Replace "OpenID URL" field with "Name" and "Website" fields

[feathertail]

Title:
Replace "OpenID URL" field with "Name" and "Website" fields

Area:
Posting comments when you aren't logged into Dreamwidth

Summary:
Make it easier for people to identify themselves, without confusing them with technical jargon.

Description:
This suggestion was prompted by discussion on http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/185270. Basically, the idea is that nobody knows OpenID exists, and they shouldn't have to be given a crash course just to be able to comment. But everyone has a website they call home, so having a "website" field gives them a chance to tell us who they are. And if their site plays nice with OpenID, then we all get the added benefit that we know they are who they say they are.

I also suggest adding a note right underneath, which says "LiveJournal users, enter the URL to your LiveJournal so that your identity can be verified using OpenID." Even if they don't know what OpenID is, that lets them know that their identity is being verified. Meanwhile, people who know what OpenID is will see that magic word, and know that we're doing authentication here.

Poll #1707 Replace "OpenID URL" field with "Name" and "Website" fields

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 36

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
10 (27.8%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
17 (47.2%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
4 (11.1%)

(I have no opinion)
4 (11.1%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (2.8%)

Comments

[feathertail]

A note brought up by denise in this comment: This could be combined with bug 759 perhaps!

[feathertail]

Er, inspired by that comment anyway. >.>

[zvi]

Replacing OpenID with name and website sounds good. But instead of giving a special note to LJ users (the goal is to work with the whole internet), just "(Open ID verification)' with an explanatory pop up seems much better to me.

[althea_valara]

Yeah, I'd prefer this.

[azurelunatic]

This.

[turlough]

+1

[matgb]

How does it handle people using a non-OpenID url? Do we reject the comment, or what?

I really want to push OpenID, and part of that is to improve the UI. This looks to me like giving up on OpenID, and giving people the facility to claim to be anyone without validation, something I'm not keen on at all.

[ratcreature]

As I understand it, if the url is not one with Open ID capability it would be an anonymous comment, just signed with a name?

[feathertail]

Correct!

[aveleh]

The way I was picturing it was to improve the UI so that you can enter your preferred combination of name and URL, and then the system would proceed based on which you entered and whether or not your URL is an OpenID. Rather than making users enter their URL in a different place dependent on whether or not it's an OpenID.

[feathertail]

Yep!

People know what their website is. And by mentioning OpenID in a "Website" field we can let them know that yes, there is a way to let everyone know that they are who they say they are. And then they can click the link to learn more maybe!

That way everyone gets some use out of it. Instead of people backing out and not entering even their OpenID-enabled sites 'cause they don't know what OpenID is. And they're thinking "Oh, I don't know what that is so it doesn't apply to me."

[zvi]

ideally, it would get folded into bug 759

[feathertail]

Ideally!

[feathertail]

aveleh is correct in his / her comment!

The idea is that it works in the background and degrades gracefully, sort of like having alternate CSS instructions for IE6. You put down your website so that other people can have the same "click this link to get to know you" thing that all Dreamwidth users have here. And if that website is OpenID-enabled, then they get the added bonus that we know that this person is who they say they are.

Let's educate people on OpenID by including a note like "verifies your identity using OpenID" on a website field. Rather than making their eyes gloss over as they see this strange "OpenID" field and thinking "Oh, I don't know what that is so it doesn't apply to me."

[matgb]

This makes more sense, and something I don't object to, so I've changed to 'implement with changes'--improving the OpenID UI is a good objective, I read it as if you wanted to effectively remove OpenID.

Still want to significantly improve the UI though, think this'll help a bit.

[feathertail]

Many thanks! Yes, it does need to be improved somewhat.

[aveleh]

+1

[gchick]

+1

[susanreads]

+1

[kyrielle]

+1

[instantramen]

+1

[feathertail]

I agree with you on principle that we shouldn't privilege LiveJournal users. At the same time, though, we need to take into account that very few people know what OpenID is.

Whether or not we give a shout-out to LJ specifically, I think that a "Website" field with an OpenID note would get a lot more use than an "OpenID" field with an explanation of what OpenID is.

[zvi]

I didn't mean that the field should say OpenID instead of Website. I meant that instead of your note to LJ users, the note should say OpenID

[feathertail]

Ah, okay. ^.^ I still worry that that might be confusing to LiveJournal users though. They might be thinking "Does my LJ count as a website?"

[kaigou]

Then instead of saying "livejournal" simply say "website, blog, or journal"? -- most folks do consider greatjournal, insanejournal, livejournal, whateverthehellelse, to be "journals," not "blogs", so being slightly more specific (without being ultra-specific) might let those uncertain ones say, "aha, lj is a journal, so it counts!"

[feathertail]

Hm, perhaps! We'd need to make it succinct, but I do agree something like that sounds good. Maybe just "website or journal" ... someone who calls their website a blog already knows it's a website.

Although on the subject of Blogger's OpenID thing, I do like how it automatically fills things in for you, so you know you're supposed to do the whole URL for your journal. If I recall correctly.

[kaigou]

someone who calls their website a blog already knows it's a website.

If you're talking about someone using WP, or Joomla, or Drupal, yes. Someone using Blogspot or its kin? Maybe, maybe not. Though Blogger/blogspot does that nifty give-you-option thing, I'm not sure folks would realize that another site (especially a journaling site, which is usually seen as more exclusive in its inclusions) would recognize Blogger-et-al in return. Specifying "website, blog, or journal" lets those folks know that they're included.

I can't think of any other terminology we use for "online regularly posted column", so it seems like those three would cover the bases. I think.

[feathertail]

Hm, I think you're right! Okay then ... the question would be, what do we call the field? "Website, blog or journal," or something else and then have that descriptive phrase in the help text underneath?

[kaigou]

Doh, you're right -- call the field "website" and in the help text put, "Enter the URL for your website, blog, or journal." Something like that, perhaps? Sorry, I didn't realize there could be help text!

[feathertail]

That might help. ^.^ Yes, I was imagining like one line of help text right underneath.

It might be good if the help text addressed OpenID briefly, and maybe had the word OpenID be a clickable link. Maybe something like "Supports OpenID authentication," after the part that you said. That way people who don't know what it is will still enter their journal's URL, and people who do will know of the added benefits. And people who are curious can find out more!

Looking at the comment form here, maybe we should replace both Anonymous and OpenID with the "named anonymous" thing people were talking about, and then have this for that ... not sure! I suggest calling it something straightforward though, as "named anonymous" don't so much describe it as differentiate it from an option that will no longer exist. (Plus if we're doing OpenID authentication, then not all of them will be anonymous anymore!)

[feathertail]

Er, replace "don't" with "doesn't." >.>

[matgb]

Aside: I actually quite like the UI for the way Blogger has implemented OpenID comments, you pick your username for a known service, or enter your full URL for others, nice and easy.

[feathertail]

I like that too, very much! What I don't like is that if you don't know what OpenID is already, you won't even click on it, or at least you're less likely to. Although having the LiveJournal icon there does help.

[kerravonsen]

+1

[jesse_the_k]

+1 to the general concept.

Another possibility is to shout-out by name to the LJ-code systems that the cross-poster supports. Presumably the cross-poster has a list of these, so it could even be dynamically generated.

That way the help text would have *examples*. "Enter the URL for your website, blog, or journal" (for example, user_name.livejournal.com or user_name.blogspot.com)"