IDNTITI

We are a “Rating 2.0” site

2009-04-30T13:14:27-07:00

As you have learned by now, IDNTITI focuses on "Quantitative rating" only. To make the site user generated and user owned – a truly web 2.0 site, we came up with a paradigm whereby users can create the questions and parameters that are rated by the community. So, the parameters that you see below in the picture which is our core rating tool (marked in red circles) are all user created. We don't create them, we don't own them, but just monitor them and build logical rules for holding relevance to the entity being rated. For example – a parameter, such as "Menu Choice" or "Good for Dinner" are relevant only when you rate a "Restaurant" and not your employer (Company). We might step-in to edit, merge or delete the "parameter" side of the data based on its appropriateness, but we don't have access to meddle with user opinion or feedback. User can click "Create a parameter" and create any parameter that he doesn't find in the rating page for which he/she has feedback. Once created, these parameters become part of the rating sheet and are available for other users to choose from.

The user generated ratings are then analyzed by our algorithms and programs to check for validity of the user, duplicity of the rater etc., and published back to the site for visitors to review them. In the below example, you will see that the parameters that are rated by the users as well as the ratings are user contributed. We are just intermediaries that help keep the site clean.

We hope to see you generously contribute to the website and help us grow. Send us your suggestions at feedback@idntiti.com.

Application Zone

2009-04-29T23:51:40-07:00

We heard feedback from users and made small changes to the site navigation. With the launch of Application Zone on the right top of the site, users can now get into their favorite app in a single click. While the landing page of our site will provide you with a consolidated view of information of most apps, the rich content will be available for you through the individual app pages – we call them micro-apps.

We have launched the following three micro-apps to begin with:

Restaurant app – over a million restaurants data worldwide could be accessed thru this app. Just enter the name of the restaurant and the city and you will be presented with the restaurant and it's rating information.
American Idol app – We have been updating this app which is a beta app to test our voting tool. We encourage users to help rate and invite friends so we could test this app thoroughly before expanding the scope of the voting tool.
My Reputation app – We brought self reputation tool into one micro-app. You can invite friends, family and colleagues to rate you so you can understand your reputation as perceived by your community. The data is confidential, so invite your community and understand your reputation.

Clicking on "Restaurant Rating app" will take you to the page with data of restaurants in a nice format. You can look at the restaurants in a city, similar restaurants in the neighborhood, location of the restaurant on a map, and advanced search feature to identify specific restaurants that qualify on specific parameters. You can also see the rater's demographics.

We want your feedback so we can roll this format to other entities such as Schools, Colleges, Companies, Hospitals, Hotels etc. shortly.

The secrets of a “member only” zone at IDNTITI.com

2008-12-19T18:38:54-08:00

Yes, it is a bit difficult to see if you are not yet a member. Because most of what we are offering to members is protected by privacy policy, we can't let you in - unless you register. So, I thought I'd give you a small tour of the member zone through my own account.

Membership is free & easy. We have integrated our registration process with OpenID, YahooID, Facebook, Gmail ID etc. (thanks to JanRain.com's awesome offering). Anyone who has any of these accounts can become a member with their existing username and password – we won't ask you to go through the entire registration process again.

Here is the login / registration screen:

Once inside the site, there are three main zones – MyHome, Marketplace and MyCommunity.

In MyHome, you can see your reputation score, and drill down to see who said what, and more. You can also refer back to all the ratings you do on the site, of people, product or companies. You can revisit them in time to record your change in impressions. Most importantly you can see the feed of your connected friends, their rating activity. You also can access the list of all invitations from your community to rate any entity.

Here is what my MyHome screen looks like:

Very importantly, you can see who has access to your ID Score and you can withdraw access to that score anytime you wish to. Your ID Score is your property which is governed by absolute privacy policies on the site. No one can ever get access to your reputation score without your permission. Knowing others reputation is easy – search for the person, click on request score and wait for their approval.

Here is where I can see which users I have given access to my scores:

Member zone marketplace tab provides you with localized content (currently at country level). You will be presented with content of your interest, of your region and most importantly specific applications that you can access once you have logged into the site. These applications could be to rate Doctors, Professor, Boss, Restaurant, Movie etc. We will continuously keep updating this space with new applications for your convenience.

