Facebook is continuing to move forward with initiatives to spread its platform outside the walls of Facebook. The early implementations of Facebook connect by third-party sites focused primarily on allowing users to register and login via Facebook, rather than having to register through the site itself, but new implementations are taking things much further. Check out a couple shining examples below of how Facebook Connect is being utilized by new startups that you may or may not have heard of yet.

1. Thread.com - Thread is a new service that allows users to meet friends of friends through their social circle, all utilizing Facebook's social graph. When you sign in to Thread, you will see which of your Facebook friends are already using Thread, how many friends of friends are using Thread, and can invite...  Read More

By Corey Kossack

Y Combinator recently debuted one of its new startups, Listia, which the site is describing as "auctions for free stuff". The basic concept is that users list items they no longer need or want, and other users bid on those items with points earned through the site by registering, referring friends, listing items or purchasing additional points through the site. For more information on how the site works, see Michael Arrington's [Techcrunch Review].

Listia is a novel concept and has a real shot and gaining traction for a few reasons in my opinion:

1) They have a solid niche: Sure, there are places online where you can find and give away free stuff, but there aren't any recognizable brands in the space that do exactly what Listia does. The site does not try to compete directly with eBay or...  Read More

By Corey Kossack

As we have all become accustomed to transitioning to a digital age where printed business cards are becoming more and more obsolete, a number of startups have looked to come with innovative solutions to start leaving our old business cards at home.

My Name is E is essentially an electronic business card that allows you to share your contact information and your social profiles (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.) all in one place. While we've all seen that before, the twist is that you can easily swap "cards" with people in person using a mobile phone - and not just the iPhone. The video below shows how quickly you can transfer between phones.

What I find challenging about My Name is E is that it appears that both in-person users need to be signed up with My Name is E in order to...  Read More

Derek Johnson, the founder of popular group text messaging service Tatango has created a user-powered list of entrepreneurs/CEOs under the age of 30 to help connect young entrepreneurs to one another.

If you are a young entrepreneur under the age of 30, you can add yourself to the list here.

The form list was created with Wufoo, just a side note for those who want to create forms like this for your own purposes.