When Google finally took the wraps off its stealth social networking project recently, Facebook detractors everywhere joyously cheered its arrival. Sure, Google has had its share of privacy issues to deal with in the past too, but the mere fact that Google+ isn’t Facebook is enough to win over those who wish to distance themselves from the Zuckerberg collective. Zuck himself has had an account from day one, possibly to keep tabs on the exodus?
But if you’ve made the decision to cut your social networking ties with Facebook entirely, shut down your account, and move the whole kit and kaboodle to Google+ there are some impediments. One of the most bothersome is that there’s no first-party way to import your Facebook friends as contacts for your Circles. One early workaround some users employed involved setting up Yahoo! as a middleman, pumping in Facebook data and then shooting it over to Google+.
If you happen to be a Google Chrome user, however, there’s now an easier option: the Facebook Friend Exporter extension. The extension allows you to export to a comma-delimited text file or pass them directly to Gmail where they’ll appear in a folder labeled “Imported from Facebook.” From there, of course, Google+ can go to work.
Right now, Facebook Friend Exporter only works on the English version of Facebook, and you’ll also need to visit the standard HTTP version of the site as the SSL-encrypted version interferes with the script’s operation. You may also need to disable any other Facebook-related extensions you have installed, such as Better Facebook.
Though it’s still considered a beta version, Facebook Friend Exporter works very well and might just be the easiest way to get your friends imported into Google+ in a hurry. The project is also open source, and its developer welcomes contributions over on its GitHub page.
And don’t forget, once you’ve finished importing your contacts you can even make Google+ look more like Facebook to complete the illusion — if you’re into that sort of thing.
More at Cnet
