Professional organizations ought to provide OpenID services. Who cares if LinkedIn, Yahoo, AOL or MyOpenID say I am who I say I am? If I have to get licensed somewhere, or if I need to join a certain group to have professional credibility, than that org ought to support me by saying, "Yes, this person has earned a measure of trust that we can confirm."

I am concerned about potential trends: 1) towards pay-for-verification services in the guise of focused subscription directories and 2) 'services to the community' provided by self-serving entrepreneurs. We need true sources of authority, not just technically consistent sources. I think my professional groups should use open identification tools/software with clear ethics policies/responsibilities on each side to help me establish my own brand.