ManiaRavings is OpenID Enabled
Posted on March 15, 2008 in Blogging
3 comments
That’s right ! Now when you want to leave a comment on this blog, you don’t have to separately fill out your name and your email and/or your home-page:
if you have an OpenID, simply type in your URL and post your comment !
Wikipedia describes OpenID as a single sign-on system, to log on to many different websites using a single identity.
Where can I get an OpenID ?
You already have an OpenID if you have signed up for any of the services listed on OpenID.net. Additionally, you can also sign up for an OpenID at providers such as ClaimID, MyOpenID and MyVidoop.
ClaimID and MyOpenID can delegate your blog URL to use it as an OpenID.
ClaimID also allows you to consolidate all your other OpenID’s into one single account. It also encourages to search yourself online and even help to verify those pages that your solely yours.
With MyOpenID, you can even use your blog address to provide OpenID’s to your family and friends !
MyVidoop uses a novel technique to log in by clicking a series of pictures instead of having to remember a password.
Why should I use OpenID to comment ?
The word “Open” in OpenID can be misleading but actually, OpenID is a secure way to verify and protect your identity online. Because you are signing into a service, you leave a verified signature when leaving a comment on a blog. In short, you are saying that “it’s really you commenting”, instead of someone else using your name and url to comment by filling out the traditional form.
Because OpenID needs authentication, it hasn’t yet been exploited by spammers. Anti-Spam services like Defensio currently recommend using OpenID to comment to avoid being accidentally marked as spam.
Otherwise, using OpenID is simply a matter of convenience.
What you should know about OpenID and Phishing
Some observers have noted malicious websites forwarding unsuspecting users to “bogus” login pages of popular OpenID providers and then use that user’s OpenID to log in to other services.
In that light, I wouldn’t recommend you use your OpenID for banking, e-commerce and places where you don’t want your boss to see you !
Yet, another OpenID provider, ClickPass, generates a random OpenID to log in to websites, while keeping your username and password safe.
How do I implement OpenID on my blog ?
I’m using the WP-OpenID plugin available for download at the WordPress.org. It is not fully compatible with PHP versions 4.48 and lower and an error message generates at it’s configuration page.
I also created the Javascript to switch the form elements just in case folks get confused. If you like to have that feature, I’ll be happy to send you the (ugly) code.
In Closing
OpenID does have it’s advantages and disadvantages but it all depends how one uses it. The best I can suggest is to explore yourself and find out if OpenID is right for you !
Further Readng
- Staying on the cutting edge: OpenID for bloggers - Darren Rowse
