the comments.
Hey Neil, Great Hub, if you are new to it I can't tell. It looks like you really got a handle on it, we really like your hub, I will have to cross link my hub and blog site to your hub for more traffic both ways, We look forward to networking and connecting for success.. Here is my hub check it out..
Congratulations on the great job! Welcome to hubpages!
Though I have already added Google friend connect on one of my blog I was not aware of all its features. Thanks for the informative hub.
Great info! Thanks for de-mystifying this.
Another great Hub Neil .. Gee ! you are all over the place. Dug a bit further into GFC yesterday and found some more of its features. It really is quite the Party starter... see you on tour !
Thanks, Neil. This is very useful information, and reading the comments and the related article has helped as well. Off to learn more.
What can I say? I must be a bit behind the times on this one. I'll have to put it on my site.
Thanks Neil.
Juan
Thanks for commenting Juan - GFC is only just beginning but if Google have their way (and they probably will!) it'll be a powerful tool to network and build your audience with.
I've added it to a couple of sites and it hasn't always taken off, but with the right site, strategy and activity in place google friend connect can add a lot of value to your website.
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Google Friend Connect
bookmark3 says:
7 months ago
Google Friend Connect is clearly filling a need. It has been so user unfriendly to have to deal with all the various social media sites individually. It will be very nice to be able to talk to all friends and followers from one central location. Even better if that location is your website. Just like the local bar used to be a great hang out, your website will be the online equivalent with the use of GFC!