Windows Live Web Authentication will not give site developer the username (email address) or any other information after users sign-up or sign-in. It just give a UID (Unique ID) for each user, and this UID differ if user sing-in to another web application. To know the reason behind this please see
Username, email and UID of Windows Live Web Authentication.
Windows Live ID just offers this: A user with this UID successfully sign-in to your site, nothing else but this not simple work. It contain all Authentication for you, such as username and password database security, handle security issue of get username and passwords of users, offer password reminder, save password and all other Windows Live Authentication mentioned in Windows Live Authentication Feature.
You may think an unknown UID for each user without knowing his/her username has no use and users sing-in to your site like anonymous user. but the key difference is that user always sign-in with same UID!
The thing is missed that you need Authorization and Identification. Windows Live Authentication currently offer you Authentication not Authorization or Identification. To know more about difference between Authentication and Authorization click here.
How to identify user with Windows Live Web Authentication?
You need valid email address for Authorization? One popular method is after user sing-up to your site ask him to enter his email address and then send a confirmation to his email address and ask him to confirm the email address he entered by clicking validate link. Perhaps you see this before, it just like many other site sign-up. After user validate his e-mail, you have and unique ID and his valid email address. Now you can give them access automatically by his email address.
The result is:
- Windows Live Web Authentication does all Authentications process for you.
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You identify him by requesting his email and validate his email by sending confirmation automatically.
"Shetab Windows Live Authentication for SharePoint" is solution for using Windows Live ID in SharePoint. It ask user to enter email and automatically validate his email by sending confirmation email, http://www.shetabtech.com site is sample of this package. you can also give user access before he sign-up to your SharePoint site with his Windows Live ID.