One-click registration on websites belonging to phone apps

Recently, gmail passed me this advert (just for example). It is for a programming competition site that (incidentally) offers one-click registration (you know, while signed into other prestigious sites).

In most websites created for phone apps, user registration is better if it's one-click (in addition to signin). Sites (as above) do this in order to facilitate acting on impulse. (I'm not telling you anything you already don't know.)

In just two clicks (total!), users can register at the new website (even before buying the phone app) while they are skimming (or reading) posts or articles about the phone app's general topic (or smartphone technology), from a link which mentions some jazzy, new, tech feature. Generating this kind of news is something popular bloggers love to do. And it increases the phone app's mindshare.

Plausibly, in this way (huge) numbers of people would have an emotional commitment for trying-and-buying that phone app, and some would do so. If they are browsing in their smartphone, in one click they can purchase (and download) the app. Synergy! because websites are linked in ... well, a web.

People who use information aggregators (some generated by grassroots online communities, like my friend M) would (in their instream) see links to this new website, and inform their friends the same way. Thus will social synergy cause an explosive chain reaction!

One-click registration transfers (part of) the reputation of a very popular website, onto the new website.

After a person has gone through the effort of deciding to register themselves (and their personal information) on a popular website, and thus trust it, they desire also to trust (on the web) wherever else that (particular) website automatically allows them to register.

With the first website, we are in a 'community,' or have established a relationship. This leverages the natural human tendency to trust anyone referred to us, by a trusted other. Communities are a strong part of (genetically programmed) human nature.

This level of referral trust seems even to exceed the trust from (simple) hyperlink clicking. Perhaps what is called, 'cognitive dissonance' also plays a part.

Copyright (c) 2011 Mark D. Blackwell.