TypeKey, from Six Apart, the makers of Moveable Type, is an idea that's long overdue. They haven't released it, but in smartly pre-announcing it they've probably kept anyone else from bringing such a concept to market.
TypeKey is a free, open system providing a central identity that anyone can use to log in and post comments on blogs and other web sites.
Comment registration on weblogs has always been a problem. Authors don't want to require in-depth registration because it dampers conversation by discouraging new voices. Users already feel like they have too many accounts to keep track of. And because you can only kick someone after the damage is done, registration rarely discourages spammers.
A centralized registration system, from a "benign" corporate entity like this one, however, solves many of those problems. Users only need to register once. Weblogs don't have to expend effort developing and maintaining a registration system and user base.
Of course, the problem is deployment. That's the reason why only the developers of the most popular "high end" weblog software (Moveable Type) could initiate this kind of effort. They'll roll support for the centralized registration system into the basic software used by hundreds of thousands of weblogs, as well as offer the API to other software maker. Suddenly, there's a gigantic base of weblogs supporting the system -- making it worthwhile for users to join. An upwards value spiral begins.
Ironically, I'm sure the folks at Microsoft who run their Passport service would drool over this kind of situation. But their karma with the kind of heavy net users (ehem, "nerds") running weblogs just isn't very good. Not to mention that making it an "open" system where anyone could add support for Passport logint to their site would give those guys the shivers. Google might have the credibility to pull it off, but they don't seem to be big on registering users -- it's just not their thing, although new "personalized" Google features might change that.
This open system, centralized identity depository might just turn out to be one of Six Apart's most valuable projects, despite its relative simplicity from an engineering perspective. I can't say I'm not a little jealous that I don't work there -- the whole company reminds me of the heady days of the late nineties, when so many ideas held so much promise.
