Get an OpenID!
Posted by KMFNJ | Filed under Toolbox, Tutorials, WordPress
Okay - so you're into a bunch of different blogs/websites/services, but you don't wanna register a zillion accounts just so you can be a part of these communities - I know, I've practically built my house on that hill.And the "too-many-accounts" argument is all well and good for most folks, but the reason why side of the problem is that communities need a way to identify you in order to track user data, give you access to files and (let's face it) help combat spam. Is there any hope for this situation? Of course there is -- OpenID!
Open-wha?
OpenID is an open, decentralized, free framework for user-centric digital identity.
Translation: basically that means if a site uses OpenID all you have to do is log in with your OpenID -- ONCE -- and then you "allow" each site to authenticate you using a simple URL. You can even use your own personal blog or website if you want to.
Great. How does it work?
Glad you asked. Here's three ways you can get an OpenID (there's ALOT more, but these are the most straightforward I've found so far):
- If you have your own blog, I'd recommend using the URI as your OpenID.
- No Blog, but still want an OpenID? No Problem. Stop by and see the friendly folks over at MyOpenID, and they'll take care of you.
- Another alternative is using an existing Yahoo! account. To find out more about this method, head over to idproxy.net and follow the directions there.
- Oh, and there's still more ways to get an OpenID, if you're interested
- You can even watch this handy screencast by Simon Willson which give a great tutorial on how to set up an OpenID
Using OpenID on your own site
Well, if you're using WordPress, you can check out VerseLogic's Wordpress OpenID Plugin. I'm currently using it on my site and so far its worked well in testing.
For other implementations you'll probably want to check out OpenID Enabled for all the juicy details.
Okay that's it -- get your OpenID NOW!
Technorati Tags: openID, user authentication, openID wordpress plugin
One Response to “Get an OpenID!”
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April 28th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
For those sites that don’t accept OpenID, use PassPack - a free, anonymous (no email) online password manager and personal vault.
http://www.passpack.com
You can keep track of which sites you use which OpenID on (yes, many have more than one), store logins for sites that don’t have OpenID, and organize lots of other little codes, registration keys, numbers, notes and links.