Facebook Connect is the next iteration of Facebook Platform that allows users to “connect” their Facebook identity, friends and privacy to any site. This enables third party websites to implement and offer even more features of Facebook Platform off of Facebook – similar to features available to third party applications today on Facebook.

Facebook has lauched Facebook Connect with 24 partners initially. Those partners include CBS, CNET, CollegeHumor, Disney-ABC Television Group, Evite, Flock, Hulu, Kongregate, Loopt, Radar, Seesmic, Red Bull, Socialthing!, The Insider, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Uber, Vimeo, Amiando, Plaxo, and Xobni.

Features of Facebook connect:

1. One-click Login: Allow users to log in with their Facebook identity and allow your site to access their Facebook profile information.

2. Increased engagement: Leverage users’ personal interests to show more relevant information and surface personalized content from friends such as reviews or comments.

3. New forms of distribution: Users can share content and actions taken on your site with friends back on Facebook through Feed, invites, and other social communication channels on Facebook.

4. Access to Facebook Platform: Use the same APIs that have allowed more than 670,000 developers to build more than 52,000 engaging applications for Facebook users since May 2007.

Early results have shown that sites using Facebook Connect for login have seen as many as 2 out of 3 new registrations come via Facebook Connect, and those users have about 50% more engagement on sites.

Sources:

http://developers.facebook.com/news.php?blog=1&story=108

http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Facebook_Connect

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