blog post
Sign into Goodreads with your Facebook or Google login
posted by Otis on September, 01
We've just fully launched a new feature we've been beta-testing for a while: the ability to login or register for Goodreads with your Facebook or Google login credentials!
This will be very useful for many members as it means less hassle of having to remember your password in order to use Goodreads.
Want us to add other OpenID providers? Mention them in the comments!
posted by Otis on September, 01
We've just fully launched a new feature we've been beta-testing for a while: the ability to login or register for Goodreads with your Facebook or Google login credentials!
This will be very useful for many members as it means less hassle of having to remember your password in order to use Goodreads.
Want us to add other OpenID providers? Mention them in the comments!
comments (showing 1-17 of 17) (17 new)
date
newest »
newest »
Firstly, I love that you've added Facebook Connect and Google. But why would you need to "add other OpenID providers"? Would it not be better to simply add a single OpenID sign-in and explain to people that they probably already have an OpenID? Adding individual providers fragments the concept of OpenID and further contributes to confusion surrounding the standard.Secondly, does the implementation of Facebook Connect mean that users who signed up to Goodreads through the Facebook application can now access the site itself? I have a friend who joined through the application, and she can only manage her books through the Facebook application (which isn't as nice as the site).
Ben: great points. The answer to the first one is that OpenID is a great idea but too technical for most people. The way we've done it is much more user-friendly, albeit limited to two providers. We absolutely intend to add an OpenID sign in in the future however to cover the rest. There were other benefits of adding Google and Facebook that made it a higher priority.Yes I think it does mean your friend can now access the site.
I have been using the facebook goodreads link for a while now and whatever change that was made in the last few days has made it impossible for me to access my goodreads account through facebook. I have also encountered the same friends difficulty that Ben mentioned in his comment above, friends that joined goodreads via facebook don't show up in goodreads only show up through facebook. Until all the bugs are worked out I am going back to using goodreads and facebook separately!
Otis wrote: "Ben: great points. The answer to the first one is that OpenID is a great idea but too technical for most people. The way we've done it is much more user-friendly, albeit limited to two providers. ..."I just don't want to see something like, "Sign in with your: LiveJournal, WordPress, AIM, ..." etc.; such a dilution of OpenID only exacerbates the public perception of it as "too technical for most people."
I understand the desire to distinguish among Facebook, Google, and OpenID; the former two are exceptions because they provide much more than just OpenID authentication (and yes, they're also far better known than OpenID in general, and I accept that). Like I said, I don't mind that Facebook Connect was the first step. I can't wait for a generic OpenID sign in one day.
Thanks for another cool improvement.
Okay, now how about some innovation on the site itself? I'd be happy to suggest some tweaks to make it more user-friendly if you're interested. It doesn't seem to have changed much since the launch (at least it doesn't look that way from here).Anyway, let me know if you'd like my feedback.
Jan
(Webb Schools, 1986, BTW)
Hi Jan: We love feedback! And we are tweaking stuff constantly - to participate please join the Goodreads Feedback group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1.Go...And go Gauls!
Is this why every time I log out of goodreads I'm also inexplicably logged out of facebook? Whatever the reason, it's irritating as hell.
I have had a problem with my goodreads/facebook functionality. I don't know if this will help or not. But I have a goodreads account and so does my son. For some reason, when my post a new goodreads book to my goodreads account it doesn't list my book to goodreads. It does list my son's books though onto facebook as if they were my own. So I had to take it off.
Meg: sounds like your Facebook account was linked to the wrong Goodreads account. Here's how to fix that: http://www.goodreads.com/help/show/14-ho...
