Over the weekend there were a lot of discussions regarding the new Sign in with Twitter service, which was revealed last Friday. Ultimately it’s extremely similar to the OAuth authorization process that developers have been using for the past month or so. There are also a number of buttons to let users log in with Twitter in a way that’s somewhat similar to Facebook Connect. The primary difference? Twitter uses open standards, not a proprietary model as Facebook has built.
Do Sign In Services Matter?
With Twitter expected to become a standard login service among many new sites and Facebook Connect continuing to expand across the web, it begs the question: what’s the benefit of simple identity authentication? At the core “one-click” identity authentication increases the conversion of new visitors into registered users on any given site. Plaxo previously reported that their implementation of the open-stack for authentication purposes dramatically increased conversion of new visitors into registered users.
Ultimately users don’t want to remember a bunch of logins and these new services provide developers with simple methods of verifying a user’s identity. Many developers have also reported an increased level of engagement since implementing Facebook Connect, or open stack solutions. While Facebook is expected to implement open standards for Facebook Connect and their platform API in the future, there has been no firm statement by the company about when or if it will actually happen.
Where’s The Real Value?
Whether or not Facebook decides to implement open standards for their platform API, the most important question when comparing Facebook to Twitter is what service provides more value? If you are a developer there are various pros and cons of implementing Twitter for user authentication instead of Facebook Connect. We’ve listed out the pros and cons of each below:
Facebook Connect Pros
- Access to a user’s social graph
- Access to extensive profile data
- Ability to encourage users to invite friends and send notifications
- An existing membership base of more than 200 million users
Facebook Connect Cons
- Must implement a proprietary JavaScript library
- Active sessions are required to make most API calls
- Posting user status updates require extended permissions
Twitter Sign In Pros
- Ability to post status updates without the “extended permission” that Facebook requires
- Non-expiring access tokens (once a user has authorized your application, you can make unlimited API calls on behalf of them)
- Access to over 14 million Twitter users
Twitter Sign In Cons
- Twitter social graph is not an accurate representation of a person’s real social graph
- Lack of notification methods outside of direct messages
These are just a few of the pros and cons of each service. In the end it’s up to the developer to decide which service to implement but best of all both services can be implemented.
Conclusion
While Facebook grants developers access to the site’s user base of more than 200 million, the site’s API is still somewhat restrictive in comparison to Twitter’s which is essentially “authorize once, access indefinitely”. Twitter’s user base still doesn’t compare to Facebook’s but it is growing at a phenomenal rate. While Facebook will most likely open up their API more in the near future, no timeframe has been provided.
If you want to get a better “profile” of a new user that registers for your site, Facebook will be favored. If you want to crunch a bunch of data for producing pretty statistical charts, Twitter’s API provides “a big open field of your data to work with”. There are a lot of factors for determining which service to implement but regardless of which one you chose to use, the battle over users’ identities and user authentication is ongoing and fierce.
Well,
Twitter is nice BUT there is a BIG BUT, most of twitter users are sophisticated users!
Facebook is for EVERYONE and is the largest photo site on earth!
Mark my words: Twitter will be bought by facebook/google
Sam
I think there is one important “Pro” for Facebook Connect, and that is the relative permanence of a post on Facebook vs. Twitter. For instance let’s say your car gets his car washed somewhere in town and Facebook Connect posts that, and you ask your friend about it and he’s like “yeah they really did a great job.”
Two weeks later your car if filthy, I think you are a lot more likely to be able to find that Facebook Connect post about a good or service your friend used after the fact than a Twitter post. Sure it’s not impossible on Twitter, but a lot less likely.
Anyhow just one marketer’s two cents. =)
-nate
Interesting analysis, Nick. The most salient distinction may turn out to be–though these things are moving so fast I’m not sure–whether a site/developer seeks to have data proceed to someone’s real world friends or to a bunch of semi-random people who they may or may not know. Since many developers will probably want info to flow to as many places as possible, the answer may be both.
After just hitting submit on that last post it occurs to me that what may be most interesting is the way in which with Connect (and Fb’s new “everyone” privacy option) we are now increasingly using our fb identity in both a private and a public manner. When I post here it is intended for everyone. But when I use that same identity inside fb, generally I am intending it only for my friends. The difference is only slowly becoming understood by facebook users, I think. And the interface doesn’t yet exist which can easily segregate various sorts of updates from the same individual into public and private streams. Unless I’m missing something.
I think the interesting difference is the relationships people have on FB vs Twitter – i.e. friends they have real relationships with vs. popularity connections, which makes Twitter more interesting for authentication thatn for social data.
Developers looking for 1-click authentication who don’t want to choose – or force their users to choose – may want to check out Gigya Socialize http://gigya.com/Content/Socialize.aspx#Authenticate which aggregates the APIs for Facebook Connect, MySpaceID, and the major webmail platforms, and which just recently added Twitter.
Look for Nick’s podcast on the topic soon.
Very interesting analysis. I would like to add that companies in Brazil haven’t still waken up to the importance of Facebook and Twitter. There are a few P.R.s companies whose owners are bloggers. Those guys hire bloggers to “twitt” or “facebook” to promote their customers.
Congratulations,
Mary Jo Zilveti
http://nomadismocelular.wordpress.com
I have yet to use the Twitter sign in service. Although I am a bit concerned about the applications having the right to make unlimited requests on my behalf, I am glad that the twitter usage becomes more widespread and better supported.