14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook is betting hard on its Facebook Connect program and for good reason. The latter has already proven quite a success and this is just the beginning since, if the company has its way, you'll be seeing Connect on almost every website out there. Still, it has a long way to go so the social network has launched a new way of installing the code necessary for Connect, making it easy for even the most novice of users to add the functionality to their websites.
“We want to make implementing these tools as seamless and simple as possible. To meet this goal, today we are launching the Facebook Connect Wizard and Playground – tools that simplify the implementation process so that developers and non-developers alike can experience the benefits of Facebook Connect including increased traffic and site engagement,” Facebook's Alex Himel wrote. “Establishing a presence on the social Web requires fundamental building blocks. Facebook provides these essential tools, including identity for a great registration system, and immediate access to 300 million active global users.”
Facebook touts the advantages of using Connect, saying it's a great way of building up traffic while at the same time offering a better user experience. The claims are more or less accurate and, apparently, there were some that found installing the snippets of code necessary for the Facebook integration to be too hard. This is why the social network has launched the Connect Wizard and Playground.
The Facebook Connect Wizard works just like you would expect and all it takes are three steps. In the first one users are asked to fill out the name of their website and the URL. Next they will have to download a file from Facebook and upload it to their site's web host. Finally, if everything goes smooth, users will be introduced to the Playground, a list of snippets of code to help them integrate the functionality into their site with buttons, profile photos and several other options. It's not the best substitute for a professional approach but it gets the job done.