by Nicole Landguth
Category: Best Practices, Digital Influence, How-To

As a follow up to our recent webinar, Facebook Bootcamp for PR, you’ll see five blog posts in the coming weeks exploring the five trends set out in our presentation. This installment looks at the quickly evolving role of Facebook Connect and reviews how brands can use this open ID to enhance their Facebook presence and expand other social media programs.
Launched around the beginning of 2009, Facebook Connect is designed to let Facebook users port their Facebook identity beyond the walls of the social network while still sharing their activities and updates with friends through the Stream (formerly known as the News Feed). If, for example, a user comments on your corporate blog and ops to use their Facebook Connect ID, then not only have they taken a step in interacting with your brand but all of their friends can view that interaction through the Stream. With Facebook announcing a new Desktop Stream which will keep users constantly connected to their friends’ activities, it’s a great way to echo every interaction you have with your current customers.
At first it seemed that Facebook Connect was positioned to be Facebook’s answer to the Open ID, but last week Facebook was one of the first sites to announce that they will be embracing the Open ID and allowing users with a Yahoo, Google, AOL, MySpace or Microsoft account to create a Facebook profile based off of their existing profiles on outside sites.
A large scale example of using Facebook Connect was CNN’s work to activate their election debate forum by allowing users to sign in using their Facebook profile and broadcast their ideas and notes simultaneously on CNN’s site and in their own Facebook community. On a smaller scale, you’ll see more and more blogs allowing users to leave a comment using their Facebook ID and don’t be surprised to see the same for online purchases in the future. Unlike the Beacon Fiasco of ‘07, Facebook Connect is 100 percent user opt in and users are becoming more comfortable sharing their every move online with friends.
Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester had a great post last week on the The Future of the Social Web: In Five Eras which mapped the evolution of social networks as they relate to how we interact online and off. Facebook Connect is a great example of what Owyang’s third era, the Era of Social Colonization where every action we take can now be social.
Three easy ways brands can use Facebook Connect right now:
Any site meeting the technical capabilities can add Facebook Connect to their blog or web site- check out the Facebook Developers’ area for more information.
Crossing the Pond Working with the Media in the UK and USA
May 5th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Facebook’s Connects strategy, and development is certainly interesting to follow. Google is going to have a much tougher fight ahead if they don’t move alot faster. Also, will all this convergence, comes a need for greater privacy settings, and the understanding of how to use them.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:31 am
[...] Facebook Trends Series #2: Facebook Connect [...]
May 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I’ve never drank their product but I like their “facebook connect” experience: http://connect.redbullusa.com/
November 30th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Entertaining and informative post! I was looking around on the internet for a post about this and this is the very first very good one I have read.