Ok, for search we have a lot of alternatives, like Yahoo, Digg etc.

It’s all about competition and searching alternatives for a service we use.
If you drive a Ford and you are unhappy with your Ford, you can buy a Golf or a BMW.

So, for microblogging it must be a good idea to have an alternative to Twitter: Identi.ca.
Twitter is closed source completely, but Identi.ca is based on opensource for Microblogging.
The service Identi.ca is an Open Source, CreativeCommons framework for a distributed network of federated microblogging services, based on Laconi.ca.

* What happens, if Twitter is down?
* What happens, if Twitter will grow and have more and more “marketing spam”?
* What happens, if Twitter will filter messages in future and we user cannot review what they do?

Microblogging is about people. So we will see, what the future will bring us.
But is there room to live beside Twitter (Google will close Jaiku as alternative, they not really stop the project, but put it opensource)?

Identi.ca have some good potentials to grow as service like Twitter in the same way as we have different
messaging networks like MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Google Talk.
Why not push Identi.ca with some good ideas from the opensourced Jaiku…

I’m looking forward to see future applications for Identi.ca, like Twhirl or Tweedeck for Twitter.
It should not be as hard as Identi.ca offer a similar API like Twitter.

Twitters first growth was based on their first-mover status, then they grew up based on fantastic applications from the community based on their public API,
but has Identi.ca a chance to jump on this wagon?

Chris Saad suggested on his blog: “using email as OpenID” (published 22 Aug 2008).
That’s a really good idea.

All non-tech people must be confused to enter a URL as identifier on login screens and everybody knows his email-address quite well and use it very frequently.

Another idea: why not use a mobile number (MSISDN) as OpenID identifier for logins?

everybody has one or more mobile numbers and it can also be used with a handshake-SMS to handle user verification.

Easy to use, best user experience, well known and MSISDNs are unique.

I know, that there were some experiments on mobile OpenId earlier this year, yet:
The OpenID mobile experience (published on factoryjoe in January 2008).

OpenId has with email identifier a huge potential for identification.

Image is attributed to wordle.net

Philosophy: As users, our identity, photos, videos and other forms of personal data should be discoverable by, and shared between our chosen tools or vendors. We need a DHCP for Identity. A distributed File System for data. The technologies already exist, we simply need a complete reference design to put the pieces together.

Mission: To put all existing technologies and initiatives in context to create a reference design for end-to-end Data Portability. And, to promote that design to the developer, vendor and end-user community.

• Facebook, Google And Plaxo joined The DataPortability workgroup.
• LinkedIn, SixApart and Flickr People Joined DataPortability.org.
• Addtionally, Chris Saad, Chairman of the Data Portability Working Group, confirmed that Microsoft’s VP at Windows Live David Treadwell is joining the organization in January 2008.

Read more:

• The dataportability.org public web charter
• Marshall Kirkpatrick has the ReadWriteWeb Toolkit for 2008 What’s Next on the Web .
• Chris Saad pointed to The Data Portability Timeline
• (Feb 2008) Eclipse Releases Its First User-Centric Identity Framework: Eclipse Higgins 1.0 is now available

Service applications know the importance of Identity and Security as key components of business mashups. It’s worth to have a look on the advantages of token-based security for Single Sign-On and web services security.

Multiple communities started with open first OpenSocial APIs:

The MySpace Developer Platform (MDP) allows developers to create applications that interact with MySpace members and their social data. With MDP you will be able to create compelling new products that integrate directly into MySpace pages and get exposure to millions of people around the world.

http://developer.myspace.com/community/

http://developer.myspace.com/community/myspace/opensocialref.aspx

Posted by The Thomas Koeppen Blog 2008.