[OpenID] Purpose of OpenID Foundation and the Elections

[Eran Hammer-Lahav]

My use of the word product comes from the way OpenID is handled. A product needs a market and it needs to be marketed to that audience. Even if it is modeled after VISA and the likes, where VISA does not offer any products directly, most people think about their cards in terms of the major brand, not the issuing bank. So VISA is still a product that has a more unique distribution mechanism.

The main difference between OpenID as a protocol (technology) and OpenID as a brand (product) is going to be how we as a community and foundation go about promoting it. A protocol will benefit from more standardization and discussions with engineers, while a brand will need a marketing campaign targeting both the end users and the distributors. In both cases we need to research what the market needs but the audience we will contact to determine this will be different significantly based on the direction we take.

What makes OpenID a much more difficult sale than credit cards is the user interface. With a card, you pull a standard size plastic out of your wallet and show it. Most people don't really pay attention to the "We accept" signs anymore. If the card is accepted or not, a person on the other side lets you know. But with OpenID, there isn't (yet) such an experience where you "show you OpenID" and the site tells you if it is accepted. In addition, most sites will not even understand what it is you are showing them, but people in a store that does not accept AMEX still know what it is and why you pulled it out of your wallet (and they are prepared to say, "no, but we accept MC").

In addition, if every store had a different way of accepting credit cards (each using a different complex workflow or machines), people will get tired of it and use cash (which has a very consistent user interface). For OpenID to be a successful brand, the user experience must be simple and consistent, which is the most urgent issue facing adoption. I am not saying anything new here.

So far the foundation has placed the burden of solving the usability issue on the community and individual companies. It has not been a huge success. Even the research is pretty insignificant (incomplete sample from a handful of providers and individuals). If we want to showcase the OpenID brand (and not hide it like HTTP, SMTP, etc.), we need to invest resources (namely money) in significant research and development. If elected to the board, this will be my first priority to push forward. If rejected by the board or the attempt is unsuccessful, I will push for focusing all our energy on the technology and leave the brand alone.

EHL




> -----Original Message-----
> From: general-bounces at openid.net [mailto:general-bounces at openid.net] On
> Behalf Of Jack Cleaver
> Sent: Friday, December 12, 2008 7:30 AM
> To: general at openid.net >> OpenID General
> Subject: Re: [OpenID] Purpose of OpenID Foundation and the Elections
>
> Eran Hammer-Lahav wrote:
> > I'm not sure I understand you question. Care to elaborate?
>
> My question was not as facetious as I made it appear.
>
> A number of voters/candidates (including you) have referred to OpenID
> as
> a "product", or have implicitly concurred in such a reference. I find
> such references bewildering. I think these references are usually
> metaphorical, but this isn't always obvious from the context.
>
> I suspect that what is really meant may be that in addition to a brand
> and a set of specifications, OpenID can be seen as [the set of all
> OpenID providers and all OpenID Relying Parties]. Viewed as such, it
> can
> then be treated as the subject of a marketing effort, for example, as
> if
> it were a product. Potential users and deployers can be treated as if
> they were potential customers, and salesman-like questions can be asked
> about the "product", such as what are the TCO and the ROI.
>
> Is this roughly the sense in which you were using the term "product"?
>
> --
> Jack.
> >
> > EHL
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: general-bounces at openid.net [mailto:general-bounces at openid.net]
> On
> >> Behalf Of Jack Cleaver
> >> Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 11:29 PM
> >> To: OpenID General
> >> Subject: Re: [OpenID] Purpose of OpenID Foundation and the Elections
> >>
> >> Eran Hammer-Lahav wrote:
> >>
> >>> To sum my position: the main role of the OpenID foundation in the
> >>> coming year is to help OpenID become a well understood brand and
> >>> successful product that has the features desired by the market.
> >> Which particular implementation of the protocol is "the product"
> that
> >> you think should be receiving the foundation's attention?
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jack.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> general mailing list
> >> general at openid.net
> >> http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general
>
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