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Hi David,<br>
<br>
I took up the challenge of writing some texts for consumers first;)<br>
<br>
The following text is free to use and I welcome any feedback on it (as
we are trying to improve it for us as well:). We have a "what is
OpenID?" button within our consumer distributions. This links to the
following texts:<br>
<br>
<br>
W<b>hat is OpenID?</b><br>
Bored with filling in registration forms? Lost your login information
again? No idea which web sites have what information held about you?
You are not the only one. Many web sites today ask you to register and
many people forget their login information which is stored in those web
sites. <br>
<br>
OpenID is like a digital identity card with which you can show to enter
a web site. You get to keep your information in one place and you get
to choose which information you wish to present to each web site. <br>
<br>
<b>How does it work?</b><br>
We provide you with an option to log in to our web site using your
OpenID. You enter your OpenID whereupon we take you to your OpenID and
request some information from you. If you agree you are returned to our
web site where you are automatically logged in. You can do this with
any web site that supports OpenID.<br>
<br>
<b>How do I get an OpenID account?</b><br>
Simply go to your favourite search engine and type in “OpenID provider”
to find service providers or if you wish to run your own OpenID then
type in “OpenID free and open source software” .<br>
<br>
[Assumed consumers will replace this with an advert for recommended OPs]<br>
<b><br>
Who makes OpenID</b><br>
OpenID is an open Internet specification which is maintained by the
OpenID Foundation. More information can be found at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://openid.net/">http://openid.net/</a><br>
<br>
<br>
... a version of this which includes a graphical walk though of the
"how does it work" process and lists of known consumers / OPS may be
the foundation of a "getting started" guide on openid.net?<br>
<br>
tom<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Recordon, David wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:EA9CEDCB44042E43A7C4D522C85731B1236A7F@MOU1WNEXMB08.vcorp.ad.vrsn.com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Fully agreed and glad to see Tom drafting some text versus justing
saying it sucks. :P ;)
Now to find that "getting started" guide.
--David
-----Original Message-----
From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:general-bounces@openid.net">general-bounces@openid.net</a> [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:general-bounces@openid.net">mailto:general-bounces@openid.net</a>] On
Behalf Of tom calthrop
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 12:15 AM
To: 'openid-general'
Subject: Re: [OpenID] Fwd: Excellent critique of OpenID usability
I fully agree.
It was not so long ago that no one knew what email was. Today just about
everyone has email in the industrialized world, however ask any of them
what SMTP is and in most cases you'll not get much in the way of an
accurate answer. Most people know how to send and receive email but the
fact is, most of them have no idea how it works (nor should they). They
have learnt how to use email via services (webmail) and software
(Mozillas Thunderbird as an example), but they rightly have little or no
familiarity with the underlying protocol(s).
In my humble opinion <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://openid.net/">http://openid.net/</a> is the home of the
Specification, the foundation and should be the gathering point for
developers and implementors.
Many consumers direct people to htttp://openid.net/ with a link entitled
"what is OpenID?". Would you put an RSS button on your site with a link
to <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.rss-specifications.com/">http://www.rss-specifications.com/</a> ? Upon pressing that link the
consumer should be introducing OpenID with links to preferred suppliers
(OPs). Here is an nice RSS intro example
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3223484.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3223484.stm</a>. It's down to each OP to
work on usability and accessibility and should not be of any concern to
the OpenID foundation.
So I would say (on <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://openid.net/">http://openid.net/</a>) clarify the sites role, then
provide an easy exit for those that are in the wrong place:
/Welcome, OpenID.net is the home of the <link>OpenID foundation</link>,
the OpenID <link>specification</link> and a gathering place for
interested developers and implementors. An introduction to OpenID can be
found in our <link>getting started guide</link>./
This gives you the rest of the home page to present development,
specification and foundation news (with RSS so that I can easily monitor
all activity;)
tom
Gabe Wachob wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">I see these complaints about OpenID.net not being understandable to
end users and I totally agree with that assessment. But that was never
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">the goal, and I think simply slapping up a list of openid providers
would be inadequate.
