What Does This Mean to Me, Laura?

Copy HTML:

If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Web Tech Guy and Angry Staff Person

read comments (0)

I am often asked about how to get buy-in for new web-based initiatives. I ran across this slideshow today, which is fabulous material for demonstrating the usual roadblocks one can run into.

View more presentations from edsonm. (tags: strategy web)

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Copy HTML:

If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

read comments (1)

openid One of the most common complaints I’ve heard about using various web services and social networking sites is the need for multiple accounts; multiple user names, multiple passwords, multiple things to forget. Who hasn’t used those handy “Forgot your password?” links at least once (or fifty) times?

The dream of many web users is the idea of having only one account to sign into multiple services. (Nope, you’re not the only one to have thought of it.) One mainstreamed answer to this need has been OpenID. This allows you to sign into multiple web sites with just one set of login information. OpenID is already in use by Google, Microsoft, MySpace, Yahoo, Plaxo and other major players on the social web. But you haven’t heard of it, you say? Unfortunately, OpenID has been tied up by several issues for some time, including branding discussions and poor usability. It’s here, it’s in use, but apparently it can confuse a lot of people.

Another entity has solved the usability problems: Facebook. However, their solution is closed and proprietary, an internal solution that doesn’t use the OpenID platform. This means, firstly, that you have to have a Facebook account to use it and, secondly, that it doesn’t play nice with everyone else using the OpenID standard. However, their solution is much simpler. Sites that are using Facebook Connect for logins just offer up a big blue button that the user clicks, and then signs in with their Facebook login information.

While OpenID is more available (at least for now), it can be confusing because it allows you to login to a site by typing in a URL, rather than a username/password combo. The site then references that URL to get what it needs to log you in. In addition, many people already have an OpenID and don’t know it. Chances are you might be one of them. Already have an account with Flickr, Blogger, Wordpress.com, Yahoo or a host of others? Then you already have an OpenID. Surprise! If you don’t have one but want to get one or start with another identity, go to MyOpenID.com.

Several high-profile web sites will shortly begin using the competing Facebook Connect service, including Digg, Hulu and Discovery.com. There is already speculation that, if OpenID doesn’t work out the kinks, that it may never catch up to Facebook Connect.

What does this mean to me, Laura?

If you require users to have accounts and login to something that is compatible with OpenID (e.g., a Wordpress or Blogger blog), it would be a good idea to enable OpenID for those users who choose to use it.
While Facebook Connect is probably easier to use, it is still dependent on the user having a Facebook account. It also is part of a closed ecosystem that does not work with OpenID.
Keep a close eye on these over the next several months; I’m betting there will be a clear winner by the end of 2009.
To learn more:

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Copy HTML:

If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

read comments (2)

Virtual worlds are everywhere now, it seems. Their purposes range from socializing and networking to education and conferences. And some just…are. Yoowalk seems to be one of these latter.

Well, ok. I guess it has a purpose. I just don’t see that it really is necessary. It seems to be more of a proof-of-concept than anything else. Here’s Mashable’s take on Yoowalk:
Yoowalk is a new Web-based virtual world that lets you browse the Web via your avatar, in a 3D environment. With 3D representations of the Internet, Yoowalk offers an entirely different browsing experience for the Web, that almost reminds me of the Chappelle Show episode that surmised what the Internet would look like if it were a physical manifestation we could walk through–like a mall. Yoowalk has a similar idea: it’s laid the Web out on streets and avenues, starting from more broad categories and narrowing down from there.

Here’s a screenshot of me “walking” through the CNN website:

As you can see, Yoowalk makes “rooms” out of each web site. You walk down “streets” to reach them. However, because the (limited selection of) web sites have been modified for this virtual world format, a great deal of content is lost. If you click on a story link, it opens up a mini proprietary browser inside of Yoowalk. Personally, I found this browser-within-a-browser setup to be clunky and annoying. Why not just go to CNN.com and get all of the content without having to slowly “walk” to it?

Mashable sums up the problem nicely:

While it is great that Yoowalk doesn’t require a download for its service, its vision of recreating the Web is one of its biggest downfalls, as there is no need to force users to change their browsing experience or take away from a web site’s design and user interface in order to make it 3D.

What does this mean to me, Laura?

Setting up information as a 3D environment this way is interesting in theory, but in practice Yoowalk fell far short of usefulness.
Aside from a clear purpose, I found the environment slow and clunky. The experience does not make up for the loss of informational content.
There is a social aspect to Yoowalk; you can connect with other avatars to chat and there is some minor integration with existing MSN, Yahoo or AOL chat clients as well. There is also the ability to create your own custom “rooms,” although the design tool is not easy to use.
To be fair, Yoowalk is currently in beta. It’s possible that this could evolve into something interesting ahead.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Copy HTML:

If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.