This week's VRM Workshop at the Berkman Center in Cambridge, MA was quite interesting. It helped me quite a bit to sort out how Identity Management and VRM intersect, but also differ in some respect. To put it in a nutshell, I believe that the biggest difference between the two is that they are essentially two different ways of looking at the same problem. "Traditional" identity management has been focusing largely on the varies subjects (and objects), their characterization, and how they can be mapped to digital artifacts. VRM seems to be taking a more procedural approach by focusing more on the processes and interactions of these subjects, objects, and digital artifacts. In this sense, VRM and identity management are very much complimentary.

You can find more information about Doc Searls ideas about VRM on the Berkman wiki and on his blog.

vrm2008