The Network Writing Mom

I meant to blog about Twttrlists last week and then other projects came up. I made a few Twttrlists to try it out. I thought it was a fun idea to use tweets in building a lens.

My first lens was on Best of 3 Breakup Words. The 3 Breakup Words started as a fleeting Twitter game using the hashtag “3BreakupWords”. I added funny tweets and a tweet by Justin Timberlake.  I wanted the lens to be fun, so I left off some of the really nasty tweets. I also added Squidster’s lens, Best of 3 Words After Sex, since the topics were related. Depending on what words you said after sex, you could be hearing some breakup words.

The second was the Best of Google Friend Connect. This one is in the top 100 Twittrlist list. I added content from Squidoo lenses, Hubpages, and YouTube. I liked how the lens came out.

I’ve already gone back and added new tweets to each lens. I entered both in The Best Twittrlist Contest. Plus, they will count toward my Giant Squid count, though I’m trudging closer to the deadline.

I’m enjoying reading everyone else’s Twttrlist too – great ideas out there. I’m not surprised – Squidoo lensmasters are a creative and smart bunch of people.

Have you heard of the new tool, Google Friend Connect? At first, I didn’t really understand the versatility of this widget. The Google Friend Connect, or GFC, is a widget that creates a mini social network on your blog or website. As visitors find your page, they’ll join and be able to chat with other members of your site.

As the site owner, you can customize the widget to fit your blog or site. It’s very simple to install – Google has a guide to help you choose the correct code. 

Visitors join Google Friend Connect by signing on with a one log-in profile (such as an account through Google, AOL, etc.). Members won’t have to set-up a profile for every site that uses GFC – they’ll be able to join quickly, just by using one main profile that works across the internet. As members join new sites, those places are added to their profile. Members can invite their friends to join sites, thereby creating a growing base of contacts to each site. 

Once you join Google Friend Connect, you can discover new sites by clicking on someone’s “head” or profile photo. You’ll see all the sites they belong to, which connect to GFC, and you can join those sites and blogs. It’s great to find other niche sites or discover blogs you may not otherwise know.

I joined Events Listed’s GFC. I enjoy visiting with friends and having instant connections across any site using GFC. Once I had set-up my profile, I only need to hit ‘join this site’ whenever I find a new site using GFC.  I also enjoy exploring sites off my usual topics, and I’ve found great places through my GFC contacts.

Website owners will enjoy a mini social network on their site.  Their site will grow through their members’ interactions and invitations to others. It’s a simple installation with code that you copy and paste. Non-techie people won’t have a problem adding GFC to their site.

It looks like a win-win situation for both website owners and visitors. Here is a video that explains it in better detail. There is huge value in GFC. 

Google Friend Connect 

Let me know what you think. Are you using it on your site? Do you enjoy it as a member?