We are glad to anounce the release of a potential plugin for Elgg. The “Open login plugin for Elgg 1.7.x”. This plugin will allow your guests to login to your Elgg sites in two simple steps.

1. Click on the Service provider button
2. Allow  the access for the service
3. No more steps, the user account is created and the user is logged in to the site.

Try it yourself : Demo

Why should I use it? Why cant I continue with normal elgg registration method?

You can continue with the normal elgg registration. But see these statistics first

In December 2010, Blue Research conducted a first of its kind study to understand consumer attitudes about traditional online registration processes as well as perceptions around using social identities across the web. Surveying a U.S. representative sample of over 600 consumers, the results show a shift in behavior patterns and demonstrate the challenges of obtaining accurate information about online consumers.

The impact on brands is significant. Consumers interested in using social sign-in are more valuable to companies – they are more likely to return to sites offering social sign-in, they spend larger dollar amounts on the site and have more favorable views about the brand.

A few of the findings:

• 76% of consumers admit to having given incorrect info
• 45% admit to leaving a website if they forgot their password
• 66% believe social sign-in should be offered

The above statistics definitely shows that the more success rate is with a global social sign in. So thats what the Open login plugin provides, a global sign in for your Elgg sites.

Features

• No need of filling up any login forms and waiting for validation emails to sign in to your site.
• User can log into with any of the three accounts from Google, Yahoo & AOL in just two steps.
• No problems of user not receiving the validation emails and not able to login.
• It will create a new account for the user with a random unique password. The account details will be sent to the user by an email on first login, so that user can also login by that generated username and password. So even if the openid provider stops working, your users can continue to login to your site.
• On re-login by the same Service provider, user will be mapped to his/her account.
• Ban and delete these users as regular users
• More services to be added soon.

Sound intresting? How can I get the plugin?

You can purchase the plugin from here or from the commercial repo for elgg plugins at PluginGalaxy

How to install it?

Just like anyother elgg plugin, Download>Unzip>Upload to mod>Enable it