OpenID is a protocol, not an service offering or even a technology
that a user can use directly. Hence, I don't see why (as OpenID, the
protocol) should be marketed or even explained to end-users, IMHO. W3C
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">doesn't market HTTP to end users, it markets the web (to the extent it
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">markets to end users at all). This is like promoting the web by
putting up links to web servers and web hosting companies.
I don't think the community has actually figured out what messages are
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">to end users (though I know the marketing group of the OIDF is
actively working on this).
Right now, I'm simply not all that concerned about end-users not
understanding openid.net - it was never intended for them, any more
than RFC 2616 was intended for users of the web. I think openid RPs
and OPs need to describe to their own users what the experience is
going to be at **their site** - the bottom line is that the user
experience for each RP & OP can vary quite a bit - compare, for
example, the user experience on Jyte vs. the user experience on
Technorati.
What the community needs to do is provide the very basic cognitive
structure that the RPs and OPs can be plugged into. That's it. OpenID
is a piece of a new way of thinking about online digital identity
(user-centric, card/identifier-centric, not service/provider-centric
identity) and **that** has to be explained to the user - only then can
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">OpenID be understood in context in any sort of meaningful
(non-technical) way.
So, coming around to the topic, I think it would be useful for the
user's perspective to put together a good presentation/document/wiki
page(s) on user-centric identity (as opposed to a multitude of
username/passwords) and how OpenID fits into this space - I'm sure
there's something good out there to start with (or just use)?
Anyone want to work on this at barcamp block?
-Gabe
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->------------------------------------------------------------------------
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">*From:* <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:general-bounces@openid.net">general-bounces@openid.net</a> [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:general-bounces@openid.net">mailto:general-bounces@openid.net</a>]
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">*On Behalf Of *Stephen Paul Weber
*Sent:* Friday, August 17, 2007 1:38 PM
*To:* openid-general
*Subject:* [OpenID] Fwd: Excellent critique of OpenID usability
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *Stephen Paul Weber* <<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:singpolyma@gmail.com">singpolyma@gmail.com</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:singpolyma@gmail.com"><mailto:singpolyma@gmail.com></a>>
Date: Aug 17, 2007 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: [OpenID] Excellent critique of OpenID usability
To: Eric Norman <<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu">ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!----><a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu"><mailto:ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu></a>>
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">I must admit that openid.net <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://openid.net"><http://openid.net></a> should hide all
geekery on another page and provide a short list of OPs
On 8/17/07, *Eric Norman *<<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu">ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu"><mailto:ejnorman@doit.wisc.edu></a>> wrote:
On Aug 17, 2007, at 11:10 AM, Simon Willison wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"OpenID: Great idea, bewildering consumer experience"
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://miksovsky.blogs.com/flowstate/2007/08/openid-great-id.html">http://miksovsky.blogs.com/flowstate/2007/08/openid-great-id.html</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://miksovsky.blogs.com/flowstate/2007/08/openid-great-id.html"><http://miksovsky.blogs.com/flowstate/2007/08/openid-great-id.html></a>
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">This is a really valuable article. It's a critique of OpenID by a
usability guy ( <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://miksovsky.blogs.com/about.html">http://miksovsky.blogs.com/about.html</a> ) - it's
</pre>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->pretty
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">comprehensive, and provides some useful suggestions for improving
things at the end.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">Yes it is. Well worth reading.
And I just made a comment on his blog that most on this list
probably won't want to read. (Mercy sakes, did I ever put too
much cynicism on my Corn Flakes this morning).
Eric Norman
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://ejnorman.blogspot.com">http://ejnorman.blogspot.com</a>
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--
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--
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MSN/GTalk/Jabber: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:singpolyma@gmail.com">singpolyma@gmail.com</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:singpolyma@gmail.com"><mailto:singpolyma@gmail.com></a>
ICQ/AIM: 103332966
BLOG: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://singpolyma.net/">http://singpolyma.net/</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->------------------------------------------------------------------------
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
general mailing list
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general">http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
_______________________________________________
general mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:general@openid.net">general@openid.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general">http://openid.net/mailman/listinfo/general</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
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