5

As programmers I think we are the most inclined to use new technologies and things that are not so mainstream.

I absolutely love OpenId's ability to log in with credentials you already have, but I always use a provider that I already use and that is the fastest to log in, like google. God knows I'd never used it if i had to type in the whole "https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id" I like to click on the google button and then just say yes (the first time, then its just clicking the button).

Does any of you ever uses the Generic "Enter your own provider" OpenId?

Do you think its worth to even offer it to more casual end users?

Walter
  • 16,158
  • 8
  • 58
  • 95
Francisco Noriega
  • 370
  • 1
  • 9

5 Answers5

13

Yes. I set up delegation on my own site, so I just use one of my own URLs. Easy to remember, and doesn't tie me to a provider.

Shog9
  • 8,083
  • 2
  • 45
  • 56
  • Yep - me too - openid.mysite.com/myname – Nick Pierpoint Sep 09 '10 at 16:19
  • Can you comment a bit more on how you set this up ? – Chris Sep 14 '10 at 12:27
  • Setting up your own usually means you can use your website to log in - depends what the provider supports. I use https://www.myopenid.com/ – cofiem Sep 14 '10 at 12:39
  • 1
    @Chris: In the of my website I have the following: – RickMeasham Sep 14 '10 at 13:07
  • Very cool, I am going to try this when i get home! – Chris Sep 14 '10 at 19:44
  • when you set this up does it allow you to add the users details into a database? – Jonathan Nov 10 '10 at 17:39
  • 1
    I'm on my own domain too, having followed the instructions provided at StackOverflow. And I use that everywhere I can: Disqus, Typepad blogs, Pharyngula, Wordpress blogs with the OpenID plugin. Everywhere except Blogger, where I use my Google account. – TRiG Apr 18 '11 at 22:55
  • I do the same as @TRiG described. On Blogger, I used to use my domain as OpenID, but just started using my Google account for the first time. Since Google owns Blogger, it seems to work a bit more seamlessly (like getting my avatar pic right) when I use Google login than others. But otherwise I'm really happy with OpenID per StackOverflow. – Ellie Kesselman Sep 10 '11 at 12:42
3

I'd say the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. If you didn't provide that feature, you'd have to include more presets to make sure everyone was covered, and (as Mr. C said) some people use their own sites to redirect to their OpenId. Forcing some users to create a new OpenId just to use your site would probably turn most of them away.

If you're worried about it confusing new users, you could always hide it under an advanced option.

Gelatin
  • 2,672
  • 4
  • 31
  • 32
  • I was just thinking that if you add Google, Facebook, Live (hotmail), Twitter and Yahoo, MyOpenId, Blogspot, Wordpressyou'd probably cover most of the users. – Francisco Noriega Sep 09 '10 at 17:03
  • 2
    It'd be nice to see what percentage of the SO community uses their own provider. Being the users that are more likely to use it it kind of would be a "best case" indicator. – Francisco Noriega Sep 09 '10 at 17:05
2

When I signed up to Stack Overflow they didn't have the big buttons they do now (I likely would've used Google). So I signed up for MyOpenID and still use it. It's simple to remember the URL, but it's even easier now that SO has a big "MyOpenID" button alongside Google etc.

Even if you're covering the majority of bases (as per your comment) it's not like it's any trouble to add an "enter your own" box - I mean, the Google/Yahoo boxes just link to the appropriate OpenID URLs anyway.

Community
  • 1
DisgruntledGoat
  • 497
  • 6
  • 14
  • The big buttons make a big difference! That sounds stupid, but it is true. It is very easy for me, and for users on my site (like my mother) to click a button with the MyOpenID logo rather than read instructions and get confused. – Ellie Kesselman Sep 10 '11 at 12:44
1

I use Yahoo for the most part, easy to remember if you set it up right:

me.yahoo.com/xxxx

JD Frias
  • 401
  • 3
  • 8
0

I have both a mylid.net account and a delegated myopenid account on my personal site. the stack* sites don't seem to like the delegdted account, so I use my mylid account here.

cori
  • 591
  • 3
  • 14