There’s a lot of buzz surrounding OpenID at the moment, and there’s good reason for it too. The idea of one single login for all your Internet services has been the holy grail of online authentication for years.

OpenID differs from previous attempts at a global authentication system (Microsoft’s .NET/Live login) in that it is non-proprietary [...]]]>

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding OpenID at the moment, and there’s good reason for it too. The idea of one single login for all your Internet services has been the holy grail of online authentication for years.

OpenID differs from previous attempts at a global authentication system (Microsoft’s .NET/Live login) in that it is non-proprietary and decentralised. You are not forced to trust any one OpenID provider – you can choose who hosts your OpenID and if you fancy it you can even use your own personal website as your OpenID.

I know I usually try to register for online services with a consistent username/password combination, but this is not always possible. Wouldn’t it be great if we could log in to all our online service providers with one single login? Of course it would and that’s why we’re all interested in OpenID.

However, I read an article today by Kyle Neath on five reasons why he wont be getting on the OpenID train. Each of Kyle’s concerns are very valid concerns but fundamentally there is one issue that I think stands out as a potential show-stopper: OpenID is just bloomin confusing!

I can use any provider I choose to host my OpenID. In fact I can have as many OpenIDs as I like and switch providers if I want. I can associate my OpenID with my own website using something called ‘delegation’. Or if I prefer I can host my own OpenID by installing some PHP libraries and scripts. And, with my dozen or so OpenIDs, I can bunch them together and declare them as one using something called YARDIS.

And all this is BEFORE I’ve even logged in to anything…

So how does one log in to OpenID enabled services? You type in your OpenID, your are then redirected to your OpenID provider, you log in, and your are then redirected back to the place you were trying to log in to in the first place. I’m not sure how user friendly this all is?

Another thing that particularly irks me is that there are many services who offer to host your OpenID. However, some of these services don’t seem to allow you to log in with an OpenID that is provided by an alternative provider. Which isn’t very open and kind of defeats the purpose, as well as add to the confusion.

Out of the murky OpenID fog that is occupying my brain, one thought is overwhelmingly clear: OpenID still has someway to go. I clearly don’t fully understand it yet, and I’m a self-confessed nerd. My Mum and Dad are simply not going to get it, and until they do OpenID will remain that dreamt-of holy grail.

I’ve just completed developing a Facebook application for IGM Investmore. The application is a trading [...]]]> Of course you do because they are absolutely awesome! And luckily for you I want to raise awareness of a genuine competition where one is up for grabs. In fact, not just one is up for grabs but one every month!

I’ve just completed developing a Facebook application for IGM Investmore. The application is a trading game/competition where you are given £50,000 of virtual cash to spend on stocks and shares on the London Stock Exchange.

The game uses real data straight from the stock exchange so as the prices go up and down in real life, so do the prices of your virtual investments. The aim is obviously to make high returns off your investments – which is easier said than done.

The cool bit is that IGM Investmore are offering a free iPod touch to the most successful trader every month, and this is based on the highest percentage return which means anyone can win it any month – it doesn’t necessarily favour those that have been playing it for months on end.

There are other goodies up for grabs too so if you’ve got a Facebook account, why not head over to the Pinstripe Trader application now and start trading.

I’ll post again soon detailing how I found developing a Facebook app.

A small group of Internet software developers in New York are hoping to turn the world of online art on its head with a new suite of creative applications called Aviary.

Aviary will consist of an entire flock of bird-themed applications to help you perform any creative task, from manipulating images, creating unique patterns and drawing [...]]]>

A small group of Internet software developers in New York are hoping to turn the world of online art on its head with a new suite of creative applications called Aviary.

Aviary will consist of an entire flock of bird-themed applications to help you perform any creative task, from manipulating images, creating unique patterns and drawing vector graphics, right through to creating 3D models, audio mixing and even video editing.

It’s all one giant web-based RIA (Rich Internet Application) suite based on Adobe’s Flex platform. The guys developing the suite are keeping a blog which offers quite a few screenshots and even a few Flash videos of the applications in action.

My impressions based on these screenshots and videos is that the suite looks like a very slick toy. But toy it most certainly is – very bright and colourful, slightly Fisher Price!

However, as a demonstration of what is possible with RIAs it is nothing short of breathtaking. Sure, there are a few existing image manipulation tools and drawing tools knocking around, but this is an entire suite of webby-ajxay-flashy goodness – video editing… on the WEB?!

Looking deeper into the suite than just the creative toys, there seem to be some clever-sounding social media elements being built in, such as the ability to collaborate and share, and perhaps significantly, an online market place to trade your works of art.

I’m all for it! It’s not going to replace any serious professional tools we might use, but as a way of oiling the creative cogs and perhaps inspiring youngsters to try their hand at creating and sharing their work, it’s a great idea. And as an example of what is possible over the web these day, I’m very exited to see it in action!

I’m not the only one excited. Alan Mejer thinks Aviary promises to be one of the most exciting Web 2.0 apps yet. So what do you think Aviary promises? Will it gracefully soar to new heights and set new standards? Or will it come crashing to ground with bird-flu and gimmick stamped all over it?

BETA invites can be requested from the Aviary site.

It is a beast of a site that has risen from nothing over the last couple of years. In 2006, Digg established itself as one of the primary drivers of Internet traffic.

The concept of delivering democratically elected news articles sounds great in an idealistic kind of way. The reality however, is slightly different. As a [...]]]>

It is a beast of a site that has risen from nothing over the last couple of years. In 2006, Digg established itself as one of the primary drivers of Internet traffic.

