An update on Google Friend Connect
1 week ago by A Googler
In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.
As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.
We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.
We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.
Posted by Michael Goddard, Software Engineer
6 comments:
"In an effort to streamline...." What they really want is to directly collect more personal data so they can sell it to marketing companies.
Although I have Gmail/Google Friend/Blogger accounts I don't use them for tracking/reading new blog posts, as it is not 'simple' enough for my liking...
Therefore as I'm on Windows 10 I prefer to pick up and read new blog posts using their RSS feeds which I find easier to access with Internet Explorer 11...
Unfortunately neither Edge (the new browser in Win 10) nor Google Chrome handle RSS feeds with the ease of Internet Explorer 11, but I guess it's each to their own...
Any road up (as we say in my neck of the woods) as long as I can follow you I'll remain a happy chappy... LOL
Thank you Kevin, that makes me happy too., but I wonder how many readers don’t have the alternatives to view that you have.
George was saying pretty much the same thing; the big guy imposing his might for financial gain to the detriment of the smaller one.
My views are as below-posted on Google. Happy New Year C and G.
I think Mr Goddard should be immersed in a bucket of custard for unilaterally making what is obviously a decision solely for the benefit of the avaricious Google. This is of no benefit either to blogger or blogee. If it affects adversely my enthusiastic and adoring readership-particularly my 2 readers in the Ukraine where I have almost god-like status- I shall drop Google and blog elsewhere. So Happy New Year to you Mr Poohead Goddard.
Well said Mike! Very eloquent. Happy new year to you too! X
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