AOL OpenID News Excites the Blogosphere

The news that everyone who has an AIM account now has an OpenID URL has aroused all kinds of excitement in the blogosphere! As I browse the Technorati search results for AOL OpenID, the news seems to be spreading like a wave.

Current Posts

In the current most recent post, kgamble writes in a HighTouch Weblog post titled "AOL enables OpenID for 63 million users":

AOL has done it, enabled OpenID for all 63 million AIM users. I saw this mentioned by Fred Stutzman and Sam Ruby.

I went to OpenID.net and logged into their wiki just fine using openid.aol.com/k1v1n. Then just because I could I did it again at jyte. Very cool. I want this everywhere and I want it now.

Wez, in an "Evil, as in Dr." post titled "AOL switches on OpenID provider", says:

For those that are only casually following OpenID, this fairly huge news means that all AOL user accounts are now OpenID enabled.

The Global View

The news is travelling across the globe, as well. The Techorati search returns coverage of the AOL OpenID story in blog posts from:

• Germany: "AOL unterstützt OpenID"
• China: "AOL .. OpenID"
• Poland: "a wiecie, ze aol"

Conclusion

Providing something important for free to 63+ Million AIM users sounds like a very good strategy for gaining credibility in a Web 2.0 world to me. It's a very relevant and innovative accomplishment.

I do think it's time for some people to set aside attitudes about AOL that are now obsolete. Clearly, the company has reinvented itself.

-- Kevin Farnham
O'Reilly Media