Mar14

Bloglovin as Google Friend Connect Replacement / Alternative

• Filed under Blog & Blogging Savvy Tips, Technical Tips |

Google Reader Alternative GFC Alternative If you missed the drama today after Google announced its upcoming axing of Google Reader on July 1, I wonder where you have been?? With Google Reader going, there won’t be much point for Google Friend Connect (as the only thing it really does is adding the newly subbed blog to the Blogger Dashboard & Google Reader. This is another step in Google’s ploy to take over the world force the world onto their shoddy Google+ service.

But screw them I say!

Let’s go with BlogLovin as a Google Friend Connect Replacement instead!

Why? Because! Because 1stly they have an app for iOS (they are working on an Android app too) and 2ndly because their interface, both web and mobile and mobile app is just sleek and clean and they are a really helpful bunch too. And the best thing is that their service is free too! AND you can import the blogs you’re following on Google Reader / GFC to Bloglovin!

Get Bloglovin for your Blog

(1) Sign up to Bloglovin with your email and (2) find the ‘claim blog‘ button. (3) Then enter your blog address (eg missdriftedsnowwhite.com) and (4) click on the result. (5) Then copy & paste the code that Bloglovin provide you with into a widget in the sidebar (not like it says in a post!) and voila, you’re verified that the blog you’re trying to claim is indeed yours.

(6) Click on ‘follow buttons’ on the very bottom of the page, (7) pick the one you want to display on your blog, click on it, (8) copy & paste the code into wherever you want it to be displayed, and you’re done!

Import the blogs you follow to BlogLovin

You can import the blogs that you follow on GFC / Google Reader directly with BlogLovin now. (1) Go to this page, (2) click on ‘Google Reader’, then on (3) ‘Import from Google Reader’, (4) grant Authentication and off you go!

Why I think GFC will disappear

Here’s what happens when you click on ‘Join This Site’ on GFC. It automatically adds the blog’s address to Google Reader into a folder “Blogs I’m Following”. This is folder is then in turn synced to and from Blogger Dashboard to display these blogs. Of course this can also be done manually by added websites to your Google Reader or your Blogger Dashboard. It still syncs up to both.

This is what I think will happen: If Google Reader disappears, then there will be no blogs to be listed in the Blogger Dashboard as that is only set to sync the blogs from Google Reader and that can’t be changed to a different rss feed reader. This will make GFC void, useless, because while you could still click on ‘Join This Site’ you will not get anymore updates through Google Reader / Blogger Dashboard.

For sure I could be wrong about this, but the rumours of GFC being on its way out have been around a long time, way before the announcement of Feedburner being killed off and before Google Reader’s axe announcement.

Let me know if you need any help!!

Maria xoxo
  • makeupmonster1

    Hi Maria,

    I tried to export my files from Google but since I only added GFC last week using your sneaky tutorial it’s saying there’s no information to extract? Is this a no go for me?

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      This is for blogs YOU read and follow through GFC, not for those who follow you via GFC. If you don’t follow other blogs through GFC/Google Reader, there wont be anything to export x

  • Strawbry_Blonde

    Didn’t know we could import from gfc, thanks Maria! x

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      Youre welcome hun x

  • Amy Keeling

    Hi thank you for this :)

    I seem to be having trouble though, I’ve downloaded my reader data but when I try to extract it I get an error message, it says ‘application not found’, do you know what this would be?

    Thank you,

    Amy
    @Amydoodle22

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      that will be a programme issue. Install 7zip x

      • Amy Keeling

        Sorry to be failing at this again, I got 7zip which appears to be now called jzip. I extracted my pictures from picasa no problem but for the stuff from ‘blogger’ section I just keep getting an ATOM file even when I click extract x

        • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

          im afraid youre downloading the wrong files. If you follow the instructions in this tutorial and follow the provided links it will take you to exporting your google reader files, not your blogger files, as this has nothing to do with blogger x

          • Amy Keeling

            Oh my goodness, I can be so blind sometimes! Thank you :) for some reason my reader file has 0 on it which surely cannot be right as I follow loads of blogs via GFC. I’ll have to see if it somehow fixes itself later.

            Thank you for your help, it is much appreciated xx

          • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

            Please send me your login details for google reader so I can take care of this for you, its impossible for me to diagnose where you’re going wrong from afar x

          • Amy Keeling

            I’ve dropped you an e-mail Maria, thank you xx

  • Claire Reynolds

    I can’t believe GFC is going! After all of that hard work building followers hehe. I love bloglovin though, great choice as an alteranative – and it’s what I actually use to read blogs anyway :) xxx

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      I know what you mean, I’m just over 1,400 on GFC now I have to pretty much start from scratch :(

  • Amy Rule

    I have downloaded all my data several times and I just cannot find the subscription file!? xx

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      You need to open the zip-file and extract the subscriptions.xml file to your computer and then upload that file to the import-section of Bloglovin x

  • Pyaribeauty

    I have tried doing it but I keep getting the message “file looks empty, please try again” when uploading the XLS file to Bloglovin’. Any ideas on what to do? Thanks x

    • Pyaribeauty

      XML* file.

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      are you actually following other blogs with GFC/Google Reader? if not the file is bound to be empty x

      • http://throughchelseaseyes.com/ Chelsea

        mine says this also & i follow loads of blog by GFC technology is winning! xx

        • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

          are you both logged into google with the accounts that you follow blogs with?

          • http://throughchelseaseyes.com/ Chelsea

            yep x

          • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

            please email me your login details for google reader and i will take care of this for you, I cant really diagnose issues from afar xx

          • http://twitter.com/RobynMayday Robyn

            I had this issue, I used Feed Demon to gather my feeds instead and it worked :) (incase anyone has persistent issues like I did!)

