Social login: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 18:24, 11 January 2012 editFaustus37 (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers7,627 edits created		Revision as of 23:35, 27 January 2012 edit undoBrickas (talk \| contribs)33 edits good article. added info on application of social login plus more benefits. also some further reading articles.Next edit →
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	'''Social login''', also known as '''social sign-in''', is a form of ] using existing ] information from a ] such as ] or ] to sign into a third party ] in lieu of creating a new login account specifically for that website. It is designed to simplify logins for end users as well as provide more and more reliable demographic information to web developers.<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref>		'''Social login''', also known as '''social sign-in''', is a form of ] using existing ] information from a ] such as ] or ] to sign into a third party ] in lieu of creating a new login account specifically for that website. It is designed to simplify logins for end users as well as provide more and more reliable demographic information to web developers.<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref>

			Social login is often considered a gateway to many of the recent trends in ] and ] because it can be used as a mechanism for both ] and ].

	==How social login works==		==How social login works==

	Social login links logins to one or more social networking services to a website, typically using either a ] or a ]. By selecting the desired social networking service, the user simply uses his or her login for that services to sign on to the web site. This in turn negates the need for the end user to remember login information for multiple ] and other websites while providing site owners with uniform demographic information as provided by the social networking service. Many sites which offer social login also offer more traditional online registration for those who desire it.		Social login links logins to one or more social networking services to a website, typically using either a ] or a ]. By selecting the desired social networking service, the user simply uses his or her login for that services to sign on to the web site. This in turn negates the need for the end user to remember login information for multiple ] and other websites while providing site owners with uniform demographic information as provided by the social networking service. Many sites which offer social login also offer more traditional online registration for those who desire it.

			== Application ==

			Social login can be implemented strictly as an authentication system using standards such as ] or ]. For consumer websites that offer social functionality to users, social login often implemented using the ] standard. OAuth is a secure authorization protocol which is commonly used in conjunction with authentication to grant 3rd party applications a "]" allowing them to make API calls to providers on the user’s behalf. Sites using social login in this manner typically offer social features such as commenting, sharing, reactions and ].

			While social login can be extended to corporate websites<ref> - Altimeter Group, September 27, 2010</ref>, the majority of social networks and consumer-based identity providers allow . For this reason, social login is generally not used for strict, highly secure applications such those in banking or health.

	==Advantages of social login==		==Advantages of social login==

	Studies have shown that web site registration forms are inefficient as many people provide false data, forget their login information for the site or simply decline to register in the first place. A study conducted during the 2010 holiday shopping season by Janrain and Blue Research found that 66 percent of consumers favored social login as a means of authentication over more traditional online registration methods.<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref>		Studies have shown that web site registration forms are inefficient as many people provide false data, forget their login information for the site or simply decline to register in the first place. A study conducted during the 2010 holiday shopping season by Janrain and Blue Research found that 66 percent of consumers favored social login as a means of authentication over more traditional online registration methods.<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref>. Additional benefits:

			* ''Targeted Content'' - Websites can obtain a profile and social graph data in order to target personalized content to the user. This includes information such as name, email, hometown, interests, activities and friends.

			* ''Multiple Identities'' - Users can login to websites with multiple social identities allowing them to better control their online identity<ref> - AllThingsD, January 1, 2011</ref>.

			* ''Registration Data'' - Many websites use the profile data returned from social login instead of having users manually enter their ] (Personally Identifiable Information) into web forms. This can potentially speed up the registration or sign-up process.

			* ''Pre-Validated Email'' - Identity providers who support email such as ] and ] can return the user’s email address to the 3rd party website preventing the user from supplying a fabricated email address during the registration process.

			* ''Account linking'' - Because social login can be used for authentication, many websites allow legacy users to link pre-existing site account with their social login account without forcing re-registration.

