MySpace has joined the likes of Yahoo!, AOL, Flickr and WordPress in using OpenID, a shared identity service designed to allow users to use the same log in details for many websites, eliminating the need for a new screen name for each site.

OpenID works using URLs instead of usernames such as http://xxx.openid.com and there are two ways a website or company can participate in the OpenID program. MySpace will be joining the initiative as a provider, which means for the time being it will only be issuing OpenIDs to it’s users. Providers only make their user accounts OpenID compatible where as relying parties are websites that allow users to sign into their sites with IDs from issuing parties.

The adoption of OpenID is designed to make MySpace a more attractive option for users. Number 1 contender with MySpace, Facebook, has yet to announce any sort of OpenID deal and so, some would see this as giving MySpace a little bit more of a lead.

However, until MySpace decides to take that next step (and VP of Technology, Jim Benedetto told Reuters the site is considering becoming a relying party) then we don’t really see this move being good for anyone but MySpace.

“All this will tie together to make it more useful for MySpace users to have MySpace accounts even when they’re not on MySpace," Benedetto said in a phone interview with Reuters.

We think this pretty much sums up the decision in one sentence. MySpace garners more users by issuing the IDs but doesn’t recognise other OpenID log ins “yet”. Ultimately we think this could be great for MySpace and it’s users but only if the website decides to go 100 percent OpenID.