Somehow, because I am not a computer geek, I seem to be late to the party. You see, Google has been shutting down a lot of their previous services. One of which is Google Friend connect. Okay, so I started noticing that some of my followers were going away. Why is that, I wondered? Then I saw a post on another blog stating the same thing. Well, what do you know? It's really happening. Here is what was posted on Google.
An update on Google Friend Connect
December 21, 2015
In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.
As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.
We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.
We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.So the story goes, if you do not have a Google account, you won't be able to
follow me.
I think!
You can follow me by email, or bloglovin, but there will no longer
be GFC for non Google accounts. Sad, so sad. Why do they have to
change things when everything is going so well?
I really don't want to lose any of my followers, and I hope that you
will get this message before everybody goes away.
Did everybody know about this already?
11 comments:
I had heard, and then promptly forgot about it. As you say, why change? Annoying.
I just found out today. It is very annoying. Thanks for the info. I too lost a bunch of followers in one day. Hugs
I've know this for a while, and I started using Bloglovin'. I tried to move all of the blogs I follow, and I think it worked, but I know I lost a lot of followers as I didn't have that many anyway.
I've pretty much given up on my blog.
I lost several followers overnight. I'd heard about this, a few days before it happened. Blogger and Wordpress also don't play well together. They need to fight over more important things.
I was sad when they took down google reader. I follow you via feedly now.
Seems to be the talk of the town this week....
It is really frustrating for people who have blogs especially! WHen Google stopped having their reader, I had a hard time finding a substitute (ended up following on 2!). I follow you by email (yay!) and I am also a gmail person, so I will be following with google friend connect as well. Very smart of you to make your readers aware of these changes in time for them to react. I hope you do not lose a single one; I love your blog.
I am still here but have lost some of my followers, such a shame but there does not seem to be much we can do about it, some of those I follow I seem to have lost thugh I can still follow them
I'm still here, Josh!! :)
I too am frustrated with Google. It was hard to follow blogs when they discontinued 'reader' and I just can't figure out that Google Connect thing. Today I got a message from them that says my operating system is too old and they will no longer update my computer. (It's not THAT old.) Hope I don't have to buy a new computer - this one works just fine thankyou. Ah...technology! Well, as long as my sewing machine keeps working I'll be happy.
AHA. So that's why I've been losing followers! ooh I hate when they fix something that isn't broken. Pinterest too, I'm disgusted with the "picked for you" posts that have taken over my feed - I don't see any posts from the folks I follow anymore!
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