The concept of delivering democratically elected news articles sounds great in an idealistic kind of way. The reality however, is slightly different. As a news reader it is important to take what you read with a pinch of salt – there is a reason the collective millions of Digg users are not editing newspapers or TV news channels.

However, for content publishers and blog owners, Digg offers a unique opportunity to publicise your content to huge audiences and generate quite staggering numbers of visitors to your site.

As David Airey discovered a few weeks ago, hitting the front page of Digg brings with it mixed blessings. David’s site crashed, he got warning emails from his host company’s abuse department, and many of the Diggers comments were less than polite.

So was it worth the hassle for David? I think so. There are a few things he could have done to better prepare for the explosion of traffic. An excellent article by Ivan at creativebits details a number of steps you can take to survive the Digg effect. These include choosing the right host, optimising your site and accelerating your PHP, amongst other things.

How valuable is Digg traffic?

Many people argue that Digg traffic is here today and gone the tomorrow, without having much of a positive lasting effect to your overall traffic levels. Neil Patel of Pronet Advertising disagrees. In his article, how to get the most out of Digg traffic, Neil shows how to maximise RSS subscriptions and return visits by implementing a few simple tweaks to your site.

Similarly, Darren Rowse of Problogger argues the benefits of Digg traffic and lists 10 ways to build a Digg culture on your site. Darren is quite literally the godfather of blogging and any advice he offers is well worth taking heed of.

An interesting addition to this debate can be found on Chitika, where Alden DoRosario compares the value of Digg traffic with Google traffic and concludes that Google traffic is three times more like to generate ad revenue than Digg traffic. Alden adds that this may be due to the Digg demographic – ad-aware, techy Internet power-user.

So what do I make of all this?

I find reasons to dislike Digg but the truth is I keep going back for my daily dose of Digg news. But then I’m a techy-geek just like every other Digg user. Digg users certainly are a very specific demographic. If truth be told a few Diggs would probably do this site the world of good. Whether my host would hold up under the strain, I don’t know? And whether my content is worthy of Digging, I also don’t know. That’s the beauty of Digg – it’s up to you to decide.

Many thanks for the recent comments from: Randa, Gregory, Daniel, Scot, David, Taleen and Tony.

I assume the creators of Twitter did not follow rule number one.

It may be unfair of me to criticise Twitter, primarily because I’ve never signed up and used it, but I [...]]]> Rule number one when launching a new product or service, is to check all potential names to see if they’re mentioned in Roger Mellie’s Profanisaurus.

I assume the creators of Twitter did not follow rule number one.

It may be unfair of me to criticise Twitter, primarily because I’ve never signed up and used it, but I fail to see the point. Twitter claims to be, “A global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing?”

I am obviously a grumpy old git with no friends asking another simple question: Who cares?

In fact I do have friends – I have real-life friends who I struggle to spend enough time with due to the sometimes overwhelming amount of things I fill my life with. This superb chart I found on Kathy Sierra’s article, Is Twitter TOO good?, demonstrates my point excellently:

It seems that Twitter is one of those things that you either love or hate. It is incredibly popular and many people are putting it to good use. On 901am, Sharon Sarmiento lists five ways smart people use Twitter, and over on lifehack.org, Chris Brogan lists another five ways to use Twitter for good. Whereas over on the Intuitive Life Business Blog, Dave Taylor is another Twitter-cynic wondering who the heck cares?

Personally, I just don’t get it and don’t particularly want to get it. And at this point I revert back to my rule number one and our dear friend Roger Mellie. Be warned, do not to click the following link if you are offended by profanity. Otherwise, enjoy the true definition of twitter.

I’ve used Google Apps since it first surfaced in early 2006 with the catchy and self explanatory title, Gmail for Your Domain. Google quickly added extra features such as Google Calendar and Google Talk, and the [...]]]> Today Google relaunched its Google Apps product, with the addition of Docs & Spreadsheets to is Microsoft-challenging web-based productivity suite.

I’ve used Google Apps since it first surfaced in early 2006 with the catchy and self explanatory title, Gmail for Your Domain. Google quickly added extra features such as Google Calendar and Google Talk, and the name evolved to Google Apps for your Domain.

The addition of Docs & Spreadsheets to the suite of services has been widely requested by users, and to be honest was a fairly obvious next step for Google. What’s more, they now offer a Premium edition targeted at businesses for $50 per user per year. The Standard edition is still free to use, but obviously with a few less features than Premium.

Whether fifty fat ones equates to good value or not is open to debate. What is certain though is that this move brings Microsoft firmly within Google’s sights. On average, businesses pay Microsoft about $225 per user per year for Office and Exchange licenses. For a large firm of 1,000, the $175,000 saving might just prove tempting.

Personally I don’t think there will be a huge tide of firms moving their user base over to Google just yet. Whilst Gmail, Calendar and Chat have a lot going for them, currently Docs & Spreadsheets are a long way off Microsoft Office feature-wise.

However, as the Internet evolves, the number of applications being delivered ‘virtually’ through a browser window is growing. Is the future of computing purely web-driven? Will all software applications be delivered over the Internet eventually? Will the future computer be nothing more than an access point to the Internet?

If the answer to any of the above is yes (which it will be for a lot of people), then Google are leading the way. For now Microsoft Office continues to reign supreme, but for the traditional off-the-shelf model of software, its days are numbered. But Google Apps still has a long way to go, which gives Microsoft plenty of time to catchup.