	==Aggregating social login==		==Aggregating social login==

	Social login applications compatible with many social networking services are available to web developers using ] platforms such as ].<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref> Companies such as Oneall.com also provide single solution social login services for web developers. These companies can provide social login access to 20 or more social network sites.<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref>		Social login applications compatible with many social networking services are available to web developers using ] platforms such as ].<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref> Companies such as Oneall.com and ] also provide single solution social login services for web developers. These companies can provide social login access to 20 or more social network sites.<ref> (accessed 21 December 2011)</ref>

	== List of common social networking services using social login ==		== List of common social networking services using social login ==
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	*		*

			==Further reading==

			* - Social Technology Review; January 10, 2011
			* - Windows IT Pro, 2/28/2011.
			* - Misplaced Pages
			* - Slideshare, 2010
			* - Venturebeat; October 18, 2011

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Social login}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Social login}}

Revision as of 23:35, 27 January 2012

Social login, also known as social sign-in, is a form of single sign-on using existing login information from a social networking service such as Facebook or Twitter to sign into a third party website in lieu of creating a new login account specifically for that website. It is designed to simplify logins for end users as well as provide more and more reliable demographic information to web developers.

Social login is often considered a gateway to many of the recent trends in social software and social commerce because it can be used as a mechanism for both authentication and authorization.

How social login works

Social login links logins to one or more social networking services to a website, typically using either a plug-in or a widget. By selecting the desired social networking service, the user simply uses his or her login for that services to sign on to the web site. This in turn negates the need for the end user to remember login information for multiple electronic commerce and other websites while providing site owners with uniform demographic information as provided by the social networking service. Many sites which offer social login also offer more traditional online registration for those who desire it.

Application

Social login can be implemented strictly as an authentication system using standards such as OpenID or SAML. For consumer websites that offer social functionality to users, social login often implemented using the OAuth standard. OAuth is a secure authorization protocol which is commonly used in conjunction with authentication to grant 3rd party applications a "session token" allowing them to make API calls to providers on the user’s behalf. Sites using social login in this manner typically offer social features such as commenting, sharing, reactions and gamification.

While social login can be extended to corporate websites, the majority of social networks and consumer-based identity providers allow self-asserted identities. For this reason, social login is generally not used for strict, highly secure applications such those in banking or health.

Advantages of social login

Studies have shown that web site registration forms are inefficient as many people provide false data, forget their login information for the site or simply decline to register in the first place. A study conducted during the 2010 holiday shopping season by Janrain and Blue Research found that 66 percent of consumers favored social login as a means of authentication over more traditional online registration methods.. Additional benefits:

Targeted Content - Websites can obtain a profile and social graph data in order to target personalized content to the user. This includes information such as name, email, hometown, interests, activities and friends.

Multiple Identities - Users can login to websites with multiple social identities allowing them to better control their online identity.

Registration Data - Many websites use the profile data returned from social login instead of having users manually enter their PII (Personally Identifiable Information) into web forms. This can potentially speed up the registration or sign-up process.

Pre-Validated Email - Identity providers who support email such as Google and Yahoo! can return the user’s email address to the 3rd party website preventing the user from supplying a fabricated email address during the registration process.

Account linking - Because social login can be used for authentication, many websites allow legacy users to link pre-existing site account with their social login account without forcing re-registration.

Aggregating social login

Social login applications compatible with many social networking services are available to web developers using blogging platforms such as WordPress. Companies such as Oneall.com and Gigya also provide single solution social login services for web developers. These companies can provide social login access to 20 or more social network sites.

List of common social networking services using social login

References

Social Login: A Data Capture Game Changer (accessed 21 December 2011)
"Integrate Social Networks with your Corporate Website with Social Sign On" - Altimeter Group, September 27, 2010
Study: Consumers Don't Want to Register to Buy Online | Inc.com (accessed 21 December 2011)
"The Social Web's Big New Theme for 2011: Multiple Identities for Everyone" - AllThingsD, January 1, 2011
WordPress - Social Login - WordPress Plugins (accessed 21 December 2011)
Single Sign On & Social Login (accessed 21 December 2011)

External links

Oneall.com