I am a member (active or inactive) in way too many social networks. In fact, if you searched for me online, probably all the results are social media profile pages full of “just testing” status updates and just being sat on so no one else is me online (online reputation management for the win!).

But the problem that has recently occurred is the fact that with all these networks, they all want you to use your login creditials to sign into other networks, for example:

• Google Friend Connect
• Facebook Connect
• OpenID
• whatever it maybe next week….

So all these social webapps want to know where you are (hello 4square), who you are friends with (hello facebook) and where you post comments and leave feedback (hello google friend connect). Now the networks are obiviously not doing this for your benefit, or to make it easy for you to login. The reason? Because if there was this magical cloud login certificate authority (lets call it CloudAuth), there would be no reason for separate sign ups for each network. It could actually pull the standard required data from CloudAuth and store only that username and password – and then the relevant activity you have placed on that network.

Currently you are just duping up your information across the Internet – especially the most important details, your contact information. Think about what you are giving them. You are providing a social map of what you do with your day and where you are and who you are with. I didn’t even want my parents to know that when I was a teenager and yet I am more than happy to tell Facebook and 4square.

So What can you do?

The short answer is not much. Those networks provide great services and information, and allow you to connect with your friends and family in ways you never thought. Unfortunately, you have to go through the labourious process of inputting your data and receive stupid updates to a whole bunch of networks you don’t actually like.

What I would love to see is one day, CloudAuth becomes a standard, where there is no more actual signups because you have already signed up once, and there is only one of you. But not only tie it into your social networks, but your work and personal email, your online shopping, your favourites.

One day we can hope and dream…