Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Kiva Launches Facebook Connect

When you go to log in or register for Kiva, you’ll see an option to log in or register using Facebook Connect. 
  
Facebook Connect is a service offered by Facebook that allows people to log into other websites using their Facebook username and password. Facebook is one of our top sources of new registrations, second only to Google. So we thought we'd make it one-click easy to register from Facebook!


If I don’t have a Kiva account, can I create one with Facebook?
If you’re new to Kiva and do not have an existing Kiva account, you can create a Kiva account by following these steps:

1.     Go to Kiva.org and click “Register” and then click the blue “Create a New account using Facebook” button.
2.     If you’re already logged into Facebook, you will be prompted to allow Kiva to access your Facebook account. Click “Allow” and your Facebook account will be automatically linked to your Kiva account. 
3.     If you are not logged into your Facebook account, you will be asked to log into Facebook to connect your Facebook account with your Kiva account.
4.     Once you’ve entered this information, you will be logged in to your new Kiva account, and you can start lending!

How can I connect my existing Kiva account to Facebook?
To connect when you log in, follow these instructions:

1.     Go to Kiva.org and click “Login” and then click on the blue “Login with Facebook Connect” button.
2.     If you’re already logged into Facebook, you will be prompted to allow Kiva to access your Facebook account. Click “Allow” and your Facebook account will be automatically linked to your Kiva account. 
3.     If you are not logged into your Facebook account, you will be asked to log into Facebook to connect your Facebook account with your Kiva account.
4.     If your email associated with your Facebook account is different than your email associated with your Kiva account, you’ll see a screen asking you to confirm your Kiva email address and password. Type in your Kiva email and password and click “Connect.”

If I choose to use Facebook Connect, what personal data from my Facebook account is shared with Kiva?
If you connect your Kiva account to Facebook, Kiva will pull your current city listed on Facebook, your profile picture, and your first name into your Kiva account.


How can I share my Kiva Loans with my Facebook friends?
If you want to share your Kiva loans with your Facebook friends, you will have the opportunity to share after you check out and pay for your loans. You'll see a pop-up from Facebook asking you to publish your new loans to your wall and your friends' home pages. If you'd like to share it, simply click "Publish."



Can I opt out of the Facebook Connect feature? 
Absolutely. You don't ever need to connect your Kiva account to your Facebook account. Feel free to completely ignore the Facebook Connect feature, and sign into Kiva with your password as usual.


Any other questions?
Feel free to reach out to Kiva's Customer Service team at contactus@kiva.org.