There is no question that social media is gaining momentum. Industries that never imagined social media was relevant for their businesses are leveraging social networks in new and creative ways and seeing numerous benefits from the additional channel of communication.

Although Google Friend Connect has been around for several months, the beta product that has been available hasn’t got a lot of attention from webmasters. The Google Friend Connect product allows any webmaster to create a social environment on their website. Once Friend Connect is installed, users can leave comments and communicate with other website users in a fashion similar to leaving a comment on a blog. The primary difference being, with Google Friend Connect you don’t have to create a separate user name and password to interact on the site. You can simply choose to use a login you already have available, such as your Gmail account.

Google recently announced an upgrade to the Google Friend Connect product, which includes the use of an API. The API should allow website owners a greater level of flexibility and customization when integrating Friend Feed onto their site. The API also allows the use of plugins to integrate Friend Feed into your CMS.

As social networking adaptation continues for many small and large businesses, we should see Friend Connect continue to emerge and develop as a product. Feel free to share any experiences you’ve had with Google Friend Connect in the comments section.