Since we added Facebook Connect to AdJoke, I've been thinking a lot about how important our digital identities have become and what the future of our D-ID's could look like (Digital identities) Think about it for a moment.
Right now, the average person has at least 6-12 profiles across a number of sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Amazon, Ebay and Gmail to name a few of the most common). Each of these sites requires a user to create their own profile, verify their identity (by simply ensuring that you can type in a few letters and aren't a computer) and for the eCommerce bunch, confirm that your credit card has some room on it when you make a purchase.
For most people, multiple profiles are a pretty big hassle. Not only do you have to fill out the user form everytime you want to start a profile, you've got to verify your account via an email and remember your user name and password for each site your a member of.
There has to be a better way.
Facebook Connect is a start, however people might become wary of giving a site like Facebook (which sells your data to advertisers) more information then they already have.
So what's the solution? Here's a start:
I was pretty memorized when I first watched this presentation. It's a fantastic account of the evolution of digital identity and offers a few insights into what the future could look like. We need a verified identity from a trusted source (like a government site) that can be used across all of our favorite sites. I'm sick of creating profiles for ever site, spreading my information everywhere and knowing that I'm being put on about 1,000 email lists for advertisers just like myself.
Sure - this might not stop with one, firm D-ID. But it could get better. And, at the very least, I won't have to remember 30 user ID's and passwords anymore.
