Vidoop, an OpenID identity provider reviewed here that shuns usernames and passwords in favor of picture grids, has scored a coup by managing to hire the chairman of the OpenID foundation himself, Scott Kveton.

Kveton will act as Vice President of Open Platforms for Vidoop, managing the myVidoop product out of Portland. His association with Vidoop should help the company to raise its visibility and to strike deals with consumer websites that want to begin implementing OpenID authentication.

Vidoop differs from other OpenID identity providers by presenting users with a grid of pictures from which they must identify a preset configuration in order to authenticate. The company is working to sign deals with advertisers to incorporate ads into the grid and pass on some of the revenues to participating websites. While OpenID has yet to gain widespread implementation, big players such as Yahoo have been showing much greater interest in the technology as of late.