My favorites | English | Sign in

Google Friend Connect APIs (Labs)

Blog/CMS/Forum Plugins

The Google Friend Connect API provides a simple means of one-click user authentication using any Google, Yahoo, AIM, or OpenID accounts. Essentially this means that a user doesn't need to create a new account for every other site that they come across, hence reducing the inertia that often goes with user registration and increasing user willingness to become active contributors on a site.

Recently, some sites have discovered that making it easier for users to participate on a site with an external account led to over 30% more user registrations and 16% more comments.

These Google Friend Connect plugins will allow you to integrate users with external accounts into your site. A user can visit your site and leave a comment or do other activities with any of the external accounts supported by Friend Connect.

Here are examples of the plugins for various popular systems in use today:

  • WordPress Plugin
    This is a feature-complete plugin for WordPress that allows you to use both native WordPress comments and comments gadgets with Friend Connect. It also allows for integration of the social bar, recommendations, and other Friend Connect gadgets. Developed by Globant.
  • JS-Kit Echo
    JS-Kit's Echo is a new commenting system that allows you to easily embed a discussion into static content. It is seamlessly integrated with Friend Connect, as well as a number of other social web properties such as Twitter and Facebook.
  • Drupal Plugin
    Friend Connect can be used on the Drupal platform with this plugin. This plugin offers basic Friend Connect functionality — any Friend Connect user can sign in and a Drupal user ID is created and linked automatically. They can then use Drupal as normal.
  • Elgg Plugin
    Elgg is an open source social networking platform. The plugin allows people to access an Elgg site through Friend Connect rather than having to go through a user registration process. This plugin is in beta.
  • Discuz! Plugin
    Friend Connect can be used with the Discuz! forum platform with this plugin. In addition to sign-in capability, Google Friend Connect profile information can be shown in your Discuz! profile.
  • PhpBB Plugin
    PhpBB forums can be used with Friend Connect via this plugin. This is a demonstration tool to show how Friend Connect might be implemented on a forum. Most other forum systems could be integrated similarly.