Keeping up with login credentials blows. Let’s be honest. Most sites that reap any sort of benefit for us as consumers require some sort of username and password to gain full access to a site. It’s hard keeping up with multiple usernames and passwords and the password email confirmations clutter up the inbox way too much. There is a nice, clean and mutually beneficial solution:

Social logins.

These aren’t new by any stretch of the imagination. Connect with Facebook and Twitter buttons have been around for quite some time. Initially, I was weary of them. After all, I didn’t want all these outside sources crawling all over my social accounts. However, the more sites I have to access with even more passwords (and having to help people find other passwords working as our admin for Salesforce and another VAR portal) I am slowly beginning to see the benefit.  The more opportunities for the usage of a social login, the less number of usernames and passwords I have to remember.

Aside from only having to remember a small handful of passwords, there’s also the marketing benefit on the part of the website. Being able to connect to a social network provides a marketing option for your end users. If users participate in activity on your site that they want to talk about, that option is readily available. It brings your site another link drop and gives your users a social outlet (whether that be positive or negative).

As e-commerce grows, so will the usage of a common login. Amazon started an effort up not long ago giving shoppers the ability to link their Facebook accounts to their Amazon accounts. It not only makes for an easy login for the consumer but also a way for Amazon to tap into Facebook's massive social graph to allow its customers to show off their new treasures.

Earlier I mentioned how I used to avoid the social login because I didn't want a lot of third-party applications running through my social network accounts. However, after forgetting passwords, usernames and junking my email inbox up with "reset your password" emails, I've adopted it. It does make things easier. After all, if the site posts something on my wall I don't want up there, I can always delete it. My guess is that within the next year, social logins (whether its Facebook, Twitter or Disqus) will be a standard for any site. I don't forsee myself linking my Facebook account with my online banking account anytime soon.

What do you all think? Fans or foes of one common login?

Related articles

• Twitter password phishing (sunbeltblog.blogspot.com)
• Kids and Passwords - What's Your Strategy? (wired.com)
• Got Hacked? How to Fix Hacked Facebook or Twitter Account and ... (sharepointjoel.com)