I installed Google Friend Connect yesterday, and it's working fine. I don't know if it (or any social-networking tool) is a good match for my information site, but it's easy enough to try: Just upload a couple of files and paste some widget code into a page.

I doubt it will have any effect on AdSense revenues.

So far very frustated. One member, no comment so far.

It seems to be several hundred times easier to get a click on an AdSense ad.

Anybody with success in "Friend connect"

Any success story?
Maybe a very tiny success story?

Only total furstration until now.

I'm trying it too, only a couple dozen members in a couple of days I have no idea why they signed up, not sure if it can affect my traffic or earnings yet, or even impress me enough to keep it there, it's just too unripe, slow, lacking features and gadgets which is supposed to be the main function, I mean you don't call a signup and a wall Social networking, did I say slow?

I have also the discussion feature.

Right from the navigation, it looks like this:

content
content
content

AdSense
AdSense

Sign In
Sign In
Discuss
Discuss
Discuss

Since this is the AdSense forum, I think the most relevant question is what effect (if any) Google Friend Connect will have on AdSense revenues. In theory, it could help to bring more traffic into a site (via clicks on members' "Sites I've Joined" links), but any such traffic benefits are likely to be more imaginary than real at this point. Still, it's early days yet, so there's no way of knowing if Google Friend Connect will be a hit or will go the way of Google Answers.

My discussion on news web sites are famouse. When I am not there, people post even, what they think, I would have posted to this news.

So my theory is:

News article on a news website without my contribution:
500 page views.
With my contribution 2000 page views, because people reload the page to watch the ongoing discussion.

So I thought dissussions on my onw site should be a big improvement....

Comments/discussions are definitely important on a news site and some (though certainly not all) readers have come to expect/demand them. Question is whether Google Friend is the best way to generate such discussions.

I don't like to force our readers to register, as they would have to do with Friend, so have not yet decided whether to implement it.

I don't like to force our readers to register

You can choose to allow posts from anonymous people. Don't know how the spam robots will target this 'feature' yet.

Comments/discussions are definitely important on a news site and some (though certainly not all) readers have come to expect/demand them

I think it's a valuable resource and generates a loyal following. I use an email list though.

Works for me!

Since this is the AdSense forum, I think the most relevant question is what effect (if any) Google Friend Connect will have on AdSense revenues.

Speaking of revenues. I just placed an Adlink unit directly underneath the comment box (both are 728px wide). It's too soon to tell any impact. The number of comments are surprisingly high for me (allowing anonymous posts at the moment).

Since this is the AdSense forum, I think the most relevant question is what effect (if any) Google Friend Connect will have on AdSense revenues.

I'm curious about this too. Keep us posted on how things progress.

ASA

I'm curious about this too. Keep us posted on how things progress.

First of all this system seems to be *very* beta. I can't see IPs from posters. Can't edit messages. There's no option for letting messages from subscribed members through instantly. Basically it lacks every functionality every CMS or forum software has already for ages. There is no spam protection mechanism whatsoever. So I'm disappointed about that part.

During the last few days I'm testing Google friend Connect I've seen my Adsense earnings drop significantly. But don't know if it's related. For what it's worth the channel I dedicated to the adlinks below the comments is the worst performing channel on my site.

The last new miracle weapon for more revenues was 2005 AdLink.

35% of my this month revenues are from AdLinks.

With friendconnect, I have a new nice looking tool, where I can find no effects at my AdSense stats or my Google Analytics stats.

Test based on about 50% of my inventory starting last Saturday.

About 30.000 page views, 2 signed up, 0 postings.

Usual ratings for this is about 3 news letter sign up per day,
for luck, the news letter sign ups continued.