[OpenID] [LIKELY_SPAM]Re: [LIKELY_SPAM]Re: Combining Google & Yahoo user experience research

[George Fletcher]

In the discussions I've had, there was one other use case. That is a 
site that isn't ready yet to support the full OpenID cross-domain SSO 
concept, yet wants to streamline their registration process such that 
they don't have to use the out-of-band email verification mechanism.  In 
this case, a small extension to the OpenID protocol (similar in concept 
to AX) could be constructed that would allow a user to verify their 
ownership over the email address using a "synchronous" process vs the 
current async one.  So, if the RP's only concern is to verify that the 
user "owns" the email address they've specified, then the RP doesn't 
want the email address mapped to an OpenID, they want to know that the 
email address is valid and the user knows the password to it.

This use case isn't really related to OpenID other than it's possible to 
use the current flow and protocol (with a small extension) to implement 
it. If AX is about exchanging attributes, this would be an extension to 
"verify" attributes:)

Thanks,
George

Chris Messina wrote:
> On Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 3:03 AM, George Fletcher <gffletch at aol.com> wrote:
>   
>> I think there are at least two use cases involving email addresses that
>> can be easily confused...
>>
>> 1. Use the email address as an indicator or pointer to a valid OpenID as
>> the email address is an identifier that the user currently remembers.
>>   - this is the use case that EAUT is targeting and, if I understood
>> correctly, what Chris is discussing as well
>>     
>
> Yes. The point is, until MySpace users become familiar with using
> their "MySpace OpenID" or "OpenID" (depending on how we recommend
> MySpace market this behavior), we have ample reason to make it
> possible for people to use identifiers with which they're already
> familiar and use in common practice to sign in to web services:
> namely, email addresses.
>
> It also would provide a means to "upgrade" legacy accounts keyed to
> email addresses to use remote authentication via OpenID... reducing
> the need to remember discreet passwords (or sharing a unique password
> between sites).
>
> Although there will be increasing numbers of URL-formatted/based
> identifiers out there for people to use for OpenID authentication, it
> seems that a great way to simplify OpenID's offering and to make it
> more palatable to those who argue that they identify themselves by an
> email address is indeed to figure out the best way to enable that
> possibility, and to disarm that argument.
>
>   
>> 2. Verify an email address for those RP's that want/need/require a
>> "verified email address"
>>   - this is more about the RP getting a verified identity attribute
>>   - the expectation is that an OpenID based flow would allow a user who
>> has to verify their email address to do it in "real time" rather than
>> the async email method used today
>>     
>
> A common complaint that I hear from people using OpenID to sign up for
> new services comes down to an "OpenID tax": once they've successfully
> authenticated with OpenID (which definitely isn't quite as fool proof
> as I would hope), they're immediately asked to provide an email
> address and then to validate it, receiving an out-of-band token. The
> feedback I hear is that most people would rather just sign up with
> their email address in the first place than have to deal with this
> silly process.
>
> This will continue to be a valid criticism unless or until we are able
> to make URL-based verified identifiers more useful than email
> addresses to RPs.
>
>
>   
>> I believe we need to keep these two use cases separate because the
>> intentions/outcome is really quite different.
>>     
>
> For clarify of conversation, +1.
>
> Though solving both issues with one protocol/approach would be ultimately ideal.
>
> Chris
>
>   
>> SitG Admin wrote:
>>     
>>>> I'd guess that a contributing factor here is that most OPs don't support
>>>> passing the email address via SREG.
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> Since the discussion here seems to be about not only verifying E-mail
>>> addresses, but using them in place of a URI, does it matter whether a
>>> RP supports *receiving* an E-mail address via SREG?
>>>
>>> I don't want users' E-mail. I don't *need* users' E-mail. I don't
>>> care. Is the requirement (that a user be able to receive E-mail at
>>> their address) going to require me to be able to send them E-mail so
>>> I can confirm their OpenID?
>>>
>>> -Shade
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> general mailing list
>>> general at openid.net
>>> http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>> _______________________________________________
>> general mailing list
>> general at openid.net
>> http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>   

-- 
Chief Architect                   AIM:  gffletch
Identity Services                 Work: george.fletcher at corp.aol.com
AOL LLC                           Home: gffletch at aol.com
Mobile: +1-703-462-3494
Office: +1-703-265-2544           Blog: http://practicalid.blogspot.com