Yahoo has many people who prefer to use their email services. This ends up making a large chunk of internet users stay away from Google services like Google Reader and Google AdWords. First Google allowed people to register to its various services using a sign-up. A Yahoo or Hotmail email address could be used to register.
Now Google has with the help of Open ID has made it easier for Yahoo users to sign up for services by Google.
Yahoo Users get to sign up directly with Google services thanks to Open ID.
How does Open ID work for Google?
- Until today when someone signed up with a Yahoo email address for a Google service like Google Reader or Google Groups they were sent a verification email.
- A link had to be clicked for the registration to be complete. This was a security measure against getting spam registrations.
- As Yahoo and Google both are part of Open ID project. Google allows the verification to be done through Open ID and not sending a verification link to the email.
How does this help Google?
It is quite easy to sign up to a Google service with a Yahoo email address. This means Google will now entice Yahoo users to their services. No email verification anymore.
This basically makes the sign-up process more continuous. One scenario that is often seen with new sign-up is people when they have to go back to verify their email address choose to do it after a while. This will be avoided and people will simply register and start using the Google service.
Will this work the other way round?
Will you be allowed to sign-up and register directly to a Yahoo service with a Gmail address. The answer is unfortunately ‘No’. Yahoo services will still need Google users to verify their account.
What are other advantages to Google?
This might not mean a lot of users actually abandoning Yahoo. But my guess is that Google might be planning to use this to lure Yahoo email users onto their Social network. At the end of the day one has to keep in mind that Facebook too is part of OpenID. 😉
What do you think of the latest development with Google and its Open ID friendly feature? How will it impact Yahoo and Google? Do drop in your comments and views.
Link: Google Blog | What is Open ID?
7 Comments
Could u please enlighten us on the “open-id” project ?
It is mainly a way for allowing web services to use email address to access other site without need of registration or authentication. It is often used on Blogs so people can leave comments using their email ids.
Do you mean that with your yahoo id you can access all google docs and other google tools?
Yes. We could access Google docs and other tools without having a Gmail id even in the past. Now there is not mail notification needed either thanks to Open Id.
Nowadays they are asking for the phone verification too…so will it ask such verification making a gmail id with yahoo id??
No! Gmail is a different ID. We can use Yahoo to register with YouTube, Docs, Reader but not with Gmail. Signing up to Gmail will create a separate Google Id and this can be used for all Google services anyways.
How does one log in to Google Groups, using Yahoo id and p/w.
Is it at all possible.
Gopal