Mark Evans

Big Boost for OpenID

Can Yahoo - or Google, for that matter - resuscitate/salvage OpenID?

The answer is probably, at best, “maybe”, although OpenID’s struggle to gain acceptance as a universal sign-in service received a major boost on Yahoo’s decision to support OpenID 2.0. (Note: I don’t share TechCrunch’s enthusiasm for the announcement, which it calls a “massive win” for OpenID.)

According to TechCrunch, there are about 120 million OpenID accounts, although it would be difficult to find someone who uses one on a regular basis - probably because few Web sites offer it as an option. Keep in mind, the 120 million figure is torqued by the fact 60 million AOL users were given one last year - regardless of whether they wanted one.

In concept, OpenID makes a lot of sense given it’s a way to easily access Web sites rather than using a password tool such as RoboForm and 1Password. The problem is that OpenID has become a lot like Bluetooth - it looks like a something that should really resonate with people but hasn’t panned out.

My sense is you can have all kinds of big online players jump on the bandwagon but unless OpenID’s benefits are well-explained, it will continue to languish.

You can read an earlier post that I did on OpenID’s struggles here. As well, Search Engine Land suggests OpenID is aligned with another bigger issue: data portability. As well, SEL raises the ugly specter of competition that could stifle universal acceptance of OpenID. ReadWriteWeb - as usual - had a great post on what Yahoo’s move means and what needs to be done to jump-start OpenID’s acceptance by users and Web sites.

Technorati Tags: OpenID, Yahoo