If we had to give the relationship between Facebook and its competitors (Twitter and Google) a theme song, it would be Kelis screeching, “I hate you so much right now.” And it goes both ways. This morning, Mark Zuckerberg officially released Facebook’s new commenting solution for third-party sites. Unlike the company had promised, users will not be able to use their Twitter or Google accounts to log in, only Yahoo. Which means Twitter and Google couldn’t stomach any agreement that would mean lending Facebook their social graph if it meant making a Zuckerberg production better. But that doesn’t mean the new-and-improved commenting system, which publishers can install in WordPress and other CMS platforms with a single code, isn’t a threat, especially to commenting companies like Disqus.
If the site you’re on uses Facebook’s system (we don’t) and you sign in using your Facebook identity, right next to your real name (or at least the name on your Facebook account) users will now see information like mutual friends, work, age, and current city, according to your privacy settings. Users also have the option of posting their comment and a link to the story on their Facebook wall and getting an e-mail every time another commenter responds to one of your comments. No e-mail solution yet for those thinking of writing comment they know will only bite them in the ass. What’s more, explains TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid,
Driving more traffic to Facebook while potentially destroying other companies, dominating the way publishers interact with readers, and breaking down the privacy barriers in the process? Congratulations, Mark Zuckerberg. You just ruined won the Internet. Again.
Facebook Now Powers Comments All Around the Web [ReadWriteWeb]
With Facebook Comments, Twitter And Google Login Flew The Coop [TechCrunch]
Improving Comments Across The Web [Facebook Developer Blog]
