Mark Zuckerberg introducing Facebook Connect: Shot at f8.
Source: PR 2.0
Facebook Connect is connecting people across the social graph to fresh content and channeling outside Web events into individual lifestreams. Essentially, Facebook is solidifying its position as not only your primary social network, but also an emerging central hub for attention, updates, news, promotion, and discovery.
Now, Facebook is extending its network to the World Wide Web, allowing brands and personalities who host Fan Pages to embed a widget version of the page directly into websites, other social networks, and blogs. This builds a bridge between the 200 million-strong Facebook network and outside visitors to strategically concentrate promotion and community building.
For example, here’s a sample widget of the Facebook Fan Page for my book with Deirdre Breakenridge, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.”
Interactivity is key: by embedding the Facebook widget, site owners can reduce reliance on heavy custom brand-building while still amassing a significant following. The widget pushes live updates and activity from inside Facebook to wherever it’s embedded. Visitors can securely log in with Facebook credentials to comment, become a fan, and view the latest media and posts. As fans participate, their activity is shared within Facebook, amplifying the branded content through the News Feed.
Here are a few examples of the widget in action:
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Lance Armstrong
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BlackBerry
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World Wildlife Fund
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NPR
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Kings of Leon
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Lenny Kravitz
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Roger Federer
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Newsweek
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ABC News
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Read more from Brian Solis:
Blog: PR 2.0
Book: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations
Social Map: The Conversation Prism
About the Author
Brian Solis is principal at Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis studies the effects of emerging media on business, marketing, publishing, and culture. Visit Brian’s page: briansolis.com.