Tutorial: Google Friend Connect

Google Friend Connect is a service that allows you to create social features for your site by allowing people to sign up and become members, right on your site! People can join with their Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID accounts, and interact on your site, by inviting friends, posting media or making comments. For more information, you can click on this link.

In order to use Google Friend Connect, your site needs to be published. If your site is not yet published, please see our tutorial: Publishing Your Site.

Here are the steps to add Google Friend Connect to your site:

1. Go to Google Friend Connect and click the big blue button that says "Get Started".

2. You will be taken to page to enter your site name and (the name you gave your site when you created it) and your website address (e.g. http://.tradingpost.yolasite.com/). Click on "Continue" once done.

3. On the next page, click on the blue "Add the members gadget" button.

4. The page will open to 3 steps customizing the gadget's settings.

5. Once you've completed step 1 and 2, click on the "Generate Code" button at step 3.  A box will open containing Javascript code that you need to add to your site.  Copy all of the code and go back to your Yola site in the site builder.

6. Drag and drop an HTML widget onto the page. Paste the code into the HTML editor that opens. 

7. You will see an error message that says "We're sorry… This gadget is configured incorrectly. …"  Please ignore this message, it will display in the site builder because it is not your published website.

8. Click on the "Update my Site" button to update your website and you will see the Google Friend Connect feature displayed on your site's page.

Now you can start using this great feature to grow a community on your very own website!