The simultaneous launch of Google Friend Connect and Facebook Connect is a clear sign that the social Internet is now a battlefield. The good news is users have a lot to win from that competition, by being able to log on to third party websites with their existing Google or Facebook ID respectively.

The two services may aim at the same thing, but they use different methods. If we look at Google Friend Connect, which has been in beta testing since May, we must mention it relies on the OpenID protocol, allowing users to connect with their Google IDs, but also with their Yahoo, AOL and MSN IDs.

The OpenID proposes a technology that allows users to create one identity that will work for an unlimited number of Web sites, which means we can forget about all those IDs and passwords we often lose track of.

On the other hand, Facebook Connect allows its 130 million users to expand their Facebook reach on other websites, desktop applications or mobile devices. Among the websites supporting the new service are: Citysearch, CNET and TheInsider.com by CBS Interactive, CNN.com/Forum, ConnectedWeddings, Gawker, Global Grind, Govit, Howcast, IndieGoGo, Inside Facebook, Joost, MoveOn, MyBarackObama, Newsbrane, Red Bull, SGN iFun, SFGate, TechCrunch, TripAdvisor, Yammer, Vimeo, vLane, and Xobni; alumni associations at Oklahoma State University, University of Toronto, Oregon State, and Ithaca College.

"We opened Facebook Platform in 2007 to enable hundreds of thousands of developers to create meaningful social experiences for users on Facebook.com," said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO, Facebook. "With today’s launch of Facebook Connect, we’re extending that power to millions of entrepreneurs and developers, transforming the Web into a more social place where Facebook’s users can engage in trusted social experiences with their friends."