OpenID support continues to spread throughout the Web ecosystem and new names are added to the list of sites that support OpenID all the time. Since the release of OpenID 2.0, which includes better security features, OpenID has gained major traction as the single sign-on standard. Its biggest benefit being tremendous reduction in the number of login names and passwords that you have to manage. In addition, great time savings when registering at new sites.
Ultimately, all you will ever need is your single OpenID URL or an email address linked to it. Here’s where you can get your own OpenID and all of the sites that support it:
Where Do you Get your own OpenID?
If you have an account at any of the following sites then you might already own an OpenID that you can use anywhere else on the Web that supports it. The format of your OpenID URL will be slightly different from site to site so pick one that’s easiest to remember.
- AOL - openid.aol.com/screenname
- Blogger - blogname.blogspot.com
- Flickr - www.flickr.com/photos/username
- LiveDoor profile.livedoor.com/username
- LiveJournal - username.livejournal.com
- Orange (France Telecom) - http://openid.orange.fr
- SmugMug - username.smugmug.com
- Technorati technorati.com/people/technorati/username
- Vox - member.vox.com
- Yahoo - http://openid.yahoo.com (Every Yahoo ID is now an OpenID 2.0 ID)
- Wikitravel provides an identifier to each registered user
- WordPress.com - username.wordpress.com
Who are OpenID Identity Providers?
If you don’t have an OpenID yet, you can create a free one at any of these 80 and counting OpenID Identity Providers. Keep in mind that these providers all offer different features when it comes to OpenID. Here’s an excellent Guide for OpenID Identity Providers that compares their diverse feature sets.
Below are just some of the most popular OpenID Identity providers:
- ClaimID - One of the most popular OpenID providers
- myOpenID Another popular provider. Hosted OpenID server by JanRain.
- VeriSign’s Personal Identity Provider - Free OpenID Provider with support for multi-factor authentication.
- myID.net - Free OpenID Provider with support for groups and Korean language.
- myVidoop - Free OpenID Provider that eliminates passwords with security features, customization, and browser integration.
- MyLID - Unique because it’s the only identity aggregator as it supports not only OpenID but also LID and Yadis. Thus, your single sign-on such as mylid.net/Paisano would work on any site that supported any of those three identity services. You can also host it yourself by downloading the code here.
Want to Run Your Own OpenID Identity Server?
For you hardcore geeks there’s always the option to host you own OpenID identity Server. Delegation is the simplest way to get up and running with OpenID because it requires nothing more than an OpenID Provider and some basic HTML. OpenID for Developers provides excellent information. You can find additional valuable information at: Plaxo OpenID Recipe and Sam Ruby’s Intertwingly
Who supports OpenID anyway?
The list of sites that support OpenID continues to grow as increasing numbers accept the fact that it’s not going away any time soon and realize that there’s a great demand for it. The good news is that even startups are coming out of the gate supporting OpenID (Blippr, Rejaw, etc.) So, how do you know if a site supports OpenID or not? Just look for the OpenID logo on any sign-up or login page. It’ll always be clearly visible and sometimes even labeled with OpenID. Here’s a sample login screen.
The other thing to check is the MyOpenID OpenID directory that the folks at MyOpenID maintain. There’s also a handy RSS feed that you can subscribe to in Google reader or whatever RSS reader you prefer that’ll let you know whenever a new site has been added to the directory. If you know of a site that is not listed in the OpenID directory then simply send the site’s URL to MyOpenID’s email address for the directory.
Here’s another OpenID directory that also tracks all of the sites that proclaim to support OpenID. This directory is a little different because it allows visitors to vote for their favorite OpenID sites so it’s like digg in that respect. Here are the top voted OpenID Providers.
Here are just some of the sites that support OpenID with many more added all the time:
- Skitch.com - A Web service that gives you 1-click uploading of images for fast image sharing.
- PBWiki - Create a free wiki using your OpenID. It’s as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich.
- LiveJournal - One of the first blogging platforms.
- Drupal - The official website of Drupal, an open source content management platform.
- Mixx - The well-known news site.
- 37Signals - Simple software to help you get organized. Basecamp, Highrise, and Backpack are all OpenID enabled.
- Foodio54 - Has a database of over half a million restaurants with reviews.
- ToodLedo - An easy to use Web-based to-do list.
- WetPaint - A popular wiki host.
- Grou.ps- Allows you to create sharing platforms for your social groups
- Jyte - Allows you to make claims about yourself and your friends, give and receive cred and manage your contacts and groups.
Conclusion
OpenID continues to gain support and acceptance. Even the big boys like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and AOL have all made the decision to embrace and support it. One of the strongest signs of this acceptance occurred when Microsoft added OpenID support to their own Identity platform called CardSpace. Since OpenID appears to be headed towards becoming the single sign-on standard then it might make sense to give it a look to see what it’s all about.
---
Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:
SourceForge Now OpenID-Friendly
The Daily Poll: How Often Do You Use OpenID to Login?
Another Victory For OpenID: Yahoo Announces Support
Blogger’s OpenID Support Now Official
Wikispaces Adds OpenID Suport
Blogger Beta Gets OpenID Support
Wetpaint Adds OpenID Support