If this sounds like web talk hocus pocus, that's OK. This discussion is for the "Immanent Future" category of the Sun Powered Productions blog. In the last few months Identity 2.0 technology has begun to be supported by many major web applications. In the near future (say 2-5 years), the myriad of on line profiles or user accounts we have for every shopsite, blog, forum or community site we belong to will begin to be consolidated into a single profile that we will own and manage. When we visit a website our Identity 2.0 profile automatically handles all our payment, profile and other preferences. So, no more writing in your payment info or searching for lost passwords. Scary? Maybe, but it's definitely happening. Something to consider in the near future is whether you want your website, shopsite or blog to support Identity 2.0 technology. To find out more, take a look at openid.net or Dick Hardt's 2005 Identity 2.0 keynote speech.

How does this attract people to your website? Well, for the most part, Identity 2.0 has more to do with serving visitors once they get to your site. However, for a brief period of time, those who support Identity 2.0 will gain the attention (and admiration) of the early adapters of Identity 2.0.