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Web 2.0 Mashups

New blueprints for Service Creation are requiring Telecom operators to change their current thinking about telco service creation to a Web 2.0 mindset.

Web 2.0 mashups are most likely to be the path to how operators can best exploit this new paradigm.

Mash Up

A mashup is a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience using technologies including RSS and AJAX [Asynchronous JavaScript And XML].

Mashup Content

Content used in mashups is typically sourced from third parties via a public interface or API. Other methods of sourcing content for mashups include Web feeds [ RSS or Atom], web services and screen scraping.

Mashup API's

Mashups require little programming skill. Content companies release an API [Application Programming Interface] which allows external requests to access the content. But rather than just provide a static delivery of the content, there is a high degree of interactivity for the developer/user to manipulate that data - supporting Web 2.0 concept.

Many media providers are experimenting with mashups using Google, eBay, Amazon, AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoos APIs.

Mash Up Examples

At the consumer level, the most common mashup we see online today is using maps, such as GoogleMaps. For example - take the real estate data on Craigslist, located it on Google Maps, the mash the two content items together into a simplified, unified experience.

A more complex mashup example is VirtualPlaces. This is a mashup of APIs provided by Amazon Web Services, Weather.com, Flickr, MSN Search, Feedmap and GeoURL.

Consumers can create their own mashups using free online tools such as Dapper

Mashups are very much about adding value. With so much content on the web today, collating complementary content in this fashion is providing a valuable service.

At a business level, an example of a telco deliving into Web 2.0+ service creation is BT's pioneering Web21C SDK initiative. Mash up technology used in the business environment is commonly referred to as Web 3.0, Web Services and SOA.

Web mashups are creating mini ecosystems between telcos and media content providers.

Mash Up Tools

Many sites are offering mashup API's. Most will require a free login registration to interact with their API services. Service providers, such as Google, support use of the same ID for multiple services.

Datamashups.com - web-centric mashup tool with WYSIWYG editing.

Grazr - an application development system for feeds using GrazrScript.

JackBe’s JackBuilder - a browser-based mashup tool to create mashups called “Rich Enterprise Applications” or REAs. JackBuilder is Ajax based IDE allowing widgets, components, and services to be integrated together into enterprise mashups.

10 popular API’s

Legal Issues Surrounding Mash ups [PDF]

Open Directory and Blog for Mashups & Web 2.0 APIs

Database of Mashup API's

Mashup Tutorials