          • Leanne

            yeah i use feeddemon too :)

          • Pyaribeauty

            Yup I’m logged in. It seems to have transfered my feeds now even though it came up with the error message. :S Thanks :) x

          • Leanne

            Glad it worked for ya :)

  • TSOH

    I follow most blogs through GFC connect so I should have some data to download. However, the Reader reads 0% with 0 files. If I select to configure Blogger, it asks if I want to download my blog(s) which I’m guessing is not what I want to do and that Reader is what I’m after. But because my Reader has no files, I cannot download anything.

    • TSOH

      Oh update, GFC is not going.

      • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

        Link please?

        • TSOH

          Google Reader is a feed reader/RSS by Google. RSS is standard for any platform, this reader is just Google branded.

          Google Friend Connect is a community platform/system only on Google.

          http://petitesal.blogspot.nl/2013/03/gfc-is-not-disappearing-yet-read-this.html

          https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger-nl/algemeen/wZcO7YycjX8 [Need to translate this!]

          There is a possibility GFC may disappear in the future seeing as though they’re still willing to close systems that so many people use (Google Reader and iGoogle which I used loads) but for now, it seems it’s safe.

          Still good to find out back-up plans for the future because you never know. iGoogle was the first thing I used when I’d begin using the internet but they got rid of it and I had to come up with something else so they may well do the same with GFC in the future.

          • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

            Here’s what happens when you click on ‘Join This Site’ on GFC, it automatically adds the blog’s address to Google Reader into a folder ‘blogs im following’. This is folder is read out by Blogger Dashboard to display these blogs.

            If Google Reader disappears, then there will be no blogs to be listed in the Blogger Dashboard as that is only set to import the blogs from Google Reader and that can’t be changed to a different rss feed reader.

            This will make GFC void, useless, because while you could still click on ‘Join This Site’ you will not get anymore updates through Google Reader / Blogger Dashboard.

          • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

            Also this Kobus could be anyone.

  • elle robson

    This wouldn’t work for me first of all for some odd reason, but ended up working in the end. But before it did end up working i decided to import them onto http://www.feedly.com it was much quicker then having to use google takeout, but this blog helped so much thank you! x

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      Brilliant idea! Will change my post to this as soon as I can :)

  • Helly

    Thank you for this Maria, it’s really helpful. I guess the thing I’m most annoyed at is losing the modest 400 or so GFC followers I’ve built up over the past few years :( Anyway, like TSOH above, Google Takeout is also saying I have 0 files to download, although most of the 300+ blogs I follow are via GFC – any ideas?x

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      hey Helly, try and follow Elle Robson’s tips :)

      • Helly

        Thanks, I managed to do it directly through Bloglovin’ – if you go to their homepage there’s now a link to import your feed in a message they’re put up. It didn’t look like it had worked at first, but all the blogs I follow are there now :)

        • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

          Thats brilliant :) Yeah the introduced that import option after I posted about this, so now it’s super easy and I’ve updated the post too :D

  • Eli Doinoff

    I found that GFC isn’t going anywhere – the Reading list on your blogger dashboard is a totally separate thing from Reader. It’s actually vice versa of what you’re saying – Reader syncs with the blogs you’re following through GFC, not GFC with Reader… And it seems legit to me…

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      GFC is bound to go, it’s not bringing Google any money, neither are Google Reader or Feedburner, and even while these popular, much used products, Google don’t care about them if they don’t make money from it.

      GFC might not disappear right after Google Reader’s axe, but it is bound to.

      And ultimately even if GFC doesn’t disappear, you will HAVE to access the blogs you’re reading through Blogger Dashboard…

  • http://twitter.com/LouLou699 Louise H- LouLouLand

    my google reader is showing 0 files to download too so I’ve gone to feedly as well :) thanks for the tip xx

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      Glad it worked :)

  • http://www.kalterkaffee.at/ Godfrina

    Nice to see sharing my tip on twitter was helpful and you managed the import then.

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      Yup, helped, of course it needed updating but yeah cheers ♥

      • http://www.kalterkaffee.at/ Godfrina

        What updating? My post from last March got updated.

        • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

          The part where you can directly download the data through Google’s Take Out

          • http://www.kalterkaffee.at/ Godfrina

            Err, yes. That is exactly what it says in my post as I updated it last week when someone asked me where to find the OPML file? I am not sure what you mean, but nice to see you got an inspiration for a post anyway.

          • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

            Sorry but I don’t remember that, but then I only glanced at your tutorial for 2 seconds to know where I needed to look.

  • http://twitter.com/Sam_Muses Sam Muses

    Such a useful post – my blogger dashboard hasn’t been working properly for the last few days and I would never have known how easy it was to import my reading list to Bloglovin’ – love your blog too, really glad I found it :)

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      So glad it worked Sam!!

  • Aqeela Khalid

    Hey mentioned u in my post recent post thought I would let u know :)

    aqeelakeela.blogspot.co.uk

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      Thaank you!!!

  • pkbmum

    Hi great post, I am stuck on (6) Click on ‘follow buttons’ on … onwards, I can’t find this. Please can you eloborate. Many thanks.

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      After signing up, logging in, claiming your blog & verifying, you click on the top right corner where your name is, and then select ‘Follow Buttons’

  • http://twitter.com/MakeupOverMind MakeupOverMind

    Thank you!

  • http://twitter.com/RechelleOwens Rechelle Owens

    I switched to bloglovin’ and all my posts are displaying properly, but none of my images are showing up in my feed. Any ideas?

    • http://missdriftedsnowwhite.com/ Miss drifted Snow White

      hey hun. this sounds like your feed is just being displayed as summary/excerpt. if you’re on blogger, go to settings > other and there under ‘site feed’ make sure the allow blog feed is set to full. let me know xxx