If you are a blogger, and haven't heard the news as of yet, Google is planning to rid of the Google Friend Connect Widget on non-Blogger Blogs in March 2012. I would suggest reading the complete post from the
Official Google Blog for more details.
What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that you will have to use your reader and subscribe to blogs. Secondly, Google is urging more of it's users to join
Google+ and use this relatively new Social Networking Site as a way to connect with other bloggers {with friends, family and other contributing members of society as well}.
My thoughts- I'm game. Why? Well, for starters that pesky GFC widget never worked correctly for me. However, I do like the fact that I can read all of my GFC blogs within my Blogger Dashboard regardless if they were
WordPress, self-hosted or
Blogger. I am sad to see that feature go. I am also hoping this post will reach some bloggers out there already "in the game" and all set for the change.
My biggest pet peeve about this new "blogger out reach program" is that a lot of new Google+ hops link directly to their Google+ page and not their personal blog. Why does this upset me? Personally, I like to see the blog that I am going to become a member of, and perhaps leave a comment. With the old school "GFC" blog hops, you also helped out another bloggers stats by visiting their page and following them from there. It is a great way to get to know the blogger, the blog and lend a helping hand on a more personal level and not always landing on a "wall" that may only tell me a little about the blogger.
What can I do about it then? I strongly suggest adding the Google+ Badge Widget to your Blog as you see here:
It is very simple to do and will only take a moment of your time.
1. Go to
http://widgetsplus.com/ and create a badge according to their directions. Your Google+ ID is that number you will find in the link when you are on your profile in Google+.
2. Copy the code snippet and place it into the html editor on your blog. For Blogger Blogs, simply select the "HTML/Javascript Editor" from the "Add Gadget" selection where you would like to place your Google+ Badge from the "Layout" menu.
3. Save the widget and you are all set!
Aside, if you are a number-type of person, it tells your readers how many circles you belong to.To see how it works- simply ad me to one of your circles! Leave me a comment and I will return the love!
Please make sure to join me starting January 20, 2012 for a New Weekend Long Google+ Blog Hop hosted by yours truly. I am also looking for a few fellow bloggers who are interested in co-hosting this hop. Drop me an email if you are interested!
What are your thoughts about the new changes? If you are a non-Blogger blogger- how do you feel about Google omitting you from the GFC widget?
Oh, and a very Happy New Year! :-)
