On May 12th Google announced one of the biggest changes in the way that social networking is going to happen – thanks to their new service called Google Friend Connect.

This concept is taking all of the best components of social networking, the concept of web 2.0, and VIRAL marketing and integrating all of these components into one application.

I took some time to review Google’s site and within minutes I had a ton of ideas to take some of my old, static websites and turn them into vital, growing online COMMUNITIES with just one simple piece of code! There is NO programming whatsoever either.

Check out this video to see an example of this this program is going to change the way the web works.

Some other highlights and thoughts about Google Friend Connect:

• It lets you grow traffic by easily adding social features to your website. With just a few snippets of code, you get more people engaging more deeply with your site.

• Attract more visitors. Visitors bring along friends from social networks like Facebook, orkut, and others to interact on your site.

• Enriches your site with social features. Choose engaging social features from a catalog of gadgets provided by Google and the OpenSocial developer community.

• No programming whatsoever. Just copy and paste snippets of code into your site, and Google Friend Connect does the rest.

• Google Friend Connect integrates with contact lists for social networks like Facebook, orkut and Google Talk. This means users who join your site are instantly connected with friends who are already members, and can invite friends from other networks to visit. They can opt in to broadcasting their activities to friends in their social networks. A post to your message board, for example, can instantly be visible to people in multiple social networks, along with links leading to your site. These instant networks, combined with the wealth of OpenSocial gadgets, can form potent new online communities, very quickly and very easily.

• Friend Connect brings friends-of-friends to your site. There are two easy ways for members of your site to bring their friends:* Invitations. Clicking on the invite link presents your visitors with all their contacts and friends from their social networks. Invitations are delivered to friends within their respective social networks.

  * Activity feeds. Your visitors may also opt-in to publishing activities to their social networks. A post to your message board, for example, can instantly be visible to people in multiple social networks, along with links leading to your site.

Some quick examples of how to use Google Friend Connect

• A cooking site – Review a recipe and provide comments which clarify or improve it. Add a recipe to a social recipe box that appears across multiple cooking sites.

• A musician’s site – Post pictures from your latest concert on the band’s site, and communicate directly with your fans.

• An extreme sports site – Play a motor cross game, then compare your score to friends and other site members.

• An academic site – Discuss and review articles in context with colleagues and the broader community. Filter the discussion to colleagues only, or widen your view. Forge connections with new participants whose comments seem particularly insightful.

• A shopping site – Read expert reviews and tips right next to the camera you’re thinking of buying, and find a friend who has already purchased the same item.

• A philanthropic site – Cultivate a community around your cause, post pictures at fund raisers, let donors connect, and involve their friends.

Bottom line? Get ready for Google Friend Connect!

Go to their website and get signed up to be part of the preview community at http://www.google.com/friendconnect

Not too long ago, when it came to social networking and web 2.0 concepts, Myspace was all the rage.  It seemed that all the gurus out there were spouting how to make “jillions of dollars” with it and everyone went over there to seek their web 2.0 fortunes.   But there was another player in the field called Facebook that kind of snuck in under the radar and … yes … was pretty much ignored by the marketing gurus out there.  But a few of us felt it could be a more professional and effective way to grow our networks.

I recently found a great online blog post called: Facebook Is Getting Even Hotter by Denise Wakeman at her Biz Tips Blog – and it proves what many of us have been trying to say about Facebook – that it works very, very well as part of your “complete online marketing arsenal”.

I will admit that I’m not a “power” Facebook user, and that I have some things to learn about the best ways to optimize my pages and my site - but I am getting a LOT of traffic to my site(s) and generating a substantial network of friends and colleagues (some of whom I have not seen personally in quite some time).  And to steal a quote from a major wireless phone company … “It’s all about the network”.

Via old style networking, many of us have generated some wonderful and profitable relationships and joint ventures – now with Facebook – we can do this networking / joint venturing faster and more efficiently (and it’s even a bit of fun with the cool tools you have with Facebook)

So …when you get a chance, go check out my Facebook Profile and add yourself as a friend to be part of my network!  And be sure to check out Denise’s post that gives you more thought about how Facebook can help build your online business!

Other Facebook & Internet Marketing Related Posts from The Blogosphere!

Facebook Marketing: Helping Your Online Advertising Campaign
Facebook Marketing: Are You Using It in Your Business?
How Does Facebook Figure Into Your Online Advertising Campaign
Social Media Marketing As A Web Site Marketing Strategy Will …
And the Buzz Goes On – How to Use Viral Marketing
Social Media Marketing is NOT a Direct Response Channel
Facebook Marketing: Why You Should Use Facebook
Handy Tools for Online Marketing and More
Facebook Is In The News