This is a great video for aspiring managers. Excellent production as well.
These posts are targeted at Novice users or those who are not familiar with online and “the cloud.” I hope to provide a lot of jumping off points for folks who are technically inclined and want to learn more as well.
I don’t know if it’s the first thing people think about when they move to storing stuff online, but identity seems like a good place to start in describing key aspects of the transition. In my last post I expressed my preference for migrating content online using a single identity. Online ID is a topic that has a rich and interesting history. I’ll spend some time on this today.
What I use: Windows Live ID.
I’ll make two admissions up front: Prior to writing this post, I didn’t think much about what provider to use, I work for Microsoft so I chose ours. Even today I am more interested in the benefits the ID provides than the machinery behind the ID itself, but the research I’ve done for this post has piqued my interest.
(Source) | Marketing buzzwords omitted for clarity: Windows Live ID is the identity and authentication system provided by Windows Live. More than 380 million users have credentials that work with Windows Live ID. Microsoft offers two software development kits (SDKs) that make it possible for developers to use this service.
By creating Web sites and applications that combine user authentication with other Windows Live services, providers can offer users online experiences that include the following:
As indicated by the copy above, LiveID has hooks for developers building applications to integrate LiveID into their apps or services. This includes other identity providers. Part of what differentiates LiveID from prior Microsoft sign-on services is that LiveID encapsulates a strategy of Microsoft as part of an “Identity Metasystem” – this dates back to 2005. Indeed, like a well-executed handoff, LiveID can manage authentication across a large number of products and services. Sadly, it has done little to improve Seattle’s running game.
People may recall Microsoft Passport might not recognize the mission as it had been defined previously. Passport was more oriented (not totally) toward being the concept of a “Digital Wallet” and less a part of a universal (and multi-platform) authentication system.
Here are some more details if you want to dig into the history of LiveID & Passport. A great blog lives here.
By hanging my hat on LiveID, I’ll get to use the following services. This list is by no means exhaustive, but reflects the ones I’m most likely to use first:
That represents probably around 80% of what I’d want to share online. (Note this does not reflect 80% of what I do online). But at least it is a suitable basis for a hub of activity. For some of those things, Live also provides a way to share / link my profile to many things:
This is a pretty “robust” set of activities that encapsulates a large portion of what I upload.
Some additional benefits – if you use some of the client software like Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Writer, etc., you can authenticate to Live from the client – making a very convenient experience when I want to push content online. I write my blog in Live Writer. Windows Live Essentials would be the place to start.
But now that I have my Windows Live ID, these services know who I am, and this is a good starting point for figuring out how I want to set things up and start to share.
I’ll put the wraps on the post here and now. In short, if you haven’t done so, get a Windows Live ID. I’m certain it will only be more useful in the future.
Next Post: Mesh, Online Libraries and keeping 6 PC’s in sync at the same time.
This morning I watched a video of my cousin bench pressing 515 lbs, in support of his Strength Ministry. Apparently this is some kind of record for people who only weigh 308 lbs. He is also 6’ 8”. I must admit there is a little security in knowing the incredible Hulk is a family member.
I guess I just have to believe that I got all the brains… sadly I’m not sure that is the case either. He sets a high bar (so to speak). I can only hope to do as much for the world. I’m not sure it is as entertaining as rolling up a frying pan, but I think I can add some value from my blog.
Like most people I learn by doing. I spend a lot of time on the bleeding edge of betas (or alphas) for our products, I like to think of myself as a bit of a “tryer” when it comes to software. Until recently, however, my willingness to try new products stopped when it required me to join, subscribe, log in or establish an account. I spent enough time around advertising (including being a designer of it) that I am very suspicious of leaving breadcrumbs around for marketers to follow. I might be a “tryer,” but I am not really a “joiner.”
Contrary to perception, I am not a techno-gadget nut wanting every new experience out there. I am obsessed with a few of them, but not nearly all of them. Someone recently handed me their brand new Widget-Rich 2.3.4.0 phone to show me how cool it was. I checked it for a dial tone and handed it back.. saying “yeah. Pretty cool.”
I may listen to Autechre, but on some topics I am very much a laggard or at best a vocal member of the late majority. This is the case when it comes to online services. I have had a yahoo mail account for 13 years, retired one on Excite, etc. I also suffered their early iterations of a portal. I didn’t care that much for the concept because it always felt like advertisers got the best of that relationship.
Recently I have been much more aggressive with connecting my desktop to relevant services. There is enough good stuff out there (and with the promise of much more on the horizon) that makes this a good time to think through how I plan to service myself with content using “the cloud.”
I could recite a lot of messaging and benefits statements, but because this affects my basic productivity level, I’d like approach my sharing of the experience differently. I would like to share my personal experience migrating to online services for the things I do at work.
My next sequence of posts will be about the migration to online. My goal by the end of the exercise is as follows:
I am here-and-there on this effort today. I already have some of this working, but I don’t use it yet. We’ll see what it takes to get me from here to “there,” where I am using online as a method of managing my work content and schedules. I’m open to your suggestions, but I’m going to blog about what I use most: Microsoft Products & Services.
Off we go.