We Have Always Done It That Way

One Login to Rule Them All

February 9th, 2006

How would you like it if Amazon required you to create a new login for each of their partners when buying a non-Amazon fulfilled product? Not much I would guess. It is clearly user unfriendly and would rapidly diminish their partner sales.

However, many associations require exactly that of their members for their web-based services. Features such as job boards, stores, listserves and others are often more cost effective to outsource. However, most associations will allow the vendor to require their own separate login, which doesn’t match the login for the main association web site.

I think the time has come where any serious vendor in the association market should support authentication from another system for their product and associations should begin to demand it.

This level of integration is relatively easy to achieve via web services. Sure, each association/system will have its quirks that may require some tweaking but the basics are well defined.

Hostile user/login management systems immediately cripple your ability to create member value on the web. We, as an industry, shouldn’t tolerate it any longer.

Entry Filed under: We've Always Done It That Way, Innovation, Technology