Joomla, Drupal Now Support Google Friend Connect

Drupal (news, site) has long considered itself a social software solution as much as a web content management system. That may ring even more true not only for Drupal, but Joomla (news, site) as well, as Google announced that both open source WCMS now integrate Google Friend Connect.

Easily Add Social Features to Your Website

So you use Drupal or Joomla for your website and you want to add some social features like profiles, polls, newsletter subscriptions and more. Now you can by adding the Google Friend Connect plug in.

Google Friend Connect with Drupal

Integration with Google Friend Connect provides a wide range of social features to your website without a lot of programming. In fact Google says you don't need programming skills to add their plugin.

How does it work? Using the plug in, site administrators enable users to authenticate to their site using Friend Connect. Friend Connect using OpenID, allowing users to authenticate using their Google, or other, account.

Once connected with Friend Connect, administrators have a range gadgets they can add to their website including Members, Comments, Recommendations, Activities, Reviews and the Social Bar. They can also create polls and newsletters, among other capabilities.

Joomla Integration with Google Friend Connect Demo
 

But They Already Have Social Features

Truth is, both Joomla and Drupal already have a number of capabilities for social media/community functionality. In fact Drupal was recently recognized by Gartner as a social software solution.

So what does the Google Friend Connect really add? Well it may do a lot for Google Friend Connect. As ReadWriteWeb's Jolie O'Dell points out, "making GFC available for the CMSes that power many highly visible sites around the Web might do a lot of good for that product."

Friend Connecting to Everyone

Integrating Friend Connect with Drupal and Joomla is just the latest integration for Google. In December they integrated Friend Connect with Twitter.

Google Friend Connect still finds itself competing against the more popular Facebook Connect. But integrating with popular open source WCMS like these and with the most popular micro-blogging service may go a long way toward helping them gain a wider share of the market.

And of course having Chris Messina on board as their Open Web Advocate will do a lot as well.