Response to the use of logins
By Ryan Doom @ 10:16 PM
367 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: Technical

Response to original article on CodingHorror

Although I am extremely turned off by many sites that require logins to see what appears to be ‘trivial’ information I would not use API documentation as a way to degrade them on how ‘brilliant’ they are.  How about this concept?  Why would I want some random guy looking at my API documentation when he has never used my service?  In fact I wouldn’t even want you integrating with my application because you don’t even understand its uses and my audience. 



I hate logins as much as the next guy when I want to ‘try’ a service, but looking at API documentation is not intent to ‘try’ a service.  If you plan on integrating with a system why don’t you learn something about the platform first, and since Facebook is a rather robust social networking platform it would make sense to have to authenticate with it before using it.

In regards to user registration and logins in general I think developers should try to avoid them at all costs.  I think e-commerce is a great example, it’s not much harder for me to re-key my info in then it is to figure out my login to a system and verify all of my information before purchasing something.  Just let me key it in and get on with it.



I agree that reddit has done a nice job of taking my time and my privacy into consideration, I love the fact that I can sign up without giving them any personal information.  I think we will see more of this in the future, not due to concerns about our privacy or time but because of how the value of internet companies has changed.  If you do not charge for your service such as reddit & facebook you are often valued by your subscriber base.  The more demographic data you have the more advertisers would be turned on by your company, I would say myspace was valued higher because of the detailed information it had about its users rather than.  “We have a hundred million people, age/sex we have no idea, but we have a ton of whatever they are.”  Rather than “we have a hundred million people 75% male primarily between the ages of 15-25.”  “Ohh big advertising company won’t you spend millions to have access at our subscriber base? Please won’tcha! “



It seems to be changing now, either companies are satisfied with the other ways to monetize their business without concerning everything on selling it to the highest bidder or that they have realized a subscriber base is a subscriber base and now in 2007 that’s all people need to justify selling it.