What's a Mashup?

Monday, November 13, 2006 6:15 AM

Posted by Jonathan Danylko | Tag: Web 2.0 | Comments: 0 | View blog reactions

Mashups provide a great opportunity for startups.

When I first experienced Google Maps, I thought this was a cool idea and started looking through the source going "How did they do that?" (Yes, I'm a geek).

Then I started seeing other sites providing the same type of effect through AJAX. Now, it seems everyone has an API (Application Programming Interface) to their outstanding website.

If you notice, some things are left out of their API. If you find something in one site, but not in another, you need to improvise.

Hence, Mashups.

Mashups are the combination of web site API's to create a brand new concept or web site to assist the user.

BusinessWeek posted some great articles in their CEO Guide to Technology:Mashups last week to give startups and entrepreneurs an idea of what to expect with mashups. Some mashups are arriving sooner than expected.

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