Here is what my Marketplace screen looks like:

MyCommunity tab holds your addressbook, your connections and a peek into their pages. So, it becomes a very important zone for you to look into your connections activity, their scores, their connections, their raters etc. Most of it is again controllable in the privacy settings tab. So, don't be sure that you will be able to see everything your connections are upto.

Here is what my MyCommunity screen looks like:

We are positioning idntiti.com to be the destination for everyone to converge and voice their opinions, review others opinions to make quick impressions and if necessary, decisions. Please send your feedback to us to help make it even better.

Managing our reputation is important

2008-12-19T16:37:03-08:00

There are numerous tools available in the market that uses complex algorithm computations to derive reputation scores. We are trying to emulate the real-world mechanism of reputation building and dissemination of the information on the web. The philosophy is very simple:

Our reputation as individuals is purely based on what others think of us
We may not have control on who thinks what about us and why
Most often the opinion formed by our community is based on the image we project.
If we are able to understand what others think of us, we would either correct some behavior patterns which are undesirable or at least acknowledge them, or if the behavior pattern is desirable, we would feel good about it, and continue down that path.
If we like our reputation or what others say about us, we would want to talk about it to others.
If we need help in getting some things done – such as networking, job interview, dating etc., we would like to be recommended or referred.

We are making all of this possible at www.idntiti.com by making the process of gathering feedback about oneself or one's reputation very easy.

It is completely in your control to build, gather and control your reputation. That is FUNDAMENTAL.

The process is very simple. Become a member – invite people from whom you want help to build your reputation through the site. Once they rate you, you can see your reputation score (we call it ID Score), the dimensions you were rated on if raters identified themselves. You also can drill down to see what they say. If you like what you see about your reputation – pull a score widget and display your reputation on other social networking sites. We are currently integrated with about 80 sites that you can publish your widget on (see in previous posts for my score widget).

Once your reputation is in the market, you will see good things happen to you. Trust me, it's that simple.

IDNTITI Score, a concept very similar to Credit Score

2008-12-16T23:16:30-08:00

For those who are not familiar with Credit Score, let me step back and describe the Credit Score, which in the United States, we are very aware of:

Credit Score is almost a spiritual number. It captures our monetary behavioral pattern, our capability as an earner (or not) and also could extrapolate our goals in life. Based on this number and a piece of paper that describes the data behind the number, our banks, creditors, lenders or employers can make important considerations about our application for loan, credit card, employment etc.
The Credit Score is very confidential. It is not available for public to see, unless the person involved has given his consent to the receiving party to look at it.
It is unavoidable. None of us have a say in it. I have no choice but to live with the score, which is passively monitoring me, my lifestyle, my spending behavior etc
Lastly, we use it frequently. There are various reasons for us to look into it and use it when we are applying for a Credit Card, Car loan, Mortgage etc.

We realized that if each of us has a similar score created by our community of friends, family, peers and colleagues and everyone else whom we are interacting with, it might be of immense value for us to understand ourselves as perceived by our community. This score would track our reputation and identity which is already available in an undocumented format within our community.

This score can be used when an employer is interviewing someone for a job, or when we are networking socially or professionally with others. Before we invest time and effort in building a formal or informal relationship with someone because we are impressed by what they say about themselves, it would help to ask for their IDNTITI Score and the data behind it to get the entire picture about the person. This would be a complementary service to LinkedIn where people say about themselves, their experience, expertise, capabilities and ambitions.

www.idntiti.com brings together an innovative rating tool built on credit score principles of (a) unavoidable, (b) private, (c) reputation index and inter-twines it with a social networking layer to allow the interaction between different people easily by understanding their reputation. It is a forum or a tool for users to help them make their important decisions. You may have seen my ID Badge Widget published in my previous post. You too can build your ID Badge and proudly publish on your social networks, blogs etc. and let your reputation work for you.

None of us wants to deal with unethical, unreliable, conceited people …so go ahead, ask for their scores and data and see if it is worth it for you to invest your time and energy into them. Likewise, take a moment to express your impressions about your manager, colleagues, friends etc., and help build their reputation as well.

My ID Score Widget

2008-12-16T09:10:58-08:00

A simple ID Badge widget that can be published on 80 odd site - social networking sites, blogs, bookmarking sites, personal sites etc., can communicate your Reputation as stated by your community. Manage your identity & reputation, and publish to let your community know more about you.