1. Surviving (and Thriving in)
the Online Identity Wars
Joseph Smarr
April 1, 2009

2. One year ago

3. Web 2.0 Expo, SF

4. I introduced two concepts

5. The “Social Web Ecosystem”

6. The “Social Web Ecosystem”

7. and its “Virtuous Cycle”

8. and its “Virtuous Cycle”

9. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

10. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

11. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

12. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

13. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

14. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

15. Together, these are now the
blueprint for the industry

16. Six months ago

17. Web 2.0 Expo, NYC

18. I coined a new term

19. The new “Open Stack”

20. The new “Open Stack”

21. The phrase has been adopted by
the industry and media.

22. The phrase has been adopted by
the industry and media.

23. The phrase has been adopted by
the industry and media.

24. The phrase has been adopted by
the industry and media.

25. Last month

26. SXSW, Austin

27. I floated the term

28. The “Slippery Salamander”

29. The “Slippery Salamander”

30. The “Slippery Salamander”

31. Despite that stumble...

32. My other predictions have
been pretty good:

43. What’s really going on here?

44. A sea change
is underway.

45. The web is
going social.

46. The Social Web
is going open

47. at a
quickening
pace, as

48. Facebook
MySpace
Google
Yahoo
Microsoft
AOL

49. race each
other to
open up

50. and vie to
become
your
preferred
Identity
Provider.

51. What’s a site to do

52. to survive in this phase of the

53. Online Identity Wars?

54. Let’s start with what not to do.

55. DON’T

56. DON’T
Ask your users to create yet-another-
account/password/photo/profile

57. DON’T
Ask your users to create yet-another-
account/password/photo/profile

58. DON’T

59. DON’T
Build proprietary APIs where standards
exist or are under development

60. DON’T
Build proprietary APIs where standards
exist or are under development

61. DON’T

62. DON’T
Try to win through data “scraping”

63. DON’T
Try to win through data “scraping”

64. DON’T

65. DON’T
Choose a “data lock-in” business model

66. DON’T
Choose a “data lock-in” business model

67. DON’T
Choose a “data lock-in” business model
Image credit: Naomi Bennett

68. DON’T

69. DON’T
Assume Facebook is now and will always
be a “walled garden”

70. DON’T
Assume Facebook is now and will always
be a “walled garden”

71. DON’T

72. DON’T
Assume Facebook is the entire Social Web

73. DON’T
Assume Facebook is the entire Social Web

74. Okay. That can help you survive.

75. What about thriving?

76. DO

77. DO
Customize your UX for the Identity
Providers that best serve your business

78. DO
Customize your UX for the Identity
Providers that best serve your business

79. DO
Anyone want a demo?

80. DO

81. DO
Implement FB Connect and Open Stack
or outsource it (RPX, Google FriendConnect)

82. DO
Implement FB Connect and Open Stack
or outsource it (RPX, Google FriendConnect)

83. DO

84. DO
Focus on generating Activity Streams to
ride the Virtuous Cycle

85. DO
Focus on generating Activity Streams to
ride the Virtuous Cycle

86. DO

87. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

88. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

89. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

90. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

91. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

92. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

93. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

94. DO
Go for maximum distribution; work with
all webwide aggregators

95. DO

96. DO
Build APIs around your unique content
and services, and do so in standard ways

97. DO
Build APIs around your unique content
and services, and do so in standard ways

98. DO
Build APIs around your unique content
and services, and do so in standard ways

99. DO

100. DO
Pay attention to this rapidly-evolving space

101. DO
Pay attention to this rapidly-evolving space

102. DO
Pay attention to this rapidly-evolving space

103. DO
Pay attention to this rapidly-evolving space

104. in conclusion...

105. In this time of
massive, rapid
sea change

106. the greatest
opportunity
comes from
aligning with it.

107. Let’s open it up for Q&A.