Dear valued readers:

As you may notice, TechMacro.com has featured Google’s Friend Connect that allows readers to join the TechMacro’s community to add comments, ratings to articles and to make friends that is the main purpose of the network.

There are almost no changes in TechMacro’s pages at first look but a login button at the right side of header that allows anyone to login to the site’s community network with one’s Google/Yahoo/AIM credentials, or with OpenID.

Readers can also join the community from “Join The Site” button on Friend Connect member list at bottom of the site.  All interactions like making friend, viewing other members’ activities can be done from this list too.

After logging in, members can add comments, reply to other member’s comments or rate articles.

The comment system of Google Friend Connect now replaces default Wordpress comment template. We find both pros and cons from new comment system.

Pros:

• More than just comments but ratings, video etc
• Independent system that can be upgraded with more features in future
• Encouraging interaction among readers
• Less or no spam comments for it requires logging in before adding comments and spammers would find no link-back benefit from this system.

Cons:

• No more pink-back feature (we’ll work to re-enable it as soon as possible)
• No HTML in comments
• Some readers may find it less convenient to add comments (than on Wordpress default comment system.)

In despite of some cons above, we still decide to get along with Friend Connect because it provides all social features at very low entry level. Turning a site to social hub costs almost nothing than a couple of hours to integrate widgets to the site template and all mix perfectly with the theme.

Although currently Friend Connect is still in its infancy and provides us with rather limited functionality, we look at the future to build wide community around TechMacro in conjunction with other networks.

All your ideas about the integration are more than welcome however. Thank you.