Before we jump too far down the rabbit hole with OpenID specifics and implementations, let’s start out by answering a very simple question: how do I know if I already have an OpenID account, and if I don’t have one, how do I get one?

Let’s tackle the first part of that question first: do you already have an OpenID? The answer is most likely yes. There are numerous companies, serving everything from social profiles to email, that already act as OpenID providers. For instance, if you have accounts with any of the following companies, you already have an OpenID account:

There are many other providers also currently available. The OpenID website maintains a list of the most popular OpenID providers at http://openid.net/get-an-openid/.

Now let’s address the second part of the question: if you don’t already have an OpenID account, how can you get one? The answer to this is, again, very simple. Just pick your favorite site from the host of OpenID providers and create an account. You can now use that account login to authenticate through the OpenID process when an OpenID consumer prompts you to sign in to its service.

In addition to having an OpenID provider account, it is also a good idea to populate that profile with any information you would like to follow you from site to site, such as your name, email, location, etc. This will help prepopulate a profile for you when you sign in to a new service with an OpenID login.