Thanks to the wonderful world of “Web 2.0″ we have recently witnessed a proliferation of web applications, offering services from mapping to social bookmarking, photo sharing to user generated video. For a web developer one exciting aspect of this new breed of web apps is the ability to extract data from them by means of an API (Application Programming Interface) and reuse it on your own website. If you have ever seen a YouTube video embedded on a blog or myspace page then you will know how powerful this concept is, but using APIs (and a little ingenuity) the potential exists for far more creative implementations. Here are a few examples to whet your appetite:

Phrasr: Enter a phrase, illustrate it with photos from Flickr, then convert into a slideshow. Delightful concept and execution.

Wayfaring: A sophisticated Google Maps application that lets users create personalized event maps and travelogues, complete with photos, post-it notes, and reader comments.

I Love Music Video: If you love music videos and you love youtube then this mashup of youtube and last.fm is sure to spin your propeller.

Tuneglue: Another last.fm powered application, this time using a slick Flash interface to map the creative connections between musicians.

These few examples are just the tip of the iceberg. There are literally thousands of API ‘mashups’ to be discovered at Programmable Web, which is also a great spot to hone your skills when you’re ready to get your hands dirty with your own mashup.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 3:35 pm and is filed under Design, Design Careers, Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.