I always register with all new social "web 2.0" websites. Where you get an identity and you relate to others in some way or other.
To speed up the sign up process to any website, there should be an option on these websites to just give the URL to an XML-file on your webserver with all the information and links to pictures they ask for and the password you protected it with.
If something changes in your situation, you only have to change it once and it is changed instantly on all these websites.
It will then be easy to build interfaces that lets you change the file by SMS, IM, e-mail, phone, webform, whatever. It's on your website, you retain ownership.
Easy to bake. The only thing needed is a proposal for the format of the XML-file and we ask these websites to offer the option.-- rrr, May 09 2007 SAML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAMLDo it with SAML [hippo, May 09 2007] http://www.sourceid.org/ ...or some other federated identity technology. [hippo, May 09 2007] Social networking http://en.wikipedia...networking_websitesList of social networking websites on Wikipedia [rrr, May 09 2007] Open ID http://openid.net/ [jutta, May 09 2007] vCard in XML could be the basis for it http://www.xmpp.org...sions/xep-0054.htmlvCard-XML format currently in use within the Jabber community [rrr, May 09 2007] FOAF (Friend Of A Friend) Microformat http://www.foaf-project.org/As mentioned by Ian. [jutta, May 09 2007] Signon.com http://www.sourceid...essreleases/188.cfmAnd a month after this idea Signon.com beta was launched [rrr, Nov 11 2007] Identity 2.0 http://identity20.com/media/OSCON2005/ [Jinbish, Nov 11 2007] Sounds like a plan, but how do you stop me registering as you, as it were?-- DrCurry, May 09 2007 It's a great idea but I'm going to have to bone you for the use of the words "web 2.0"
The idea behind MSN passports was pretty much the same thing but not close enough to be baked. I think a service that you can register to once and then just give that username and password to other sites when you register. The problem of course with this and your idea is that sites can get reg info for other sites and then pose as you.-- marklar, May 09 2007 I just use www.bugmenot.com-- Galbinus_Caeli, May 09 2007 "Federated Identity" is the technology you're describing.-- hippo, May 09 2007 The goal of the "Open ID" project (originally from Brad Fitzpatrick of livejournal; adopted by technorati, some others, but not widely yet) is to make IDs shareable among websites. See link.
I'm not sure what the relationship between SourceID and OpenID is, but I know the writing on the SourceID website makes me throw up, and that on OpenID doesn't; Open ID is a foundation and Source ID a company; and Open ID is what jaded programmers complain about being a pipe dream and lacking adoption, while I'd simply never heard about Source ID.-- jutta, May 09 2007 This is not an authentication issue really. I don't care at all if other websites use my XML file to add me to their website. That would be great, it would save me time.
Actually, I would encourage new social networking websites to use my XML file to include me in their databases. I will link to it on my website, just as I link to my business card. It would be an improvement for me, because I will be sure they use the right information, the information I provide.-- rrr, May 09 2007 How do the social networking sites know which website to use the file from? (In effect, that becomes your new password.)-- jutta, May 09 2007 //the writing on the SourceID website makes me throw up// At first I thought you were making a joke, but now I conceptualise that you were delivering a cross-boundary, dynamic user provisioning meme-transference within the emergent identity space.-- zen_tom, May 09 2007 I will have to write that on a little note card and carry it with me at all times.-- jutta, May 09 2007 After I log in on those websites I give them the URL to my website and I get a confirmation by e-mail. A matching e-mail address is also in the file.-- rrr, May 09 2007 So you still have to log in the old way, once - but after that, you can centrally change passwords? Got it.
The OpenID project goes a step further than that in that it simply lets you use your ID from elsewhere as your username in other places. There really is no separate password (and not necessarly account information).-- jutta, May 09 2007 //This is not an authentication issue really.//
Perhaps not, but the issue of trust rears its ugly head.
In any case the concept of a federated idea is not particularly new and also the concept of "single sign-on".-- Jinbish, May 09 2007 The signing in can indeed be done with OpenID, but what I am most concerned about are the endless questionaires asking for your personal information.
These social networking sites are probably not your thing, as these are a tad too exhibitionistic perhaps, but if you would register with such a site you are usually asked about what you like or did as a way to describe yourself to the other members of the site: tv-shows, music, food, gadgets, software, dancing, holiday destinations, schools you went to, languages you speak, and so on.
All this information is on my personal website, but each one of those social networking sites asks for it. It would be more efficient to just link to a file on my website.-- rrr, May 09 2007 Hm. To centralize *that*, you'd have to create a format for what only appears to be similar, but what is really an endlessly pattern of small variations. There are ways of managing that, but all those technologies have a big critical mass problem. As long as few people use your format, big vendors don't have a motivation to change their code to import from it (because nobody uses it), and no motivation to export to it (because it would make it easier for people to leave).
I like this more from the angle of taking ownership of social network data back to the individual users and away from "social networking" sites.-- jutta, May 09 2007 The typical business card (hcard or vcard) format has to be streched a lot to include all the information common on those social networking websites. A few of the big ones should agree to some proposal.
Come to think of it, I vaguely remember one of those social networking sites in the business sphere with an option to upload your vcf-card.
Next step would be to have them add the option to just give the URL to your online vcf-card.
Temporary conclusion: I should complain to the customer service departments of those social networking sites that the option to link to my vcf-file online is missing in their questionaire.-- rrr, May 09 2007 I already have an FOAF-file on my website for some 4 years or so. It didn't do much for me so far. I should try to promote it and research the potential in this respect, I guess... Thanks.-- rrr, May 09 2007 Hasn't anyone heard of email?
Who can bother to socially network more then that?-- mylodon, Nov 11 2007 random, halfbakery