Mashups: the fastest growing ecosystem on the planet?
David Berland, executive director of ZDNet, proclaims that mashups are “the fastest growing ecosystem in the internet.” What exactly is a “mashup” any way? Check out Mr. Berland’s video below to find out more about this growing Internet phenomenon.
Some examples of Mashups:
Flickrvision is a combination of pictures from the Flickr website and Google Maps. Flickrvision shows pictures as they are updated and entered into the Flickr website and where those pictures are being uploaded. Flickrvision offers a 3D version as well.
Twittervision - Much like Flickrvision, Twittervision shows up-to-the-minute updates of twitter comments. It is a mashup of Twitter and Google Maps. Twittervision offers a 3D option where one can see updates on the globe in 3D.
RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service: This mashup with Google Earth and local emergency and disaster information services shows major ongoing emergencies in the world. Check out the map and click on any of the icons to see what is going on in that area (i.e., earthquake, flooding, etc). More detailed information (a summary of the event, situation update, photos, etc) is incorporated if you click on the links.
TuneGlue is a mashup of Lastfm.com (a UK-based internet radio and community website) and Amazon.com. TuneGlue is an extensive online music mapping mechanism which utilizes relational data from Last.fm to make focused and accurate music recommendations to music fans. TuneGlue is a user-generated site that mashes with Amazon.com to link consumers to recommended artists, websites and retailers, and is based on the comparison of the listening preferences and profiles of other music fans.
To find out more information about Mashups:
I recommend starting with ProgrammableWeb.com. This website is GREAT! You can search for mashups or browse the various categories. ProgrammableWeb.com also has information on what APIs (application programming interface) to use (i.e., Google Maps, del.icio.us, Yahoo, eBay, Flickr, etc.) how to create mashups (code, tools and resources) — just in case you were wanting to create your own! ProgrammableWeb is where you can keep up with what’s new and interesting with mashups, Web 2.0 APIs, and the new Web as Platform. Bookmark this site!
Question to consider:
After watching Mr. Berland’s video and checking out the sites above, do you agree that mashups are the future of the “web 2.0? revolution?
