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#11: Major web sites are embracing APIs as a fantastic marketing tool. (Podcast)

API stands for Application Programming Interface, but most major web sites see them as nothing more than another marketing tool. By allowing web site owners to request information from their web site, web sites are offering APIs for free.

In this podcast, we tell you some of the major web sites using APIs and what’s in it for web developers.

To see how major web sites are marketing themselves through APIs, click here to listen: http://media.switchpod.com//users/newsforwebdesigners/APIs.mp3

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This entry was posted on September 2, 2007 at 10:19 am and is filed under Podcasts. 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.

12 Responses to “#11: Major web sites are embracing APIs as a fantastic marketing tool. (Podcast)”

  1. Troy Hulman Says:
    September 7, 2007 at 4:05 am

    APIs are a pain to learn and I am yet to find one that is easy to implement. I think although I agree that APIs make good marketing tools, these companies should make them easier to learn. I have read several API manuals and understand none of them.

  2. Bruce C Says:
    September 12, 2007 at 5:13 pm

    Like anything else in computer programming, you need need time and patience and then it all falls into place.

  3. Kayla Says:
    September 14, 2007 at 9:04 am

    Good opinions, Bruce. I think APIs are hard to learn, but they do in fact make it easier for web sites to spead themselves out. If a web site can develop and distribute and API, you’re right, it iS good marketing. I totally agree.

  4. Bruce C Says:
    September 15, 2007 at 3:27 am

    Kayla, good points, but I notice that APIs are becoming easier to learn now, especially the APIs that use the REST technology. See my blog entry #14 for more details on REST.

  5. Amed Says:
    September 17, 2007 at 2:22 pm

    I agree. APIs are good getting links to websites.

  6. Bruce C Says:
    September 20, 2007 at 2:34 pm

    Amed, yes, they are.

  7. bweebvil Says:
    September 26, 2007 at 7:40 pm

    I think affiliate programs are the best APIs since you don’t need to learn them. The HTML inside these affiliate programs is hard to read, but yiou just add them to your web site. As far as APIs, I like the amazon one. it’s one of the easier ones out there.

  8. Bruce C Says:
    September 30, 2007 at 11:25 am

    @bweebvil, I guess, but don’t really agree. I think affiliate programs are hard URLs that need to be followed to the letter, not really anything characteristic of an API I know.

  9. jung lee Says:
    October 10, 2007 at 7:45 am

    APIs are good to learn. They make us stronger programmers by forcing us too read the code and make it work with our sites. good podcast and article. thanx

  10. Bruce C Says:
    October 16, 2007 at 5:09 am

    jung, I agree!

  11. name withheld Says:
    October 19, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    I use APIs for linkedin and digg and they are pretty easy.

  12. joseph Says:
    March 4, 2008 at 11:21 am

    I find good website premade APIs make easy for us to learn…

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