Accessing the web from 35,000 feet in the air is becoming more of a reality thanks to airlines like Virgin America, who recently rolled out in-flight WiFi across their fleet. Now that you can get online, even from the clouds, Google Apps and Virgin America are teaming up to co-host a timed online scavenger hunt called the Day in the Cloud Challenge on Wednesday, June 24th. Thousands of people in the air and on the ground that day will participate in a one-hour challenge which consists of a series of puzzles and trivia questions. The top 5 scorers will receive a "Year in the Cloud" prize package, which includes a year of free flights from Virgin America, free in-flight Wi-Fi, a netbook computer, and 1 terabyte of Google Account storage for Gmail and Picasa Web Albums.

When developing the site for the Day in the Cloud Challenge, the team needed a space where competitors could meet each other and hang out prior to (and during) the challenge. They turned to Google Friend Connect to provide this functionality.

They first developed The Lounge to fit the design of the rest of the site. Then they added a members gadget, giving it ample space so that competitors could learn more about each other. Below that, they placed a comments gadget to encourage spirited pre-game banter between the players. After embedding YouTube videos to give participants ideas for how to prep for the challenge, they used a Polls gadget to add engagement to the site, asking people what they really do to pass the time on a long-haul flight.

Visit The Lounge to engage in some banter, take the poll, and get ready for the challenge. On game-day (June 24th) check back to see site members discuss the game all throughout the day.

Posted by Mendel Chuang, Product Marketing Manager, Google Friend Connect