friend

Google has launched an enhanced version of its comments gadget for Google Friend Connect. With the gadget, users can easily translate comments that aren't in their language native.

If you go to Facebook.com/friends, you can create friend lists on Facebook and organize your friends into different categories. This is good for organization, privacy, and for simply controlling what you see on your home page. This clip pretty much explains what it's all about:

At PubCon Matt Cutts just announced the launch of the Google Friend Connect API. It let's you copy javascript and make your blog more social. Editor's note: How do you think the launch of the Google Friend Connect API will affect data portability? Share your thoughts. Murdok anchor Abby Jonnson spoke with Cutts at the conference:

Yesterday, at PubCon South, Matt Cutts talked about Google Launching the Google Friend Connect API. Shortly after Murdok broke this story, Cutts sat down with our own Abby Johnson for an exclusive interview in which he discussed the API launch in a litle more detail.

We are sifting through mountains and mountains of information and data these days. There is more to look at and digest and analyze and consider and ponder and complain about and on and on. Not only that but we now have so many friends that who has time for anything?

Google and Facebook have both released new social features for third-party sites recently in Google Friend Connect and Facebook Connect respectively. These are not the only kids of their kind on the block, however, as I am reminded by Gigya, the company behind a platform called Socialize. While Socialize has actually been around since September, its relevancy seems pretty significant now with the launches of the services mentioned above.

It has been quite the day for connecting. Not only did Facebook unleash Facebook Connect on the world, but Google has also now made Google Friend Connect available (in beta) as well.

For once, Google looked to be a half-step (or more) behind.  Yahoo’s testing a “social” new homepage, Microsoft’s rolling out a “social” Windows Live update, and from the search giant, nada on this front.  Except, it seems, for Friend Connect, which just might launch soon.