14 DAY TRIAL // Google Friend Connect allows website managers to get social features on their websites without the hard work of code writing or searching for third-party applications designed by the OpenSocial developer community. The visitors of sites that are using Google Friend Connect can easily see, invite and interact with new people or, with secure authorization APIs, they can connect with friends from other websites, such as Facebook, Google Talk or hi5.
The attempt of Google Friend Connect to keep up with the changes that Facebook Connect has been making ended up with the release of its first set of APIs (Application Programming Interface), which will enable developers to integrate Google Friend at a greater level into their sites and applications. They offer access to the core features of Friend Connect and let you exploit them on your site in interesting ways. Google Friend provides a single sing-on service and some portability features.
The new set of APIs will make it possible for users to employ both JavaScript and REST APIs to help them insert Google Friend Connect into the markup language of each site in a direct manner and thus making it easier to merge it with the existing login systems. The search giant also considered those developers who want to create plugins for content management systems like Wordpress or phpBB and designed APIs for them as well. Better authentication options have also been made available for gadget developers.
It doesn’t really matter if you are a website owner or a developer, as the new Friend Connect APIs are suitable for anyone who is interested in making the web more social and bringing people together in web communities that share the same interests.
"Google Friend Connect APIs are designed to help: site owners - Integrate Friend Connect more deeply into your site. JavaScript APIs allow you to integrate a social community directly within the markup of your page, and our REST APIs allow you integrate existing login systems and your existing data with new social data and activities. Plugin developers - Make plugins to integrate with popular content management systems, bulletin boards, or any open framework. Gadget developers - Make OpenSocial applications with greater control over how data flows across servers with signed requests," stated
We also have to mention that Facebook Connect is ready to fight back and has its own set of APIs, which are used by 670.000 of its application developers.